Today Brian, Dean and I paddled around Little Bell Island and Kellys Island like we were late for supper and in a hurry. We left Topsail Beach and struck out across Conception Bay for Little Bell Island. We covered the 4.5 km crossing at an average speed of 8.0 kms/hr.
Looking up Conception Bay towards Bell Island and the coast running up to Cape St. Francis the sea was flatter than flat and not a breath of wind. I stopped to take a few pictures while the guys paddled on. I didn't, or rather couldn't, make up the distance so I paddled on my own ...
... until I reached Little Bell Island where Brian and Dean waited ...
... in the rain that was teeming down. With the water so calm the rain drops were bouncing like so many ping pong balls.
We were together again and paddled at a more relaxed pace across the back side of the island and ...
... eventually we were in sight of Kellys Island beyond. Again, it was a sprint across the 2.4 km gap ...
... where we again paddled at a more relaxed pace under the dominating cliffs of alternating sandstone and siltstone layers of rock.
Further along on the backside the cliffs were more modest.
Rounding the southern end we stopped for lunch before jumping in our kayaks for the 3 km crossing to Long Pond and ...
... the less interesting shore leading back to Topsail Beach.
Four after leaving the beach at 9:30 we were back, our day paddle cut short by our speed. We had covered 21.1 kms in a moving time of 3 hours and nine minutes for a moving average of 6.7 kms/hr.
Another 21 kms added to my log and I'm sure I'll have no trouble sleeping tonight.
The breadcrumbs we left in our wake.
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