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WCP spring get together 2008

elmo said:
...the plan was to drag the kayak out to Swartz Bay on the trailer I pull behind my tricycle.

I always assumed you were at least old enough to be using training wheels...;-)
 
andreas said:
I could give you a ride back if I could find my second set of foamies....

That's a loooonnnnggg paddle you have ahead of you :shock: How far is it 35-40km?
Andreas, if the winds turn for worse, I've now got another ride available back from Sidney for Sunday afternoon.

By the surface models the weather still looks cooperative enough for me to leave from Willows or Smugglers Cove (if I'm feeling lazy against facing some minor current against me in Baynes) at 9 or 10 tomorrow morning. The light-moderate north westerlies should calm down by around 1 in Haro Straight by S Pender and then by 2 switch to southerlies -- helpful if I'm slow.. By 6 to 8 it'll start to really pick-up with 25+ north westerlies. Anyone up for a sunset paddle?
 
Watching wistfully from afar...

Here's wishing you all a great weekend. Can't make the trip this year, but I'll be there in spirit... another time, for sure.

Hope to see lots of pics posted next week. Maddie, keep an eye on things. :D

Safe trip to all.

Best

RobertB
 
Have a great weekend, westcoastpaddlers!

We, who can not attend, are looking forward for photos and reports!

servus

:wink:

Willi
 
Have fun this weekend! I really wanted to go but don't feel confident enough to paddle unknown territory by myself on Saturday. I'm looking forward to all the great pictures and stories from the trip.

I hope to one day finally meet you all in person.

CHEERS!
 
Have a great weekend guys and gals.....was hoping to make it but I've got to be on a plane early Sunday morning for Ottawa......wonder who will get more snow :twisted:
 
I'll be bringing bread for the potluck. This is nice bread from Cobbs here in Langford. And butter.

Other than that, I'm scrambling to find all my gear after a year off paddling and a second hand boat I put a seat into tonight. Oh the rush...

Gear...thank goodness for MEC. :D

Doug L
 
Leaving in three hours for the drive up. Bruce and I will be paddling in from Saturna, loping along with Doug. Bruce is in a green Sealution, I'm in a blue-decked Wind Dancer (aka The Cargo Barge).

See you all Saturday mid-day or so.
 
I'll be thinking of all you guys, paddling towards your weekend Island Paradise, as we fly over Hawaii, Fiji, and the Cook Islands on our way to The Land at the End of the Earth. 8)

Have a fun and safe trip, guys! I expect to see lots of photos upon my return!
 
The kids and I went to Clover Pt this morning and the winds were so strong the dog could barely stand up - and now it's snowing (but first it hailed the size of peas :shock: ). We sure hope everyone's safe and dry and somewhere sheltered ...
 
yup... pretty nasty out there today... Nice now :roll:

Ill give Dan a call in a bit, and see how everyone is doing.
 
Yikes, It's hailing outside my window right now in Vancouver and the forecast for the Strait of Georgia this Friday night is as follows:

Strong wind warning in effect.

Winds northwest 20 to 30 knots easing to 15 to 20 this evening.
Winds becoming northeast 15 to 20 over southern sections overnight then backing to northwest 10 to 20 Saturday afternoon. A few showers or flurries. Risk of thundershowers tonight. Slight risk of waterspouts over southern sections tonight.
Outlook. Moderate northwest winds becoming northeasterly.


Hope you guys get a nice long sunny break with calm winds on Saturday for paddling...!
 
I'm just back from Victoria and am sitting in a cafe cuz the power is out at my place after leaving Nanaimo yesterday afternoon to drop someone off at Victoria airport. Even with the accident that closed the Malahat, the Brentwood Bay ferry that was late, the plane that was cancelled, overnighting in Sidney for the morning plane, the accident on the Malahat on the way home directly in front of me that would have caught me too without 4-wheel-drive and the foot of snow along the way, I suspect my story is NOTHING compared to anyone who actually went to Pender this weekend. Congrats on picking the weekend with the stupidest weather in BC's history. I can't wait to read the posts.
 
I am actually glad that I am working this weekend :shock: .
We got snow on the ground in Lynnwood, Washington. I think I have micro micro climate going around my house. My husband actually used shovel to clear the snow around my car! Thanks :twisted: Now I got no reason not to go work :(

Hope every body safe and still happy campers with some exitment, and hope Dan got that huge pavillion shelter.
 
I think I am going to abandon my plan to paddle over tomorrow AM. Not sure that it makes sense to plan a longish paddle with cold northeasterly winds in the 15-25 knot range... would help the return trip, but...
 
Just got back!
Yes, it snowed and yes the wind was blowing pretty good but we still had a great time!
There wasn't much paddling going on yesterday because of the wind, but the people who headed home today surly getting lots of sun and flat seas.

I will post pictures later today.

Anyhow, I had a wonderful time,I enjoyed meeting new people, listening to many adventure stories and had lots of great food.

You guys rock!!!! THANKS!
 
Mike_Jackson said:
I think I am going to abandon my plan to paddle over tomorrow AM. Not sure that it makes sense to plan a longish paddle with cold northeasterly winds in the 15-25 knot range... would help the return trip, but...
The marine forecast on Haro Straight was limited to the south and ignored the perfect conditions we had from dawn on. Just as the pressures models forecasted, it was beautiful with light winds predominantly from the SE. I left at 10 and had a relaxing paddle to the south of Sidney, arriving at 12:40.

With the exceptional weather, much of the group seems to be planning to stay on S Pender for a few more days!

My ~36 km paddle up on Friday had few surprises -- the winds doing exactly as expected and changes spot on to the locations and times of the pressure models. It was just the snow that became a shocker.

With the gales against the current through Baynes, starting further away at Willows wasn't worth the effort. At 8:20 AM I left Smugglers Cove for a b-line to D'Arcy's NW. FUN! Strong 25 knots winds from due west somehow quicly building the sea in mid Haro up to the odd 1m swell with some breaking waves hitting my beam for some time. Once I made it to the leeside of Sidney Island it was a much more relaxing move to the planned shelter of Gooch Island.

From the pressure models in the morning I knew that a small but intense system was due between 12-1 with the winds shifting nearly 180 degrees to the SW. On my way to Gooch I watched the dark front to the north with Salt Spring slowly disappearing. Only a few hundreds meters beyond Gooch I was thinking that if anyone else was with me we'd immediately duck into to its leeside to avoid any trouble. I wanted to play. Exactly at 1 the westerlies dropped off and the seas became glass. Figuring that I was far enough out, I made the charge back to Gooch and readying for a full facial of the wind and spray. I got stinging hail. Within minutes the winds picked up to over 20, and continued to build. I was having a blast but made it to shelter of the Tom Point on Gooch and shelter just as the very unsettled seas were no longer so fun.

For an hour and 40 minutes I hunkered down on a gravel beach on the southern side of the a neck separating the main portion of Gooch from Tom Point... I was sheltered from the wind but the snow kept coming down on me and blowing horizontally just 5m beyond my landing. For the entire time I just paced in a tiny space between between the 3 cliffs and sea, knowing that it would take over an hour for the snow squall to blow by. Finally it did and with a fairly calm paddle and the company of some porpoises I headed on to Beaumont, arriving at 4:40.

Thanks for the trip!! It great to meet new people who are motivated get out and paddle for the sake of paddling! I'll take many excuses to take on a full day of padding!

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Shelter under Tom's Point of Gooch Island

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Home during the squall

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Fresh snow on Mount Norman
 
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