So Louise, Paula and I headed out for a crossing to Chatham Island.
Sailboats were out from the yacht club. There was only a slight breeze, but enough to get them going.
We crossed first to Jemmy Jones Island. While I tried (and failed) to get a picture of an eagle, Paula went in close to shore to examine some tidal pools, and got caught on a rock. "I just left behind a big pink smear," she said.
From there, we enjoyed a calm and flat crossing to Chatham. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife today. I guess all the seals and eagles took the day off. We puttered around and then turned to head back through a channel that I didn't remember having ever gone through. Then it narrowed up and the current picked up. And then I realized it was the little channel where I went over a couple of years ago. No mishaps to report today, though.
As we made the return crossing, we could see the fog was still hanging over the city.
We also saw these little birds. We couldn't remember seeing them before. They were fishing in groups and we wondered if they were migratory and just making a pit stop.
We made a small diversion to Sheep Cove. You can tell, because it says "Sheep Cove" on the rock wall. And, no we didn't see any sheep.
As we paddled through the islets near our landing spot, we saw this heron.
The crows demanded that I pay attention to them, too.
Trip length: 11.2 km
My pictures are here.
The Google Earth kmz is here.
Not sure as to the name of the little waterfowl, but they're here all winter every winter. Maybe they are migratory, but that makes here the south end of their route....
ReplyDeleteI should correct John on a couple of counts.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a big pink smear... it was a little one. On that rock. And probably another one on another rock by Chatham. *Two* moments of rocking on top of a shallow rock. The horror, the horror...
Oh, and though there were no mishaps to report there was sure a whole bunch of paranoia, as for some reason I could actually HEAR the foghorn over at Trial Islands. (Not usually able with these ears.) Between continually checking on the fog, which stayed nicely away, and wondering if the breeze would pick up, which stayed nicely at about 5 to 8 klicks, and wondering if the current through the channels of Chatham would pick up enough to do what it did to John back in the day, I was one paranoid chatterbox. It's a miracle that my fellow paddlers didn't drown me and claim that a sea lion had held my boat underwater. Thanks, guys!