Saturday was an interesting day. I get up at 3AM to take my sister to the Airport. Get there and back to my parent by 5AM. I take a nap in my sister's room. Get up at 8AM and drive to the club. I have a feeling that the Saturday Open Paddle would be cancel. I can feel the winds blowing my car around as I drive on the highway so I suspected that the wind will be a problem. I get a call while I drive to the club but was unable to pick up.
I did not know that the trip is official cancelled till Tony and Chris get to the club. It was a very nice day except for the bellowing wind. We can see whitecap on the bay water. We very rarely get wave in the Pauragut Bay itself. The air also smell foul from all the runoff from the runoff holding tank on the other end of the Bay. By ten o'clock we have a couple of experience paddlers around, Chris, Phil, Mike, Tony, Elizabeth, and a prospective member who biked all the way from Manhatten, and myself. We decided that it would be nice to go out and play in the wave. We get out on the water by 10:20 somthing.
We started by going up wind, toward the water treatment plant. It was hard to keep from hurling my breakfast foul smelling air enter my nose with each labor breath. We finally decide to turn around and proceed out to the bridge. We went flying with just a couple of strokes to control the both. I would not want to go over in the white milky water of the Pauragut Pay. When we get pass the bridge the water is suprisingly calm, no wave more then half a feet. The original plan was just to go pass the bridge and play in the waves a bit. Since there is no wave someone tossed out going to Mill Basin, staying on the same coast, and someone wanted to to around Canarsy Pol. We decided that it would be nice to go around the pol. I leaded everyone to th green buoy so we can cross. The wind was not a factor on the crossing.
We proceed to the western top of Canarsy Pol. There were enought wind to make it interesting but not too much of a bother. We breezed around the western tip of Canarsey Pol and went along the northern shore till we came to a good beach to make a landing. We landed, Chris handed out his bag of goodies, dry berries, Chocolates and Kisses. We were are feeling very good and feel that we can handle a bit more. Chris and Tony were thinking of going over the Ruffle bar, a small island directly north of Canarsey Pol and directly in front of our beach, and practice some rescue. Elizabeth thought that that would be taking a good thing too far. I agreed with her. I don't want to get wet. There were talk of splitting the group up, on going around the pol and another to Ruffle Bar.
It was decided that we should all to around the pol and home. I get back on my kayak first and proceed to heard to the northern tip. I get a call throught the radio from Phil, it was decided to when back the way we come. I race back to meet to where the rest of the group was, only to be told that we will be going around after all. I lead everyone out from the coast and the norther end of the marsh totrying to avoid the shallow water that run between the north shores and the marsh. I turned back after 15 minutes and notice that everyone else was hugging the shores. They were all follow Tim. I end up haveing to cut across to intercept the group. I catch up with Elizbeth and old her to hold up, then race to catch Tim. As I feared I run aground as I try to clear the marsh. I was left with only one option, I get out of my kayak and drag it out to find the narrow channel that have at least 1 feet of water. The others also have to get out of their kayaks and drag their kayaks to for 2o feets to the only part of the channel that was navigatable. I finally catch up with Tim, and inform that that I was leading. Tim do have a habit of heading off on his own.
We finally regrouped, and make the turn toward the other side of the pol. As we clear the the Eastern side we were confront by strong wind. Challenging but not impossible to paddle against. For some reason, our only guest on this trip end up getting towed by Chris. I don't know when that happen. As we turn back south the wind pick up and push us toward the pol's shores. I was having problem keeping clear of Chris and his tow. We end up landing on the beach, and the prospect of trying to launch against the wave and wind were dunting. We decided that it was easier to walk along the shores, dragging our kayak till we get somewhere closed to we have to cross. It was a good quarter mile walk through knee high water, with a small portage to get to where we are almost opposition to where we have to be.
Chris will be towing Christine across with me being the communicator and Elizabeth being the lead. It was a challenging paddle. I try to be close enough to the tow to communicate with Chris and his tow but not too close that I may run across his line. I end up being further away then I should been. Elizabeth, end up all the way on the other side of us and no where close enough where I can communicate with her if I need to. We beach again on the opposite shore to catch our breath. Elizabeth told me I need to be close to Chris. I did not reply to her comment. She was not even in sigh when we crossed.
Tony towed our guest the rest of the way to the clubhouse. It was a challenging trip. I was tied but invigorated. The next day I feel better then I thought I would. I have no sore muscle or anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment