By Mark Byrne
March 30th and it's hard to believe that this was only our 4th paddle for 2014. I for one am extremely grateful that we were finally able to get back onto the water after several months of health issues having kept me off the water recently. So after a whirlwind week of medical procedures and with the blessing from my doctor I felt good enough to put together a paddle plan for us and head out of a very relaxed paddle from Telegraph Cove today.
Although the weather conditions were not absolutely perfect, we settled for the predicted possibility of showers and 15-20 knot SW winds that were arriving on the south coast around noon. Putting in at Telegraph Cove on the turn from ebb to flood we decided to hug the shoreline in the protection of the land from the wind and just explore a bit. The first thing that I noticed was that I wasn't getting short of breath like I had experienced on our last paddle. It was another "night and day" comparison that I have been having all week. Nice!
Just before Finnerty Cove we came across two mature and three juvenile bald eagles that were busy chasing each other in the air or feeding at the waterline of the rocky islets nearby. Keeping our distance we managed to get some pictures of these majestic birds with our Fuji XP cameras and it also reconfirmed that we must invest in a good digital SLR for touring in the near future.
Robyn and I discussed how I felt at this point and we decided to continue on course for Glencoe Cove which would be our lunch stop. As you can see by the photographs the showery weather turned to warm sunshine and the winds were no more than a breeze at this point. We landed at Glencoe Cove and settled down for a relaxing lunch and the first thing that came to both our minds was that it sure would be nice to be camping right now. With a bit of luck, that opportunity will come in the near future but for now it was great just being here.
Just as we headed back onto the water after lunch the wind started to kick up pretty good and swung around directly from the south. This with the flood against us meant we would have a little bit of a work out paddling back to Telegraph Cove. It wasn't long before we paddling head on into +15 knot winds and I figured what better time to focus on my forward paddle stroke by using core rotation to get the most efficiency possible. Arriving back at Telegraph Cove I felt remarkable well and had no signs of being short of breath or being exhausted.
So it wasn't really a very relaxed paddle but it did provide us with some confidence that we are on course again to further adventures by kayak. Heck ... after last week I figured it would be another month before we would be paddling again. Yes ... I will take it easy and we will gradually build up our endurance and conditions /distances that we have done in the past. Robyn will make sure of that!
It feels great to be alive again!
March 30th and it's hard to believe that this was only our 4th paddle for 2014. I for one am extremely grateful that we were finally able to get back onto the water after several months of health issues having kept me off the water recently. So after a whirlwind week of medical procedures and with the blessing from my doctor I felt good enough to put together a paddle plan for us and head out of a very relaxed paddle from Telegraph Cove today.
 |
| Photo by Robyn Byrne: Geared up and ready to start the sea trials. |
Although the weather conditions were not absolutely perfect, we settled for the predicted possibility of showers and 15-20 knot SW winds that were arriving on the south coast around noon. Putting in at Telegraph Cove on the turn from ebb to flood we decided to hug the shoreline in the protection of the land from the wind and just explore a bit. The first thing that I noticed was that I wasn't getting short of breath like I had experienced on our last paddle. It was another "night and day" comparison that I have been having all week. Nice!
 |
| Photo by Mark Byrne: In flight playtime for a mature and juvenile bald eagle |
Just before Finnerty Cove we came across two mature and three juvenile bald eagles that were busy chasing each other in the air or feeding at the waterline of the rocky islets nearby. Keeping our distance we managed to get some pictures of these majestic birds with our Fuji XP cameras and it also reconfirmed that we must invest in a good digital SLR for touring in the near future.
 |
| Photo by Mark Byrne: One of three juvenile bald eagles that we came across on our paddle today. |
 |
| Photo by Mark Byrne: Robyn with the Southern Gulf Islands in the distance ..... our camping home away from home. |
Robyn and I discussed how I felt at this point and we decided to continue on course for Glencoe Cove which would be our lunch stop. As you can see by the photographs the showery weather turned to warm sunshine and the winds were no more than a breeze at this point. We landed at Glencoe Cove and settled down for a relaxing lunch and the first thing that came to both our minds was that it sure would be nice to be camping right now. With a bit of luck, that opportunity will come in the near future but for now it was great just being here.
 |
| Photo by Mark Byrne: Robyn arriving at Glencoe Cove |
Just as we headed back onto the water after lunch the wind started to kick up pretty good and swung around directly from the south. This with the flood against us meant we would have a little bit of a work out paddling back to Telegraph Cove. It wasn't long before we paddling head on into +15 knot winds and I figured what better time to focus on my forward paddle stroke by using core rotation to get the most efficiency possible. Arriving back at Telegraph Cove I felt remarkable well and had no signs of being short of breath or being exhausted.
So it wasn't really a very relaxed paddle but it did provide us with some confidence that we are on course again to further adventures by kayak. Heck ... after last week I figured it would be another month before we would be paddling again. Yes ... I will take it easy and we will gradually build up our endurance and conditions /distances that we have done in the past. Robyn will make sure of that!
It feels great to be alive again!
2014 Paddle #4 Telegraph Cove To Glencoe Cove
Distance: 3.83 nm (7.09 km)
YTD: 20.15 nm (37.32 km)
Distance: 3.83 nm (7.09 km)
YTD: 20.15 nm (37.32 km)
Good to see you back on the water! :)
ReplyDeleteGood news, Mark, "gradual progress" is always the key in both recovery and training. Sending good vibes. Duncan and Joan.
ReplyDeleteYippee!!
ReplyDelete