A jam-packed day of rest
So, on the fourth day, the kayakers rested. Well, okay, not quite. We had a great site - technically, it was on Beaufort Island, but this is connected to John Island via a sand and gravel tombolo. We had a large sandy beach, some nice tent pads behind, and rocks to walk on and watch the surf. But there is only so much sitting on the beach and drinking coffee I can do (and I excel at sitting around and drinking coffee), so when Ron proposed a circumnavigation of John Island on Tuesday morning, Kasia and I eagerly accepted.
The forecast was for strong northwesterlies, so we decided on a counterclockwise course - however, once we got out there, the winds were from the east, and we had a tailwind for the south shore section. This part of John Island surprised me - there are many pretty beaches, and plenty of potential sites. We saw a perfect spot (albeit occupied by another kayaking party) on the eastern tip of Gowan Island, and a large and likely well-used site on the northwestern end of John Island.
By the time we rounded the western tip and entered the Whalesback Channel, the winds had died down, and our headwind was negligible. We were back to (still in) perfect conditions - and this time, the Whalesback Channel did not disappoint. It is dotted with granite islands, the water was warm and blue, and we saw an eagle soar overhead. If I could hold a tune, I would likely have burst into song (luckily for Kasia and Ron, I am well aware of my limitations here).
We found a lovely little beach with some great sitting rocks for our lunch break, and later found Ernie fishing in Moiles Harbour. He had caught a bass, and was trying to figure out how to keep it cold - this problem was solved by Kasia pulling out her pump and filling the day hatch on his Gulfstream to provide a portable fish tank.
Back at the site, we discovered that the rest of the group was also not content to just sit around and had left on a paddle of their own. I decided to swim, and Kasia and Ron stayed out in the bay and worked on bracing skills. Later, the rest of the guys came back and the winds started to pick up again, and Ron and Hulan paddled out to the point to play in the waves.
In the meantime, Ernie and Kasia cleaned his bass and fried it up, and we enjoyed a tasty snack. I then made some coffee, and Ernie, perhaps powered by fish and coffee, spent a long time on the water practicing braces and self-rescues while Len perfected his "sand roll". (Kasia's pictures of Len's on-the-water braces). Later on, while Bill and Joe paid homage to Liptons, Len cooked up his usual Harvest Foodworks package and Ron gleefully heated up his Freddychef salisbury steak, I actually made my own dinner (using Kasia's cabbage to make a cabbage salad, though!).
I went for a walk out to the point and goofed off with the self-timer on my camera before meeting up with the rest of the group, who was doing the same walk in the opposite direction. Even later, we made some serious inroads into Ron's sherry. And then Kasia put some amaretto in my hot chocolate… hardship was not on the agenda on this trip…
       
Next: back to the Benjamins