Lassoing the first iceberg of the season

This past week we have had constant northerly winds.  They are cold but have now born fruit.  The wind has blown a good number of icebergs close to the coast.

Iceberg Finder reported two icebergs in the bottom of Conception Bay.  Today Brian, Clyde, Dean, Hazen, Neville and I went in search of our first icebergs for the year.  We drove to Lance Cove Pond and put in on the sweeping cobble beach.

Iceberg Finder reported a berg between Lance Cove Pond and Indian Pond.  We were disappointed to find the berg had disappeared or was just a hoax.  We paddled on southerly in search of the second berg.

Joy and elation as we neared Lance Cove Head and saw our target in the distance.  We decided to cross first to ...

Harbour Main where we showed a considerable amount of restraint to stop first for ...

... a short stretch and lunch break.  There would be no opportunities to get out of our kayaks for the rest of the day.

The plan at the outset was to paddle up to ...

... Salmon Cove Point before crossing over to get a closer look at the interesting looking iceberg.

At Salmon Cove Point the swell that was really negligible on open water reared its destructive side.  It wasn't anything to treat without respect but Dean and I couldn't resist having a go at passing through the slot.  Timing was everything.  No time to lolly-gag once committed.  Things looked good, I went.  On the other side the swell reared up but I got over it and surfed right on through to the other side (Thanks The Doors!).

From Salmon Cove point we set our sights on the berg which was 2.6 kms away, a mere blip on the horizon.

We paddled and with each paddle stroke we got closer and ...

... and closer and bigger until ...

... we arrived under its towering pinnacle.  Icebergs are in themselves awesome because they travel so far to reach us.  Even blocky bergs are a gift but when something like this comes along it is just WOW!  Nature can be an amazing sculptor.

We circled the berg marveling at the different features taking our time to savour the moment.

Drooling?

We bobbed about and stared for about 30 minutes before we beaded back across the bay to return to the cars.  I have oodles of other shots that I will post later but I must get on with the trip.  Every put-in hopefully ends with a safe take-out.

So we made our way back to the Lance Cove Pond side basking in the afterglow of our first berg for the season.

We hit the shore a short 1.7 kms away (it looked further) at Indian Pond and paddled the non-descript shoreline back to Lance Cove Pond.  Non-descript but ironic in a way.  The shore along here is composed of glacial till deposited here some 12,000 years ago by melting glaciers.  Not the same glacier that gave us today's iceberg but a glacier nonetheless.

While I bobbed around the iceberg I picked up a bergy bit and stashed it in my cockpit.  Its in my freezer now waiting to be pounded into ice cubes far a swally.

Awesome day guys.  Thank you!

Some more shots here.

Next weekend different bergs.