Come Sail Away

It is a moderately windy day for paddling on the St. Lawrence River. Because of this, we choose to start in a marsh maze where we are mostly sheltered from the wind.I love these water labyrinths where surprises abound. Perhaps we will come across a group of turtles sunning themselves on rocks, a startled flock of ducks taking off in a deafening dissonance, or maybe even a dead end caused by a beaver dam. We simply are never certain what we will discover around the next bend and that is what makes the exploration so amusing.

In the lead, my canoe partner and I inadvertently disturb a blue heron. Neither of us had spotted it until it took flight just over our left shoulders. Darn! A missed photo. As we wait for the others to catch up, we become aware of the distant honking of geese somewhere to the north. It is some time before we spot the noisy waterfowl, but when we do, we are astounded by their sheer number, several hundreds of them at least.They are roaming on an uninhabited point of land they have clearly appropriated as an exclusive party peninsula.

Paddling away from the cacophony, we wander past an anchored sailboat before the twisting channel splits into two arteries.We choose the left one, eager to see where it will take us. Ahead, an egret stands still in the shallow water amidst the lily pads trying its best to avoid detection, but its stark whiteness and willowy neck makes it hard to miss.Observing our approach covertly, it eventually gives in to its instincts and flies away. Moments before its graceful departure, I capture the beautiful creature in a series of photographs.

Our next turn takes us out to the open St. Lawrence where the wind is blowing unhindered, much to the delight of our boys in kayaks who unfurl their sails to practice their sailing techniques. There is just enough wind for them to experiment with their new equipment and learn to read the wind. Their circular orange kayak sails have a see-through window and are clipped to the kayaks and then manoeuvred by handheld straps.Although a kayak with a rudder is a little easier to manoeuvre, they are doing quite well without one.The speed of their makeshift sailboats is not likely to win any races; I am almost certain we can outpace them with our canoe, but that is not the point.They are having a good time and sailing allows them to take a break from paddling.It is fun to change things up.

We are travelling on a tangent aiming towards the channels to go back to our launching point. We know we are getting close when we hear the hubbub of the very social Canada Geese. The party is still going strong and shows no sign of stopping.Being diurnal, they should quiet down by nightfall. For the sake of their human neighbours, I certainly hope so.In any event, the sound leads us back into the marsh for the return trip.

Once more sheltered from the wind, the kayakers stow their sails and reach for their paddles. Perhaps on the next outing the wind-propelled kayaks will be blessed with a few extra knots. Will the canoe stand a chance to overtake them then?You just might have to come sail away with us to find out.

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