The main thing is getting out

Sunday looked a good day.  Where to paddle when we've been everywhere within reasonable daily reach?  A look at the maps and my eyes fell on Holyrood as we haven't been there in a while so I suggested a paddle from there to Harbour Main.  It wouldn't be new but it would be fresh.

We arrived at the marina in Holyrood where the big boys have been taken out of the water for the year.

Leaving the marina at 9:30 Bow Me Down Bluff in the left distance was our first objective.

At 10:30 we were there.  On the right (click to enlarge) the Holyrood Power Generating Station's three smokestacks were belching smoke into the sky that hung in the still air.  It burns Bunker C heavy oil but will soon be decommissioned and the power we consume will come from Muskrat Falls Hydroelectric Plant, our contribution to reducing greenhouse gases.

The sea was calm but in places paddling through the rocks proved interesting.

At Red Rock Cove the grey siltstones of the Conception Group gave way the Cambrian Age rocks juxtaposed by a fault.

Rounding the point at Red Rock Cove we entered Harbour Main.

At the bottom of the harbour where Maloneys River runs out we stopped for lunch.  I checked my GPS surprised to find we had make almost 12 kilometers.  Surprised because of the calm conditions and the relaxed pace made it seem much less.

The forecast was for sunshine.  It finally made an appearance after we finished lunch as we made our return.

Neville and Brian probe for a way through.

As we re-entered Holyrood Bay Butterpot Mountain, on the right, came into view.  Mountain may not be the term to use but at 1,000 feet it dominates the surrounding landscape.  It all relative.

The group got scattered a bit returning down Holyrood Bay so I decided to paddle all the way along the shore checking out Memorial University's Marine Institute Marine Base in Holyrood.  Their website indicates they  "provide a venue for practical and hands-on experience for students in a variety of degree and diploma programs including marine environmental studies, marine biology, marine ecotourism, diving and oil spill response.

At 3:00 we were back at the Holyrood Marina, the general consensus being it was a super day, a day to live for.  Thanks to Brian, Cathy, Clyde, Derek, Neville and Sue for sharing the day.