Archive for the ‘Newfoundland2008’ Category
Posted by derrick on
July 10, 2008
N49 42.2 W57 56.97 Gros Morne. 65K. Spectacular cliffs along Cape St Gregory. Cliffs concentrated moderate SW breeze into a screaming 45mph plus tailwind. Tops of waves blown off & surface of water streaked by violent gusts. Not very serene but good for surfing 7 plus knots. Camp on low coast. Blackflies fierce & chased me into tent early.
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This is derrick. . just a side note that I’m traveling myself now for the next two weeks so I may not get the google maps up until I’m at a hotspot.
Posted by derrick on
July 9, 2008
N49 17.1 W58 15.1 Beverly Cove. 62K. Pleasant sunny day. To prevent overheating needed to vent drysuit with neck ring & put PFD on aftdeck (clipped to skirt). Black bear watched me land at campsite from top of ridge. As soon as I exited kayak & stood he bolted into forest.
Posted by derrick on
July 8, 2008
N48 49.3 W58 35.1 Lewis Brook. 84K On the water almost 12hours. Around Port Au Port and across to “mainland”. Lively following seas. Winds strong, some great surfing, linking one wave to the next. This section of coast is tall, rugged & fantastic!
Posted by derrick on
July 6, 2008
Saturday 7/5/08 N48 28.6 W59 12.66 De Grau. 47k. Crossed St George’s Bay to Port au Port Peninsula. 2 meter breaking beam seas made for a wet, slow & challenging kayaking crossing. Could not land at point due to cliffs, landed just west in a village to buy groceries. Hosted by Laverna & Arsene. Hot shower was pure heaven! Newfoundlanders must be the most hospitable people in the world.
I have been asked why I didn’t portage at the narrow point of land at the Western end of the peninsula. I’m willing to cut corners, cross bays and paddle over anything that will float my boat at high water, but otherwise no portaging (plus that I absolutely hate to portage — probably from portaging my kayak across Isle Royale in Lake Superior to fish the inland lakes).
Sunday 7/6/08 – Strong gusty winds in morning. Decided to give sore muscles a well deserved rest day. All provisions restocked. Invited to a BBQ for dinner!
Posted by derrick on
July 4, 2008
From Greg: N47 45.92 W59 18.69. 63K. Northbound! Rounded Port aux Basques & SW corner. At Cape Ray was treated to a humpback leaping skyward & then crashing down on his side to a thunderous roar. He did this 8 times, once at close range. Camping near small inlet.
* Humpback image by Whit Welles.
Posted by derrick on
July 3, 2008
N47 35.98 W58 47.72 near Grandy Sound. 48k. Calm. Roasted in drysuit despite frequent “roto cooling”. Dense fog turned sunny by evening. Another large shark this one passing me going opposite way & showing no interest. Judging from black dorsal & tail fin he was about 12′ long. Past remote part of South coast & hope to round bend tomorrow. Camp near abandoned cabins overlooking sea.
*shark pic from Wiki
Posted by derrick on
June 30, 2008
First Internet access! I’m in the public library in Burgeo making the best of a weather day. Strong winds and rain continue to fall. I’m hoping to be off again tomorrow, but time will tell. I visited the local market and am eating everything in sight. Did you know that strawberry and rhubarb pie goes well with Moose and beer? ;^) My original “freeze-dried” meals are gone and I am picking up local fare as I go — including salt cod and moose. I’m eating much higher calorie foods than on my Iceland trip, so haven’t noticed any weight loss. On a tip from Kevin at Travel Country Outdoors (the shop where I work) I have been loading up all my meals with olive oil to add calories.
Body and kayak are doing fine. The first week is the toughest with blisters on my hands forming and sore muscles. Hands are now toughening up and body is growing stronger — welcoming the exercise. A number of people asked me if I would be “lonely” on the trip. The answer has been no. I’m comfortable by myself and have spent my time thinking, squawking at the birds or even singing on the water (good thing no one is around to hear that!) The drawbacks of not having a partner include the added difficulties of hauling the kayak up and over rocks at the end of the day. Also minor issues, like a jammed skeg are no problem with a partner, but become a major nuisance on your own. At one point I contemplated making a “spacewalk” (leaving the cockpit to crawl back or swim to the stern to fix) but ruled it out as too risky and inconvenient. Fortunately the skeg cleared on its own after the kayak pounded through enough waves.
Getting the dayhatch repaired was a big help. Previously it would have about 1/2 gallon of water by the end of the day, adding unnecessary weight and making it a chore to dry gear.
Many thanks to Karel and Derrick for the weather forecasts, Google maps and for blogging my SAT messages. Also thanks to everyone who has posted comments! Your comments are much appreciated and I will reply personally to everyone when the trip is done – Greg
From Greg: N47 36.6 W57 37.1 Burgeo. 47k. Chased off water due to storm. Tent is getting pelted by cold rain & gusty winds. Several close encounters with humpbacks, nice views of their flukes as they sounded. Followed closely for several mins by light-gray dorsal fin. Fin stayed on the surface — didn’t act or swim like a typical dolphin. Shark? Dolphin? Turned quickly to confront and it dove rapidly. I had my paddle prepared to give a strong jab if necessary. Didn’t see again.
Posted by derrick on
June 29, 2008
From Greg: N47 35.31 W57 06.25 Grey River. 65k. Overcast but bright with very little fog. Scale of fiords is fantastic. Saw a Humpback whale & 2 eagles. Re-provisioned food in Grey River. Kayak pulled up next to fishing boats. . . looks like part of the fleet.
Posted by derrick on
June 28, 2008
From Greg: N47 36.73 W56 23.73 Richard’s Harbour. 63k. Rain & fog. Double crossing of Fortune & Hermitage Bays. Many whales, blow spouts everywhere. Whale surfaced within 30 feet of kayak! Boat repairs worked day hatch bone dry.
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Posted by derrick on
June 27, 2008
This from MR. STAMER; Another weather day on Brunette island. Winds dropping. Expect to cross to S coast tomorrow. Beautiful sunny day. Took opportunity to make boat repairs. Day hatch compartment was leaking thru bolts in bulkhead. Applied caulk. Also fixed chine gel coat damage from rock impact with epoxy putty.
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In sea kayaking it is generally accepted that leaks. . . are bad.
