A hobble in Bull Arm

Sometime on May 8th the Hebron oilfield production platform, a gravity base structure (GBS), was tentatively scheduled to be towed out of the construction site in Bull Arm.  Seven tugboats were contracted to do the tow out but nine of us decided we had better attend in case they need more towing power.

The plan was to leave from Chance Cove and camp at Masters Head Beach and monitor the situation as to when the tow-out would proceed.  On a bright sunny but cool Sunday morning Brian, Cathy, Clyde, Gary, Hazen, Ron, Roy, Terry and I loaded our kayaks on the slipway in Chance Cove.

Loaded down with all the camping essentials we left Chance Cove and ...

... headed northwest along the shore.

The shoreline along here is punctuated by sea stacks of the Bull Arm Formation comprised mainly of andesitic volcanic flows.  That is to say, the same composition of the rocks of the Andes Mountains in South America.

Its one of the most picturesque shorelines on the Avalon Peninsula which is hard not to get ...

... enough of.

Near Rantem Harbour we paddle past the last of the sea stacks where a bit of mist hung in the air.  We crossed directly over bypassing the harbour and landed on the opposite shore where we examined ...

... the lone bergy bit in the area.  This shot is for Brian, Hazen and Terry who made the longer crossing to ...

... the beach just inside of Masters Head.  They were soon joined by the rest of us and we all set up camp.

Its not only an army that marches on its stomach.  We had to fuel up too for the tow we thought we might have to assist with *lol*.

We all pitched in to collect firewood for the evenings campfire which we knew we'd need as temperatures were expected to drop to near 0C.  After we had a good pile of wood stacked up Brian, Cathy, Gary and I followed the start of a moose path up through the trees to climb up to the top of the Head.

Its was a cool breeze (guessing 5C) but the exertion of the climb had us plenty warm.  We had a nice view of Trinity Bay from our vantage point some 50 meters above the water.  I couldn't resist throwing a few rocks over and watch them kerplunk into the water below.

After ten minutes or so we made our descent picking our way through a mass of dead trees and windfalls.

Just after 7:30 fire chief Terry decided it was time to get the fire going.  It was still an hour and a half from darkness but a welcome warmth as the sun began to set loosing the heat it provided.

As night drew on and the cold set in, we began to stand closer to the flames.  Warmed by the fire people started to drift away to the tents steeled against the cold that was expected to hit near freezing.

As it turned out, the tow out was cancelled due to ice conditions in the tow path.  We would not be needed after all!!!  Nevertheless, the next day we planned to paddle down Bull Arm to the construction site at Msquito Cove where the gravity base structure bobbed in the water waiting patiently for the move.  More on that later.

Chance Cove return

Where was I before I dosed off?  Oh yes, camped on a beach inside Masters Head with Cathy, Dean, Derek, Gary and Hazen.  The day before we set up the tents and three of us went to check out Stock Cove and the Bull Arm construction site.

We got up in the morning to a beautiful sunny day but where we were camped we were still in shadows early on.  Slowly but surely ...

... the sun began to rise and bathe the campsite in warm sunlight.

The paddle to the campsite from Chance cove was just over 6 kms because we made a crossing of Rantem Harbour.  On the way back the plan was to handrail and take our time ...

... squeezing through narrow openings and ...

... around sea stacks.

We explored every nook and cranny, here where a brook ran out.

Another sea stack!

Dean was up at the crack of dawn and told the late risers that there was a skim of frost on his kayak when he got up.  The change of season and the cooler nights were having an effect on tree leaves as they began turning from green to yellows.  The dogberry trees seemed to be leading the way.

We saw numerous eagles.  At one point in Bull Arm on Saturday we saw three close together.  Usually they cry out and take to wing trying to lead us away from their nest sites.  This eagle didn't move and was the closest I ever got to take a picture.  We thought it might have been injured so we backed off so as not to stress it.

Within sight of Western Head we stopped on this beach to relax for some time.  It was still early and we were in no hurry.

From Western Head its only as short distance back to Chance Cove.  That part of the shoreline is punctuated with numerous ...

... sea stacks, this one being the biggest.  Not a sea stack but and island really.

We hit the water at 10:00 and 12:30 we were back entering Chance Cove.  We doubled the distance of 6.2 km on Saturday, which included a crossing, on Sunday by hugging the shoreline.

It was only a one night camp out but felt longer because we stuffed the day with wonderful paddling, incredible scenery and great company.

Here are the breadcrumbs on a Google Earth screen shot:

Blue sky day in Chance Cove

ll last week I kept an eye on the long range forecast.  I mailed a few people on Monday to propose a kayak camp trip from Chance Cove to Bull Arm.  Cathy, Dean, Derek, Gary and Hazen replied with interest.  The good long range forecast held so on Saturday I went to meet the gang for the convoy out to Chance Cove.  The sun cast the shadow of my car and kayak on the side of the highway which I though was pretty cool.

At Chance Cove we loaded up the kayaks for our one night trip and ...

... hit the water leading out of the cove.

The shore running northeast of Chance Cove is one of the most scenic on the Avalon Peninsula with sea stacks and cliff holes to pass through.

Hazen and the first of a line of sea stacks.

Gary.

Cathy

This one was a huge block separated from the mainland by sea.  These sea stacks testify to the fury of the waves that are unleashed against the shore driven by winds out of a northerly direction.

Dean.

At Western Head we had run out of sea stacks and made a short crossing of Rantem Cove to land at a beach just inside Masters Head.  The plan was to land here and set up our tents and unload our kayaks before extending our day paddle into Bull Arm.

With the tents set up Dean, Derek and Gary decided to call it a day and just relax in camp.  Cathy, Hazen and I ate lunch and headed for Bull Arm.  The object was to visit a Dorset Palaeoeskimo archaeology site at Stock Cove and a little further down the Arm, the construction site for the gravity based structure that will produce oil in the Hebron oil field.

Up to my eye balls in sea stacks

I'm not a big fan of long drives to go paddling but I had something up my sleeve to compensate.  Sunday 10 of us drove the 100 kms out of the big city to Chance Cove on the Isthmus of Avalon.  Shane and I launched from this beach with its view of the lingering fog.

The others beat the harbour master's launch fees putting in at the slipway getting away before he could catch them.

Having left the city at 8:00 and getting ready we were on our way out of the cove at 10:00.

Rounding the north point of the cove we were under the cliffs of the Bull Arm Formation consisting of andesitic and rhyolitic volcanic flows and tuffs.  I'll get the geology out of the way first because after the scenery, its the most interesting. *lol*

For two kilometers north from Chance Cove, between it and Western Head at the entrance to Rantem Cove, an incredible number of sea stacks populate the shoreline.

Dean prepares to paddle between a rock and a hard place.

Some of us have been here before but quite some time go.  Hazen thought it was time to go back to reacquaint ourselves with the place and also introduce it to people like Shane.

Looking and waiting for a chance to get through here Dean, Shane and I lined up but passed to catch the rest of the gang who had padded on.

Did I mention there are lots of sea stacks?

And, there were the remnants of sea stacks evidenced by their roots now mere rocks poking out of the sea, some of which ...

... required a watchful eye.

Timing is everything.  Here Brian goes through at the entrance to Rantem without a problem.  I prepared to follow when two large surges threatened to make me either a swimmer or a talented paddler.  I back paddled choosing not to let the sea decide before making my way through also.

The Tai Chi devotee fronts a trio of stacks.

All that's left of where the shore was at one time.  Who knows how many years ago?  How long does it take the sea to sculpt such a masterpiece?

All morning the fog tried to obscure our views blown in by the northerly wind but the sun beat it back time and again.  We decided against surprise and found this beach protected from the wind just inside Masters Head and the entrance to Bull Arm.

The sun beat down on us making the lunch stop very pleasant.

After lunch we paddled around Master Head to have a look down Bull Arm towards Great Mosquito Cove where the Hebron oil field production structure (a concrete gravity based structure supporting all the production facilities and crew quarters) was being constructed.  It lay 7 kilometers away which was too far for us to approach on the day but it will be a target destination hopefully later this summer.

We retraced our track back to Chance Cove through the same sea stacks to end the day there.  I loaded my kayak leaving on my drysuit to drive to destination #2 while the others headed for tea or coffee somewhere on the road back to the city.

Thanks to Brian, Cathy, Clyde, Dean, Derek, Hazen, Ron, Shane and Sue for sharing a most enjoyable day.

Check out Dean's pix on his blog and Shane's pix on his blog.