A glorious day is finished at Middle Cove

Finished lunch in Flatrock we set off on the return leg too Middle Cove.  A man was taking pictures of us.  Turns out he was from the Netherlands.  For me, "een kans om een beetje nederlands te praten", a chance to speak a little Dutch.  I dallied too long while the group paddled on.  I said my good-bye and dug in to catch the crowd which I did a kilometer further at the Beemer.  They were playing riding the surge of the submerged extension of Flatrock Point.

Done playing we paddled back down the channel south of the Point and ...

... check out the iceberg again.  Some of us grabbed some of the chunks floating around.  I threw a good size piece into the cockpit hoping its size would help it survive in the heat.

As we passed by the cliffs we noticed a group of climbers had arrived to climb.  I zoomed and ...

... caught one on the rock face.

Massive slabs of rock loom over Cathy in this cave.

Terry and I check out another cave paddling over indigo coloured waters.

As we approached Torbay the sun highlighted the petrified ripples of and ancient seafloor of the Neoproterozoic.  You would need to click on the image to enlarge to see the ripples just at 11:00 of Brian's cap.  Sedimentary rocks are dated by reference to fossils they contain.  As these rocks date from before the emergence of complex life they cannot be dated with accuracy and are ascribed to a period from 1 billion to 541 million years ago.  That's a long time for ripples to survive.

As on the paddle to Flatrock we crossed across the cove and did not go down into Torbay.  We explored some of the caves between Torbay and Middle Cove.  This one was a beauty that ran ...

... deep into the rocks.  Hard to get a good clear shot because there's not enough light for the camera to auto-focus.

Running out of caves we round a bend and catch sight of the beach at Middle Cove.  When we left in the morning around 9:30 there were only a few people to see us off but ...

... when we returned the beach was crowded with people out enjoying the super weather.

I checked my piece of iceberg I had collected and 90% of it had turned to water.  Realizing what was left would not survive the trip home, I spotted  group who would appreciate the ice for their drinks.

Brian, Cathy and Des had to leave directly.  Gary, Hazen, Terry and I stopped for a coffee before heading home.  It was a most fantastic day along a spectacular coast with high cliffs, caves and this day, one iceberg.

A waterhaul in Flatrock for pumpkin chutney

Saturday Brian Cathy, Des, Gary, Hazen, Terry and I met at Middle Cove for a paddle to Flatrock.  As we readied the kayaks to put-in Cathy said her sister Julie would be waiting for us in Flatrock with pumpkin chutney.  Not only was the day starting out with the anticipation of a fantastic paddle along a stunning coastline but also the exotic taste of pumpkin chutney.

Under blue skies without a cloud we left Middle Cove.

The sea was perfectly still even at Motion between Middle Cove and Torbay where the slightest swell causes challenging conditions.

We crossed the cove at Torbay without going int the community and reached our first cave of the day which of course ...

... we had to probe and explore.

Where we put-in at Middle Cove we could see there would be an iceberg in our day and soon we came a bergy bit.  Brian went over and chipped off a chunk.

The sun beat down on the imposing cliffs giving the black slates a purplish tinge.

As we entered Church Cove the grey to black slates gave way to the conglomerates and sandstones of the Cabot Group of sedimentary rocks stretching all the way to Flatrock.

The group ahead is dwarfed by vertical cliffs.

Near Flatrock Point a small, tabular iceberg floated.  Small chunks hissed effervescently as air bubbles trapped in the ice for thousands of years escaped the melting ice.  It was the same fizzle of bubbles when a soft drink is poured into a glass.

Within reach of Flatrock Point we paddled through this channel.  The sea was calm but on a day where it is more active the rocks to the right provide protection from the maddening waters.

The rocks at Flatrock Point extend out under the water and is known as "The Beemer".  There a little bit of swell provided enough surge to catch surf rides for 10 minutes or so before paddling down into Flatrock for ...

... our lunch stop.

At this point we were hoping to see Julie and the *lol* pumpkin chutney that would add spice to our fare but, alas, there was no Julie.  Cathy tried texting but evidently she had gone hiking and we came up with a waterhaul (known as pulling a fish net without catching anything).

No matter, we didn't come for the chutney.  Our reward was lunch under warm blue skies and the sharing of companionship.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Clyde's first retirement paddle

Today's (Saturday) paddle was late developing Friday.  By 8:30 pm nothing definitive had been arranged.  Afraid that there'd be no paddling I suggested a paddle from Middle Cove to Flatrock return.  I mailed Clyde, Dean, Hazen, Neville and Terry.

Everyone was in except Clyde who decided to pass on the paddle the day after his retirement, and Hazen.  When I arrived at Middle Cove I was pleased to see Clyde changed his mind and joined us.

There was no wind but a swell was running into the bay crashing into the cliffs at Middle Cove.  It was going to be a bumpy, open ocean paddle.  To put it into perspective, Greenland is the next land encountered north of where we were.

We headed for Torbay to the west.  Half way between Middle Cove and Torbay is an area called Motion.  It comes by its name justifiably.  Swell reared up as the bottom rose, piled up, curled and broke over the rocks.  We stayed outside of the break zone.  To be caught inside of it meant a side surf right up onto the rocks.

We turned the corner into the cove at Torbay.  Yes, it still looks like winter on the shade protected cliffs.

Further along in the cove we heard a woosh where the swell rushed into a hole at sea level and sent spray and water back.

The cliffs dominate the seascape between Torbay and Flatrock with no place to get off the water.

To port cliffs leap from the sea.  To starboard, the open ocean all the way from north on the compass to east.  Once the decision is made to leave Torbay one is committed.

Massive forces of nature are frozen in the rocks as the sedimentary beds curve up at water level and dip steeply upwards.  I think Clyde was happy he change his mind to join us!

Coming around the bend out of Church Cove the land stretched north with the end of the peninsula, and the entrance to Fatrock, in sight.

We reached "The Beemer" at the end of the peninsula at Red Rock Point.  The Beemer is a low shelf running north from the Point and with a bit of swell it is a sight to behold and stay well clear of too.  The larger waves in the set broke at about 2 meters.

We made it around to the other side and got surprised by waves approaching 2 meters with wave faces almost vertical.  We turned perpendicular to the waves and got out of there pronto.  Once back in calmer water I said to Dean it would have been great to get some pictures of that.  He said he hoped I had taken out my camera.  No, they'll only be etched in my memory.

A stop at the slipway in Flatrock and the return paddle to Middle Cove netted us 23 kms.  Felt more than that in the conditions.

Paddle ad hoc and the three bergs - Part 3

So, after our stop in Shoe Cove, we paddled in brilliant sunshine back to Flatrock.  We were in sunshine but in the distance we could see fog and we would be back in gloomy conditions before long.

Back in gloomy conditions like now, serenaded by the crash of swell upon the rocks.

The shoreline from Shoe Cove runs east - west.  Rounding Blackhead North we turned south and spotted the iceberg we had visited earlier in the day.  We had it coming and going, two for the price of one.

Again we stopped to take in the the majesty of our visitor from Greenland.

We were lucky we did linger.  For a few minutes the sun found an opening in the clouds and shone a search light on the berg bringing it to sparkling life.

Satisfied with our visits to three icebergs, one twice, we left it in our rear view mirrors.

Some of the paddling back to Flatrock was up hill.

Beyond Red Head lay Flatrock and ...

... the end of a most enjoyable day.

While we were putting away our gear some people stopped to chat  One guy asked us where we had gone.  When we told him he said he had seen us leave in the morning and was amazed at our "speedy" return.  Lets face it, its impossible to explain the merits of our craft and sport to some.

A dandy day spent with icebergs.  These days start out with the unknown because icebergs move and we're not always sure to encounter them.  Sometimes its just lets see what happens.  Today our tour of the icebergs took 27..4 kms.  Worth every paddle stroke.

And, the breadcrumbs:

Paddle ad hoc and the three bergs - Part 2

After leaving the iceberg near Stiles Cove we paddled north in search of an iceberg reported off of Pouch Cove.  Near Blackhead North I said to myself "Yes" as I saw the iceberg on the horizon.

We conferred on distance the iceberg lay hence.  I figured about 5 kms.  We agreed we'd paddle out to it so we struck out over open water.  It was just a matter of paddling and every now and then look up to see if it was getting closer.  It grew in size imperceptibly until ...

... forty minutes later we had crossed the 4.5 kms distance to this huge berg.

Again we paddled around it and from every side it looked like ...

... a different iceberg.  From this angle it looked like it could have been an aircraft carrier.

We hung around for a bit when we conferred again as to what next.  I pointed out Shoe Cove in the distance as an option to take out for a break before heading back to Flatrock.

On our way to Shoe Cove the fog lifted in our area and the sun came out.  We had been in the kayaks more than two hours and a direct return to Flatrock would have meant another two before being able to stretch our legs.  The imminent stretch and the sun shortened the 4 kms paddle back to land.

The sun was glorious as we sat and had a snack.  The entrance to the cove nicely framed the iceberg we had just visited in the distance.

We were quite pleased with ourselves and after the break looked forward to the remaining 10 km paddle back to Flatrock.