The Joy of Being in the Bow

On our last windbound day at Sauble Beach we were fortunate to have our friends Dave and Jessie take us to their home in Owen Sound. It was nice to have a change of scenery, great company and lots of delicious food.

After being windbound for four days, we were very anxious to get back onto the water. The wind had subsided, and although we could see still breaking waves crashing onto the beach, we didn't think they would be a problem. As we started to paddle through the surf zone, I quickly realised we were wrong as a large wave hit me with full force breaking over the top of my head. I could feel the power of the wave against my body as I tightly gripped onto my paddle. Before I could compose myself, another crashed into my face burying me again. As I came out of a third wave absolutely soaked, I noticed that we were safely out of the surf zone. Oh, the joy of being in the bow! Jon, meanwhile, kept dry in the stern. Our canoe had taken on a fair quantity of water so I readily began pumping out the water to help keep us afloat. Jon dumped out the snack bucket and used it as a bailer which left granola bars floating all over. I thought the worst was over when I heard from the stern of the canoe, "I'm seasick! Can we go back to shore?"