2013: Post 9 – Bay Bulls

Hazen, Tony, and I spent a couple hours in Bay Bulls this morning...

Here's a few pics to share...

It was a short paddle, but was a lot of fun...

Be sure to check out Tony's post of the paddle.

2013: Post 8 – St. Philips to Portugal Cove

The forecast was calling for some rain and 25 km wind from the east today.  Tony suggested the possibility of a paddle around St. John's Harbour...  but we decided to head to St. Philips once again...  

Neville joined us today for his first paddle of the year.  A little while ago he had dug through the pile of 2x4 cedar in one of the local lumber stores and managed to find a really good piece to use for his first attempt at carving a Greenland paddle. He ended up with a knot-free paddle and had been wanting to try it on the salt water....  When we got to Portugal Cove we compared his paddle against mine and found his loom was about three inches less in length.  He tried my paddle on the way back and found the longer loom felt better.  I expect it won't be too long and he'll be producing another one...

I didn't take many pictures today, but here are are a few to share...

When we arrived at the channel at Sailing Point we sat and had a look.  The swell was dumping into the channel through the end and the couple of openings along the length, the water was sucking out and filling in, and the the waves were crashing back and forth inside the channel.  It was plenty gnarly in there, and I was thinking it could go either way...  Tony decided to go for it!  Just as he went in the water sucked out and he was sitting in the bottom of a trough with the near vertical face of the rocks on either side of him.  The water came in and he rose vertically, and then his kayak was on the face of the wave  with several feet of his stern sticking up off the crest of the wave; I could see the underside of his hull... Then he was pushed forward into the channel and out of my site.  I guessed he was at about the same place where I had dented the nose of my plastic kayak a couple weeks ago!  He has a fiberglass kayak and I hoped he did not have the nose of his kayak pushed into the rocks... I decided I would not enter the channel today and quickly paddled along the outside to try to keep a watch as he made his way through.  From what I could see of him as he navigated his way though the channel, I have to say he produced an impressive display of paddle skill and calm control... We discussed after that it would have been great if he would of had a helmet cam and had a video of his run through the channel... Another kayaking toy to purchase? 

We carried on...

I took a little video just before we got to Portugal Cove... I was trying to zoom in to get a pic of Tony and accidentally hit the record button so just decided to let it run for a bit... 

We took out on the beach near the ferry terminal at Portugal Cove and had a granola bar and a chat before making our way back to St. Philips...

Another splendid day.  Thanks guys.

2013: Post 7 – Hiatus over

St. Philips is very close to home; only about a fifteen minute drive for me.  It has the slipway for launching convenience, has a little river there for a quick freshwater rinse, and the nearby restaurant for a coffee afterwards (and on occasion a feed of fish and chips)...

Once there you have the choice of paddling towards Topsail Beach in one direction, Portugal Cove in the other direction, or paddle straight out of the cove over to Bell Island.  Or if conditions aren't fit for a paddle you can can always paddle in and out, back and forth, and around the cove.   With a good wind blowing into the cove it makes for a bit of fun to paddle against the wind and then surf back in.  It's one of those little gem-of-a-places that is just so convenient for a kayaker that allows you to get on the water most any day.

And so, after getting away from paddling out of St. Philips last weekend we ended right back there again today.  The  different forecasts we looked at were calling for wind of varying speeds.  When we get differing forecasts like that the tendency is to err on the side of caution and paddle in more familiar surroundings. So we decided to go to St. Philips again today and make paddle plans depending on the conditions we found once there.  

When we arrived the wind was a little less than expected and the swell was coming in from the north...  The conversation went sort of like this:

"Should be interesting paddling up to Portugal Cove..."
"Likely no going through the channel at Sailing Point though..."
"I brought my throw bag this time... you never know..."
"We'll see what's it's like when we get there..."

Anyway, off we went to Portugal Cove.  I did not take many pictures though, as it was a pretty bouncy ride in a lot of places on the way....  But here's some I did take...

Neither of us paddled inside any rocks today... and so the throw bag stayed stowed away.... but was it ever a lot of fun paddling in the clapitus...

2013: Post 6 – Finally!

Well, we finally got away from the rut of paddling out of St. Philips.  The weather was looking good for today and five of us answered Tony's e-mail to paddle from Tors Cove to LaManche... 

It was a bit of an adventurous day.   Our lead car was pulled over on the drive down to Tors Cove, a set of car keys went astray while getting ready at the put-in,  there was a capsize, and one kayak almost landed on top of another while playing in some waves at Bauline South...

Some of my pics...

Gearing up

Tony

Clyde, Sean, and Hazen

Tobias

Sean

Sean and Clyde

The bridge at Lamanche

LaManch River 

A beautiful spot for lunch

Hazen
(Tony and Sean in foreground)

Tony and Tobias

Clyde

But alas, the lead car was sent on the way with only a warning, the car keys were discovered before leaving the beach, the capsized paddler managed a self-rescue roll, and although the kayaks 'bumped' in the waves no one was injured.... 

Six of us left the beach in Tors Cove and six of us returned with memories of another adventurous day on the brine on a beautiful day in Newfoundland...  

Thanks guys for showing up and helping to break the St. Philips paddling rut of my first five paddles of this calender year.

2013: Post 5 – Another Sunday Paddle

For the fourth Sunday morning in a row we met at St. Philips.

The slipway was blocked with ice pans.... 

So I put in on the beach in front of the restaurant.  But Tony decided he would put in over the side of the wharf....

Once Tony was in his kayak we paddled to Portugal Cove, taking our time...

At Sailing Point passage I let Tony go ahead, hoping to get a few good pics with the swell coming in... I only took this pic...

I tell people that if you don't capsize now and then you just aren't trying hard enough... Well, I don't know if i was trying hard enough today or not, but.... I paddled to just before where you see Tony above, to get another pic of him. I had the paddle in one hand, the camera in the other, and Mother Nature seen an opportunity.  The swell came through the opening to my left and promptly knocked me over.... Well, no swimming today, but to make the whole thing a short story, I paddled out after a minute or two with my hat in my teeth and an indentation in the nose of my kayak...

And so we continued on to Portugal Cove...

When we arrived in Portugal Cove we pulled up on the beach...  

We each had a granola bar, and then contemplated continuing on to Brocks Pond Falls... but decided against it since it would add another hour and a half to the day. So then we took our time paddling back to St. Philips.

A quick rinse in the fresh water of the river...

   
... and then made our way through the ice pans in front of the slipway...

As usual, we headed into the restaurant for coffee, another little paddling adventure behind us...

2013: Post 4 – Sunday, Sunday, Sunday...

Today was the third Sunday in a row that I paddled...  

Tony sent an e-mail out but there were no takers for a morning paddle.  It seemed that it would be just the two of us... again. But Brian was pulling into the St. Philips wharf just ahead of me when I arrived.  

Tony pulled in shortly after… and the three of us set off for Topsail Beach….

When we arrived at Topsail Beach the little river was flowing nicely so we played a little where the fresh and salt water meet...

We pulled up in the beach for a stretch and a snack... 

Then decided we would carry the kayaks the short distance up to the pond and ride the river back out to sea... 

And then we headed back to St. Philips….

Arnold, who looks after the little harbour, was mulling around the slipway when we pulled in.  He always comes over to have a little chat with us whenever we are there....

Well, that's three weekends in a row that the weather has cooperated and allowed us to get on the water....  Thanks Tony and Brian for a fun morning paddle...

[see Tony's blog for his pics from today's paddle}