Eight paddlers (Alf C, Allison H, Barb B, Hendrick vO, Jenny R, Tim T, Toni B & WMcD) ran the GW Canal loop on an unseasonably mild day. At the put-in we observed an Apostolica Evangilica congregation gathered on the river bank for a service. They appeared to be preparing for full immersion baptisms in the Po. The most challenging trip segment was the paddle across to the Virginia shore. Gale-force winds (well, OK, perhaps not quite gale-force) created three-foot waves and whitecaps. It was an arduous paddle with the wind in our faces but all reached shore safely. After that, the trip was relatively benign. Barb schooled newcomer Jenny Rand on the finer points of eddy turns, peel-outs, etc. One sharp-eyed paddler spotted a bald eagle soaring high above Surfer's Ledge. One swim there, while surfing. For the first time this year, a new log has established residence in Diagonal Rapid. At the moment it doesn't impede navigation but if past is prologue it may start collecting neighbors. At this lower river level the brushpile below Jacuzzi Rapid, which had been easily passable earlier in the spring, is getting a bit hinky. We were pleased to see that the Pennyfield level of the C&O, after a mid-week draining for soil sampling, had been returned to full navigability by the weekend. Turtle count - 10.