2008.38.131 - The Fog

We planned for a paddle over to Chatham/Discovery Islands this morning. The tides and currents looked favourable, and even the weather looked like it would cooperate. Yes, last night's weather forecast called for clouds this morning, but it still promised to be decent paddle weather on a flat sea.
Come morning however, the clouds appeared as promised, but brought their children, their in-laws and their neighbors with them.


We were absolutely socked in. We've paddled in fog here before, but this was the thickest we'd seen it here on a paddle day.


It was just Paula, Louise and myself today. We were well-equipped for the fog, each of us with a compass as well as my GPS, so a paddle out to the islands would probably have been technically feasible, but it really was thick fog and showing no sign that it was ever going to burn off anytime soon. (And it didn't burn off all day.) So we decided to stick close to shore and paddle south down to Willows Beach and explore the rock gardens along the way. No sooner had we launched than we saw Mike Jackson and some friends assessing the conditions. Paula never misses a chance to talk kayaks.


We passed by the Yacht Club...

...and discovered that the fog was so thick that even the herons were grounded.


In fact, many birds weren't flying today. Many of them were asleep! We passed by a number of small islands covered with oystercatchers that were sleeping. I wonder if the thick fog was confusing them, as if they hadn't realized that the sun had come up.

And what's with this sleeping on one foot thing? That does not look comfortable!


While I was checking out the oystercatchers, I saw this colourful head pop up.

I drifted around the little island and saw him again.


We paddled down down to Mary Tod Island, then turned around to head back. Here's Paula and Louise just off Willows Beach (trust me -- there's a beach there)...

....as Mike Jackson's group came out of the fog. They were headed down to Trial Island (and you can read about their paddle here).


The fog was getting thicker on the return trip. We had to keep our eyes open as other boats were out playing in the mist.


Soon, we approached our launch point on the beach at Cadboro Bay. (Once again, you'll have to trust me.)


A happy landing!




Trip Length: 8.47 km.
My photos are here.
The Google Earth kmz is here.

2008.37.130 - Pool It!

It's dark out, it's cold, it's windy. It may even rain. A perfect time to go kayaking -- in a pool!
Richard, Louise, Paula and I spent this evening practising at Crystal Pool.

Richard was the first in the pool, and the first to go over.


Paula soon joined him....


...and so did Louise.


We practised our sculls, bracing, wet exits and rescues. I worked on hip flicks on the side of the pool, while Paula concentrated on doing scoop rescues. Richard worked on scrambles, while Louise practised her paddle float self-rescue.


And we all got too much chlorinated water up our noses! But it was a fun evening!


My pictures are here.

2008.36.129 - A Quick One

We loaded up the kayaks for the drive to Cadboro Bay in early morning fog. Not pea soup-thick fog or a London fog, but thick enough to debate the merits of a crossing to Chatham Island. But as we drove to the launch point the fog thinned out to the point that it looked like it wouldn't be a problem. It was still an issue over land, but offshore the fog gave way to high clouds and the occasional bit of blue sky.

So Louise, Paula and I headed out for a crossing to Chatham Island.


Sailboats were out from the yacht club. There was only a slight breeze, but enough to get them going.


We crossed first to Jemmy Jones Island. While I tried (and failed) to get a picture of an eagle, Paula went in close to shore to examine some tidal pools, and got caught on a rock. "I just left behind a big pink smear," she said.


From there, we enjoyed a calm and flat crossing to Chatham. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife today. I guess all the seals and eagles took the day off. We puttered around and then turned to head back through a channel that I didn't remember having ever gone through. Then it narrowed up and the current picked up. And then I realized it was the little channel where I went over a couple of years ago. No mishaps to report today, though.


As we made the return crossing, we could see the fog was still hanging over the city.


We also saw these little birds. We couldn't remember seeing them before. They were fishing in groups and we wondered if they were migratory and just making a pit stop.


We made a small diversion to Sheep Cove. You can tell, because it says "Sheep Cove" on the rock wall. And, no we didn't see any sheep.


As we paddled through the islets near our landing spot, we saw this heron.


The crows demanded that I pay attention to them, too.




Trip length: 11.2 km
My pictures are here.
The Google Earth kmz is here.