Archive for the ‘kayaking’ Category

Sometimes it’s good to turn back and recognise your limits.

We got up well before the birds at 3am to see whether yesterday evening’s unforecasted calm was still making a crossing to the Barren Islands a possibility. We could just see each other and the outline of the rocky shore when we launched at 4.45am. There was only a light breeze but the 4am NOAA forecast warned of E winds increasing to 25 knots this morning. Karel predicted 20 knots.

We decided to see what the sea felt like and decide whether to attempt a crossing or head East 4 miles to another headland. As soon as we left the shelter of our Cove we were being pulled gently North by the rolling swell of a half asleep tidal race, our kayaks bouncing down into the troughs with a light splash. It was a little disconcerting in the dark and Sarah turned to me and said she didn’t like it. We decided not to cross but to head East to Praline headland (not her real name but one chosen by the always-hungry Sarah). After an hour we were half way there and the darkness had lifted enough so we could see the waves. They didn’t look so intimidating now and the wind was still less than 10 knots from the ENE. We discussed options and decided we’d have a go at heading north to the islands. We’d try sailing and see if we could make rapid progress that way. If we could reach the Islands around slack water, we could hopefully avoid the tidal races. Even at the start of the flood
the wind and tide would be in the same direction so it should be calmer. Thankfully we’ve been lent a working GPS by the crew of the fishing boat Venturess who came to Blue Fox Lodge so we could measure our progress.

After half an hour of a 3 foot swell which was bouncy but manageable, we came up to an area of 6-8 foot waves that were breaking powerfully on occasions. I think this tidal rip coincided with a very shallow area on the chart so may well have been short lived but it was enough of a warning to me that we shouldn’t be attempting this crossing today. If that’s the sort of sea we could encounter at random then imagine what the notorious tidal rips that guard the Barren Islands would be like if the wind did pick up to 25 knots. I paddled up besides Sarah who said she really wasn’t enjoying the conditions. We turned around, dropped the sails and headed for a new campsite 4 miles east of our last one.

So here we are, camped up in the grass above a gravel beach which almost completely disappeared this afternoon under one of the largest tides of the year. There have been a few breaks in the rain today so Sarah made a fire and cooked dinner on it and we’ve been drying damp themals over the embers. Tomorrow’s forecast is for 30 knots from the East so we’ll most likely still be here. My flight home on Saturday is looking less and less likely but things sometimes change quickly here.

My friend Luke had been sending me limericks to keep me smiling! Here’s todays!

There once was a lady from Wales
Whose hardness was like that of nails
Her name was Justine,
She liked all things marine
Except force 7 North Easterly gales.

I’ve had a frustrating day looking at a much calmer sea than forecast and wishing we’d made a crossing to the Basten islands.

We have 4 forecasts to chose from. One emailed to us from Karel Vissel and three NOAA forecasts which overlap about where we are. The NOAA ones all predicted 25 or 30 knots today from the NE or E ( and the same until Thursday). Karel’s initial forecast was NNE and dropping from 20 to 8 knots this evening. We have a 16 mile crossing to do heading north in an area with strong currents. The islands we want to get to are to the north east so we need to leave when the tide starts to go east which today was about 4am or 4pm. It only runs east for 5 hours and we probably need 6 hours to cross so the closer to the start of the easterly flow we leave the better. This also means we’d arrive at the islands close to slack water which hopefully ensures the many tidal races that guard the islands should be at their calmest. People as far away as Dutch Harbour have warned us about the Barren Islands and Jerry added to the picture yesterday by pointing on the map to where a wave smashed in one of
the windows on his boat.

Sorry if I’m boring you with details but this is one of our more technical crossings and maybe you’d like to understand why we’re being cautious and why we didn’t just jump on the water during the day when it seemed the forecasts were wrong.
The wind was maybe 10 knots from the NNE this morning so we were tempted to catch this afternoons tide. To be on the safe side, we phoned Karel is Israel to get an update for exactly where we are and he warned us that stronger winds were likely this afternoon and evening. Disappointed, we read and slept instead. In fact, when I got out of the tent to cook dinner at 7pm it had calmed right down to the extent that the midges came out to enjoy their dinner too. The never ending rain paused and the persistent mist lifted, tantalising us with the jagged skyline of the Barren islands and the snowy peaks being Cape Douglas to the West. I even think we could see the Kenai peninsula 35 miles away.

So now we’re planning to get to at 3am and if it’s still fairly calm we’ll get ready for the crossing. If we get on the water and it looks too rough then we’ll either come back or we’ll move four miles east to the easternmost headland on Shuyak Island. Then again, if it’s howling we’ll go back to sleep.

I’ve had a frustrating day looking at a much calmer sea than forecast and wishing we’d made a crossing to the Basten islands.

We have 4 forecasts to chose from. One emailed to us from Karel Vissel and three NOAA forecasts which overlap about where we are. The NOAA ones all predicted 25 or 30 knots today from the NE or E ( and the same until Thursday). Karel’s initial forecast was NNE and dropping from 20 to 8 knots this evening. We have a 16 mile crossing to do heading north in an area with strong currents. The islands we want to get to are to the north east so we need to leave when the tide starts to go east which today was about 4am or 4pm. It only runs east for 5 hours and we probably need 6 hours to cross so the closer to the start of the easterly flow we leave the better. This also means we’d arrive at the islands close to slack water which hopefully ensures the many tidal races that guard the islands should be at their calmest. People as far away as Dutch Harbour have warned us about the Barren Islands and Jerry added to the picture yesterday by pointing on the map to where a wave smashed in one of
the windows on his boat.

Sorry if I’m boring you with details but this is one of our more technical crossings and maybe you’d like to understand why we’re being cautious and why we didn’t just jump on the water during the day when it seemed the forecasts were wrong.
The wind was maybe 10 knots from the NNE this morning so we were tempted to catch this afternoons tide. To be on the safe side, we phoned Karel is Israel to get an update for exactly where we are and he warned us that stronger winds were likely this afternoon and evening. Disappointed, we read and slept instead. In fact, when I got out of the tent to cook dinner at 7pm it had calmed right down to the extent that the midges came out to enjoy their dinner too. The never ending rain paused and the persistent mist lifted, tantalising us with the jagged skyline of the Barren islands and the snowy peaks being Cape Douglas to the West. I even think we could see the Kenai peninsula 35 miles away.

So now we’re planning to get to at 3am and if it’s still fairly calm we’ll get ready for the crossing. If we get on the water and it looks too rough then we’ll either come back or we’ll move four miles east to the easternmost headland on Shuyak Island. Then again, if it’s howling we’ll go back to sleep.

It was hard to leave the comfort and company of Blue fox lodge to push off into a wet grey windy day. Our target was the North coast of Shuyak Island, the launchpad for an 18 mile crossing to the Barren Islands. Despite a NE 30 knot forecast, we crossed the tidal Shuyak strait at close to slack water in fairly calm conditions.

Jerry had told us about a a shortcut, a narrow winding psssage through the trees that is only passable by small boats at high water on big tides. We nearly couldn’t find Skiff Pass, even though we were in the right place. It looked impossible that the sea could pass through the thick forest but as we got closer a 5 metre wide sandy passage appeared snaking away from us. We followed a trickle of water for 100 metres but we were too early and the flow ended in a 6 inch deep pool. After a 45 minute lunch, the tide had filled the sandy banks to 20 metres wide and we jumped back on and rode the salty river round blind bends, under overhanging trees and past partially submerged rocks. Sarah remarked that we were “tree kayaking instead of sea kayaking”. There was no wind and it did feel like another world. Inevitably we reached the point where the tide was flooding in from the other side and now we had to fight a river flowing against us for a mile. It didn’t matter, it was a fu n
diversion from paddling into the wind and swell if we’d gone round the NW corner of Shuyak.

Soon we were on the north coast and were back fighting the wind and waves which had both picked up from the morning. We couldn’t see more than a mile away all day and a constant wet drizzle created permanent raindrops on our noses, chins and hair. We tried to dodge the waves that were breaking over shallow rocks, throwing salt water into the mix but didn’t always manage. I wanted to push on a bit further but Sarah was getting too cold so we landed on a rocky beach which will hopefully have a great view of the Barren Islands if the mist ever lifts. We’re tucked up in our sleeping bags early hoping tomorrow’s forecast for 25 knots magically changes. Due to the strong tides here, we’ll need to leave at the crack of dawn or mid afternoon tomorrow if we are able to go but at the moment Monday looks more likely.