A paddle with sis

Steppin' in

On Sunday past I was out to visit my sister Dory in Woodstock, a 6.5 hour drive distant. She also has a kayak but no paddling buddies and no instruction. I took my boat out with the intention of teaching her everything I know and that didn't take long *lol*.

She hadn't been in her kayak for several years so we had to dust off her kayak before she got in with Harry's help and the "lesson" began.

Brilliant sunshine

I believe a new paddler often get overloaded with information. I showed her the basic strokes that she can work on by herself. Once she has a better grasp on that she has something to build on.

Rustic stages

After some time in the inner harbour we paddled along the shore past pink granite outcrops, boulders and fishermens' stages. Stages are where fishing gear is stored, fish is landed and processed.

Red Point

The wind came up a little bit. I reassured her that I would tow her back if it became an issue. Running in front of the breeze it wasn't long before we arrived at Red Point.

Red Point comes by its name for obvious reasons - the colour of the granite. Some of the granite has specks of the mineral chalcopyrite in it that adds weight to the rock that can really be felt when hefting it.

The smile says it all

We ducked in behind Red Point out of the wind and floated in our boats for a while before crossing the harbour over to Charlies Cove.

Charlies Cove

The paddle over to Charlies Cove meant taking the wind and chop on the beam. I stayed close but Dory was fine, maybe reassured by my presence.

Onwards again

In Charlies Cove across the harbour, and across from the pink granite, the host rocks were no longer pink but black and metamorphosed to hornblende schist by the heat from the granite as it was intruded.

We hugged the shoreline where we had some protection from the wind. Dory soldiered on and didn't need a tow. It wasn't a long paddle but we both enjoyed it. She learned a few things that will make her paddles more enjoyable. She has her kayak to just putter around in the harbour, look at the bottom and the rocky features of the shoreline. That's what makes her happy and that's what counts.

Away from it all

We put our gear away, packed supplies for a barbeque and drove a short distance and walked into Dory and Harry's cabin. Hidden away in the woods its a refuge from the worries of everyday life.

They cut the trees and had all the wood in the building milled at a sawmill. Then it had to be hand carried into the site. It looked to be a monumental amount of work but the results speak for themselves.

The BBQ was the perfect topper to a perfect day. Dory is a special person in my life and I was so happy to be able to spend it with her in the way we did.