Atlantic Kayak Association
2005 Trip Reports & Pictures
September

September 4 - Alma, NB
There were only 3 of us that showed for this paddle.  Rather than our usual paddle into Fundy Park, we went left (NE) and paddled away from the Park, towards Waterside.  This coast has an impressive collection of cliffs.  There are a couple of small beaches of small round stones to stop on, but for the most part, it’s pretty formidable cliffs.  We paddled out about 7km, and when the tide turned, so did we.  Alma is a rather picturesque village set right on the edge of Fundy National Park, and for about ±2-hours around high-tide, you have easy access right up into the town.  Outside that time, you have some lugging.
DonQuiet coveBruce @ Rest Stop
My DiamonteBruceBruce

September 7 - Buctouche Dunes - from Little Buctouche River
We had 9 paddlers show up, for the last Wednesday paddle in the season – summer is too short, and so is the daylight.  Nice time on the water, and a nice time afterwards at Kilby’s house for an informal BBQ.
Don & KilbyKilby paddling off into the sunsetAs the sun sets on another paddle

September 10 - Kouchibouguac Grey Seal Adventure
Due to extreme weather forecasts of Lightening and Winds gusting to 50kph, most of us shied away from this paddle.  A couple did go, and reported about 100 seals on the sand bars, with very strong winds.
Four of us did however, do a last minute pick-up paddle on Sunday from the Cassie-Cape Government Wharf, over to Shediac Island, a distance of roughly 12.5km round trip.

September 18/19
This entire weekend was a wash-out.  We failed to get access permission to the Confederation Bridge, which had a mixed blessing as Tropical Depression Ophelia decided to pick that weekend to make its presence known.

September 24 - Petit Cap
OK, this was windy too, with the 30kph winds coming down the length of the Strait, running right up on shore.  Just Don and I showed up, and putting in was simplified by the presence of a barrier sand-bar that blocked most of the severe wave action.  Due to the size of the waves, I decided to forgo photography for this paddle, and a hat.  Within seconds the sun-glasses were also useless, as the waves were sharp and hitting about chest high.  Once we got past the sand-bar, the waves lengthened out, so it was more of an up and down ride, and a little dryer.  A rough estimate had the waves running from a “calm” 80cm to upwards of 2-meters.  Only one had my name on it, and I remembered that if I dug into the wave, I had a balance point.  Don said that at one point he could see just about my entire boat.
The wind-chill was making it uncomfortable on the hands, so after about 45 minutes of playing into the wind, we turned around and surfed back to the beach.  Landing was complicated by the fact that our barrier sand-bar was gone with a rising tide, and there were now waves about 40cm high breaking on the beach.  Timing is everything, and since it was a sand beach, I turned parallel to the beach and waves, and let the biggest one I saw; pick me up and gently deposit me on the beach (followed by a mad scramble to get out of the boat before the next one tried to flip me over).