Faster than the speed of life

Settling in

Pete was the only person to show up in Torbay for a paddle to the community of Flatrock.  That was a surprise because usually its not hard to get at least a few more people together.  Anyway, that was fine and by 10:00 Pete and I settled into our boats and headed north.

In the shade

It was tranquil when we left Torbay as we paddled under the protective cliffs that sheltered us from the NW winds.  It didn't last long as the wind turned into our faces.  We ducked into little coves to avoid the wind where possible.

The bright sunshine gave a false colour to the back slates of the St. John's Formation.

In the swell

Pete waited for his chance to bolt through the space between the cliff face and the offshore rock.  Waiting, waiting ...

And through

... and through.  I waited for my chance but I went round so as not to let too much distance get between us as Pete went on.

Sandstones

As suddenly as Pete got through the opening, the rocks changed from black slates to the reddish sandstones and conglomerates of the Signal Hill Formation.

Inside passage

Nearing Flatrock the winds dropped unexpectedly as we paddled in this protected channel.

Flatrock

The water got just a little lumpy as we rounded Flatrock Point and entered Flatrock harbour to have lunch.

 Stained

After washing down our sandwiches we were back in the boats in anticipation of the wind bowing us back to Torbay.  We got our bows pointing south with the bird dropping stained cliffs to starboard and the ride began.

Entering Torbay

We both got some nice surf rides.  When the bow digs in and water washes up the foredeck and onto the spray skirt you know you got a good ride going.  The GPS confirmed it.  Our fastest speed in front of the wind was 15.8 kms/hr (8.7 knots).  We covered the 6 kilometers in 45 minutes for a thrilling ride of 8 kms/hr average.

We had a little bit of work paddling into the wind but were rewarded on the return leg.  Excellent paddle Pete and thanks.

Pack ice paddle

Choked with ice

I checked the daily ice report with anticipation but it appeared the ice had moved off. I intended to walk to Torbay Point to check it out with binoculars but stopped at Middle Cove first. I was surprised and dismayed. There was ice but absolutely no open water in which to launch.

One of the sightseers there said Torbay was open so I drove the short distance there.

Open water

Sure enough Torbay was open and there was pack ice in the cove. I got out to survey the situation and felt the cold sting of the northerly winds blowing over the ice field.

Undaunted, I put-in and paddled the east side to see how far I could get.

End of the line

I hadn't paddled very far before my way was blocked.

Sheltered calm

I turned to the west side following the edge of the ice pack. I felt some wind when I launched but here there was enough height in the ice to offer protection from the northerly wind.

The leading edge

Near the west side of the cove I was able to get around and find more open water. I had spotted that option before I got in my kayak.

Squeeze through

Turning the corner there was open water beyond. There was just enough water to paddle through this oddly shaped floe.

No throughfare

I turned east again to see how close I could get to Middle Cove where I knew the ice was packed in tight. Close to Motion I was stopped dead in my tracks.

Bits and pieces

There were bits of ice and larger floes to paddle around practicing bow rudders and the like.

Pancakes

There weren't a lot of bigger pieces in the pack but here three layers of ice got pancaked on top of each other, possibly as the wind drove the ice ashore somewhere else.

On the other side

Looking west it was open water and I felt the sting of the cold northerly wind that was blowing at 15 knots. Only small wavelets formed though because there wasn't much fetch but there was enough wind to push the ice all over towards the east side.

Lone floater

A lone ice pan drifted along the west side as I made my way back after a bit over an hour of probing the edges of the ice pack.

Goin' thru here

A good part of this piece was under water. On the other side was a channel I intended to paddle through. Again, there was enough water to get over the ice shelf.

She's a beauty

Before I took out, I, of course, had to paddle up onto an ice floe. It was interesting standing on the floe with ice all around me.

It was a fun time today in Torbay. It was the first time in three years the ice came in as close to shore as this. Three years ago I also spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the same cove. Hopefully the ice will stick around for a while.

Caving

Looking for caves

Today the main menu featured caves. Clyde, Hazen, Gary, Gerard and I met at Middle Cove to explore the numerous caves in the cove and also in Torbay. After putting in we paddled along the east side of the cove towards Outer Cove.

Small caves

We saw our first cave for the day. The slates are actually black but the bright sunshine cast them as grey. We thought these two caves might be joined at the rear but that was not the case. We surmised that because they were too small to enter.

The Molar

This cave was a lot bigger and is known at "The Molar". Sitting inside and looking out gives a sense that it could really close its mouth on you at any moment.

Having a blast

Between visits to caves we had chances to play in some active water. We paddled from Middle Cove to Torbay by way of Motion. Motion is a stretch of shore where the water is very active and breaks over some offshore rocks. This is nearing Torbay where we stopped for lunch.

Netherworld entry

After lunch we paddled from Torbay towards Flatrock and explored a bunch more caves. This one looks like it could be an entry point into the netherworld but it wasn't.

And a cave

The waters were a beautiful turquoise.

Distorted rocks

Here the rocks enter the picture level with the water from the right and then suddenly sweep straight up. The forces involved had to be massive.

The eagle has landed

An eagle was perched on the rocks and we stopped to look. It was undeterred by our presence, simply turning its back on us.

Take off

It was getting on in the afternoon so we returned to Middle Cove but stopped at Motion to play in the waves for while as they piled up to break over the rocks. We all had some wicked surf rides and side surfing. Its a great spot to practice because there's enough water behind the rocks to dissipate their energy before crashing on the cliffs.

We explored a lot of caves; I lost count. It was a great day.

Loose lips

Sculpin Point, Torbay

A navy saying is "loose lips sink ships".

In a kayak, its loose hips that will keep you upright in chaotic conditions. Today Dean and I had a great paddle in Tor Bay in chaotic (at times) but manageable conditions.

Leaving the cove in Torbay we started to feel the swell; the foam on the water giving evidence that waves were piling up against the cliffs. We carried on, letting the kayak yaw back and forth rather than fighting to maintain a straight course. Fighting only wastes energy because the back and forth motion averages out anyway to keep us on bearing.

Torbay map area

Yesterday we had a good blow out of the NE. I expected swell to persist today but it was much bigger than I thought it would be. At Motion, between Torbay and Middle Cove the swell was at about 3 metres and breaking when it reached some rocks offshore. We continued to have sizeable swell into Middle Cove and Outer Cove so we only looped into the coves before heading out to Torbay Point.

Crossing Tor Bay

At Torbay Point we agreed on a straight crossing of Tor Bay. As we paddled we had a near 2 metre swell on starboard with rebounding waves well out into the bay on the port rear quarter. The swell was impressive but a considerable wavelength didn't pose any problems. Some trouble though capturing the action on camera!

9 kms to here

We arrived near Whaleback Rock at the other side of Tor Bay after our crossing and an hour and a half of paddling. We made good time considering the conditions and taking into account we stopped several times to watch the swell crash against the shore, especially at Motion. We paddled back to Torbay beach where Dean's GPS said the total was 13.5 in total.

It was 13.5 but the conditions made it equivalent to considerably more compared to calm water.

A yaffle of whales

Torbay Beach

The community of Torbay is located about 1o kilometres from downtown St. John's. It used to be primarily a fishing and farming community. Torbay fishermen were good oarsmen in their day but not as good as those in Outer Cove where I grew up!

Anyway, today most residents work in the big city but the sea is still there and it called us on this day. Its a spectacular paddle and so close at hand. But, it is not to be paddled on just any day. The waters of Tor Bay can get gnarly so you have to pick the right day. Clyde, Dean, Gary, Sean and I took advantage and had a very enjoyable day paddling to Flatrock and back.

Leaving Torbay

Leaving Torbay and heading for any number of coves. Any little indentation in the shoreline deserves a name and so we paddled along Gallows Cove, Cow Cove, Herring Cove. That's just the names that fit on the map. I'm sure local fishermen have many other quaint names that I'll never know.

One of many whales in the bay

Paddling north from Torbay towards Flatrock we saw 3 plumes of spray. Then, we heard more behinds us at about 4 o'clock. There were whales and plenty of them. I can't say how many in total but we were in the right place on this day.

We got relatively close in a few instances with numerous display of flukes but they weren't sociable today. They seemed intent on feeding and didn't really pay us much heed. Still, the presence of so many whales added to the anticipation and excitement. After a while we decided to let the whales be and paddled on.

Massive slabs of rock

The sedimentary rock beds are massive but persistence by the sea over eons have found a weakness to carve out a cave. Clyde provides perspective for this huge cave as he floats on turquoise waters.

The sun split the rocks

It was a cloudless day with bright sunshine. The sun behind us reflected off of the grey coloured sandstones that really made the etching in the rocks stand out.

The cliffs were imposing

The cliffs rose straight out of the water. Thousands and thousands of birds were nesting on the ledges and flying all around us overhead. Don't look up!!!

A fine layer of guano has built up on some cliff surfaces which added to the aroma of sea air.

Flatrock Point

On a map Flatrock Point is not very imposing but the cliffs were impressive. Inside lay the community of Flatrock and our lunch stop.

Going to check out another cave

I was the only one in the group who had paddled in Flatrock before (I believe) and I had seen the cave hence. That meant we had to go have a look before stopping for lunch.

Hauled out for lunch

Caving done, we opted for a take-out just outside the community where the rocks dipped gently into the sea. The rocks were covered in kelp which made for an easy run up onto the rocks even in a fibreglass boat.

After lunch Clyde and I jumped into the salt water and then went to shower in the fresh water falls in the picture.

Fed and cooled down we were ready to head back to Torbay. We did so but in a roundabout way. Trying to engage more whales, with some success.

An amazing place to paddle that's right on our doorstep but so rarely taken advantage of.