Can’t dream of a nicer, softer wake-up call for our young people than the one we got this morning… A very nice melody played on the ukulele by Marc-André G woke them. As they got out of the tents, they were met with blue skies andthe morning mist, hundreds of sea gulls, even more cormorants, a glassy bay, a warm and salty breeze, inviting islets, and crashing waves. As we have confiscated watches, telephones and other I-gadgets from our young friends, they are all smiles for they don’t know it is only 6 AM.
Nobody got a better breakfast than our young friends this morning… Not only did he give us a box of Timbits last night, but out biologist friend William also gave us twelve or so speckled trout caught the day before. Cooked in foil over a open fire, coated in pesto, with sour cream, bacon, and potatoes… Mmm, so good! Needless to say the plate was empty in no time flat. Wow! That’s good, I’d like some more, please! And all this was only a prelude to our tasty oatmeal with bananas, almonds and maple syrup that had been planned for breakfast…
Food is nice but paddle we must! After all, we came all this way to go sea kayaking, no? Let’s go! The boats are loaded with surprising efficiency. In fact, we up anchor before 9:30 AM, headed for Grosse Romaine Island. Our first crossing to the open sea goes very well. How sweet it is to be on an expedition, taking in the salty sea air, with myriads of sea birds, balancing on the waves and in the wind, living the life of the modern day nomad, and leaving civilization behind! Let freedom, the open sea, the desert islandsbe ours… along with the inevitable black flies!
This first crossing was obviously followed by another one, rather longer, this time between Grosse Romaine and Quarry Islands where we stop for lunch. It took us two hours of unrelenting efforts to get there. Everyone, adults and youths alike, is happy to reach land. Never were salami and cheese appreciated so much!
Our itinerary of the day ended with a third crossing, from Quarry to Niapiskau Islands. A shorter crossing but much more sporty! The wind to our back was pushing us to our destination, for the greater pleasure of our paddlers. We were even treated to a few instances of surfing that generated the highest rate of “Wa-Hooo” to the square kilometer ever. A wonderful sea kayak experience.
We’ll spend the next two nights on this super site called “l’Anse au Noroît”, that probably got its name from the fishers that came here to escape the rough north-easterly weather. As I write this, I can hear the waves crashing, the westerly wind softly chasing the mosquitoes away, the sweet gale smelling so nice, and the western sky so deliciously pink. Indeed, a day just as we like them