Loose lips

Sculpin Point, Torbay

A navy saying is "loose lips sink ships".

In a kayak, its loose hips that will keep you upright in chaotic conditions. Today Dean and I had a great paddle in Tor Bay in chaotic (at times) but manageable conditions.

Leaving the cove in Torbay we started to feel the swell; the foam on the water giving evidence that waves were piling up against the cliffs. We carried on, letting the kayak yaw back and forth rather than fighting to maintain a straight course. Fighting only wastes energy because the back and forth motion averages out anyway to keep us on bearing.

Torbay map area

Yesterday we had a good blow out of the NE. I expected swell to persist today but it was much bigger than I thought it would be. At Motion, between Torbay and Middle Cove the swell was at about 3 metres and breaking when it reached some rocks offshore. We continued to have sizeable swell into Middle Cove and Outer Cove so we only looped into the coves before heading out to Torbay Point.

Crossing Tor Bay

At Torbay Point we agreed on a straight crossing of Tor Bay. As we paddled we had a near 2 metre swell on starboard with rebounding waves well out into the bay on the port rear quarter. The swell was impressive but a considerable wavelength didn't pose any problems. Some trouble though capturing the action on camera!

9 kms to here

We arrived near Whaleback Rock at the other side of Tor Bay after our crossing and an hour and a half of paddling. We made good time considering the conditions and taking into account we stopped several times to watch the swell crash against the shore, especially at Motion. We paddled back to Torbay beach where Dean's GPS said the total was 13.5 in total.

It was 13.5 but the conditions made it equivalent to considerably more compared to calm water.

Tinker

The pump in action

Sunday I paddled with most of the regular crowd. They're a great bunch of people, full of fun. At one point Cyde jumped out of his boat to do a back-deck scramble-on recovery. Then someone suggested to Sean we'd like to see his electric pump in action. He obliged by lifting his skirt and allowed water to enter his cockpit.

While reattaching his skirt he turned on the pump and there was more hilarity as we laughed at the "geyser" that sprang from his boat.

The electric pump is one of numerous "projects" that Sean has done. Sean's blog has installation instructions for the pump, and other tinker endeavours worth checking out.

Hens' teeth

Put-in at Cape Broyle

The warm, sunny weather persisted for a second day Sunday so a group of 10 met in Cape Broyle for a relaxing paddle. The average daily temperature as this time in November is 6 C. The temperature this day was 16 and days like this around here in November are like hens' teeth.

Cape Broyle harbour is an eight kilometer indentation of the sea that was gouged out by glaciers in the last ice age. It runs west to east providing good shelter from southerly winds forecast to be 25 kms/hr.

It has everything a sea kayaker would want ... like massive cliffs sheltering small coves, rocky passageways and caves. So, we took advantage of the great weather in a great paddle destination.

A waterfall

The waterfall on the north side of the harbour is must stop but on this day there wasn't much water flowing. The cove was in shade while the sun blazed overhead. After checking out the falls we crossed over to the south side.

An easy crossing

It was an easy crossing at The Narrows in Cape Broyle harbour where we usually cross from the north side to the south side where there is much to explore.

Narrow passage

Barely wide enough to get a kayak through, a bottle neck develops as we wait our turn to squeeze through.

... a little bit wider

Enough room for two paddlers to get through.

... and wider still

Here the rocks were spread further apart but still interesting to paddle through.

Massive cliffs

Massive cliffs on the south side with rocky sentinels to paddle around. The sun sits lower in the sky this time of year and with the height of the cliffs its unable to shine into the little coves.

Shower room

Massive cliffs with small waterfalls to cool off on a warm November day.

Floating on turquoise

Massive cliffs shelter small coves with clear turquoise water.

There were small caves ...

Cape Broyle has lots of caves to explore. Some are small, merely rock overhangs really but they have to be explored.

... and medium sized caves

Room enough for a few kayaks in this one but not very deep.

... and there were big caves

This cave was about 50 metres deep and at the end it was starting to wear through to the cove behind it.

Church Cove

You know we stopped for lunch! The beach was in shade while the sun shined brightly low in the sky.

Out in the open ocean

We paddled out of Cape Broyle harbour passing the south headland out into the open ocean and a little bit of a swell. Objective met, we turned taking our time to paddle back to the take out. After racking our boats and stowing our gear we stopped at the local restaurant for a coffee before heading home. Sean's GS said 21.5 kms, not bad.

Days like this, in November, are indeed like hens' teeth.

Jetstream gift

Clyde moving in for the rescue

The average daily temperature here at this time if year is 6 C. This morning it was 16 as the warm side of the jetstream climbed high to the north. We were paddling anyway regardless of the weather but it is just more pleasant when warm.

The wind built from the south while we were there as did the seas. In the middle of the Bell Island Tickle the weather got to Clyde as he jumped out of his boat to do a back deck scramble on self-rescue. Then Dean jumped out so Clyde could do a T-rescue.

I'd like to think I slept through winter Rip van Winkle like but no, it will cool down in a few days and its back to reality. Nevertheless, the weather today was a gift and enjoy it we did.

Fetch me some waves

Checking out the breaking waves

Most will know that wave height is a function of wind speed, duration and the distance of open water the wind blows over, i.e. fetch. Recently I've researched this a bit and was surprised by some of what I read.

For example, a fetch of 10 nautical miles with wind blowing for 2 - 3 hours at 10, 15, 20 and 25 knots will develop waves of 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.1 metres respectively.

There is a maximum height waves will develop at a given fetch and wind speed no matter how long the wind blows and this is referred to as a fully developed sea. Waves will only increase from that height if the wind speed increases.

Its interesting also to note the effect of fetch on wave height. If the fetch is increased from 10 to 20 nautical miles and the wind blows for 4 - 5 hours at 25 knots the maximum wave height produced is 1.4 metres. That's a slight increase of .3 of a metre for a doubling of fetch.

Waves are complex and affected by other factors such as water depth and shoreline topography. Its worth the time to read up on something that has such an effect on our kayaking.

Judgment Day

KNL club paddle

Tonight on the agenda is Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador's (KNL) Annual General meeting. Its judgment day for Board members. Well, for some anyway like the President and the Treasurer. I'm the Treasurer and I'm ready, as is my presentation. I think members will be pleased with our solid financial standing.

I've been on the Board for four years. The first two years I developed the club's Calendar of Events for summer and winter and for the past two years I've been in charge of the money. Its been a tightfisted monetary reign! That reign comes to an end tonight as I haven't offered for the position again.

Its been a busy two years, busy in the context of volunteerism. I've enjoyed myself, I've helped put the club on a sound financial footing but its time to pass the torch. After tonight I'll be Joe Clubmember and I'll just paddle.

Too much stuff

The simple pleasures in life

A friend that trains at the gym with me is a successful businessman. He is self made and that is to be admired as opposed to inherited money. He can buy pretty much anything he wants and has. But there is a cost to having stuff. The more stuff you have the more there is to look after and care for.

He has a summer place almost an hours drive out of town. In the winter, if the furnace for his hot-water radiation heat system doesn't function he gets an alarm message and he has to get out of bed to go check it out. He's concerned he'll face additional taxes for owning a house in Florida as an "alien".

I listen to this and I think "that's not for me". For me the trick is to only as much as can be enjoyed. One of those things is my Nordkapp. It can't get any better than that when I'm in it floating on the water without a care in the world.