SUP2SNUG

Well i had been looking at Snug Harbour on Bowen Island from the hiway for the last couple of weeks as i drove by and decided that on Sunday, Jen and I would leave the beach at Sewells Marina and head over to snug harbour for breakfast. We walked our boards from the parking lot and launched right beside the BC Ferry which was leaving on their 830 run. As from ducking ferry traffic and other boats it was a fun 45 minute paddle to the docks at Snug Harbour. We searched out the best place for coffee and breakfast and enjoyed a relaxing morning enjoying the sites and sounds of this little village. I had never been over to Bowen and it was a lot of fun. I really recommend going over there to spend a bit of time. They have some great shops, nice restaurants and some sweet island biking if you were to pedal over. You could hike to the top of Mt. Gardner and get some incredible 360 degree views of the sound, Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest. Since we paddled over we did not have to pay for the ferry so we walked on with our boards and were back in Horsebay by 12pm. Fun SUP adventure in a 5 hour package. This potentially could be another sup excursion offered by Mountain Surf Adventures.

STANDUP4COFFEE

Friday morning began with another great standup4coffee run. We left under pretty flat conditions but as we made our way across the bay to Watts the wind was already starting to inflow which pointed to very strong inflow conditions throughout the day. The group paddled efficiently into the light winds and the water flattened out again once we got around Watts. We had groups of Harbour seals accompany us near the log sort. They must have been using the logs as an overnight pull out area. It was pretty flat all the way into the Bay at Brittania Beach but as we got a little closer the wind again began to blow from the south which ruffled up the water enough to keep us on our toes just before landing on the beach in front of Galileo Coffee Shop. Great to have new paddlers, Jessica, Jordan, Carla and Sara out with the sup4coffee team. By the time we shuttled everyone back to the cars the inflow wind was howling. An impressive change in conditions. Thanks again to the group for another fun friday morning. Our next Standup4coffee run will be Friday July 27th. Send me an email to confirm your spot and board.

BRITTANIA DOWNWINDER
This past Thursday Lance and I waited for the inflow winds to blow hard so we could do a downwinder from Brittania to Squamish. That morning Lance and i did the morning commute to the coffee shop so we were coming full circle today. We ended up leaving around 2pm in the heat of the day. Our most challenging section was the water from Brittania Beach to the main section of the sound. With the huge fetch the wind had blown the sea state up and the waves rebounded against the rock wall providing some challenging conditions. Having a strong wind and rebounding unpredictable waves is the ultimate in balance training for the body. Once we got out of the bay and had the wind at our backs I enjoyed some pretty fun rides on the Surftech Joe Bark Expedition Board. That board really rocks in downwind conditions, you can link up waves. I am excited to get into bigger conditions and really see how the board can handle. Lance was rockin his Jimmy Styks 11 6. It was a steep learning curve for Lance but he is a trooper and worked hard to find his groove. Once we got past Watts Point heading to Nexxen there was a bit of a wind lull until we got a little further into the bay. THe wind blows hard off the western wall of the sound almost blowing directly east from Woodfiber. Again, we had the wind and chop at our sides and this made it hard to straighten out going to Nexxen. I managed to find an area that had a good opposing current which built up the swell to a point where i was almost able to throw in a bit of a bottom turn on the 14 foot bark. It would have been easier to get out a Darrell Bay but we worked back to Nexxen. Great afternoon of paddling with Lance. I have my eye on paddling the downwind from Horseshoe to Squamish(32 miles) but that will have to wait till i get back from saltwater fishing in Haida Gwaii.