2007 paddling

Sad Little Man, Tiny Plastic Boat

• Posted on August 7, 2007 at 4:36 PM
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A pup on Cherry Beach.

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So last weekend I decided that since I wasn't getting any whitewater paddling done, I'd at least get some exercise on flatwater. I still had my roof rack on the car, so I slapped the Wavesport EZ on and headed down to Cherry Beach.

It's kinda pathetic to be a whitewater paddler on a lake. If I cared more about what strangers thought, I'd be embarrassed. "Look at me, the thrill-seeker! Woo hoo! I'm a wild man."
Sigh.
I'd like very much to bet that my boat was the shortest thing on the water that day, for at least 10 k in any direction. The EZ is 6'6", and definitely got a few looks because flatwater people just aren't used to seeing whitewater boats. It's a pretty good reminder of how niche whitewater still is.

Tons of sailboats on the water here, as always (I think there was a school going on, or a race), a few kiteboarders, a few paddlers. Lots o' people just hanging around the beach or walking their dogs. A few swimmers, who I admire, but in reality I still can't bring myself to swim in the Lake Ontario. Over the course of my paddle, I saw a fair bit of slimy, algae-covered seaweed, and in general the water was fishy-smelling. Man, I wish I could get over it, given how close it is to home...

I put in the water at the beach, by the lifeguard chair, and headed east to explore a bit. Like my Don River paddling day, this was as much about connecting with the city and its waterways as it was about paddling. I know the lake well, but not from the water itself, only from shore, and it's time to change that.

Anyway, headed west past the sailing school, past a yacht club of some sort, and (at the place I marked on the map) I crossed the bay to the spit (Tommy Thomson Park) where there are a ton of birds. Saw some cranes and/or herons, ducks, greasy black things that may be cormorants, geese and of course seagulls. There are some secluded little inlets that you can explore, though I tried to keep my distance from the birds, given that it's a protected bird sanctuary.

At one point, I was paddling in fairly shallow water and I swear there were two massive fish, about 3 feet long, sitting on the sandy bottom. When I got close they took off, but based on shape and the fact that they were sitting on the bottom, I assume they were catfish.

It was a bit of a slog in the flat water, especially at the western edge of the bay, when I crossed back from the spit to the beach. But all told a nice hour of exercise. If I could borrow someone's canoe or sea kayak, I'd go out all the time.

Took a few pics from the beach, since I had the camera with me. None from the water, though. Still need to get a waterproof digital camera.