Brian, Dean, Neville, Sean and I met at Flatrock for a paddle along the exposed coast up to Shoe Cove. There was negligible wind and the temperature would be an unseasonably 15 C. As Sean and I descended into the community of Flatrock we were surprised by the amount of white water crashing on the cliffs. It would be a bumpy ride paddling in the open ocean domain.
In the inner harbour we started out on calm waters ...
... but foam on the water and the the sounds of crashing water had us exercising our stabilizer muscles.
Dean paddles by a thrust fault in the cliffs northeast of the harbour. The fault has pushed younger, grey Conception Group rocks over reddish Cabot Group sandstones and conglomerates ...
... that also form the massive rocks of Red Head.
On the east side of Red Head Cove and north towards Stiles Cove and Shoe Cove, reddish rocks give way to the greenish grey siltstones of the Conception Group.
After rounding Blackhead North we headed east by Chimney Gulch on our way to Shoe Cove and a lunch break ...
... but we had a bit of wind out of the west to contend with enroute. It wasn't much and I welcomed it for its cooling effect.
Usually every little nook and cranny along the coast already has a name. This little cove surrounded by imposing cliffs is, as yet, un-named.
We paddled into this protected little cove that I held out to be Shoe Cove. This is where it gets a little complicated. This little cove can be accessed by Shoe Cove Road and the Shoe Cove Brook runs into it but the map shows Shoe Cove to be the next cove over towards Pouch Cove.
That naming anomaly didn't take away from the fact it was a perfect place to stop for lunch ... Shoe Cove or not.
I took off my PFD, skirt and unzipped the drysuit to let in some air. The five of us sat in the glorious sun to eat our lunches. It was the first comfortably warm day this calendar year and we were in no hurry to get back to Flatrock.
Dean has some shots of the day's paddle on his blog.
I noticed on my map there was no name for Shoe Cove... i just assumed we were in Shoe Cove... I just looked on Google maps and it shows Shoe Cove right beside Hollow Cove, and it shows Sandy Cove on the other side of the cove we were in... but the cove we were in does not have a name, although, as you said, Shoe Cove brook runs in to it and Shoe Cove road goes down to it. I wonder it is just named wrong on the maps? If not, perhaps we will call it Kayakers Lunch Cove...
ReplyDeleteOn Google Earth the cove we were in looks more inviting too.
ReplyDeleteTony :-)
Excellent day and beautiful coastline judging by the pictures. I knew I was missing a good one - though I did have a nice day celebrating my wife's birthday :)
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to do it again sometime Tobias when you can. Your wife has a birthday once a year, there will be other days when you can paddle.
ReplyDeleteTony :-)