DCIM100GOPRO

Case in point! Some of you know me to be a very cautious person, while others know me to be a rebel. In reality I like to be pretty safe but take some chances. When I am dealing with water, I try not to be to fool hearted. That wasn’t the case the other day!!

I made one of the most basic, simple errors one could make in regards to paddling this time of year!!

I had decided to circumnavigate Anvil Island in the glorious Howe Sound. I was planning on doing it solo for the first time. It is not so much the distance but as anything solo, one has to plan. I did all that but the one thing I did wrong was almost a costly mistake and it could have turned out really bad very easily!!

So, what did I do wrong that could have cost me much pain and suffering?

I left to late!!

The wind, tide and outflow were all against me from the start, I knew that, but, my problem was starting off to late. This time of year we don’t only have to worry about cold but the early setting sun. I was procrastinating to long at home and didn’t start till 3pm from Porteau Cove. It doesn’t seem like a issue but it was.

Right from the start I had to battle the outflow and 15-20k winds with one foot waves. I paddled mostly on the left hand side of the board for almost an hour to get the back side of Anvil. Once on the backside it was so still and beautiful that it took my breath away, though, I knew I had to hurry and couldn’t spare any time as the winds picked up!! By the time I got to the south point of Anvil and I had to push across Howe Sound and make my way back up to Porteau Cove, the wind had picked up, the swell got bigger and so did the waves!! I quartered all the way back, paddling almost entirely on the right side this time. The worst part was the fact that night was almost on me and I wasn’t nearly back! It was over a hour from the south point and the last half a hour was paddled almost in pitch blackness!! If you have never paddled in the dark with high winds and waves and tide I would suggest not to!! For your safety!

I put my big boy pants on and put my head down. I had to get back. For some it would have been a nightmare and a major issue. Fortunately I had the cars headlights from the highway direct me back. It was a daunting paddled that was riddled with uncertainty and a bit of anxiousness. I could not see the bottom as I stayed very close to shore once I made it across the Sound. Every once and a while I would hit bottom with my paddle!

I made it back to Porteau at 7pm! This was a couple of weeks ago so you can imagine how dark it was. When I got back I immediately called my wife, I wanted to earlier but I just couldn’t stop. She was worried a little but she knows me. After the paddle and for 48 hours I had a touch of vertigo/nausea because of the sensory depravation. It did subside, but the realization that that could have turned nasty very easily was strong in my mind.

Lesson learned.

Be safe out there. Even if you think everything is under control remember that you are playing with mother nature and she doesn’t really care about you and what time you get home for diner.

arne

The photo of me getting to the edge of Anvil Island. Just the first quarter. whew

#sup, #supbc, #squamish, #howesound, #backendgear, #kinesysactive, #ryderseyewear, #wintersup, #getoutthere,