Eyes half open. Foggy mind. Stiff body. Iffy breath, and a full bladder. In short, it’s wake-up time. That’s when doubt sets in. It’s raining. Cats and Dogs, BIG cats and dogs,VERY BIG cats and dogs. It’s also windy. Hurricane force winds. And it’s cold. Hats-and-mittens cold and wear-every-piece-of-clothing-you-own cold. I’m telling you, doubt sets in. Will we be in a position to launch our kayaks in this weather? Or is it that the Mingan Islands are rejecting us…
Despite that, we must have breakfast. Reluctantly, we leave our tents, unstable in our boots and hopping to get under the tarp. Second cause for doubting: we’re having couscous for breakfast! Couscous? Oh well, we’re hungry. Surprise! It’s delicious. You’d think you’re in one of Marrakech’s best restaurants! Scented couscous with pumpkin and cranberry seeds? The best!
Well, back to our whitecaps. Those whitecaps we should be navigating through. There are so many of them, and they move to fast you’d thing they’refleeing a pack of wolves.Back to the weatherman: winds should shift to the west, and abate, which should signal the end of the low pressure system and the depression that is apparently starting to affect some or the participants, anxious to go paddling.
We decide to get our crafts ready for departure by packing our equipment – a lengthy process, particularly early in the expedition –complete the task before having lunch. Much to our surprise, nearly all the material can be stored in the kayaks. The rest of the equipment will be shipped by water taxi later this week, along with a generator to recharge our electronic gadgets.
After lunch around the campfire to warm up, we decide to go for it. We know we can paddle in Romaine bay where we are, as we are sheltered from the wind. But, what will happen once we pass the point and become exposed and vulnerable to Aeolus, the god of winds? In a worse case scenario, we will return to sleep at the location on the coast; in a best-case scenario, we shall touch land on one of the islands to spend the night. Doubting Thomas’s all, no matter what our real name is, we plunge our paddles in the seawater and are on our way.
It’s hard work. Even protected from the wind in our bay, it’s still a battle. The sky is overcast and the sea is rough. Not really a dangerous situation, but nevertheless a tough challenge for the newbies. Despite a difficult situation, smiles are back on our participants’ faces. At last, we’re paddling! We follow the coat, come out of the bay and come around the point… and the winds diminish as if to welcome us! As we continue, we go from one bay to the next, around one point after the other. We’re making good time, enough to reach a nice sandy point on the coast where we’ll set up camp for the night. In the meantime, the sky has cleared and only a few cumuli are left. We disembark in a festive mood! Finally, we have made progress on the water!
As we set up camp, a motorboat approaches. It’s headed our way and lands on our beach. It’s William, a biologist working on the Romaine River we met on Monday. With a huge smile on his bearded face, he brings a full box of Timbits! Fifty beautiful bites of civilization and of sweet happiness after a hard day! Thanks, Will!
(Editor’s Note: There is no relation whatsoever between the previous para and the next one.)
This campsite is where we set up our first makeshift toilets, also known as “outhouse” in these remote parts of the province. Our newbies are given the “outhouse 101” lecture; yes, some of them are rather sceptical as they consider the inescapable. No doubt, the expedition is really under way!