Kayaking in winter - is it worth it?

Winter paddling sucks but sucky paddling is still far greater than no paddling at all. Just about the only unique wildlife for this forsaken season is the Rock Sandpiper. That is enough motivation for me!!! These little guys migrate down from Alaska and spend the winter on the northwest coast, but they seem to have a special preference for offshore islands (and rarely, long jetties it seems). Therefore, the sea kayak is the preferred means for finding these guys. A sea kayak costs about the same as a good spotting scope. I have only seen Rock Sands them in two locations in my life (the jetty at Ocean Shores, Washington and the Oak Bay Ecological Reserve off Victoria). Last weekend I watched four in perfect evening light but hadn't packed my camera, as I was wary of the rough waters. I was keen on getting some pics so I returned with mum yesterday. We had a great adventure paddle around Chatham Islands, negotiating the tidal rapids in between the islands. The Rock Sandpipers were there but the light was poor and it was raining. The tidal rapids made things quite difficult, constantly weathercocking me (hehe...). My new Nimbus paddle with the white blades wasn't helping either, the birds didn't seem to like the colour. I added a two-meter long fresh scratch on my hull from a submerged rock. Anyway, these are the shots I got...