Today, Sunday, December 21, is the first day of the winter. We had our first winter paddle of the season but it wasn't certain. On Friday I was hoping someone would propose a paddle so I sat back to see what would develop. Late on Saturday nothing seemed to develop and I started to get concerned so I mailed the usual suspects. Brian, who had to be home before noon, and Neville were interested in a short paddle.
It was -3C when we arrived to put in with a northerly wind at 10 knots. We each arrived dressed in out dry suits which increased the chances of starting off warm. Nevertheless, my hands were considerably cold when I got on the water.
The wind bit some starting off but once we got into our rhythm it warmed up inside the dry suit.
The wind strengthened to 15 knots with the commensurate increase in the choppiness of the sea. Exiting the channel at Sailing Point, water poured over the rocks and into the channel driven by the northerly wind. We waited for the right moment to exit.
While it was a bit choppy we never lost sight of each other because there was very little swell. Each time I stopped to take a picture I slipped off the back and had to get on the gas to catch the guys.
Here the channel is a lot wider making it less demanding to get through. We stopped for a short stretch before turning back. It was only a short paddle of 11 kms but it was better than not being able to paddle at all or paddling by myself.
There will be fewer people paddling now until the weather warms up. No matter, we will continue on to be in shape for paddling season when it resumes in the spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment