De Vliegende Hollander

Look Ma, no mitts

Today I became De Vliegende Hollander, the Flying Dutchman.  I think it was the fastest I've ever paddled over a given distance.

But the day started when I met Dean and Sean at St. Philips for a quickie paddle.  It was warm, the first day I was able to comfortably paddle with my mitts left on the deck

Sweet

 The sea was calm inside the cove as we left to paddle towards Topsail.  Sean was back in his own handcrafted Black Pearl.

Into the wind

We rounded the point and were met with seas from the SW but wind more SE.  Very confusing but it was good paddling in very moderate waves.

Squeezing through

Dean and Sean paddling side by side between the rock and the ... bigger rock.

Turn here?

 Sean was on the clock so once we reached Whelan's Point we turned for home.

The wind had picked up to 40 kms and the bay was awash in whitecaps.  I paddled in the beam sea out into the bay and out into the whitecaps.  Dean and Sean stayed closer to shore.  Once I was directly up wind of St. Philips I turned.

I looked across the distance towards my colleagues and began my hell-bent-for-leather paddle.  I didn't have to paddle hard to catch surf rides on almost every wave.  It was pure ecstasy as I flew down the bay all the while putting some significant distance between myself and boys paddling along the shore.

I didn't time myself but a honest estimate would be in the 6.5 to 7 knot range.  I looked back to see where the boys were.  They were distant specks on the horizon.

Sean arrives

I paddled into the serene waters of he cove to wait for the boys.  After some time Sean arrived.

Dean follows

Then Dean arrived moments later.

The run I had downwind was as much fun as I've had in a while.  It was be damned shoulder impingement, I'm gonna paddle.  A lower paddle angle than usual served me well without causing me further grief.  I was elated.