Partly Cloudy

It's not hard to know when a storm is coming; for days beforehand, there's a lot of talk and speculation about how bad it will be. Yesterday though, was beautiful, so I thought I'd better get out while the getting was good. The wind was forecasted to pick up in the late afternoon, but with over three hours of paddling time, I wanted to make the most of it.


My route took me east to Spruce Island, then I planned on arching around the edge of the inner archipelago, never more than an hour from home just in case the weather abruptly changed. At first I focused on paddling quickly, but I soon became distracted by mid-tide features, nosing into pockets among boulders and ledges, letting the burdens of everyday life slip away. I had a cup of tea on a sandy ledge and headed south, enjoying a bumpier ride along the Spruce - McGlathery section. The western horizon, as it had the previous day, became dominated by the coming weather, this time a dark band of an approaching front.


I passed George's Head and crossed over to John Island. By then, the first clouds began skimming overhead. I went around Crotch Island and paddled into the Thorofare among returning lobster boats.