The Painted Fish gets a geology lesson

My friend Neville spent the best part of a year building a bread and breakfast in Hatchet Cove called "The Painted Fish".  Its a 4-star establishment with 5-star amenities.  Not only is it a B&B (airbnb) but they also offer kayak tours.

Neville told me he gets a lot of questions about the geology on the tours so I joined him to give him a rudimentary geology class.  It was foggy but started to clear once we got on the water.

It was a spectacular day weather wise but also scenery wise.  The fall colours were on vivid display as we left Hatchet Cove.

The water was dead calm and reflected the scenery in immaculate detail.  One of the first questions Neville had was what type of rocks were these and what processes tipped them at these angles that in the reflected water looked like arrows pointing the way.

I explained the three basic rock types.  Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.  These were sedimentary siltstones that were once part of the ancient continent of Gondwana (current continents of South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica).  These rocks were sent adrift across the Iapetus Ocean (pre-Atlantic Ocean) after the micro-continent of Avalonia was rafted off of  Gondwana.

Across the strait fog still lingered while we were in sunshine.  Back to Geology 101.

Across the Iapetus Ocean lay Laurentia (currently North America).  During the Cambrian Period (between 542 - 488 million years ago) the Iapetus Ocean began to close as Gondwana and Laurentia began to drift together sweeping up Avalonia and volcanic island arcs along the way.  Between the Ordovicin an Silurian periods the Iapetus Ocean closed and Avalonia was appended to what would become North America.

Tremendous forces of collision forced flat laying sediments to be tipped at various angles we saw along the shore.

The next query was "What are these rocks and what makes them red?"  Siltstones are not the only rocks in Northwest Arm.  These were interbedded sandstones and conglomerates that were deposited in shallow waters.  Deep water in anoxic (oxygen poor) whereas shallow water is well oxygenated that oxidized (rusted) the hematite (iron) in the sediments.

The tremendous forces of collision are evident in this small tightly folded siltstone and ...

... if not convinced, more evidence the deformation the collision caused.

We paddled up to the entrance of St. Jones Within before turning back so I could head for home early enough to avoid driving in the dark.  Driving in the dark around here is risky with the possibility of moose collisions.

Again, the still water captured the hilly scenery in exquisite detail.

We arrived back in Hatchet Cove an the red roofed Painted Fish with its waterfront views.

It was the first time I paddled in the area and won't be the last.

Blowin' in the wind

This morning it was blowing westerly 25 knots, gusting to 35 and cold.  A day paddle was out of the question but Dean, Shane and I spent an hour and a half pounding into the wind and waves to catch surf rides back.

It was the first time in months that we were out in those conditions.  At first I felt a little uneasy until I found my sea legs.  We haven't paddled a lot in conditions this year; I felt a little rusty.

The west wind blows directly into St. Philips so there was no place to hide to catch a breather.

After an hour and a half Dean and Shane lingered near the entrance to the harbour as if to say they have enough.  I caught one final surf ride and called it a day.

As we were putting our gear away Dean volunteered he felt uncomfortable in the wind and waves at first.  I was relieved to hear that I wasn't alone in taking some time to find my groove.  But, find it I did and caught some good surf rides.

We had coffee in the restaurant overlooking the cove as usual.  We had gotten some comments from onlookers that we were crazy to be out on the water under the circumstances.  Looking out from the warmth of the restaurant and seeing the whitecaps we didn't think we were crazy, we just saw it as a sense of accomplishment.  Thanks to the guys for sharing the morning.

Wednesdays done for this year

Since 2008 an informal group has been meeting at St. Philips to practice rescues, paddle strokes or just go for an evening paddle.  Last evening was the last time we'll do it for this year as the evenings are getting to short.

The evening started like the first evening of the year, sparcely  attended.  It was Paul, Shane, Terry and myself.  There were good size waves.  It was the first time Paul was in his new NDK Explorer.  I felt it wise to stay close.

I've more or less kept things going since 2009.  Its a worthwhile initiative as it gives novice paddlers a chance to practice skills and paddle in challenging conditions with a supportive cast around them.  One of the guys who has grown tremendously since he first attended is Shane, here powering along the coast.

We made our way down the coast in sizeable waves with Paul, a newer paddler who has been coming out this year.  I knew he was in near the top end of his comfort zone so I stayed close and suggested the same to the other two guys.

Paul was doing well until one wave did him in.  We put him back in his boat and we continued for a bit but it was clear to me he wasn't comfortable.  There was still a bit of water in his kayak.  He asked me to raft up so he could pump the last of the water out.  I suggested we turn around to go back.

Paddling into the waves you see what's coming.  Paddling with the waves is a different proposition.  I could see he was very nervous.  We stayed close together.  He went over again and after we got him back in his boat I suggested we do a tow back to the harbour.  Terry rafted up to stabilize while Shane and I did the towing.

We arrived back in the harbour none the worse for wear.

It was an all around productive evening.  Paul got some experience in challenging conditions and we practiced a rescue and tow.  Exactly what these evening hope to achieve.

The primary lesson to take from the evening is a tow is not a blow to pride.  No one wants to have to take a tow but sometimes it is necessary for safety sake.  Its up to the more experienced paddlers to recognize when a tow is called for and take charge.

Paul took a tow but a time will come when he will be the more experienced and be doing the towing himself.

All's well that ends well and we ended the evening with a coffee and a discussion about how things went.

Looking for my mojo

2017 has been a slow year for paddling.  Not only for me but it seems for all of my paddle buddies.  I'm wondering if I've lost my mojo.  I've seen it before.  People like Tony, Neil and Derrick have effectively stopped kayaking after years being avid paddlers.

In 2016 I had a good excuse when I didn't paddle much because of time I spent working on house projects.  But this year it seems as though a general malaise has crept in.  Previously weather didn't matter.  I didn't care if there was wind and rain, in fact, I welcomed it.  Not so much this year.

What I found most disappointing was it seemed like most of my paddle mates weren't as gung-ho either.  Sometimes it takes someone with some enthusiasm to get the ball rolling.  That is to say, if I'm apathetic about getting out then I usually get energized by feeding off of the go-for-it vibe of someone else.  I didn't get that feeling very often.

Finally, after what seemed like forever I got out for a paddle last evening.  It was a small turnout, just four of us.  The evenings are getting shorter and it was especially short last evening because there was no sunlight to keep things bright.  Cathy, Sharon, Terry and I left in daylight for a short paddle and returned in darkness finding our way back by the lights shimmering on the water.

It felt great back in the boat.  I think its time to get my mojo working again.

Food for thought

My usual fare on kayak camp trips is store bought food ready to heat.  Its getting a bit old.  In addition to that, I'm going to start doing a bit of backpacking.  There, weight is a more pertinent issue.  

A couple of years go I bought a food dehydrator (I've been thinking about backpacking for a while *lol*).  It sat in the box since then until today when I got it out to try drying some food.  Nothing too adventurous to start; just two packs of Uncle Ben's Bistro Express and some mixed frozen vegetables.

I was going to put the rice packs on some parchment paper and just spread the vegetables on the tray.  Well, the frozen vegetables went through the tray.  So, remembering I got some old window screens from a neighbour, I cut three liners to put the food on.  Ca-ching!

I didn't know what to expect so I was surprised to see what the end of the process was.  Trays that were covered with food looked like some spirit had consumed a good part of it while I wasn't looking.  I don't have a weigh scale yet so I can't quantify the reduction but a rough guess is it was reduced by about 2/3.

The conclusion I came to was this has some promise.  Not only for backpacking but also for kayak camping.  Saving weight is not so much the bonus n that case but the saving in space is, especially for longer trips.

Next I need to see what rehydration involves, that is to say, the most efficient time-wise.  I mean, I don't want to wait for long before being able to eat after getting out of the kayak or reaching camp for the night at the end of a hike.  If I'm happy with that I'll purchase a weigh scale and a vacuum sealer.

Let it rain

The forecast for Saturday was no wind but it would be raining cats and dogs.  I checked the precipitation forecast which showed the heaviest rain would come in around 2:00 pm.  So, I suggested a paddle in the rain for that time.

When we arrived it was wet but no downpour.

We got on the water and the rain stopped.

In fact it was the most pleasant of conditions which ...

... I found disappointing.  I was hoping for sheets of rain so hard that the drops bounce off of the water.

It turns out we missed the heaviest rain that came down in the morning.  No matter; we still enjoyed a leisurely paddle.

Clyde and I hugged the shore for the most part while Dave, Hazen and Paul spent some time further offshore but ...

... not all the time.

When we got back to the take-out Paul said he wanted to do a self rescue with the paddle float.  I suggested a back deck scramble on but he was adamant.  It was totally calm as he jumped out of the kayak but let go of it.  I suggested he put his leg in the cockpit even though it was calm because in windy conditions the kayak would blow away an he'd never be able to swim fast enough to catch it.  So he did.

The rest of the self-rescue went well after which we got into our street clothes and went for a coffee.  We all agreed that we all enjoyed the paddle.  Though, the rain would have been welcomed.

The young Turk

September 6th and I hadn't had a day paddle since August 2nd when we did a cut-short paddle of 12.3 kms to Great Island.  Its been a strange summer paddle wise.

I checked ships log for the past 7 years and I've averaged 600 kms up to the end of August each year except 2012 when I had a shoulder issue and only paddled 460.  So far this year its been an anemic 390.  Its been a combination of things.  I hope to set it right this fall.

One bright spot is Shane.  As a newer, but accomplished paddler, Shane brings fresh energy and pumps me up when I'm less enthused.

I haven't been as regular at Wednesday evening kayak sessions this year but since early August its the only paddling I've done.

Shane and I paddled ahead of the other six staying close to the rocks trying to take in as much of the wave action as we could.  At one point we looked back and the group was well back having stopped to do some rescue practice.

I looked over at Shane and he was getting out of his boat.  He jumped out, clipped onto the bow of his kayak and started to swim towards the rocks, kayak in tow.

Once he got there he climbed out and pulled the kayak up onto the rocks beside himself.  Assessing that exercise worked out fine he got back in the water, I dumped the water out of the kayak (as pumping is so much fun) and we paddled back to the rest of the group.

Back in the cove at St. Philips, Shane does a bit of instruction leading Craig through an assisted rescue and the right way to dump water out of a kayak.

As the sun went down the small waves died and another Wednesday was in the books.

There are a few regulars and a handful of us pushing the envelope.  Sometimes someone new comes along with the same outlook as Brian, Dean and myself and brings fresh, youthful enthusiasm that I, for one, have fed off of.  Sometimes I need that.  So, thanks Shane, you young Turk.