June
5, 2005
By Brian Newhook
Weather:
Sunny, 18 degrees C
Trip Length: 4 hrs total
Paddlers: Brian Newhook, Stephen Newhook, Trent Hardy
Our
paddle route is marked in red (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
My
Aunt had told me about the beauty of Placentia Sound several times in years
past. When I bought my kayak, she reminded me that I have to visit the area,
given that I live in Dunville, just 10 minutes from Fox Harbour. So one weekend
Trent, Stephen and I decided to check it out. The forecast was perfect, with
sunshine and little or no winds.
Fox
Harbour is located on Route 102, which is just off of the Argentia road, with
the turnoff located in Dunville. As you drive through Fox Harbour, take the road
that forks off to the left and there is a beach on the right hand side that you
can’t miss. There are numerous other beaches in the community to launch your
kayak as well. We left the beach around noon.
Stephen
and Trent gearing up on the beach in Fox Harbour (thumbnail - click on image to
enlarge)
The
water was very calm, and we were very happy as this was Stephen’s first
paddle, so we wanted nice, flat conditions. Our first destination once we left
the harbour was the Isaac Heads, just off to the west. You can see these two
heads from the road when you drive on Route 102.
Stephen
getting used to the paddle strokes (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Trent
in his recreational river kayak. He has since upgraded! (thumbnail - click on
image to enlarge)
Stephen
and Trent with one of the Isaac Heads in the background (thumbnail - click on
image to enlarge)
I
had read that there were still some foundations of a building or two put there
by the Americans during World War II, to protect the their naval base in
Argentia from attacks. My aunt had been beach combing in the area a few years
ago and found a sign saying some to the effect of “No Trespassing or you will
be shot”, although I can’t remember exactly what it said. After about 20
minutes of paddling we were on the beach at the Isaac Heads. There is a great
beach for landing here, and it looked like a fantastic place for a picnic or
beach fire, with lots of driftwood. We got out of our boats to explore.
Stephen
on the beach at Isaac Heads, with Argentia in the background (thumbnail - click
on image to enlarge)
The
beach at Isaac Heads (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Beach
on opposite side of Isaac Heads (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Foundations
of WWII American building (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
The
beach and Isaac point (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
We
found a few other foundations of smaller buildings in the area, and lots of wood
and rusty nails. Looking out at Placentia Bay, we could see that this area can
be very exposed if the weather is rough.
After
a short lunch, we headed back out on the water again, this time to go inside
Placentia Sound. This is a fairly open paddle for novices, but today was
especially calm so we had no problems. We saw a few ospreys and one eagle along
the way, always a welcome sight. Somewhere on the opposite side of the sound
there is an abandoned silver mine, at or near Broad Cove, but I was unsure
exactly where, so we decided to skip it and view it another time. If you have
time, you may want to check this out.
Stephen
making his way across the sound (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Approaching
the inside of the sound (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
In
about 30 minutes we had reached the mouth of the inside of Placentia Sound
(between White Point and Coxhill Point), where there is an impressive cliff on
the north side of the arm, opposite of Coxhill Cove, so we spent sometime
examining it, and unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures of it. Once we
got past the cliffs and inside the sound, we saw a beach off to the right at
Shalloway Cove, and contemplated checking it out, and maybe having a lunch
there, but decided to go further into the sound and look for a beach in there.
The inside of Placentia is very beautiful, with both sides lined with lush green
trees and cliffs. It was breathtaking.
Paddling
inside Placentia Sound (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
While
paddling along, we found the foundations and framing to a cabin on the north
side going in, with a small brook running down beside it, a good place to refill
your water bottle. We saw quite a few small beaches suitable for landing if
needed all on the north side. The opposite side has few landing spots and is
mostly steep cliffs and rocks. After another 20 to 30 minutes of paddling we
came to a great looking beach for a lunch. There were lots of drift wood, but
unfortunately no fresh water in sight. We beached our boats and started to
collect wood and get a fire going. I had to make a phone call, and I was
surprised that I could get reception here in this area. It was not the best
signal, but I was still able to get through. While we were getting the fire
ready there were 2 bald eagles flying overhead.
Trent
makes his way to the beach (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
The
boys unloading the food (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
The
calm waters of inside Placentia Sound (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Trent
getting the fire going, while Stephen searches for some fresh water, with no
success (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
This
appears to be a great camping spot, except for the lack of fresh water, however,
further up the sound there is a river, and there may be better places near the
river, but this is as far as we made it inside the sound. We roasted some
wieners and marshmallows and enjoyed a cup of tea. The days don’t get much
better than this.
Once
we were finished our lunch and were thoroughly relaxed, we decided we’d best
get back on the water. It was approximately 2pm when we put our boats back on
the water. As we made our way towards the mouth of the sound we noticed that the
wind had increased, coming in from the west, and it was starting to get a little
choppy. As soon as we rounded the cliff on the north side and were open to the
rest of Placentia Sound the winds hit us, and the waves started getting larger,
and white crests forming on their tops. This was going to be fun paddle back to
Fox Harbour!
We
made a straight line for Conner Cove Point, with the wind and waves hitting us
on our port bow. This was a challenge for me, as I was relatively new to
paddling myself, and I got wet a few times when a wave broke over my port side
and over my spray skirt. My Seaknife handled it well though, and I was impressed
with its sea keeping abilities. Stephen was doing just fine as well (he was in a
Seaknife also, borrowed from Angie, my girlfriend). Trent however was working
especially hard in his recreational river kayak, given its bathtub proportions,
but he is a very strong paddler and was keeping up with us without too much
trouble (I think this was the day he decided it was time to upgrade to something
more suited for the ocean). And he was having a bit of fun surfing down some of
the waves. At this point they had reached about 3 feet height.
After what seemed like an eternity of steady, hard paddling, we finally reached Conner Cove Point, and once we rounded it, we had some shelter from the wind. We then surfed/sailed our way into Fox Harbour, with the wind at our backs. We landed on the beach in Fox Harbour at 4:00pm, loaded up and headed back to my place in Dunville for a few beers and a BBQ!
Re-entering
Fox Harbour (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)
Trent
gives me the thumbs up after a great paddle (thumbnail - click on image to
enlarge)
When
paddling in the area, be very careful of the winds, they can come up at any
moment. All day it was flat calm without a breath of wind, and with minutes it
was blowing quite heavily. It seems
to occur around mid to late afternoon, so the earlier you get on the water the
better.