Pack ice paddle

Choked with ice

I checked the daily ice report with anticipation but it appeared the ice had moved off. I intended to walk to Torbay Point to check it out with binoculars but stopped at Middle Cove first. I was surprised and dismayed. There was ice but absolutely no open water in which to launch.

One of the sightseers there said Torbay was open so I drove the short distance there.

Open water

Sure enough Torbay was open and there was pack ice in the cove. I got out to survey the situation and felt the cold sting of the northerly winds blowing over the ice field.

Undaunted, I put-in and paddled the east side to see how far I could get.

End of the line

I hadn't paddled very far before my way was blocked.

Sheltered calm

I turned to the west side following the edge of the ice pack. I felt some wind when I launched but here there was enough height in the ice to offer protection from the northerly wind.

The leading edge

Near the west side of the cove I was able to get around and find more open water. I had spotted that option before I got in my kayak.

Squeeze through

Turning the corner there was open water beyond. There was just enough water to paddle through this oddly shaped floe.

No throughfare

I turned east again to see how close I could get to Middle Cove where I knew the ice was packed in tight. Close to Motion I was stopped dead in my tracks.

Bits and pieces

There were bits of ice and larger floes to paddle around practicing bow rudders and the like.

Pancakes

There weren't a lot of bigger pieces in the pack but here three layers of ice got pancaked on top of each other, possibly as the wind drove the ice ashore somewhere else.

On the other side

Looking west it was open water and I felt the sting of the cold northerly wind that was blowing at 15 knots. Only small wavelets formed though because there wasn't much fetch but there was enough wind to push the ice all over towards the east side.

Lone floater

A lone ice pan drifted along the west side as I made my way back after a bit over an hour of probing the edges of the ice pack.

Goin' thru here

A good part of this piece was under water. On the other side was a channel I intended to paddle through. Again, there was enough water to get over the ice shelf.

She's a beauty

Before I took out, I, of course, had to paddle up onto an ice floe. It was interesting standing on the floe with ice all around me.

It was a fun time today in Torbay. It was the first time in three years the ice came in as close to shore as this. Three years ago I also spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the same cove. Hopefully the ice will stick around for a while.