February 2009 minus one

It was 32° F when we arose this morning, but sunny. It was (accurately) forecast to reach nearly 48 °F. Today's kayak trip was a 'go', despite the 20 to 30 knot wind forecast; we would be sheltered in the Nanaimo River estuary. We were to meet at Southgate at 9:30 AM and then caravan to the launch site, the Living Forest RV Park. With this group, 15 minutes early is considered slightly tardy - really.

Eighteen of us in 17 kayaks launched at 10 AM. heading up river. The paddling became more difficult as the channel narrowed. Eventually, after a last set of upstream rapids, it became too shallow for maneuvering. Anyway, 4 of the group couldn't make that last sprint, leaving us with 13 kayaks. The 4 who left us decided to lunch soon, take a different route back, and call an early end to the day. It's somewhat disheartening to paddle so hard and just stay even with that stump on the shoreline. If you focus only on the water streaming past your hull, it looks like you are making great progress. Is this Einstein's Theory of Relativity?

Now going down river, we made great progress - emitting an occasional sonic boom. We took a different channel, ran occasional swift water, some of which scraped us over rocks, but produced no hull punctures.

On the upstream leg, we saw many eagles, golden eyes (one dead), geese, and various other waterfowl. Downstream was more of the same plus one dead sea lion, draped over a shore log. Was there a fight to the death between the golden eye diving duck and the sea lion? That would fit our discoveries. As we left the estuary and entered the turbulent ocean, we rousted up a flock of swans.

Once in the ocean, we battled swells and whitecaps to lunch at Jack Point, deep in the seafarer's wilderness, just over the spit from the Duke Point ferry terminal. On the way, 4 more kayaks peeled off from the main group, leaving us with 9 kayaks. After lunch we had a brisk wind at our back, making the kayaks wallow a bit. We caught the 4 kayaks who had most recently left the main group, and we were once more 9 kayaks, heading home.

Back in the estuary, the low tide left us short of water here and there, so some kayak dragging and carrying ensued, each helping the other. Eventually, we made it back to the launch site and began loading the kayaks onto and gear into our vehicles. About that time, the 4 paddlers seeking an early end to their day came paddling in. They had managed to choose a route which required a great amount of kayak dragging, carrying, and suffering.

Slightly more than half the group went to Miller's Pub, near the Brechin boat ramp, for debriefing.

Richard
2009.01.31