 RACE DAY! Well the race season began for me today with a 4km SUP event at Thetis Lake in Victoria. What a splendid sunny day! Great atmosphere and great people helped to offset the pain of pushing my body this hard. It's such a different feeling to go all out for half an hour on the board; there was no time to check out the scenery today! This type of intensity is necessary however to become a stronger paddler, and with May.23rd fast approaching now is the time to go strong... Paddleboard racing is still new to this area and many people aren't even aware that it exists. I believe that one day it will be an Olympic event as it is usually held on a small course with lots of buoy turns which makes for an exciting spectator sport. What I love about paddleboarding is its versatility. Whether it's a gentle paddle or all-out sprint training, it's all fun!   Deep Bay to Denman Island... Distance: 11kms I'm a little out of order with my posts....This trip took place last week on yet another beautiful sunny day on the Salish Sea, this time in Baynes Sound. While all of these prepping trips involve some hard "training"paddling, there is always time to stop and enjoy the beauty that is above AND below the water. Along the coast of Denman at very low tide we were rewarded with some very interesting sea creature spotting, such as a big old Sea Cucumber, some tiny little Sea Lemons (Nudibranch family) and a Moon Snail proudly displaying his insides! There is a lot of Oyster farming along the shores of both VI and Denman Island, and there was a lot of activity on the shore at water's edge. I will be traveling along this route during this journey so it was neat to be out there and get a sneak peak at a section of the Paddle4PD route,
 Today I took advantage of lack of wind and went for a 13km paddle in the Nanoose bay area. Leaving the beach access near Madrona Point, I headed out to Mistaken Island, went around the back of it and headed straight to Dorcas Point. passing several beached seals enjoying the warm April sun. Jazz musician Diana Krall has a mansion right above this point; it was something to behold! From here I continued along the coast towards the recently acquired municipal park - Moorecroft. The tide was high enough to let me slip into its lagoon. As i was leaving the lagoon I had a VERY large Sea Lion surface about 20 ft in front of me. He stopped to get a better look at me. He was not frightened by my presence to say the least! From here I headed straight across the channel to Gerald Island. This lovely little island is covered in wildflowers, and I was happy to spot Camus, Phlox, Chocolate Lilies, Lupin, Lilac bushes and even cactii plants. From here it was a straight paddle back to my starting point. A great day of training for my upcoming paddle - a great day just to be on the water!  |
AuthorFollow along as Doug prepares for his upcoming paddle journey from Comox Harbour to Qualicum Beach in support Parkinson's Disease research ArchivesCategories |
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