I did lots of stuff over the winter, but still, waiting to paddle my kayak on open water again was worse than waiting for Christmas when I was eight and expecting new toys. Sure, I did some pool sessions, and I'd even been out in a canoe a couple of times this year - but I hadn't been on big open water. Lucky for me, Lee was as ready to take to the Bay as I was, so we scheduled a Saturday in early May for a day trip.
  When we got up early on Saturday morning at Killbear Provincial Park, the sun was out, and it looked like it would be a gorgeous (if a bit windy) day. Interestingly enough, it also looked like the tide had gone out - I've never seen the water level quite that low.  
I'd been looking forward to getting out on the water, but I definitely had not been looking forward to swathing myself in layers of neoprene. This paddle required that I put on a neoprene shirt, wetsuit, neoprene shoes, neoprene gloves, and paddling jacket with wrist and neck gaskets. Pull a neoprene sprayskirt and PFD over top of that, and you're finally ready to face the cold water.  
 
 
  It started clouding over soon after we started paddling, but it was still warm - warm enough that I felt the need to take off my paddling jacket. It's probably not the smartest thing to pull a tricky jacket over your head on open water while not wearing a PFD and with a good chance of your hands being tangled up in the gaskets. I'm just saying... safety first, but sometimes I don't think ahead enough.
It felt great, paddling again (despite my hatred of my gloves). We headed south from Killbear to Oak Island Marina on Parry Island - we'd paddled out of there once last year, and the GLSKA Rendezvous will be there again this year, so I wanted to visit. We took a break there (potty breaks with a wetsuit on suck!).  
 
 
  From there, we headed southwest to circumnavigate Sandy Island. The low water level meant we were scraping bottom in places we'd cleared easily last year. We ended up going further off-shore than we intended to avoid all the rocks, and during that time the winds picked up and it started raining. It doesn't matter, though, when the only part of you not completely waterproofed is your head!
The blackflies came out, too, but there was not much to bite given all the neoprene and nylon! We stopped for another break, and discovered quickly that wet neoprene in a chilly wind equates a definite chilling effect! That, and some more rain, meant we got back into our boats (and my hands into my hated neoprene gloves) quickly.
  
The last half hour reminded me that it's been a long time since I've paddled in these sorts of conditions - it felt like it had been a long day. Then again, considering it was the first time out this year and we went for 33km with the wind either in our faces or coming at us from the side (it shifted from the south to the east while we were out there), I think we did well.
The weather wasn't perfect, but we didn't care... it was wonderful to get out there again, even if the water is really (really!) cold and you have to wear a wetsuit. We followed up with an afternoon of skills imrovement at the White Squall Sea Kayak Symposium the next day, and now I'm itching to get out again to practice some of my new brace turns... it's going to be a good summer!