Sunday, July 12, 2009

Any day on the water is a good day





















I had made a comment to a visiting paddler about what a good sport he was to stay around for the whole day on Octagon Pond, his reply was simply : any day on the water is a good day.
This certainly seemed to be the case - a good number of the members of a number of paddling clubs got out and stayed on the water.
And it was fun to see a good range of ages and abilities trying different skills on the water.

KNL Safety Day




















Saturday was the annual KNL safety day. The association partnered with Tumblehome Canoe Club, Avalon dragon boat paddlers, RNC, Rovers search and rescue, Outfitters, Arthur Janes and the town of Paradise to bring about a successful event. A large focus was on personal safety - but additional demonstration was provided regarding technical safety: how to handle a canoe, how to carry out a rescue. Paddlers were on hand as well to provide a safe introduction to basic kayaking and to try out kayaks generously lent by local kayak companies. One or two potential NL members who had never tried kayaking, even had an opportunity to practice exiting and a scramble reentry. KNL members used the day to fine tune their own rescue and reentry skills.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Mobile




















Launching from Mobile is a nice close site to watch humpbacks and minkes when the caplin are starting to roll.

Unfortunately, nature is late this year - so no whales but a rather large bald eagle was found, perched on the tree line on the north side of the bay. This one or another bald eagle was thought to have picked up a small otter in Bay Bulls. I don't know if this is local hiking or kayak mythology but based on the size of this eagle it could certainly be possible. So hikers should keep small dogs on a short leash.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Coast Guard Rescue

We won't be covering this kind of thing in our safety session coming up so check out
this Coast Guard rescue.


http://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-rescues-french-kayaker-from-bering-sea/2009/07/05/

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Cape Broyle




















Aside from being a bit of a tradition, paddling here is relatively protected dependent on the winds and quite a good workout. Plus - it is a great social event, twenty five folks made the 14 km trip in great conditions.

Father's Day Paddle




















What better way to spend part of Father's Day?
A good number of folks signed up for this traditional event.
The weather was cool and winds were minimal - the water level was uncharacteristically low. This was most noticeable at the falls and what is usually a torrent had declined to less than half it's usual volume. Entering some of the usual caves and arches was difficult and in most cases ill advised.
On the other hand had we been in the mood for sea urchin eggs we need only have edged our kayak and picked a few from exposed rock croppings. Huge Mussel beds were equally identified appearing from a distance as black cracks on exposed rocks.