Practice Makes Perfect .... Or At Least Better!

Launching at low tide in Telegraph Bay.

Goal number one ...... get wet! That meant it was practice time as Robyn and I headed to Telegraph Bay on Sunday to work on some high brace, edging, turning strokes, rolling and static bracing skills. Other than my GoPro I decided not to take my waterproof point and shoot because I figured we wouldn't need it. Robyn had hers but we really didn't plan on taking any pictures since we would be under the water a bit.

Heading to Cadboro Point

We did go for a little warm up paddle to Cadboro Point to see what was happening around the islets in hopes of doing a little rock gardening. But ... there was no water! 

At high tide there is a river of water running through here to practice in. Not today though.

We headed back to Telegraph Bay and did some static bracing using paddle floats while we focused on getting our torso square to the cockpit. This is where yoga really comes in handy and we quickly realized that we need to do more of it. 

A static brace is a great way to rest while

Robyn is a natural at it

While we were busy practicing we heard a little kid on the beach yell "Whales" and sure enough behind us a pod of orca with a calf swam past us. By the time we got turned around they had moved south of the bay towards Cadboro Point, and me without my camera! So cool regardless and a great way to end the practice session. 

2014 Paddle #17  Telegraph Bay Practice
Distance: 3.09 nm (5.72 km)
YTD: 80.91 nm (150.76 km)

Nice And Easy from Telegraph Cove

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.

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)