Rounding Quail Island .....

..... before heading over to Maori Gardens, and beating the nor-easter.

The reflections were so beautiful this morning, but we knew that the forecast was saying 20 knot winds by midday, so we kept on paddling round Quail Island and over to Maori Gardens, just in case the forecast was right. Sure enough, while we were beached, up came the wind and it was a bit of a battle back to Cass Bay. 

We had a new paddler come out with us, a chap with a sit-on-top kayak - not a good boat for that wind, and we ended up leaving him+boat at Rapaki and going back and collecting him by vehicle. He was very tired and had made a sterling effort, battling against the wind. I was thankful to be in a sea kayak, with a spray skirt, and able to brace my legs to get more push for paddling.

I've put another photo of M. paddling out of Cass Bay, at the beginning of our paddle - the reflections really were very special.