Huge sea caves and Sugarloaf

Having gotten an exciting white water ride around Torbay Point the seven of us were looking southerly along the steeply dipping red sandstones and conglomerates of the eastern Avalon Peninsula.

We explored this huge, open overhanging cave just past Shooting Point Cove.

At Redcliff Head we could look through a tunnel that cut right through the Head but the water was low exposing rocks in the middle that would not let us pass.  Another day timed for high tide would allow passage.  We paddled in, looked longingly at the faraway open exit but thought the better of it and ... 

... paddled around to instead have a look in the other half of the cave.  It dwarfs my fellow kayakers hovering at the south entrance.

Further along there were channels to paddle through like here at Sculpins Point.

We spot another channel ...

... and Stan times what surge there was to probe it for a passage.  We got in but it was a dead end so turning around we made our way to Logy Bay where we ...

... proceeded to make a big to-do to get the boats out of the water and onto this old slipway for a lunch stop.  It was a big to-do because the water level was two feet straight down from the lip of the slipway.  Brian left his boat ride in the water tethered to Gary's.

After lunch, the launch process went in reverse except three of us seal launched.  During lunch I sized up a small patch of seaweed on the concrete slipway that I thought would offer a slippery and protected ride off into the water.  I bit of a gamble with a fibreglass kayak but it worked fine so Clyde followed.  Dean, with a new fibreglass Nordkapp passed.  It needs a few dings yet.

So, we left our perch at the Marine Sciences Center (that looks like a spaceship landed) and continued our journey towards Quidi Vidi where we had left half of the group's vehicles.

The massive sandstone and conglomerate beds of the Signal Hill Formation dip steeply into the sea.  They represent the west members of a wide, open syncline that plunges south.  Think of it as one side of a monster half-pipe.

Where some beds are more prone to erosion by the pounding waves, they form huge caves that mirror the steeply tilted sedimentary beds.

Stan goes deep into the recesses of another one.

Nearing the end of our paddle we reach the entrance to Quidi Vidi, the entrance to which appears hidden in front of my bow.  So, 20 enjoyable kilometers later Dean and I take up the rear end of the group and ...

... finish up in the quaint inner harbour of Quidi Vidi lined by quaint fishing premises.

The stretch of coast between Middle Cove where we started and Quidi Vidi is only 20 kms long when handrailing.  As the crow flies, its only about 16 kms but so much is missed.  The caves and channels are hard to resist exploring.  Its a "stop to smell the roses" type of paddle to savour on the right day.