New Years Day

The New Years Day paddle is a bit of a tradition for kayakers in St.John's. The weather is typically bitter, snowy and cold although, there have been years when it has been wet and rainy - so part of the events challenge is just to make it to the launch site. The location is a spectacular small fishing community within the city called Quidi Vidi. It is now home also to the Quidi Vidi brewery but that is another story. Fish stages are still intact and individual fishing wharfs serve to type a host of vessels - including the occasional sail boat spending the winter season. Quidi Vidi is a well protected little harbour with a small 20 foot opening through a breakwater called the gut. That relatively small space opens into Freshwater Bay which is only partially protected from the atlantic ocean and then the open water a tight right leads you to St. John's harbour; otherwise the next big stop is Ireland.