Jan 1st 2011 - Chatham Island (#1)

John, Roy, Dorothea, George and I set out from Killarney for a New Year's Day paddle - what a wonderful day it was! It was sunny and calm and not as cold as I thought it would be! Just as we were leaving I saw John and Paula of KayakYak returning from their first paddle of the year - beat me to it! We made our way out to Cadboro Point and then over to Chatham island. The tide was high enough to get into the inlet by Puget Cove and check out the islet with the tiny prickly pear cacti (which looked as if they had recently been under water - hope they survive!). After that we went around to the south side of Chatham for lunch - it was a magnificent spot and time - sunny, no wind and a view of Mt Baker.
On our way back were able to poke our boats into many little nooks and crannies that are only accessible at high tide and then went over to Cattle Point and along the shore via the yacht club.

I think that today may be the day I have seen the most paddlers in Cadboro Bay - there were at least six different groups out there taking advantage of the holiday and magnificent conditions. What a great way to start the year's paddling!

today's track, click to enlarge

close up of the Chatham area - noodling along

15 km, 8 NM, YTD 15 km