GREAT Seat Kayaking Picks in Atlantic Canada

Summer 2007

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Keith and Heather Nicol

With close to 30,000 kilometres of shoreline outlining the four Atlantic Provinces, the best way to explore this part of Canada is in the seat of an ocean kayak. The following suggestions will point you to just a small portion of what Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have to offer the sea kayaker.

“The Gravels,” Stephenville, Newfoundland
We discovered this gem a few years ago and it has since become our favourite place to show new paddlers. The area is just a couple of hours from the Newfoundland/Nova Scotia ferry terminal at Port au Basques, and so is convenient for paddlers coming over from the mainland. The Stephenville/Port au Port area is on Newfoundland’s rugged west coast and the put in for “the Gravels” is along the isthmus leading to the Port au Port Peninsula. There is a large parking area on the right and an easy launch off a broad gravel beach. Once on the water, head in a westerly direction toward the low cliffs of sloping limestone, which have been carved into intricate hoodoo-like forms in many places. The crystal clear water is intoxicating and the shoreline alternates between secret beaches and rugged headlands. The limestone bedrock was once a part of a shallow ocean reef and a variety of fossils can be found in many outcrops. Although the route is just 4 – 5 kilometres (one way), it is an ideal place to dawdle. Also be sure to hike the trail that parallels the coastline and pay a visit to the nearby Aguathuna church, the province’s oldest wooden structure. There is fine paddling nearby at Sheaves Cove on the Port au Port Peninsula where you paddle past waterfalls that empty into the ocean. Visit www.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol and click on sea kayaking for more information on other places to paddle in Newfoundland.

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
This past summer we spent over a week exploring the Lunenburg area and were blessed with weather that was ideal for adventuring with a kayak. Most days brought blue skies punctuated by billowing cumulus or wispy cirrus clouds with light winds, and we took full advantage of it. Our favourite sea kayaking destination in this area was at Blue Rocks, where the maze of islands seems to be made for kayaks. Some islands are barely 20 metres long and others are larger and cloaked in fir and spruce. A deer jumped up as we landed on one island and we often paddled past blue herons fishing in the shallows. At low tide, some passages have just enough water to manoeuvre through, which all but eliminates most other boats. If you are self guided, be sure to get a chart or topographic map. We found a GPS especially useful in several places, since the number of islands and channels can make navigating complicated. We also joined East Coast Outfitters for a day trip in this area. Sally Josenhaus ably guided us to her favourite places. After a gourmet lunch in a perfectly secluded spot on Heckman’s Island, we were fortunate to see harbour seals near Gimlet Ledge. As we drifted with the light wind, some seals popped their heads up just metres from our kayaks.

While in Lunenburg, we also had fun playing in the surf with our kayaks at nearby Hirtles Beach (bring a wetsuit) and exploring a series of sea caves, locally called “the Ovens.” Although it is tempting to paddle into some of the caves, it is best to view them from outside since even a small swell can become amplified and toss you against the ragged rocks. The caves have been carved out of tipping layers of sedimentary rock and it is impressive to hear the thunderous roar as the waves get compressed in the caves and pound against their back walls.

We also enjoyed paddling in Lunenburg Harbour, past the famous schooner, Bluenose II, and in front of the bright red, waterfront buildings. Evidently in the early days, sailors realized that red was the best colour for assisting ships in foggy weather. For more information visit www.eastcoastoutfitters.net and www.town.lunenburg.ns.ca

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick
One of the keystone attractions in New Brunswick is the famous high tide in the Bay of Fundy. And the best place to experience the huge range of tides is at Cape Hopewell. This area is known to have some of the highest tides in the world (up to 16 metres). Normally a huge tidal range is not a bonus when sea kayaking, since it can mean inconvenient portages across mud flats and worse. For your first trip you might want to do what we did last summer—join a tour. Just before high tide we accompanied Baymount Outdoor Adventures for a two-hour paddle through amazing arches and past sea stacks and “flower pot” rocks. These impressive seascapes have been carved into the conglomerate bedrock over the millennia by tides, waves and frost. The water was a reddish brown as we pushed off the beach. Our guide, Richard Faulkner, explained that the constant churning of the water over the extensive mud flats surrounding Cape Hopewell produces this brownish water.

Soon we paddled along the cliff faces that make the Hopewell Rocks world renowned. “These unusual rock formations are the result of 100 billion tons of water sluicing back and forth each day. The ‘Flower Pot’ rocks take their name from the sea stacks that are capped with windswept spruce trees and shrubs, hence looking like giant flower pots,” said Richard.

On our return paddle, the tide was even higher, so we could explore some of the passages that were too shallow just an hour before. However, some care is needed as we discovered when we blindly paddled up on a submerged rock. The water is so full of fine mud that you can’t see your paddle blade in the water, let alone any rocks that lurk below the surface. It’s a wonder anything can live in this sediment laden environment, but just as we neared the take-out, Richard pointed out the thousands of semipalmated plovers as they flew as a synchronized group, all banking and swooping in unison. They come here in the summer to dine on small shrimp that live in the mud flats before they head off for South America in the late summer. The tides, sea stacks, arches and sea birds—it is all very impressive and it is no wonder New Brunswick uses Hopewell Rocks as one of its flagship tourism draws. It is truly one of the marine wonders of the world. For more information visit www.baymountadventures.com and www.thehopewellrocks.ca

Brudenell River, PEI
Islands make great sea kayaking destinations. For instance, in Prince Edward Island you are never more than 30 kilometres from the ocean, and it has 1300 kilometres of coastline. Although still in its infancy, sea kayaking is growing in PEI and is an activity that the province is keen to promote.

We found that paddling in PEI is different than in the other Atlantic Provinces. Paddling here tends to be tamer, with farms and fields as a backdrop instead of large rugged cliffs, numerous offshore islands or large tides to contend with. Last summer we decided to paddle with Outside Expeditions at Brudenell River Provincial Park. We quickly realized that in PEI the use of the word “river” often means “drowned river” since we were actually paddling in an estuary. We paddled past cormorants and gulls sitting on floats which supported extensive commercial mussel operations. Terns flitted overhead and our guide, Renee Montgomery, said we should keep on the lookout for bald eagles. Our intended destination was a seal haulout around the next point but our trip was cut short by the forecast of high winds in the afternoon. So at Renee’s suggestion, we decided to drive to North Rustico, near Prince Edward Island National Park, to join Outside Expeditions for an afternoon paddle down the North Rustico River. Here we saw fishing boats coming to shore, including one that had caught an 363 kg tuna. Our guide, Randy Campbell, said that this single tuna might fetch up to $100,000 and would be shipped half way around the world to Japan to end up in sushi bars and restaurants. For more information visit www.gov.pe.ca/visitorsguide/index.php3 and www.getoutside.com

Keith and Heather Nicol are avid paddlers who live in Corner Brook, NL. Keith has a popular sea kayaking web site at www.swgc.mun.ca/~knicol. Click on sea kayaking in Atlantic Canada.