Tomales Bay Sea Kayak

We had 26 teenagers out on Tomales Bay this week and were treated to four days of awesome weather with sun, warm temps and favorable tides.  This was a really fun trip stacked with three other incredible guides and rounded out with four adult chaperones from the school we were guiding.  For three nights and four days we explored the waters and trails around Point Reyes and Tomales Bay.   We saw wildlife, we hiked, we paddled, we visited Clayton Lewis, we swung from trees and we ate local oysters.  The kids learned about nature & Tomales Bay, they learned paddling skills, camping skills, camp kitchen skills and a ton more.  This was easily one of the best trips I've had with children or adults and it came at the perfect time.  Fall in Northern California is like summer everywhere else.

40 hour vacation

I turned my phone off at 9pm on Friday, tossed it in the drybag, launched my paddleboard and began my 40-hour vacation from email, phone, texts and work.  We planned an hour to make the crossing to the campsite and with wind and current at our backs we met up with the rest of the BPC at 9:45pm. Dinner was made, the full moon was shining, the fire was burning and the relaxation could continue.

Until Sunday afternoon we spent our time paddling, napping in the sand, hula hooping, eating, relaxing & laughing.  Exactly what I needed.  

Full moon launch

My memory of the first night

Black Canyon SUP Trip

In a whirlwind tour with a disparate crew of Bay Area paddlers I finished off 2013 and started up 2014 on a standup vacation!  For four days we called the Black Canyon home and relaxed in it's beautiful surroundings.  Warmed and cooled by the sun and the shade, we camped, we paddled, we laughed, we ate, we soaked, we relaxed.  On top of all that, we paddled upriver - one of my favorite things.  I just love reading the river and riding eddies upstream.  It's a fun challenge and a great way to develop skill.  To top it all off we rallied in Vegas for NYE and got two surf sessions in San Diego before making our way home.

Hoover Dam

The crew

Our campsite on the river

Loaded up for the paddle out - day 4

Lake Tahoe Circumnavigation - SUP

For the first time in years, I have a paddling-related blister.  My arms feel heavy and my abdomen is sore but I'm in good spirits.  I knocked off two of my summer paddling goals yesterday when I standup paddled 45 nautical miles in a day and completed the 56nm loop of Lake Tahoe.  This was sort of a backyard expedition for me.  I had 3 days completely free from any responsibility and the weather forecast was highly favorable.  I packed supplies for 48 hours on the water, loaded the car in the late morning on Tuesday and by 6:45pm I was launching at Carnelian Bay.

6:45pm launch at Carnelian Bay

A few folks approached me on the beach to see what I was doing and it probably looked odd since I was loading gear onto the front deck of the board and had two paddles with me.  All of the people were standup paddlers and commented on the trip; one guy was really intrigued by the Werner 3-piece paddle on my foredeck and repeatedly asked me why I carried a spare.  A different gentlemen told me that last weekend a couple of guys did the trip in "like 16 or 18 hours."  I assured him it would take me longer than that.  I'd wondered what it would take to complete the loop in 24 hours and knew I had it in me, but didn't quite feel the need to go that hard this trip.

As I floated the board and paddled away from the beach I could feel the weight of the equipment I was carrying.  I never did weigh the pack but it consisted only of a sleeping bag, pad, dry clothes, food, repair kit, first aid kit, spare paddle, water filter & camera.  I quickly second guessed my board decision, rationalized it and forgot it.  The first few strokes of any trip often brings up questions.  A half hour later, the wind let up significantly and by 9 o'clock that night, I was paddling in flat conditions.

With no moonlight and little light from land, I paddled another hour until it became too dark to effectively see.  It's difficult to stay near shore because there are so many moored boats.  I used a strategy of paddling straight into lights projecting from shore.  When an obstacle was in the line of light it would be easy to recognize as a boat, buoy or rock.  This came in useful at the very end of the trip too.  The 17' Naish Glide I paddled has a foot-operated rudder.  To break it on a rock would not be good and I didn't carry a spare.

Around 10pm I stopped at Homewood marina to eat and put on warm clothes.  The pebble beach I landed on would make a nice bed and with that a decision was made to stay and sleep.  I didn't even inflate the sleeping pad because the pebbles were so comfortable and smooth, conforming to my body.  I woke after midnight and was treated to a cloudless sky twinkling with stars and a half moon high up in the night sky.  The lake went completely flat a few hours later and was barely audible with the littlest movement up and down.  An hour later I woke, ate, re-packed and launched into glassy lake water reflecting the moon's light and had to once again follow the trails of light around the shore.

4:55am launch the next morning

Naish Glide 17 loaded and afloat for the morning launch

As I approached Sugar Pine Point, a shallow rocky area with an absence of light from shore, the twilight kicked in enough to help me see my way.  During my next break at Lester Beach I removed clothing, ate second breakfast and basked in the sun for awhile.  It was warm and bright with at least twenty miles of visibility as I sat and scrolled the entire coastline with my eyes.  I briefly contemplated the trip and in my head assigned checkpoints to the landmarks I could identify on the opposite shore.  That was 7am and by 10pm that night I would be all the way around the lake and back to where I started.  With such ideal lake conditions my body and mind kept telling me to move forward, so that's what I did.

Wednesday morning sunrise

Looking down into the "cockpit"

Love the view from a standup board - South Lake

Dinner at Secret Harbor

When I got off the water late that night I really started to feel tired, especially after walking on land for awhile and feeling less stable than I should've.  The last hour of night paddling was relaxing but I had just put in a 17-hour day with eight of those hours in confused wind chop and a headwind that put a strain on my body.  My muscles ached, sleepiness was starting to set in and I was craving red Gatorade badly.  Packing up, I made a final notation in my journal, called home and headed for the supermarket to indulge.  Once outside the market I realized I was still wearing my paddling clothes and probably offended the cashier with my stink.  She'll get over it.  I changed my clothes in the parking lot, headed for the highway and pulled off into the 2nd rest area to sleep a few hours.  The trip was over and I'd succeeded in meeting my goals and challenging myself physically.  Nice trip.   

Done.... and done

Colorado River SUP trip

I recently spent four days SUP paddling in southern Nevada/Arizona with my sister and a friend.  Rather than sit here and write a detailed account of our trip, I've decided to write about my experience on the SUP.  This was my first multi-day trip on a standup paddleboard and served somewhat as a test trip for me.  I've completed this trip at least five other times using sea kayaks and canoes and had some basic guesses as to the paddleboards performance.  I thought the SUP would be slower than a sea kayak, but faster then a solo canoe.  I didn't think I would have the manueverability of a solo canoe or sea kayak.  While standing in wind, I figured the sup would be slower than a kayak, faster than solo canoe.  The sup would be lighter than a kayak or canoe and I fully expected to portage at least one fast spot in the river.  Lastly, I questioned the sup's durability in this environment.  Here's what I found.

Five minute impression:  I screwed up.  Two huge errors - I didn't test paddle the board with gear attached and I brought a brand new paddle model that I've never tried before, in a shorter length than my other paddles.  Right away I'm noticing the instability of the board with weight on top and the ridiculously short paddle that I'm holding.  I have to paddle four days like this?  I'm in trouble.  

One hour impression:  This system is very, very good.  The first day's paddle is 8 miles upstream with a moderate fluctuating flow of water and some headwind.  Once we began making progress I was able to modify my stroke for the conditions and shorter paddle.  Over the next four days I would realize how much I enjoy a low body position and surf stance.    

Gear

My setup includes a Bark Expedition 14' SUP produced by Surftech.  It's a great board with a notable balance of speed and stability and a planing hull design.  It's comfortable to paddle with a center deck pad and I've added two additional pieces of deck pad than line up with my front and back feet while in a pivot position on the back of the board.  In addition to being comfortable and gripping well, it gives me an index point that I can feel.  The rest of the stern is waxed for grip.  I paddled with a 78.5" Werner Carve.

I approached the packing have just come off a sea kayak trip, so most of my kit was organized, I just needed to pack it on the board.  I used three bags on the front deck of the board each serving a specific need.  First, a North Face base camp duffel, size small, as a catch-all bag holding smaller dry bags with food, cookgear, first aid kit, sleeping kit, etc.  The duffel is a top load, durable, waterproof vinyl with lots of attachment points and able to take great abuse.  It also incorporates removable backpack straps and easily fills the role of a portage pack.  The second bag is a Watershed dry duffel and acted as my day hatch while on the water, holding cameras, batteries, mounts, food, knife, extra clothing and misc equipment that I may need while on the water.  The third bag is a North Face hydration pack and held my water, an easily accessible camera, sunscreen, waterproof journal, snacks, etc and is the bag I carry while hiking.  Attachment is a breeze with handles and a cam strap.  When landing it was very quick to release the hydration pack and Watershed duffel for hiking while leaving everything else attached to the board.  I could easily slide my shoes under the hydration pack when paddling barefoot and a spare paddle attached to the top of the base camp duffel.  Overall, the system worked extremely well and besides lowering the weight, I wouldn't change much.  

The most important thing on this trip was sun protection.  It was well into the 100's each day and very dry.  I really like dry heat and enjoy the climate, but you have to be very diligent with sun and hydration.  I packed two different sun hoodies - one a hooded UPF rashguard made by the North Face, the second a UPF buttonup sun hoodie made by KUHL.  Both shirts provided sun protection, comfort, some warmth at night and kept me cool when saturated.  I particularly like the integrated hood in both pieces.  Around my neck I wore a buff for cooling and covering.  The third critical piece was a brim hat, which I rarely wear, but needed on this trip and will continue to wear.  This combination of sunwear with a pair of durable board shorts performed extremely well.  

Performance

I modified my stroke to adapt to the short paddle length and river conditions opting for a fast, low, deep stroke that provided plenty of power and a natural bracing position while making it easy to use the hips and feet.  I gravitated towards a normal footed surf stance for balance and power, and could still generate plenty of power paddling on my left side  without re-positioning my feet.  

Overall Impressions:  I'm convinced the sup is the perfect craft for hot weather travel.  There are two major advantages to the sup over the canoe and the sea kayak.  First, being able to trim quickly on the water.  It was simple for me to step back on the board and easily maneuver tight turns quickly with sweep strokes.  With a little more work on my part, the sup will be significantly more maneuverable than both the sea kayak and canoe.  Second, the planing hull crosses eddy lines so easily.  Without a bow in the water, it was very quick and easy to eddy hop up river.  Normally in a kayak or canoe the angle of approach on eddy lines is so critical, but on a board it is so much more forgiving that you can change your line without consequences.  Granted, you can still be tossed off the board if you let the water pillow-up, but overall, negotiating eddy lines is far easier.  

I know the board is fast, I paddle it all the time.  I didn't realize it would be this fast in the moving water, though, especially traveling up river.  It's a long board with great glide and sprints quickly.  Ferrying across the river was easier than in a canoe or kayak for the same reason as crossing eddy lines.  The additional weight didn't seem to hinder my speed, maneuverability or stability.  

Overall, the system needs to be a lighter and I'll trim 5 pounds off for the next trip.  I had low expectations for durability, so wasn't overly upset to see the board take damage.  Certainly nothing significant, but deep scratches are very easy to inflict on the finish.  I was pretty careful and didn't hit many rocks, but I did happen to scrape one rock in particular that removed a large amount of top layer.  A canoe or kayak would barely have seen a scratch.  Before the next trip I will address the idea of carrying an extra skeg.

It was a wonderful trip and in addition to camping off a SUP, I got to spend some quality time with my sister.  We've grown much closer as we've moved further apart and I really value the little amount of time we do get to spend together.  Hopefully we'll meet up for this trip again.  Matt Christian joined us the for the last three days.  He flew in from northern Washington and easily arranged board rental and transportation from the city to the launch and back. I plan to do more paddling with Matt in the future as he's positive, knowledgeable and laid-back - A real joy to paddle with.  In addition to the great company, the trip had many highlights including thunderstorms, trash collecting and special trail gifts.


Check out more pics here.