American River Festival

This past weekend was the 28th annual American River Festival on South Fork in Coloma. There was a rodeo, a slalom, some kids clinics, a couple downriver races and a couple of parties (officially - probably many more unofficial parties). I was teaching a private lesson on Saturday which was great to get back to teaching but I was free on Sunday. I had planned on doing the slalom competition but when I went to pick up a slalom boat from the CCK warehouse it wasn't there. But there was an old Lazer hanging around which would be perfect for the downriver race.

The downriver race was dedicated to paddling legend Lars Holbek on the Chili Bar section and it was decided to do a mass start, at least with those who weren't busy doing the slalom competition beforehand. The race was divided into long and short boat categories with 11' being the cut off. There was quite a range of boats but my buddy Alex Wolfgram showed up with a Lazer of his own. So at least the two of us had an even playing field and I decided I would try to stick to Alex's tail as long as I could. The plan was working well and two thirds through the race I was right on his stern with only a couple longer boats ahead of us. Then I blew it: Alex was heading for a narrow channel full of rafts and I chose an alternate left route hoping the rafts would slow him down. When the channels joined I was a good 100 yards behind with just a mile of flatwater left before the final rapid (troublemaker) - too much to make up.

So Alex ended up winning the short boat category but I was not second. Nor third. Nor any place. When we got to the take out the question came up as to exactly how long the boat was and what class it was in. After lots of debate and approximation we finally got out the tape measure to settle things. Turns out my boat was 11'3/4" - long boat class. But we also measure Alex's boat since it was from a later version of the Lazer - and it was only 10'11.5". So all told I was third in the long boat category. Next year I will sand down the ends of the boat and give Alex a run for his money!

Going back to Cali

I am finally back from my my BC trip and back in good ol' California. Because of a broken down ferry I was delayed several days and ended up driving two days - straight to Mendocino for a weekend teaching with the Sacramento Sea Kayakers at their annual retreat.

So on Saturday we did an advanced stroke class in the morning and a rescue class in the afternoon. The weather was awesome - after several weeks of grey and wet weather it was nice to be out in the California sun.

On Sunday I helped the surf zone class get set and then went back up to Russian Gulch to lead a rock garden tour. The swells were a little big and then the fog started heading in so after a little exploration on the coast we headed back into the bay and worked on playing in the rocks and channels. It was a great time and we were off the water in time for the salmon potluck.

On Monday morning most people took off home after the pancake breakfast but a few of us decided to head out from Big River and round Mendocino and back. The surf was a little large for some of the group so it got whittled down to just Dave and I. The swells were even bigger so we didn't get much playing in, but were treated to a great show of the impressive power of the waves.

More pictures here.

The great white north

Tomorrow I am hitting the road for several weeks of paddling on the British Columbia coast. I'll be sea kayaking on the west coast of Vancouver Island and then even further north to try to circumnavigate Moresby Island in the Queen Charlottes. Since it isn't really a 'California' trip I've decided to document it in a different blog: http://paddlebc.blogspot.com/
I'll be back to California and updating this blog in September, so don't forget about me!

I had actually planned to leave for BC a couple weeks ago but the oppurtunity came up to co-teach an ACA whitewater certification course. I've been an American Canoe Association instructor for several years, both whitewater and sea kayaking, and I have learned a lot through the process. For the past couple years I've been in the process of becoming an Instructor Trainer (the folks who get to certify the instructors) and this course was the last step on the whitewater side. And if the coastal certification class I'm scheduled to teach this fall actually happens I'll be an IT on the ocean as well. It's taken a while to make it happen but it will be good to get the chance to train more new teachers - one of my favorite things. The ACA does lots of great things to help the paddling world - check them out: ACA .

best laid plans

Sometimes things work out exactly as they are predicted and yet somehow that still surprises you. Ever since I moved to norther California a couple years ago I've looked at Pt. Reyes on the map and thought it would be a fine coastline to paddle around. I looked into doing a multi-day camping trip, maybe as part of a larger coastal trip. I looked into doing a one -day (though 30 miles was the minimum distance between launch and landing) with a lengthy shuttle. But the combination of variables, especially the shuttle, and finding someone up for the paddle and good weather just never seemed to come together.

So this past weekend I wanted to get in some more distance training for my upcoming BC trip and I decided I would do Pt. Reyes the quick and dirty one day version with a bike shuttle. Launch in Tomales Bay, paddle out the mouth and around the lighthouse at Pt. Reyes, and then tuck into Drakes bay and land at the beach parking lot. Route Here

I drove down on Saturday to check out the launch at Heart's Desire and learned that it didn't open until 8am - way too late. But there was a roadside beach I could use that only added a couple miles to the trip. So after a little day paddle on Tomales Bay I drove out to Drakes beach and locked up my bicycle for the shuttle the next day and drove back to Petaluma to check out the city for the night (it's a cool place by the way). The marine forecast for Sunday called for winds increasing to 15 to 25 knots and a small craft advisory in the afternoon.

Sunday morning I awoke just after 5am and the wind was already a steady breeze in spite of the heavy fog. I was on the water paddling by 6:30am into a constant headwind. The big safety concern was the 18 miles of exposed coast I had to paddle after leaving Tomales and with the headwind slowing me I figured I would assess conditions once I reached the mouth but most likely turn back. When I got to the mouth the the fog wind were still there but I was feeling good and the open ocean didn't look too rough so I headed on. I cut straight to the lighthouse instead of following the coast which saved a few miles but left me in blind greyness for several hours. But the wind was now a tailwind and the waves quartering so I got a good push and kept a four knot pace for that section. Just as I approached the light house the fog lifted and the sun shone down on a beautiful day of ocean paddling. I thought I was home free.

But just as was forecast and as only natural when the sun breaks out the wind picked up. At first I wasn't worried because I was just running before it. But the gusts became strong enough so I was just steering as I rode down the waves created and hoping not to have the paddle torn out of my hand. But it was just a short distance until I reached the point where I'd be able to turn in and use Pt. Reyes as a wind block as I covered the final four miles to the beach. But as I rounded the point the wind was even stronger and dead into my face. I could barely inch forward and quickly landed on a nearby beach to rest and reasses. Nothing like paddling 35 miles only to get to the hard portion of the paddle! But after some more food and water and a short cat nap I got back in and worked my way up the coast slowly before crossing the wind to ferry over to the beach. The wind let up a little once I got out in the bay so it wasn't so bad.

After surfing a one foot wave into the beach I packed everything into my kayak, changed into dry clothes and had a little more food and rest before beginning my ride. The ride started with a killer climb up of the beach to the ridge - leaving me totally exposed to the wind gusts. This was the scariest part of the day: careening down a narrow winding road with traffic whizziing past as my exhausted muscles tried to keep me upright. But after what seemed like a long time to cover the 11 miles I made it back to my truck and was safe. Then I got to run shuttle, load up my boat (very hard in about 40 mph gusts at the parking lot) and make the long drive back to Folsom.

All's well that ends well. Not many pictures due to fog and rough water I'm afraid.

Where did the weather go?

I spent the 4th of July at Mendocino partly to escape the heat of Sacramento and partly to get in some more ocean paddling to prepare for my upcoming BC trip. Technically I succeeded on both accounts but I was a little warm paddling in my drysuit (in spite of the overcast skies and fog) and the ocean was more like a lake with tiny swells and little wind. But that made for some great conditions for exploring caves!

The California coast along Mendocino really has to be one of the most amazing places I've ever paddled. Lots of caves, tunnels and arches; incredibly scenic cliffs and forests; plenty of big waves and rock gardens; and a ice cream shop in town with free Wifi! Check out more pictures and the video below to see the beauty:

090703 Mendocino Sea Kayaking from Aqua Aevum on Vimeo.