The Battery Hotel at Cape St. Francis *lol*Rounding the peninsula and entering Conception Bay, it started to rain :-)
Stan moving in for a shower!
Apprehension is defined in Wikipedia as either (1) an awareness or understanding of something by the mind or (2) a fearful emotion. I was apprehensive about rounding Cape St. Francis north of St. John's, Newfoundland as it was my first "cape". I'm pretty sure that the apprehension I felt wasn't something that was understood by my mind. If it was, I'd still have been home with my feet up. But then it wasn't a fearful emotion either. It was more a feeling of not knowing what to expect while giving it the respect (fear) it deserved.
Today Stan and I paddled from Pouch (pronounced Pooch) Cove, north of St. John's, around Cape St. Francis and down Conception Bay to the community of Bauline. We paddled out of Pouch Cove with a quartering sea on the right side. Somehow starboard seems out of place to ascribe to a kayak. Nothing too serious, just had to be attentive.
We arrived at the Cape after about an hour and there was a lot of water bashing the rocks. It started to rain and blow harder. Was I being told you don't round your first cape easily there matey? Uncomfortable? No, it seemed right for the occasion.
After rounding, the first part of the paddle into Conception Bay was calm and little wind. There's not much to see down this coast but did remind me somewhat of New Zealand. Thankfully no Mauori war canoes came out to challenge our passage. The wind came up and the last 5 kms (who knows, it felt like forever) were a bit of a workout. Expecting Bauline to be much further on I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the houses perched on the cliffs.
So, I was let to go around. I didn't need to feel apprehensive; it wasn't too bad a day and I was prepared. I guess there's no need to feel apprehension if you've done the prep. Another excellent day on the water with my good friend Stan.
Tony :-)
3 comments:
Ah - so this is where you paddled today! good on you. I've yet to venture up there. A
Its a headland with the usual conditions out there but in all honesty, it wasn't all that bad today. As it was my first "cape" it did feel like a sense of accomplishment. I hope that no matter how far I progress as a paddler, that I'll always have that feeling. Otherweise I guess its time to try something else.
Tony :-)
Great Paddle Tony! Lots of the same elements as our regular paddles. Rain, wind, fog and occaisionally a bit of sun. I felt a bit sluggish on the tail end because when I stopped to take a pic I was blown back and had more distance to recover. Worth the shots as always. We need to do a 4-6 hour crossing next.
Stan
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