Malcolm leaving Quidi Vidi for the CapeThe day before Malcolm and I had been out of Quidi Vidi towards Small Point when conditions got interesting. I wondered what adventures we were going to have today as we met at Quidi Vidi at 12:30 on October 16. I didn't have long to wait and I had a logical candidate for paddle #3. Why? Because on that day the water was huge and I was not intimidated.
Leaving the Gut, we had mildly confused water of about 1 metre but the swell built outside of St. John's harbour as we made a bee-line for the Cape. A paddle of about an hour in 2 -3 metres of swell got us out to the Cape.
The Cape, from a safe distance We got out to the Cape where there was 4, occasionally 5, metres of swell. Malcolm stayed off and I paddled on for a bit, stopped looked to see where Malcolm was and paddled a little closer, looked again. Malcolm wasn't moving. Drats, I wanted to get closer. Then I thought of my first trip to the Cape in May. It gets very shallow closer to the Cape and getting too close with the swell on that day could mean being washed right up on the rocks.
Maybe my brashness was caused by the moment but Malcolm had been at the Cape many times and he was the voice of reason this day.
Returning to Quidi Vidi we both saw the biggest set of waves either of us had ever seen while in a kayak. We saw it coming, looked at each other and without saying a word, volumes were spoken. No panic, as we took the elevator ride to the sixth floor three times and carried on. We both agreed on 6 metres.
Stan at the Cape on May 24 Here's a closer look at the Cape when Stan and I were there in May. We paddled out past the Cape and could see all the way own the east coast of the Avalon. I paddled close to the Cape on the way back to Quidi Vidi and remarked to Stan that I could see the bottom. I got on my horse and beat it into deeper water.
Tony,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading my log closely. On October 16, as on other days, I stood well off The Cape. I've spent enough time around The Cape, plus I have studied the nautical charts sufficiently closely, that I can prudently get in closer. That's one of my resolutions for the New Year. When the swell is big, paddle into the intermediate zone off The Cape. Something for us to check out in 2010.
Biggles
Sounds like a plan Malcolm, I'll let you go first *lol*
ReplyDeleteTony :-)
Tony,
ReplyDeleteI was at Cape Spear (via car) today. Moderately big swell (far less than on October 16). It was possible to see the outline of the shelf North of The Cape. The edge was defined by the steepening of the waves. It extends about 500 feet out and is almost as wide. The waves steepen at the edge of the shelf and hold their steepness more or less constantly until they get close in to shore, where they break. Outside the edge of the shelf, just ride up & down the waves. In the break zone it's game over. On the shelf but outside the break zone is an intermediate zone. Up to a certain point in that zone, you get a bumpy ride, but not carried into shore. Beyond that point (the point of no return) you will be carried forward into the break zone and your doom. The point of no return will vary, the bigger the wave, the further out it will be. It's also possible to sneak in closer just West or East of the shelf. However, care is needed to the East, as there is a shoal that tends to break violently just East of The Cape. In conditions where we'd be paddling, what would be fun is the knoll to the Northeast of The Cape; it's called Old Harry. There's a similar knoll to the Southeast east of The Cape called Tinkers Rock. Old Harry is safer as it's more isolated from other shoals; thus, there's more opportunity to recover if things don't go as planned. Things to be more closely explored in moderate conditions.
Malcolm