If it's not one thing, it's another...

The wind finally calmed and we enjoyed paddling in the swell - a left over reminder of the storm. We paddled to Lyal Island, which is the largest island along this portion of the coast, and we were impressed by the tiny and intricate flowers growing amongst the rocks. Across the water, we could see knife island's lighthouse, a place we would like to visit later, but for the moment, while the winds were light, we needed to paddle further. As we crossed over from Lyal Island, about a kilometer from shore, we heard a loud and sudden "POP" from the stern of the canoe. At that moment, I hoped we weren't sinking. Jon knowing full well, as his seat was listing to the port side, announced in a disappointed tone, "I think my seat is broken." I couldn't help but laugh and was a little relieved to know that I wasn't the one who broke the seat. When we brought our canoe to shore, we assessed the damage. The L-bracket that holds the seat in place snapped into two pieces. While my first reaction was to bring out the duct tape, Jon was a little more creative and rigged up a webbing loop that went around the canoe to hold the seat in place. Luckily, in only a few short days, our friends at Adventure Guide pulled through and the Furey family came bearing power tools and parts for the boat repair in Sauble Beach. The canoe is now better and ready for the next calm day.

Windbound

A wise mentor of mine once commented, "It is better to be on the shore wishing you were on the water, than being on the water wishing you were on shore." This advice has been of tremendous benefit to us as we have watched, in jaw-dropping suspense, gale force winds drag our partially loaded canoe across the jagged limestone beach and three meter waves send frigid four degree spray into our faces. In our first week, we were windbound more days than all of our combined windbound days from last summer and this week isn't looking any better. Although we had anticipated being further down the coastline by now, we realize this is no time to take chances especially when the water temperature still hovers just above freezing. So for now, we are enjoying a little rest and lots of photography but still wishing we were on the water.