Top 10 paddles of 2011 - #4

Poking in

On 11 November 2008 Stan and I paddled around Cape St. Francis putting in at Pouch Cove and taking out at Bauline. On April 30 Stan and I were part of a larger group that make the trip in the other direction.

We put-in at Bauline and headed north towards the cape in flat conditions. We took our time to explore various nooks and crannies.

Rocky shores

Skies were overcast as we paddled along the rocky shores.

Hanging fog

As we got closer to the cape, fog started to roll in over the hills.

Running water

There was running water everywhere.

Cripple Rocks

We arrived at the cape and played a bit in the swell before ...

Rounding the cape

... carrying on around. Cape St. Francis is an exposed cape. The next landfall north of the cape is Greenland.

Wet stop

On the east side of the peninsula it was foggy and wet. We stopped at Biscayne Cove for lunch but it was a short stop. There was a wharf but it had not been kept up in years which made landing less than ideal.

Sheltered

After lunch we made our way towards Pouch Cove stopping for a while at this deep narrow cleft in the rocks.

Cape Francis is not often paddled and that makes it a special place. When Stan and I did it in 2008 it was just the two of us. This year there were eight. For both of those reasons this is my top 4 paddle of the year.