On Saturday Cathy, Gary and I put in at Point LaHaye to paddle the shore of St. Mary's Bay down to St. Vincent's. We made it into the Gut and pitched our tents just off of the beach but out of sight of houses in the community.
Sunday morning it was time to head back to Point LaHaye and check out the sea stacks from the other side. It was the same coast but any coast looks different from either direction. We'd find out we missed a few features paddling south on the previous day.
We got out through surging waves at the mouth of the Gut safely and were pushed by an easterly breeze towards Cape English where ...
... massive slabs of steeply dipping rock dominated the headland.
Around the Cape we were back into the rocks and sea stacks. Whereas Saturday we had a little swell, Sunday there was none and we were out of the easterly breeze.
On the paddle south this cave wasn't obvious or ...
... this one that had to be explored.
Fourteen kilometers from St. Vincent's we stopped again on this beach to stretch our legs 8 kms from the end of the paddle.
There are fewer sea stacks along the last 8 kms but still lots of rocks ...
... and passages to paddle through.
Exiting the last passage we made a straight beeline for the beach at Point LaHaye and the end of our two day adventure.
We three agreed it was the most scenic stretch of coast we've paddled. Its not around the corner as its an hour and a half drive from home and its open exposure makes it dependent on the right winds and swell so it doesn't get much kayak traffic. Any planning should carefully consider the weather forecast and an assessment of skill in case of a change in the weather while on the water before taking on this paddle.
Gary suggested the next time we do this we should paddle from St. Vincent's and camp at Point LaHaye.
A good helping of fish & chips topped off the weekend with a whole bunch of new memories formed with good friends.
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