I truly have so much to be thankful for, and though our Canadian Thanksgiving celebration has come and gone, Americans will soon be celebrating their Thanksgiving Day.

On November 17, 2006, I drove to Camlachie, Ontario to the distributer named Wawanosh. Waiting for me was my brand new, custom Current Designs Solstice GTS, kevlar kayak. It's a beauty! I had fore and aft bulkheads moved to create a snug fitting cockpit and had a deck compass placed on the bow. Both hull and deck are a noticeable mango orange and the seam and coaming a brilliant red. Thank you sincerely to Current Designs for their support and generosity!!

I brought the kayak home, dropped it off and immediately went to watch "Casino Royale" on opening night in the movie theatre. Wow! What a great movie. James Bond lives on!

And then, on Saturday, I drove to Alliston, Ontario where I was invited to be the guest speaker at the GLSKA AGM. (Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association Annual General Meeting) Following a lively meeting with temper's flaring from from one member which resulted in a table being heaved across the room, I was given the opportunity to share my journey around Newfoundland by presenting a speech followed by a digital slide show. I had an attentive audience and felt privileged to hear their praise and to share in my incredible experience. The evening was a great success and I know that all left touched in some way.

A busy season will follow with several presentations to come, including Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin in March, 2007 and the Toronto Adventure Show in late February to name a few.

I'll try again! My computer is NOT cooperating.

My article entitled "Newfoundland, A Place In My Heart" is now posted at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association's website in the "Newsletter" link. Check it out.

http://www.geocities.com/glska/Newsletter.html

My article entitled "Newfoundland, A Place In My Heart" is now posted at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Association's website in the "Newsletter" link. Check it out.

http://www.geocities.com/glska/Newsletter.html

1. This journey, "Round the Rock", is sponsored by Kokatat and by Wenonah-Current Designs.

2.I spent 68 days paddling about 2700 km. This means I paddled about 39.7 km per day when I paddled.

3. I spent 104 days circumnavigating the Rock, including both paddling days and non-paddling days.

4. 56 nights were spent camping (though many of those nights I declined the use of a spare room.) and 48 nights were spent in homes.

5. The longest paddle occurred on May 11 with 17.5 hours of travel covering 80 km from Gulch Cove to Pass Island along the south shore.

6. The shortest paddle was from St. David's to Highlands on August 11, covering about 10 km. (It was the day I almost was hit by lightning.)

7. My longest land delay occurred at Lumsden from June 15 to June 20.

8. My longest open water crossing was across Placentia Bay from Merasheen to Great Barasway, covering 40 km.

9. The start and finish of the circumnavigation was in Isle Aux Morts.

10. People I paddled with are Freya Hoffmeister, Ralph Smith, Linda Bartlett, and Alex McGruer.

Wendy called this evening to tell me she's home safely, after a 3-day drive to London Ontario. To put her Newfoundland trip in perspective, she reports that this marathon drive was 1,000 km short of the distance she paddled 'Round the Rock!

Her home suffered a lightning strike while she was away and although there was no other damage, her computers were all ossified by the blast. She regrets not being able to post directly, but will be back online soon.

On a personal note, I'm glad Wendy had the good grace to paddle the Ecum Secum area of Nova Scotia with our kayak club the day after her return to the mainland. Our members were deeply appreciative of her company, and I pointed out to Wendy that although I could not normally get their attention for more than a few seconds supposing I had a nuclear-powered bullhorn, she was able to quiet them and hold them in rapt thrall with but a whispered word about her oddyssey. And so it should be, what an accomplishment!

I finally browsed through Wendy's latest collection of photos from her epic journey, and I was staggered at the beauty, the geography, the people of Newfoundland. Wendy has an amazing eye for photography, and there are more than a few prize-winners among the hundreds of shots she took. Like this one:


The list of folks to thank for their support is beyond my ken, I'm sure Wendy will do just that shortly. I'd like to personally thank Justine Curgenven and Derrick Mayoleth for allowing me to participate in this great undertaking by hosting this blog spot for Wendy.

Glenn MacKay
Pictou County Paddle & Oar club
Nova Scotia Canada

I booked the ferry to leave Newfoundland on Friday. I'll be crossing the Cabot Strait to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. It will be the first time in over 3.5 months that I won't be on the Rock.

CBC Radio in St. John's interviewed me and the interview aired at noon on August 17. The website with the interview can be found at: http://www.cbc.ca/radionoonnl/interview_archives/2006_aug_w3.html (item #5)

Sometimes, the ending can't come soon enough, like when a free spirit like myself is counting the days until summer holiday from the walls of my classroom. Other times, I like it when endings linger, watching a sunset until the last vestiges of sun light have long disappeared. But my kayak journey around Newfoundland, the ending seems surreal at this moment and certainly is bittersweet. Are those long days of paddling in solitude truly over? Will I remember all the places, faces and experiences of the journey? But all good things must come to an end as the cliche goes.

Soon, I'll be visiting Glenn MacKay and family and meeting paddlers from the Pictou County Paddle and Oar Club. I'm looking forward to that.

Today, I visited a few nearby communities by car with picture postcard clouds filling the sky. This area, Isle Aux Morts and Harbour Le Cou/ Rose Blanche, celebrated homecoming. It is a huge celebration which occurs within a community about once every ten years to bring Newfoundlanders who left the province back to their homes of youth. It is highly attended. Streamers fluttered everywhere, as well as "Welcome" flags, snapping loudly in the high winds today. Party lights festooned many porches. Celebrations are just over. As I drove over the winding roadway, I appreciated the distant panoramic views which Freya Hoffmeister and I paddled in early May. The south shore was wild today, with strong southwesterly winds once again blowing a refreshing breeze on land. I enjoyed taking colourful photographs of these communities, with many brightly painted homes and stages on stilts over the water, tucked behind rocks.

I have come full circle, ending exactly where I started at the public dock in Isle Aux Morts. I have absorbed the essence of Newfoundland now for 3 1/2 months, both on the sea and on land. It is an unforgettable experience, too vast to summarize briefly here, a journey that started on May 5, 2006 and ended August 16, 2006.

I found my car parked where I left it, well cared for, ocassionally driven to keep it working ok. Thanks to Russell and Blanche Lillington from Isle Aux Morts.

Last night, I bedded down in my tent in a storm, high wind, sheets of rain, and flickers of lightning, the rumbles drowned by the roaring surf only 20 meters distant. But when I awoke, there was a hushed calm. The day dawned glorious and unexpectedly. I had psyched myself up for a Thursday paddle.

I paddled with a purpose, the finish line. I could savour the end, but I'm feeling tired. The journey has been demanding, but I have met the challenges. I learned how strong I am, not just physically, but mentally and also emotionally. I realize that I was brave on many ocassions and that I was creative, spontaneous and adaptable. I was focussed and persistent and tried to see the positive in all that happened.

Today, I started in calm water with a gentle southwesterly swell. I paddled away from the Colliers in Codroy in warm sunshine and barely a breeze whispering. Soon, following Stormy Point, where shoals extend quite a distance out, a fog enveloped me, but not a suffocating fog. By Cape Ray, the fog had dissipated, and I approached the final cape in sunshine and light southwesterly breezes. At this cape, the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current meet. I enjoyed large swells but rounded the cape easily. Approaching Pointe Enragee, sand beaches stretched over 8 km in length. I was on huge swells. I stayed well clear of the crashing surf, but at one point, quite unexpectedly, I stared horrified at a 4 meter rogue swell that steepened into a wave that towered directly overhead, looking as though it was going to whitecap and bulldoze me. Thankfully, it rolled beneath me lifting me like I was on a rollercoaster.

I paddled well sheltered at Port Aux Basques, watching people along the channel enjoy the summer weather.

When I approached Isle Aux Morts, I actually did slow down briefly, and ate a juicy Granny apple, the tart flavour swishing through my mouth as a light tailwind blew me towards the dock. The end was literally in sight. As I arrived at the dock, I attracted a half dozen male onlookers. Of course I put them to work;-) toting my gear to my car and lifting my kayak onto the roofrack. I'd paddled 60 km in about 9.5 hours.

I'm now resting for a couple of days at Lillington's house keeping units in Isle Aux Morts, the same place I was in on the first day of the journey, a cool, windy, foggy day back in early May.

After some thought and reflection, I'll continue to post.

I do wish to sincerely thank all my supporters and blog readers who sent words of praise and encouragement. Thank you also to Kokatat for sponsoring me with my expedition Gore-Tex drysuit. The weather was varied and the suit was invaluable. Thank you also to Wenonah-Current Designs for also sponsoring me with a few useful accessories.