Black slates and Redcliffs

Today seven of us (Brian, Clyde, Dean, Gary, Sean, Stan and myself) met at Quidi Vidi to do a car shuttle to Middle Cove.  We drove to beautiful ...

Middle Cove Beach where we were the only people on the beach as we loaded our kayaks for the return paddle to Quidi Vidi.

We were pleased to see Stan for his first paddle of the year.  Stan has been preoccupied with other things lately that has cut into his kayaking.  One of those things is photography, which you can check out on his site.

The rest of the crew put-in and we were on our way ...

... to check out the black slate cliffs of the St.. John's Formation on the east side and ...

... the caves the sea has carved into the cliffs.  It was just after 10:00 am.  The sun was in our faces as we made out way in an easterly direction but here, under the 200 foot high cliffs we were out of the sun.  The colours captured by the camera were richer.

We poked into both caves that meet further in but couldn't be traversed today in the high water.

The numerous caves en route to Outer Cove didn't attract much further attention today so we rounded Ship Cove Point and paddled into Outer Cove.  Paddling the two kilometers along the east side of the cove we came to ...

 ... Torbay Point.  Points of land are always interesting in terms of conditions.  Torbay Point did not disappoint today either as we paddled between the point and an offshore rock before turning out bows south under the imposing cliffs of the ...

... headland of Shooting Point Cove and Redcliff in the distance.

There were still only half way to our destination of Quidi Vidi.  There were more massive caves to explore along the remaining 10 kilometers and a lunch stop with seal launches.

Dean joins the Nordkapp family

On Tuesday Dean's new Nordkapp arrived.  His arrival at the decision to buy one is explained on his blog.

I know he's been admiring it at home but I don't know if hes been sleeping with it.  And, I don't know how he resisted the urge to get it wet right away.  Nevertheless, Thursday evening practice came soon enough with his chance to test drive it.  Here she lies waiting to be ...

... introduced to her natural environment.  Dean lovingly picked her up and gently placed her on the water before getting in.  Seal launches are a thing of the past.  Both of us paddled out of the harbour and into the cove where ...

... the wind and waves waited.  This is where the Nordkapp excels.

Some things are meant to be like Dean paddling his boat for the first time on a day when we had a good blow of wind and 1 to 1.5 meter wind waves, occasionally breaking.

His joy was clear to see.  He said he couldn't believe the difference between the Nordkapp and his first kayak, the Sirrocco.

She rolls pretty easily too!

So, Dean has a boat for life and one that will give him lots of pleasure and, I'm sure, lots of happy memories to be made.

First club paddle of 2013

Hazen was leading the first club paddle of 2013.  The plan was to paddle from Old Shop to Chapel Arm and return.  It was advertised to be 15 kms.  Dean and I hoped for a bit more mileage but we wanted to help out so we decided to put in at Dildo South and meet the crowd at Old Shop.

The put in at South Dildo would add 7 kms in total to our day.  Half an hour later we were in Old Shop and meeting up with ...

... the rest of the merry gang that turned out for the first KNL paddle of 2013.  Once we were on the water I set out to get a shot of everyone over the course of the day.

Sue and Sue gliding along on the flat calm waters of Dildo Arm.

Doug.  There was no wind and no need for the rudder.

The husband and wife team of Sean and Cheryl in their Craig Greenham built Glacier double.  The couple that kayaks together, stays together!

Ron and Reha.  Reha served hot tea and coffee after the paddle.

Pete enjoying the calm day after our paddle the previous day in gnarly conditions en route to Portugal Cove from St. Philips.  A nice sprinkling of kayaks in the background.

Dean; we seem to be constant paddling companions.

The nice thing about club paddles is the chance to have a chat with people we might not see regularly.  Here, catching up with Jerry.

Julie in her brand new boat that I've dubbed the "Purple Pilgrim".

Toby in his "Torngat" by Eastern Island Kayaks.  Dean and I remarked on its extreme banana shape top deck.

Joy, not moving but sitting still for a change.  She was out front most of the day setting the pace.

Hazen, our fearless leader for the day and Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador President, leading by example.

Herb paddling in close where sea meets land.

On the run in to Chapel Arm it began to peck rain.  Some of us sought out the shelter of trees to have our lunch, others ate out in the open.

We had perfect conditions for a level I paddle.  It turned a bit cool and wet but it didn't detract from the day.  Fifteen kayaks, it was a good crowd.  The "official" club paddle turned out to be 17 kms, Dean and I tacked on an additional 7 for good measure.

Thanks Hazen for leading the paddle and the 16 people who showed up to share the day.

More shots on Dean's blog.

Ranger style

Five of us were out today for a 10 km paddle.  It was only short but what it lacked in quantity, it made up for it in quality.  We had 1 to 1.5 meters of swell on the open ocean that kicked up a bit more in shallow water near the land.

Where the swell met the rocks it rose up and crashed over offshore rocks.  We stayed clear of narrow openings today but there were three spots where there was enough room between the swell crashing over the rocks and the immoveable cliffs.

This spot just before Portugal Cove was the best.  Its about 50 meters long from entry point to exit point.  Timing the entry right to catch the swell as it curls around the end of the rock carries the paddler ...

... safely into the soup behind the rock.  Its agitated water but a safe zone to sit and watch for the chance to escape out the other end.  It was a red letter day as we're incrementally building the skills necessary to paddle in these places.  That includes both reading and assessing and the paddling to stay upright.  It was a satisfying day.

Geology of Newfoundland - a book review

Geology is a big part of our kayaking experience.  The rocks in the cliffs we paddle by have a story to tell.  Therefore, I believe, some knowledge of the subject adds to the pleasure of the activity.

"Geology of Newfoundland" by Martha Hickman Hild is a field guide to 48 interesting sites in Newfoundland with an introduction to basic geologic concepts.

Each site is explained in terms of it history and setting with pictures and GPS co-ordinates.  I recently visited two sites at Manuals River to test the layout and explanations in the book.  It was also a good opportunity to use the waypoints feature in my GPS, which up to then I had not used.  So, I entered the two waypoints into the GPS and off I went to the ...

... first outcrop (outcrop meaning rock exposure) at Manuals River in Conception Bay South.

The knobby rocks by the water are layers of volcanic ash that were belched by volcanoes in the late Pre-Cambrian and later intruded by the magma that fed the very same volcanoes.  The directions provided in the book were very accurate and the provided picture ensured that even the armchair geologist could confirm for themselves they were in the right place.

The second site features sedimentary rocks that are dissected by a mafic dyke.  Geology, such a simple science in some ways, is full of complex nomenclature.  Mafic means "dark" as in made up of dark minerals.

The dyke runs diagonally from the middle bottom upwards to the right and bounded by the obvious straight lines on either side.

Some other geology enthusiast had been at the site recently and broke off some of the rock to verify it was dark.  The dyke (a rock called rhyolite) is related to the granite further downstream.  The rhyolite, cooled quicker than the granite, formed smaller crystals, making it look dark compared to the pink granite which crystalized slower at depth.

The co-ordinates provided (N47.51282, W52.94029) put me right on the outcrop and again the provided picture verified I was in the right place.

I was happy with the directions and explanations in the book.  As I was in the area I walked downstream and below the bridge over Manuals River to check out some of the geology which wasn't included in the book.

Here, water flows over Pre-Cambrian conglomerates that were deposited on top of the eroded granites.  In a nutshell, the volcanoes and rocks overlaying the granite body that lay several kilometers underground were eroded, exposing the granite, after which sea levels rose depositing various size cobbles much like those on any beach.

This is a close-up of the conglomerate.  The cobbles are rounded indicating they were either transported over considerable distances or were worked by waves along a shoreline.

I continued down, following the river, until the rocks became black slates.  These rocks were deposited in deeper waters in the early Cambrian period just after 542 million years ago.  Some of the sedimentary beds contain trilobite fossils which places the rocks firmly in the Cambrian.

We have a kayak camping trip planned for New World Island.  The book lists several sites in the New World Island area so, based on these explanations, I expect they will be easy to find.

I believe anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of geology would find this book useful.  Its an excellent buy for the $34.95 it costs.

Another 14

High winds forecasted did not materialize so Dean, Neville and I decided to go for a short paddle today.

It was only 14 kms but it was time in the kayak.  Time in the kayak is essential for skills development whether a person first takes kayak instruction or not.  Everything learned on a kayak course must be repeated until it becomes burned in muscle memory. Without instruction, time in the kayak provides instant feedback on what works and what doesn't.  Some things cannot be taught but have to be learned.  For example, staying calm while getting pushed around in a rock garden.

A good Thursday turnout

A group of us gets together every Thursday evening for kayak practice.  We got going on April 4th this year but up till last evening it was the usual 4 or 5 paddlers.  Last evening 11 people showed up.  That may be an indication the weather is warming up.

Paddling is more than just going in a straight line.  Admittedly, 90% or more of the time we only use the forward stroke.  For me, getting proficient using the other and corrective strokes is what makes kayaking fun.  In particular, using and combining various strokes.  I did some of that last evening before the crew decided they wanted to go for a short paddle.