I'm baack! Unbelievable, I finally dusted off the Nordkapp and got out for a paddle. I haven't done much paddling the last couple of winters; just got sidetracked with winter fatbiking. Most of my paddle buddies were into the same thing. It just got to be too much biking and not enough balance. Hopefully that will change now that spring is here.
So, on the spur of the moment I made the decision and got ready before I could change my mind for I was going solo. With no wind I thought it would be a comfortable first calm water paddle for the year. Wrong! When I landed in St. Philips it was a bit more lumpy than I expected but in for a penny in for a pound. The water beat up on the rocks pretty good so there was no taking chances getting in among the rocks.
Rocks disappeared and reappeared as swell covered them and drained away. It was a bit chaotic but I found my groove more and more as I made my way north. A bit like riding a bike; it didn't take long to get in tune with the kayak.
As I approached Portugal Cove the swell increased. It was a broad open swell of about a meter washing up on offshore rocks and then ...
... draining away.
Turning the corner at the point I looked into Portugal Cove and, satisfied with the day's effort I turned to return to St. Philips. The swell I had paddled into then pushed me back and even caught a couple o surf rides.
It felt good to be back in the boat. I look forward to more as the weather warms and more of my buddies pick up their paddles again.
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