St. Philips to Portugal Cove

Dean, Tony and I had a great time today as we paddled along the shore between St. Philips and Portugal Cove.   There were very few slots in the rocks that we did not paddle through today.  I keep going back to this area because it's close to home and especially interesting when the water rushes in and around the rocks, creating opportunities to practice bracing.  The day ended with coffee at the seaside restaurant.  Thanks guys for a great couple of hours on the water.

St. Philips - November 2011

Several of us had a great time surfing and playing in the waves at St. Philips this afternoon.   At a "balmy" 8 degrees, it may be the last warm weather paddle we get in this year.  Thanks to Tony for suggesting the paddle and to everyone for showing up. 



St. Philips in the wind

The high winds and rain this past weekend meant that I had to postpone a kayak-camping trip for the second time this summer. I "needed" to get on the water so four of us headed to St. Philips for a paddle-practice in the waves. Tony, Dean, Neville and I met at the launch area around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The waves were high, at times reaching the top of the slipway. The main challenge was to get out through the slipway when the wave sets were low. Once we made it to the open water of the cove, we played in the waves for over 2 1/2 hours. The photos below do not fully capture the height of the waves (which reached at least three metres at times) and the effect of the wind on these waves. A man who had dropped by to check on his boat commented on our going out on such a day. Such comments remind me that non-kayakers do not appreciate how sea worthy a kayak truly is. We do this because we love it and to prepare ourselves for unexpected winds that can come up when we paddle. Coffee at the beachside resturant completed the experience.

our entry point to the cove

Neville

Neville & Dean with Tony in the background

Tony catching a wave

Dean

choppy waters

Neville

Dean completes a roll

Great Colinet Island

It was a paddle that I had been interested in doing for a few years. So, when Tony suggested a paddle around Great Colinet Island in St. Mary's Bay, I quickly said yes. Four of us - Tony, Dean, Hazen and I - launched our kayaks at Admiral's Beach on Sunday morning. After a crossing of approximately 1.5 km to get to the island, we started our paddle around the island. There are a number of places where one could camp, but on this day we did not have our camping gear with us. As I stood overlooking the water from the side of a hill at Mosquito Cove, I could see why people would have lived here at one time. It was quiet and very beautiful. However, there is no doubt that the people who lived here worked very hard to provide a living for their families. A paddle of just over 25 km made for a great day. Thanks for the company guys.

Dean digs in with his greenland paddle at the beginning of our trip

on the way to the island

Dean along the eastern shore

Tony

Dean seems to be enjoying the waves more here lately

Tony can tell you what these "rocks" are

our lunch stop at Wild Cove

getting ready to leave Wild Cove

Hazen, paddling along the western side of the island

Tors Cove to LaManche

The plan today was to paddle from Tors Cove to LaManche and we did make it but it took us a long time. It was not because we paddled slower than we normally do. Some very exciting waves slowed us down, first at Seal Cove, and again near Bauline East. After playing in the waves at Seal Cove, it was time for lunch. Then it was on to Bauline East where shoals created some high waves and great options for surfing. We eventually made it to the old village of LaManche where we stopped for a quick snack.

Lev, Gary & Dean


Gary

Tobias, Gary & Dean at LaManche

Dean & Gary

Lev & Tobias

the waves that held our attention

Lev riding the waves

Bauline to Pouch Cove

The rain and fog did not dampen our spirits at all yesterday as we made our way from Bauline in Conception Bay, past Cape St. Francis and on to our final destination, Pouch Cove. There were eight of us yesterday; eight happy souls who were delighted at every turn by each nook and cranny in the rocks. Except for those places where the land and rocks met the incoming seas, the water was relatively calm. However, past Cape St. Francis is not the place to be in strong north or east winds. More and more, I am seeing in action the effects of our Thursday evening practices on the ability of paddlers to respond to increasing challenging conditions.

Dennis, as we leave Bauline


Gerard, another possible convert to the Greenland Paddle?

Tony makes his way to the cascading water

Stan, looking for that perfect photo op

Dennis and Sean, at Cape St. Francis

into every opening we go

Tobias and Dean in the foreground

look down, way, way down; at Pouch Cove

where we end our trip and take out our boats

South Dildo in the sun

Yesterday, Tony, Dean and I paddled from South Dildo to Southern Point. It was a warm, sunny day. This is the same area that a group of paddled in last year in quite different conditions. On the trip yesterday, we did not see the same waves that last year provided some with the chance to roll, surf and otherwise find out what it's like to have a big wave fall on you. The pictures below show what we experienced yesterday. At Southern Point, we felt the effects of the strong winds. At this point, we headed back as planned. A great day with a total distance paddled of just over 23 km.

Tony


Dean, gotta love those Greenland paddles

Tony and Dean check out a camping location

Looking down at Tony

Dean and Tony

Dean & Tony check out this shelter on Dildo Island

Tony, with Dildo Island in the background