An Opportunity Passed

Driving north on Highway 99, conditions on Howe Sound looked promising:  An endless procession of white-flecked waves on dark water.  This was the product of 30+ knot winds over much of the previous day and night, winds that were still ranging between 25 and 30 knots.  And while the waves looked small as I drove on the roadway high above Howe Sound, I knew the fact that I could even see their height meant they were more than big enough for a fun ride in my surf ski.

Twenty minutes later, though, I decided not to paddle.

Like most decisions, it wasn’t necessarily clear-cut.  When I made my decision, I was standing in the parking lot of Porteau Cove Provincial Park fully outfitted with my drysuit zipped and PFD on - I had even unstrapped my ski!  But there were enough factors nagging at me that I continued to question my decision.  It was when I worked my way through them that I decided, despite the promise of a thrilling downwind ride, I would pass on this opportunity for now.

What were these factors?  The most impacting one was looking south at my intended route and seeing the first of several, mini-“headlands” I would encounter with waves smashing into its shore.  For safety reasons, I really didn’t want to be more than a few hundred meters from shore, but I would have to go out much more than this if I wanted to avoid the headland.  An alternative would have been to stay along a direct path that would keep me closer to shore until I neared the headland at which point I would need to turn and begin paddling at an angle to the wind and waves.  Given the strong conditions and the fact I’m not solid on my surf ski, I felt this would put me at risk of falling over perhaps multiple times. Finally, I could easily envision the confused seas that would be present immediately in front of the headland.  Paddling in these as I tried to round the point by going close to it would be an exercise in “survival paddling”, in this case, fighting to stay upright.

Another factor was the unfortunate fact I was paddling by myself.  As much as I enjoy paddling with other people, I long ago resigned myself to paddling alone, even in whitewater, if it came down to either being able to go out or not.  I miss the camaraderie and the pushing of skills I had in Maine by going out with friends Stephen Leavins, Chris Audet and Justin Varney.  Even back East, though, there were many times when it was either go alone or go home and, of course, most of the time I went.  Solo paddling brings its own set of responsibilities, the first being not to screw up, and I never enter into such a paddle lightly.  Today, I pictured a reasonable scenario of being off my ski floating past the headland on my own and I didn’t like it.

Part of what I didn’t like about this was that there weren’t any bail-out points, places where I could paddle into shore and say enough is enough, if I did go floating past the headland.  Sure, the highway was there and I could probably drag my butt and fiberglass ski off the water and up to the highway.  To me, having to do something like that should only be for worst-case scenarios.  It shouldn’t be the only option.  Bail-out points are  critical factors to account for.  If setting up a shuttle hadn’t been an issue, a paddle from Britannia Beach to Porteau Cove might very well have been the better option since Furry Creek in between would have been an excellent place to bail.

Setting up my own shuttle was an issue, though.  Generally when I paddle alone I use my bike for the shuttle, but this wasn’t going to happen today on account of the fact it was several degrees below freezing.  Temperature was thus another factor in deciding not to paddle from Porteau Cove to Lions Bay.  Even though I was wearing a drysuit with multiple layers underneath, plus a neoprene dive hood, floating past the headland, alone, a few hundred meters from shore on a day like today would have been markedly different than had it been July.  The cold magnifies problems resulting from errors.  Just doing up my paddling gear and untying my boat had left my fingers numb.  If I struggled getting out of the water today, it wouldn’t have taken long before I would’ve begun losing dexterity.  This could have led to further, more serious problems.

Another major factor was my surf ski.  I love my ski, a Hayden CD straight from Australia!  It seemingly jumps on waves and is a joy to paddle - most of the time, that is.  Partly because I’m still getting used to it and partly because it’s a different beast from a sea kayak, I’m not solid in it.  What I really needed today was a slicy sea kayak, something fun like a fiberglass Tiderace Xtreme.  I don’t capsize in a sea kayak in conditions like what I saw today since I’m braced in solidly, not floating in my open-decked ski.  Plus, I can roll my kayak if I do capsize.  In hindsight, I should have loaded both my ski and sea kayak, a tried and true Current Designs Sirocco, and that way I would have had a more stable option.  It takes getting out in conditions to figure out how to paddle in them and my Sirocco would have allowed this.  

 *     *     *

I did get on the water today – a greatly reduced run from Brunswick Beach to the beach in Lions Bay.  It was out of the wind.  The waves, though, were all over the place.  Not only were they really not consistent to surf on, I was fighting to stay upright, even falling over at one point.  These waves were much smaller than what I would have seen near that first headland and confirmed my decision to not attempt the Porteau Cove paddle on my ski.  I still wore my drysuit and my neoprene hood so, had I ended up in the water for a length of time, I would have been reasonably comfortable.  I was also wearing my SPOT satellite messenger should I have needed it.  Conversely, my iPhone was tucked away inside my drysuit as I had no intention of having to rely on it – it’s not waterproof and doesn’t work in wet conditions.  I had it along for when I finished my paddle and I could phone Larissa to tell her I was off the water.  Ideally, I would have had my VHF radio, but I lost that on an earlier paddle this fall and haven’t replaced it yet, instead relying on my SPOT for a true emergency.  I also wore the leash that keeps me attached to my ski so it doesn't get away from me.

Despite missing some fun downwind conditions and despite paddling in what ended up being frustrating conditions, I’m glad I passed on attempting to ride from Porteau Cove to Lions Bay.  Maybe in the future, I’ll decide differently.  If I do, though, it will be because I’ve gained some knowledge or improved on skills I didn’t have today.  Or I'm paddling with friends who can cover my butt!