As soon as I saw that Fi was running a trip around Maria in November Lynne and I were in, she even planned to have the wind follow us all the way around. How could we not take up an offer of easy downwind paddling, good company and the magnificent Maria Island.
During the week before the trip there were an ever increasing number of emails zipping backward and forward between the ever dwindling number of paddlers interested in the trip. The forecast was for wind, lots of it and it was putting people off. A circumnavigation seemed unlikely but so too did the crossing of Mercury Passage on Saturday morning.
Despite the forecast of 25+knots increasing as the day went on, six paddlers arrived on the beach at Rheban all peering hopefully out to sea to determine whether the conditions were ok. They were!
The philosophy of having an optimistic view of the forecast and turning up on the beach to check it out in real time rather than just believing the forecast and turning over and going back to sleep paid off - again.
In addition to Fi's plans of a tailwind all the way around the island, she had hatched other entertainment, which I thought particularly unfair as she has more hair than all the other paddlers on the trip put together!
The kayaks were barely afloat and with all sails up we zipped easily across Mercury Passage with the promised tailwind.
After pootling along the coast south from Return Point we turned into Shoal Bay for lunch at Encampment Cove. With perfect timing just as we were changing out of wet kayaking gear a Maria Island Walks group arrived at the same spot for the same reason. I'm still pondering whether the sight of half a dozen semi naked kayakers added or detracted from their lunch or even their holiday of a lifetime.
We all agreed it would be nice to camp a few kilometers away on neck between North and South Maria so we had plenty of time not only for lunch but a nice long walk over to the convict ruins and around the coast of Point Lesueur.
With perfect timing again, just we were all in a state of semi undress putting on our wet gear a family arrived on their bikes to watch.
By this time the wind had really picked up so it was a very fast sail over the neck.....
....where all present were initiated into the Mallaig Sea Kayak club's tradition of a wee dram before the drudgery of carrying gear and boats up the beach.
The tradition was met with hearty approval by all members of the expedition and yes I know, I must get a proper hip flask.
Sunday dawned and so did 40+knots of wind, it was obvious that we were not going anywhere on the water today. Not daunted, but for the seas around us which seemed to have turned white and very lumpy, we set off to walk to Haunted Cove.
Looking SSW towards Vischer Island and The Forestier Peninsular.
Monday's forecast was still quite windy but dropping, which gave us the opportunity to continue with the original circumnavigation plans, after all why waste the day heading straight back to Rheban it's not as if anyone had to go to work or anything.
Launching into Reidle Bay through the small surf went smoothly, mostly, then the sails went up and we shot at increasing speed across the bay, bows pointing straight at Little Raggedy Head. The SW wind then followed us around the impressive granite cliffs and boulders of the south east coast to past Mistaken Cape, all in glorious sunshine. The seas were big and bouncy, today's sea, the swell from yesterday and all the rebound from the cliffs creating messy uncomfortable conditions for a few kilometres.
Once around Mistaken Cape the sea was mirror calm and very summery all of sudden in the hot sun. Bishop and Clarke looms large over this interesting piece of coastline where the granite suddenly gives way to dolerite and above both is a layer of sandstone. There are also many sea caves and hollows in the cliffs, beaten out by the North Easterly seas and swells. We cruised along chatting and exploring until the need for lunch and a rest at Darlington upped the pace a bit.
After all the indecision about the weather in the week leading up to the trip, our day around North Maria continued perfectly in the afternoon with a gentle South Easterly breeze whisking us back across Mercury Passage to Rheban and the very last of the whisky.
What a brilliant (long) weekend, thanks to Fi for arranging the weather and everyone else for the great company.
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