Whitewater of the Sea

On a New Year's road trip I ended up in Ft. Bragg along the Mendocino coast visiting my friends Jeff and Cate at Liquid Fusion Kayaking. The Mendocino area has an incredible beauty and diversity to it. The ocean is magnificent, with rock gardens and protected bays and good surf breaks. The rivers are calm and majestic, making for tranquil paddles in any conditions. The redwoods are ever present, making everything lush and luxurious. There is no better place for a little play and relaxation.

The first day we arrived with plenty of daylight but we left the boats on the car. Instead of paddling we went mushroom hunting. An easy concept - just find the mushrooms which seem to grow everywhere - but a little harder when you want to find the tasty ones and avoid the poisonous. With Cate's guidance and Jeff's climbing abilities we came away with a sizable load of tasty treats that provided several meals during our stay. So much fun tromping through the woods and searching for dinner.

The next day we hit the water. Jeff and Cate loaned us some whitewater boats - we all ended up in Necky Jive's which are great and surfing and a lot of fun in the rocks. The waves on the exposed coast were a little too large for playing (10'-12' @ 14 sec) so we stayed inside the friendly confines of Caspar harbor. We surfed a bit but the waves were small so spent more time playing among the rocks.

photo: Lindsay Grossman

Rock gardening in whitewater boats is so much fun because the boats are so quick to respond. It makes timing and learning so much easier and allows you to move around the features and get more rides and thrills. It's a specialty of Jeff and Cate's and works well in the Mendo area because you don't have to paddle far to get to the action. (the downfall of short boats is that they are sloowwww when you have to cover distance to get to your play spot)

The next day Jeff and Cate had to run to the nearby Eel River to teach a whitewater class (did I mention they are versatile?) and so we stayed behind to try to find some long boat rock garden fun. Unfortunately the waves were still big, so we just did a nice coastal paddle instead. As a bonus, we spotted some whales traveling the coast with us - just couldn't get any pictures in the big waves.

All in all it was a fun and relaxing trip that reminded me of just how special the Mendocino area is. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I've got to spend more time there. Here's a little video of the rock garden play in WW kayaks at Caspar.

Drysuits

A little post on gear. If you go paddling in the winter (whatever winter means to you) and you look around, you'll see that at least 90% of the serious, dedicated paddlers are wearing drysuits. Why is that? Because drysuits work. They keep you dry, but more importantly they keep you warm. That's important.

It's not really about comfort - though drysuits are quite comfortable once you get used to the gasket. It's about safety. When paddling in cold weather you need to be able to handle it. You need to be able to handle it when things go sideways and you're out of your boat for longer than you hoped. When you're in the water, floating away. When you're helping your buddy who's bad shoulder has gone out again. That's when you need to be warm and functioning.

Drysuits are not the only way to insulate yourself, but there's a reason you see so many of them. They work. Well. They allow you to vary the layers of insulation. The breathable ones allow you to use them when the air is warm-ish and the water cold-ish. They're really nice. They're also expensive.

While there is a range in price of drysuits, breathable ones will cost hundreds of dollars. I highly recommend getting a Gore-tex suit - it breathes the best and comes with a lifetime warranty. Those cost around a grand. That's more than some boats. But it will last longer, it will make you enjoy your paddling more, it will extend your paddling season. It's worth it, and everyone I know who has ever made the purchase has told me the same.

Why is this topic on my mind? I have been without my drysuit for a couple of months now. I had one, but the Gore-tex delaminated (it happens). The nice thing is that it was a Kokatat suit and they always stand behind their equipment. I got a free replacement - a brand new suit. But my size was out of stock because of the holidays so I had to wait until the suit could be built and mailed out to me. In the meantime I've been using some old bibs, my wetsuit, extra layers of fleece, whatever I can hobble together. I've been paddling, but not as comfortably. It's been a little cold and a little wet. My drysuit is back, so bring on the winter.

Happy Holidays

First off, Merry Christmas to all. I hope everyone out there is having a great time with friends and loved ones, and that Santa is leaving plenty of paddling gear to be used in the new year. I love this time of year for many reasons, but since this is a paddling blog I'll stick the things relevant to kayaking.

I hate winter. I hate being cold. I don't like the rain (paddling in it is fine, but changing out of paddling gear in a muddy parking lot is no fun). Most of all, I don't like the short days and early darkness. I don't let is stop me from kayaking, but it makes it harder to enjoy all the things I like. I like to be outside, to be able to work and walk without getting soaked. I like to sit around a river after a paddle, enjoying a warm evening and beautiful sunset. To cruise on cool water as the sun scorches down. I enjoy summer.

December is the start of winter - so why do I like this time of year? The solstice has just passed. That means the days are getting longer. I know that winter has plenty left. January and February are the coldest, March the rainiest. But just knowing that sunset will arrive later and later makes me happy. Makes me hopeful that spring will arrive soon and summer will follow. And much paddling will ensue.

of the class II variety

It's interesting how many of us paddlers will travel far and wide to explore new waters. We'll drive hours to get on a new river or explore a new piece of coast. We'll plan vacations to go to remote places, using days of precious vacation time just to get someplace that isn't all that different from our backyard. It's so easy to overlook what we have around us.

Confluence Put-In

I live right by the American River, downstream a short ways from where the North, Middle, and South forks come together into Folsom lake. I don't paddle Folsom lake often - too many powerboats in the summer, more 'interesting' places to go in the winter - and I mostly just paddle the South Fork when teaching. I've never paddled on the Middle Fork, and haven't done anything on the North Fork in the past couple years.

This past weekend I got on two new stretches of the North Fork. They were both class II so the paddling wasn't the real attraction. I got to take a new boater down - one who lives in the area and wanted to experience the beauty of her local river. I got to enjoy something new and different a half hour from my house. And I got to enjoy that beauty as well.

Shirttail Put-In

The confluence run starts where the Middle and North forks meet and continues to Folsom Lake. It covers the location of the no-longer-planned Auburn dam and has some class II-III rapids and nice scenery. The next day we did the Shirttail run which ends at Lake Clementine (just above the confluence). I'd done the top part of it before but never paddled all the way to the lake. The scenery is even better here, the same look and feel as the class IV Chamberlain Falls run right above it.

While I doubt I'll be doing either run very frequently, I feel better knowing my backyard a little better and appreciating what it has to offer. I'll continue to travel to find new and interesting places to paddle, but I'll try to remember that I have it pretty good right where I am, and the lack of time or money to travel around the globe is no excuse not to get out there and enjoy yourself.

Sorry for the lack of photos and video - it was cold and rainy and very short days.

The joy of knowledge and skill

I went for a nice little paddle on San Francisco Bay the other day. Launched from Horseshoe Cove, went out to Angel Island, circumnavigated, then back to the start. Very pleasant paddle with nice weather and nice views. Thing is, the tides/currents were completely unfavorable.

We launched as the ebb was staring. That means Angel Island is directly upstream. Most people plan their trips trying to use the tidal currents to their advantage. That's a good idea and I use it often. But sometimes I have a free day and want to take a friend to the island and the moon and stars (literally) don't align. I don't like letting such pesky things like heavenly bodies limit my fun, so I do what I want anyway.

If you don't want to be at the mercy of the elements you have to understand how things work and have the skill to work around them. We couldn't paddle direct to Angel Island, but instead we ducked into Richardson Bay where the current is minimal and worked our way up to Belvedere Pt. Then we ferried across Racoon Strait. This takes some harder paddling to overcome the current, and the water can get rough because of the shelf the water flows over, but we had the speed and skill to handle the conditions. We worked our way around the island by hugging the shore as tight as possible, often get a boost from the eddy current as the main current flowed past us just a few feet away. We even went in the worst direction which meant we had to fight the current longer (but arrived at the desired lunch spot right on time).

The point is, if you don't really understand how currents work, if you don't understand eddies and ferry angles, if you can't handle rough water or paddle hard for short distances, then your options are limited. If you stay within those limits you can have a great time. That's great. If you expand your knowledge and work on your skills, your limits will grow with you. Don't we all like more options? I know I do.

And yes, the rumor is true, I used a Greenland stick for part of the paddle. Wasn't the first time and won't be the last.