Today there was time for a quick paddle at Cooper's Cove with Ben. He's made various appearances on the blog, often quoted in conversation or chats, sometimes photographed when kayaking with us. Today he paddled our old red Pamlico, the go-to boat for a casual recreational paddle.
Bernie is the one who has taken this boat the most places around here anyone has ever handled this model of kayak, according to Brian Henry of Ocean River, and when in practise Bernie can stand it on its side. But he's been out in it twice this summer and doesn't feel in practise. As for Ben, when he took it out the first few minutes were taken up with practise leaning around and trying various grips on the paddle befoer he settled in and felt comfortable steering and picking up speed.
Cooper's Cove is a nice place to paddle, sheltered from most of the wind. Here's a link showing my SPOT message during the outing. Ben and I looked in particular along the peninsula where one could see the earth accumulating over time and eroding at the edges. As long as that soil has been accumulating since the ice age, people have been using this little cove. A pity that the cove took such a pounding during the construction of the water main from Sooke Lake reservoir to Victoria. There are some articles about that time here and here where the flowline sounds like an interesting sight to see.
Bernie came back to pick up the happy paddlers. Then I went off to the grocery on my bike, and came back to find Ben and Bernie crowbar-ing some damaged boards off the porch deck. Ah, summer!
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