Sunday, May 17, 2009

Secrets Revealed

On this second day of the long Victoria Day weekend, Louise, Paula and I made our way to our put in at Esquimalt Lagoon. From there, we were going to paddle into Esquimalt Harbour. Louise and I were in our Deltas, while Paula was going commando in her Advanced Elements Expedition. Actually, we don't know for sure that Paula was going commando -- the subject of underwear (or lack thereof) never came up.
Esquimalt Lagoon

What did come up were a lot of two-foot swells as we made our way around the point and into the harbour. It was a gloriously sunny day with little wind, but an ebbing tide, and the swells made for a fun start to the paddle.
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 061

As we made our way into the harbour, the swells flattened out. (Please ignore the super-secret navy stuff in the background. We didn't see it and neither do you.)
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 071

Unfortunately, the swells caused some upset stomachs, so we pulled in a small cove for a few minutes in the hopes that the settled water would settle stomachs.
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 032
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 074

We didn't see much in the way of wildlife today. We once saw a large deer swimming here, but today only a pair of seals were in the water.
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 019

We noodled around the rocks for a little while...
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 075
...then headed back and hit the swells again. This time, they were a little flatter and not as enthusiastic. (Again, please ignore all the secret stuff in the background.)
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 048

We paddled past the Fisgard Lighthouse at Fort Rodd Hill.
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 079
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 056
2008-07-03 Esquimalt 403

After having a little more fun in the swells, we put in, and hauled our gear back to the van. But as I opened the back door, a surprise awaited me -- a PFD was still in the van. My jaw dropped, and I said to Louise, "Who's PFD is that?"
"It's mine," she answered. "I was about to put it on when we were getting ready, but Paula needed some help for a moment and I forgot about it. I didn't even realize that I had forgotten it until we were heading back. Something felt wrong the whole trip, and it was just a few minutes ago that I finally realized what it was."
I was surprised that I hadn't noticed. We briefed Paula as she came up, and then she said, "Let me tell you a secret. You know the time we were here and saw the swimming deer? Check the pictures. I forgot my PFD that day, too."
Maybe this will get us a little more serious about checklists. Louise is always mentioning that she's forgotten something, although never anything vital until today.
2009-05-17 Esquimalt Harbour 086
Thankfully, all's well that ends well.

My pictures are here.
Trip length: 6.49 km
YTD: 74.00 km

No comments:

Post a Comment