News & Notes
Paula Harris, making waves!
Paula Harris is the year’s recipient of the Austin Anthony Making Waves award. For contributions to Paddle NL.
In the five years since she completed her initial Paddle Canada Skills training in sea kayaking. Paula has served as a member of the PNL Board, including as its treasurer. For the past four years she has been a member of the Retreat Committee. She has also enthusiastically volunteered at the Club’s annual retreat and at other events, clinics, and club paddles. Thank you, Paula, for all your generous help!
The strength of our club depends on volunteers, and Paula is a wonderful example of the leadership for which our members benefit. Follow her example, and you could be the next winner of our appreciation and perhaps even an award!
Skills School
Paddle NL will be running the Annual Skills School again this year at the end of May at Rotary Sunshine Park. The purpose of the school is to provide the public and members with access to training in the various paddling disciplines at a reasonable price.
All the courses are open to the public and Paddle NL members. Let everyone you know who may be interested in doing a paddling course. All the courses are at a beginner level, and are essential foundation courses be a safe and efficient paddler.
This year we are offering two courses:
1. Kayaking- Basic Kayaking Skills – $130 – May 27th (pool session), May 29, and May Details and registration are available at https://paddlenl.ca/kayak-course/.
2. Introduction Lake Tandem Canoeing – $125 – May , 2026. Details and registration are available at https:// paddlenl.ca/canoe-courses/
All our instructors are currently Paddle Canada certified and first aid compliant.
Retreat 2026
It’s time to explore!
For three years, the Paddle NL Retreat found its home in Trinity and Port Rexton. We had a stretch of seasons filled with great paddling and awesome memories. It was so good, so good… Now it’s time to scratch that adventurous itch! Pack up your charts, drybags, and gear, we’re bringing the retreat to a new, beautiful corner of our province: the New World Islands.
What to expect
In this pocket of Notre Dame Bay, we’ve got Boyd’s Cove, Chapel Island, Summerford, Cottlesville, Moreton’s Harbour, Tizzard’s Harbour, Twillingate, Herring Neck, Too Good Arm, Dildo’s Run, and so many more places to explore! There are sheltered coves, rugged coastlines, scenic ponds, and the wide open North Atlantic. The New World Islands deliver all of it, wrapped in the charm of the colourful communities.
But wait, there’s more!
It is going to be prime iceberg and whale season — with that buzz of excitement knowing the giants of the sea might be out there. With any luck, we can take in the spectacular show from a safe and respectful distance, or even while on a hike!
There will be skill sessions incorporated into the paddle sessions, for anyone who wants to learn something new or sharpen what they already know.
At the Banquet, we will announce the winner of this year’s Jim Price, “Passion for Paddling Award” We honor the memory and contribution that Jim made to our paddling community by acknowledging one of our members who shares Jim’s dedication and excitement for paddling.
Plus some of the attractions off the water!
- Amazing trails – Black Head Trail within Dildo Run Park, panoramic views of Pike’s Arm Lookout, spectacular views of Spillars Cove Trail, Purcell’s Harbour, too many to list! If you plan to hike, download the All-Trails App, that’s what you will want to find your way.The Prime Berth Fishing Museum at the entrance causeway to Twillingate and the New World Islands
- The Beothuk Interpretation Center at Boyd’s Cove, Moreton’s Harbour Museum
- The popular evening attraction, the Twillingate/New World Islands Dinner Theatre
- And so much more!
You’ll have lots of time while you’re there to soak up the history, lore, culture, and beauty of the lovely region.
A Huge Thank You
A heartfelt shout out to Lindy Rideout, maker of the Sea Knife Kayaks, and his wife Lottie, who will be catering our banquet. As co-owners of The Hideout, our home base for the weekend, their support has been nothing short of invaluable.
We’re also deeply honored to have Lindy as our guest speaker at this year’s banquet — a chance to hear from someone who’s
poured a lifetime’s worth of craft, care, and coastal know-how into the paddling community. And best of all, they’re genuinely excited to welcome us — eager to share their place, their food, and their corner of the coast with the whole Paddle NL crew.
Here’s to the paddling, the laughter, and all the unforgettable moments waiting just ahead. Can’t wait to see you on the water!
Have questions? Contact the Retreat Committee through paddlenl.ca. Need help with accommodation? Email Cathy at retreat26reservations@paddle.
Summer Paddle Schedule
As we get into the spring, your board is working on a summer paddle schedule. If you would like to lead one of the approximately eight club paddles – maybe to your favorite bay or cove? – we would be delighted to help set it up. It has been a few years since the Club has had an overnight camping paddle. Is this something in which you would be interested? Want to help organize one?
Wednesday evening paddles on ponds in Northeast Avalon will start in mid-June and continue to Labour Day. If you are interested in leading or assisting with an ocean or pond paddle, please contact Peter Brown or Alex Snyder.
Winter Pool Sessions
This has been quite the winter! Last fall we did a few pool sessions at the Summit Centre, Mount Pearl. In February, the renovated Aquarena opened, so for the first time in a few years we planned for Wednesday evening pool sessions.
At least that was the plan! Instead, we had a snowstorm every Wednesday.
Well not really. We managed to pull off a few pool sessions and as of this writing we have couple more scheduled. We also held a rolling clinic taught by Dave Hickey, as well as a rescue clinic.
The Great North American Paddling Odyssey
Exciting news!!!! Our good friend and paddler extraordinaire Herman Perry has turned his tales of his paddle across Canada into a book! Sure, you may have read his articles in the Ebb & Flow, and of course we are the best paddling magazine in North America (I – the editor – am not at all biased, of course), but this is a real, honest-to-goodness book!
It’s being published by Breakwater Books, and the official release date is June 2, so probably by the time you get this magazine it will already be out! You can order it from Breakwater at https://breakwaterbooks.com/products/the-great-north-american-paddling-odyssey. And let’s hope, it will be in all the bookstores in St. John’s, too!
Winter Presentations
PNL had a great presentation season this year, with five different events at the Marine Institute. A few of the presentations were about trips at hat have also been written up in the Ebb & Flow – go back to the old issues for more detail and a few more fabulous photos!
November 26, Waitukubuli Sea Trail
Brian Newhook, with friends Rob Scott and Rob Bertolo, have paddled many exotic places including the Caribbean, Greece and most recently, in April 2025, to Dominica; see the Fall 2025 issue for the full article.
The Waitukubuli Sea Trail follows the stunning and beautiful coastline along the west side of Dominica. The guys described varied and reasonably priced accommodations along with some very good snorkelling. Always adventurous, they sampled a few local libations and survived to tell the tale.
Not surprisingly, more trips are being planned, including one which would require thermal protection…stay tuned as Brian will surely tell us about them too!
January 14, Movie Night
PNL Movie Night, featuring paddling videos by club members, made for a pleasant, entertaining evening of coastal paddling, albeit virtual. In recent years, cellphones have provided many people with the opportunity to shoot quality videos (and, of course, the risk of losing them in the deep blue). Go Pros and more recently drones have even further increased the capability of making impressive videos.
Tim Hollett, Guy Elliot, Darek Nakoneieczny and Peter Upshall showed us their videos of several familiar locations, including Spillars Cove, Chance Cove, Salmon Cove, Dunfield, Trinity, and St. John’s Harbour. Tim also showed us the landscapes and megafauna of the south coast. Next year, we’re inviting the minister responsible for tourism and recreation to see our movies, they were that impressive!
So while you’re paddling in 2026, please shoot lots of video for next year’s event. Hopefully you river canoers and stand up paddle boarders will get into video too, we want all paddle sports to be covered next year!
February 11, Paddling All Around the Circle
In 2024 TA Loeffler and Marian Wissink, inspired by the song “I”s the B’y “ paddled all around the circle, including but clearly not limited to Fogo, Twillingate, and Mortons Harbour. The trip was sponsored by the Canadian Geographic Society. TA’s presentation included photos, stories, and interviews explaining details of the song, which is, as Ron Hynes described it, instantly recognizable to any Newfoundlander.
The complete story of their adventure appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of the Ebb & Flow.
March 11, Kayak Camping 2025: The Trilogy
Hazen Scarth presented on three kayak camping trips, involving a total of nine paddlers; he wrote about these trips in the Fall 2025 issue of the Ebb & Flow, too. The first trip was to Placentia Bay including St. Leonards, St. Kyrans, Toslow, and Isle of Valen. The group walked the blue trail to the 1850s stone church and to the 1920s wooden church, which was powered by electricity, unusual for the 1920s. They paddled “straight through the channel to Toslow,” enjoyed the intricate harbour of the Isle of Valen, and a whole lot more.
The second trip was through the archipelago of the Fair Islands, Trinity North. Once again, the group paddled to many abandoned communities which depended on the Labrador Fishery. The five-kilometre slice through the Deer Islands led the group to a beautiful campsite lit by an impressive sunset on calm waters. The paddlers camped at Newport, an impressive harbour with a sharp left-hand turn, which was accessed through the rattle at 12 km/h on a flood tide. Their final stop was Greenspond, a community connected by a causeway in 1984 which has retained traditional architecture including the courthouse.
The final trip was to the Flat Islands of outer Placentia Bay, where Port Elizabeth once had a population of 1000 people. It was not a long paddle; instead, the group enjoyed five-course meals, pleasant walks on two kilometres of manicured trails, competitive
games of boule and, after a long hot, difficult summer, bonfires on successive evenings.
April 15, Canoe Trip on the Upper Humber
Luke, Stephen, and William Gresham presented on the canoe trip they took last summer with their dad Tom Gresham along the Upper Humber River, including Adies Pond. These fellas know how to plan a trip! Food, gear, navigation, clothing – they were prepared for just about anything they might encounter. They had some challenges, including low water levels; the recording station at Reidville dropped by 50% during their trip!
They enjoyed seeing wildlife, including moose, caribou, and plenty of waterfowl. They had plenty of food which was a good thing as low water levels resulted in limited fishing. The boys told the audience about the history of the region, too, notably the forestry industry, including the construction of a tramway to service the loggers who worked the Upper Humber. They also told us about the importance of the recreational salmon fishery and the role of Lee Wolff, who promoted the Humber around the world.
This summer’s adventure will be taking them to the Bay du Nord River. We are looking forward to that presentation next winter!
Ebb & Flow 2026