Three Nordkapps around Cape St. Francis

The paddle today was a rounding of Cape St Francis.  Capes are always fun; this one is interesting because north of the cape is nothing but open water to Greenland.  Therefore, best done in an onshore wind *lol*.

Dean, Des and I met at Bauline to set up the car shuttle to Pouch Cove (pronounced "pooch").  From there we'd paddle north the seven kms to the cape and then south back to Bauline.

We arrived in Pouch Cove.  We had to use the new slipway which, if a person was afraid of heights, would not be a lot of fun.  The angle was all of 45 degrees.

Dean and Des seal launched.  Dean was ready with camera in case I flubbed it and flipped.  Regretfully, I could not amuse him and did an elegant seal launch myself.

The Ocean Wave Model indicated 1 - 2 meter swell.  As it reached near shore I expected it would kick up a bit.  Wind was northerly but barely perceptible so there were no wind waves.  We were not disappointed as we were met with regular 2 meter waves, the larger topping in at almost three.

We were cruising along picking through the swell and the clapotis and in short order we were are Biscayne Cove Islands.  There is a shallow between the islands and the coast but it did not cause problems today so we passed between them.

Funny how a desire to stay upright results in a skewed picture but still only 5 degrees tilted.

Seven kilometers on we were at the cape.  Swell that was on our fore starboard quarter paddling north was expected to be on our beam as we paddled across the headland but as we turned it came from astern giving us a nice push.

Conditions dictated we stay offshore.  The seven kilometers from Pouch Cove is what I call open ocean paddling.

After rounding the cape we were heading west across Cripple Cove.  Ahead, Dean and I kept an eye on Cripple Cove Rocks.  Between it and the headland the water burst upwards in millions of aerated drops of water.  We went around, sadly without pictorial evidence of the conditions.

I came as close as I dared teasing the waves and staying just out of reach.

We were around the cape and into the placid waters of Conception Bay.  There was still some minor swell but nothing like the confused state coming out of Pouch Cove.

Looking south down the cliffs of the volcanic rocks of the Harbour Main Group.  This would be the view for the next 10 kilometers until we reached Bauline.

By passing a chance for a shower.

Dean and I paddled along shore whereas Des paddled well offshore.  Difficult to see but he is there, just a speck on the horizon.

Paddling in a straight line offshore is exercise for me.  Near shore with the sights and sounds of the land - water interface is what I prefer.

Dean got out in this little cove to answer the call of nature.  I had my back to him when I heard  him call out and turned to see his kayak drifting away.  I retrieved it for him but afterwards thought maybe I should have had salvage rights to a boat floating abandoned at sea?  Ah, but I can only use one Nordkapp at a time.

The sun threatened to come out behind us but ahead it was still ominous looking.  As it turned out the sun came out as we came around the far point and ...

... paddled into Bauline harbour.

It was a nice piece of work today at 18 kilometers that felt longer due to, in the first instance, the confused sea state coming out of Pouch Cove and secondly, we had no opportunity to get out to stretch our legs.  Three hours straight made three stiff paddlers taking out in Bauline.

We completed the car shuttle and pick-up.  Dean and I went for coffee.  Here are the breadcrumbs:

California dreamin'

Earlier this spring I put my first kayak, a Necky Looksha IV, up for sale.  One night, at 1:00 am, I got a call wondering if the kayak was still for sale.  I was asleep and a bit confused.  The guy on the other end got excited when he saw the posting and had to call.

It was Mark calling from California and he wanted the kayak for a month long paddle he was doing at different locations around Newfoundland.  He must have forgotten about time difference.  Anyway, long story short, he arrived and picked up the kayak.   Near the end of his trip he was again close and called to join him for a paddle.

He wanted to paddle from Flatrock to Pouch Cove (pronounced Pooch).  We met in Pouch Cove, transferred now his Necky to my car and we drove to Flatrock.  We put-in heading for Red Head.

The water was flat and there was no wind.  We took our time handrailing, here in Stiles Cove.  I paddled the same coast earlier this year but the conditions demanded we stay offshore a bit.

This time the water cooperated for us to get into some of the caves, this one being a cavern.

We exited and paddled to the next.  It was narrow.  Mark went in while I floated outside the entrance.  I waited for a while and out comes Mark having gone around a "U" shaped cave.  This was a discovery for me and followed Mark around for a second time.

The cliffs towered over us in Small Point Cove ...

... and were multi-coloured.

Spectacular scenery.

In the calm conditions we paddled between the cliffs and seastacks ...

... at every opportunity.

This arch was another discovery in Sandy Cove.

Almost into Pouch Cove we checked out this cave.  It was a respite from the 27C temperature.

Its not a long paddle but handrailing religiously made it almost 19 kms.

Part way through the paddle I became aware of a coincidence.  The last time I saw my old boat on the salt water was 1 May 2009.  It was a paddle I did along the exact same coast with Neil, Stan and Ysabelle.  The next day I picked up my Nordkapp and the Necky was never paddled again, until Mark from California came north to take possession.

This was my third time but the discovery of a couple of things missed on the previous two made it a most enjoyable paddle.  That and the company of a fun guy from Cali.

Around the Cape

The track

Yesterday we had a paddle around Cape St. Francis on the menu. Its an exposed cape. The next stop north of here is Cape Farewell, Greenland 1,500 kms away.

Eight of us met at Bauline on the east side of Conception Bay and then shuttled some cars to Pouch Cove (pronounced "pooch" surprisingly) where we would be taking out. Stan and I did this paddle in the opposite direction on November 11, 2008 - how time flies. For the others it was their first time.

Leaving Bauline

It was fairly clear as we left Bauline but it would turn out to be a mixed bag weather wise on the day. Rain and fog would predominate but the sun did make an appearance briefly.

Striking cliffs

The cliffs north of Bauline (and extending south to Portugal Cove) loom overhead. The Topsail fault strikes through here; the cliffs to our right plunge straight into the sea.

Gimme shelter

At times the heavens opened up and it poured. At one point we were close to this cave as some of the guys took refuge. It rained so hard that the raindrops were bouncing up on the sea surface.

Waterfalls

The snowmelt is well under way as winter makes room for spring. It coupled with the rain that was falling meant we had numerous waterfalls on our paddle. This one was just before we reached the top of the peninsula.

Things got interesting

As the line of cliffs gave way, they continued on under water making for a spot to play in the swell breaking over the rocks.

Into Cripple Cove

Cripple Cove sits at the top of the peninsula guarded by a large rock at the mouth of the cove. Nonetheless, its not much protection from the almost unlimited fetch from the north. As a result the cove lacked a beach.

Rounding the Cape

The Cape was shrouded in fog. We were welcomed by the foghorn which was in good form as it boomed out its message of warning.

Rocky take-out

Just southeast of the Cape we took out in Biscayne Cove where we stopped for lunch. Half of us here and the other half on the other side of the run down wharf. Neither spot was ideal but these guys probably got the better deal for landing and relaunching, as much as I hate to admit it. We jokingly accused them of being anti-social.

In a fog

Paddling in fog has its charms.

Crash and bang

The sea on the Conception Bay side was calm but after rounding the Cape it was more active. It wasn't a steep swell, just broad and where the water got shallow it piled up and crashed against the cliffs. The aerated water accentuating the smell of the sea added to the ambiance.

Cleaved open

Coming into Pouch Cove we spotted this deep cleft in the cliffs that must have been 75 meters long. There was lots of room for everyone. Our day was almost over.

Traffic jamb

Arriving at the slipway in Pouch Cove we lined up to take-out. The water was low and had the slipway was very slippery so we helped each other land. A carry up the steep slipway to the cars we had shuttled taxed our lungs as we stood about huffing and puffing.

A first time around the Cape for most for a total of 21.5 kms. To sum up the day, what can I say - pinch me!