Sunset Paddling with BREC

BREC Outdoor Adventure’s Sunset Paddles are a great way to spend a Friday evening whether the skies are clear or cloudy. This month’s sunset set the bar high.

After floods and clouds and extreme winds have factored in to past BREC Outdoor Adventure Sunset Paddles, we’ve basically stopped trying to forecast the conditions. As long as there’s not a thunderstorm overhead and the launch point isn’t submerged, things have usually just worked out. This time around, there were significant winds as the time approached, but the skies were really quite lovely.

Giving ample consideration to the wind, we started off “backwards”, crossing straight across the lake to the relative shelter near the other bank. The woman in the bow-light tandem kayak put in a valiant effort powering through the crosswind, and soon we were all in relative calm as the wind slowly dropped to a gusty breeze.

With the winds a bit less, the group crossed over again to get a better angle on what was looking to be turning into a very nice sunset. (It was still a bit gusty, but the tandem was really getting the hang of it.)

The sunset was indeed very nice, and after taking some photos and generally enjoying the ambiance, we headed back toward the launch. Naturally, the wind had all but vanished, so we didn’t get the expected kayak sailing boost on the way back. Nobody was in a great hurry, however, so we just took it easy.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the tour around University Lake, and the skies were unusually cooperative for Louisiana. With luck, perhaps we’ll have a more Sunset Paddles with such open skies, but even if it’s cloudy, you can’t argue with an evening jaunt around the lake.

And if you like Sunset Paddles, we’ve got a PaddleBR Moonlight Paddle coming up this Saturday. Bring your own canoe or kayak or reserve one of ours, spaces still available. Spanish Lake at night is one of our favorite trips for showing off Louisiana paddling, and we only have the opportunity thanks to special permission, so don’t miss it. Oh, but do bring bug spray.