Olas de diversión en Ensenada

     

   

     After a mid-morning low-tide surf at Sunset Cliffs with smooth small conditions and an uncrowded lineup, we packed up the truck, took our time enjoying a lunch and motored south of the border stopping just north of Ensenada.  My companions had once before spent time at the The Motel California, a cute little place with five oceanfront rooms and a well manicured grassy yard leading down to the beach.  Arriving, we were pleasantly surprised with ocean conditions and although the wind was on the verge of howling, the surf looked good, the air was warm and the sky was clear.  It was promising that tomorrow morning would present us with fun surf to start the day with.  We settled into the rooms and instantly began the relaxation process.  For me, this quick trip to Baja was all about surfing, eating, practicing spanish and having fun with friends.  

bienvenido

     

In the distance, Punta Banda straight ahead, Todos Santos on the right side of the horizon

 
     Relaxing on the patio that evening, we looked south across the windcapped Bahia Todos Los Santos and saw fishing boats chugging back to port.  Cruise ships were returning to sea, sneaking through the 7 nm  gap between the mainland and Isla Todos Santos to the Southwest.   Punta Banda, a prominent peninsula making up the southern border of Todos Santos Bay, was looming 8 nautical miles due south.  Jutting out nearly 5 miles and rising almost 2000 ft to its peak, the Punta Banda area possesses some of the finest ocean rock gardening I've ever played in and got me daydreaming of past trips I've made with sea kayaks.  Steep cliffs and an expanse of scattered rocks makes it very picturesque and fun to explore.  Add a touch of vibrant Mexican culture and powerful pacific swell and you've got an incredible paradise for sea kayakers just hours from the United States and easily accessible.  South of Punta Banda the rock gardens stretch for another 8 miles and are chock full of caves, pourovers, slots, stacks, surf breaks and extreme fun.  Dotted with fish camps and pocket beaches perfect for siestas and lunch breaks, the remote stretch is doable for beginners and experts alike, long boats or short.  Although easily accessible, preparations must be perfect since there is no coast guard, cell service or paved roads.  Help is not easily available and paddlers should be prepared to sort themselves if an incident occurs.  Charts are limited as is tidal and current data.  The fish tacos, tequila and fun, however, are truly unlimited.    

    Isla Todos Santos is made up of two islands accessible only by boat and best known for "killers", a surf break off the north island that is capable of holding waves up to 60 feet tall.  Looming over the bay, Todos Santos is a delight to stare at and has this unnerving mystical aura around it.  It made me wish I was traveling with sea kayaks as the paddle out to the island chain is not that long.  Come Sunday morning, Todos Santos was much more visible and detail had been shed onto the buildings and lighthouse.  It looked entirely more friendly and now made me want to paddle out to it even more.   The skies were clear, the air was still and the sea was completely flat, except for the clean 2-3 footers breaking at the point outside the motel.  Eating up and then suiting up, we paddled out for a morning surf with three locals who graciously shared the small lineup with us.  I paddled an 11' 11" single fin sup and caught dozens of slow rides working on cross-stepping, slow cutbacks and surfing goofy.  My cohorts were using a mix of short boards and longboards and riding equally well.  On the inside, the waves stood up steep and left room for a few quick moves on the face before spilling back down into the sea and bouncing off the shore.  As the changing tide altered the shape of the waves, onshore winds picked up and distorted them more.  That was our cue to call it a day, paddle in and bask in the sun for a few hours before feasting on mexican.  

   

     The next 24 hours were filled with more of the same - surfing, eating, relaxing, kicking the hacky sack and just fooling around.  We never spoke a word of work and were able to reconnect with each other after a few months of little contact.  Although the Monday morning surf was a bit smaller, it was much cleaner and better formed.  The session was super fun and we met the same three locals ripping it up on the inside.  We even played musical boards in the lineup and I got a few nice rides on a longboard.  After a few hours surfing together, one by one, we made our way back to land and dried out.  Sadly, it was time to pack up and move out.  

     Later that afternoon we stocked up on Mexican snacks and fruit and took the scenic route east towards Tecate.  The weekend plan was executed perfectly until we got into the border crossing line.  What can normally be a long 2-3 hour wait morphed into a tamale-infused haze, hot Mexican sun-drenched 7-hour-long border crossing from hell!  Within that half-day of suffering each of exhibited various traits of the 6 stages of border crossing syndrome previously unknown to us.  If you're not familiar with BCS (border crossing syndrome), it's like a helpless form of road rage that lasts twenty times longer and typically goes undiagnosed.  Being essentially helpless, one may lose control of their bodies and minds, shaking uncontrollably, swearing at kids, honking, crying, laughing, screaming and acting like a honey badger.  When one hits the final stage, the only option is to open the mustard Atun y vegetables soaked in vinegar and hope for the best.  Surely an inside joke, had it come to that, the words I'm writing would be much, much different.  Luckily, we snapped out of it around 9:30pm when we were miraculously transported into the United States and were allowed to shift out of first gear.  The confusion still apparent in our glassed-over eyes could be smelled on our clothes and in our hair.  As the air finally cooled off and the sugar from Mexican Coke slowly absorbed, we reached the comforts of Ocean Beach and shook off the awful stress of the border mayhem.  Sharing smiles and cocktails before sleeping, we had already begun reminiscing and cracking jokes at the expense of the holiday.  Nice trip.  

          

2012 Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium

The fourth annual Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium ran from February 16-22 and was a success thanks to the mild, sunny weather and overall highly positive attitudes.  While the format was largely the same as years past, with full-day courses and focused on instruction, it felt more refined compared to years past.  As the event manager and co-founder, It was relieving to see that our hard work and feedback-inspired modifications paid off.  Now that the stress is gone and another year is to rest, we'll begin working on 2013.  Feedback is already pouring in and after a well-deserved rest, we'll get right back to work very soon.  Just as we made changes for 2012, we'll make more for 2013.  All we can do is attempt to make the event better and better each year.  


The funny thing about GGSKS, for me, is that my perspective of the event is entirely different than everyone else's.  I rarely get to paddle, in fact I've paddled a total of 1 day in the four years this event has been held.  It consisted of about 3 hours on the water the last day of 2011.  Because I'm not in the cockpit I miss much of what makes the event so special.  I hear the stories of glory and disaster, I get pieces here and there.  I look at the pictures and fill-in what I missed.  To me, I can measure the success by the amount of smiling I see at the launch, the number of people meeting new friends, the old friendships rekindled and the new participants telling me about their experiences.

Starting as an intermediate to advanced level sea paddling instructional based event, it has actually become more than that.  The curriculum is still focused on paddling of course, but the event has taken on a new element all on its own.  It's a social gathering in and of itself.  It's a link between the Northwest paddlers in Canada, Washington and Oregon and the paddlers of California North and South.  It's a chance to see your friends, meet people you've only chatted with online and connect with new people on a personal level.  It's social networking at its best and paddling is the common bond.  

Friday Pics
Saturday Pics
Sunday Pics

Standup Paddleboarding @ Yellow Bluff, SF Bay

Last Friday I took my standup paddleboard to Yellow Bluff for the first time and it was challenging.  I hoped to arrive to perfect conditions and a smooth front wave that I could surf on.  The weather wasn’t great, but the radar showed a break in the rain from noon to 2pm that lined up perfectly with the 1:50pm max ebb.  By 12:15pm I paddled into the top of the eddy at Yellow Bluff without rain and with skies clear enough to see across the Bay.  Light winds from the south and strong currents set up an okay wave up front.

self portrait using the GoPro Surf Hero HD

At first it was difficult to stay in position, but after several attempts I finally got a really nice surf.  Turns out it was a passing passenger ferry that created the wave.  The ferry wake mixed with the waves of the tide race and created a nice set of waves – up to 2′ each, at least four of them at peak height.

Between passing boats I made my way into and out of the current practicing ferry glides and maneuvering.  Balancing the board in such confused water is pretty difficult and bracing is absolutely crucial.  I found myself bracing much more than I would normally brace while in a sea kayak in those conditions.  After playing in the waves for awhile, I paddled up the tide race into the eddy above.  It was a workout paddling up current at a fast cadence and reinforces the need to develop proper stroke technique.  While taking a breather in the eddy above, another boat passed and by the time I made it back down to the tide race, the wake had reached the top and turned into four nice, steep, clean waves.  With more skills I would’ve spun the board around and tried to surf them, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen so I headed straight into them.  I couldn’t resist the chance to plow the board over those waves at a quick speed.  I did pierce cleanly through the top of one while maintaining my footing.  After the charge I pulled into the eddy, took a break and then played for another 20 minutes.  As I paddled back to Horseshoe Cove the rain began falling again, the skies grew darker and in my mind I began planning my next trip here.

first good surf at yellow bluff

returning to the launch

Round Alameda

Last Saturday I had the day off and felt I deserved some time to myself.  I decided to paddle a standup board around Alameda to challenge myself and do a route I've never done before.  My goal was to make the complete loop in 5 hours.  It's 15.5 miles around the island and I was hoping to ride the current around half of it.  I launched at Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland just after 8am and headed north up the channel.  Within an hour I made it to the northernmost point of the island with a crystal clear view of downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island.  Paddling into the flooding current, I felt the wind at my back, dropped to my knees and took my first quick break while drifting in the right direction.   I chugged some water, removed a layer and snapped a few pics.  5 minutes later I was back underway.

San Francisco, The Bay Bridge & Yerba Buena with cranes

Alameda is on my left and I've moved into the bay far enough to pickup a ride from the flood tide.  This entire section is new to me and I'm trying to picture it back on the google map.  After passing CG ships, nesting grounds and breakwaters, I'm quickly down to Crown Beach.  All of a sudden it feels like San Diego with harbor beaches and palm trees, bike paths and lots of people - quite a nice stretch to paddle.  The air is starting to move a bit more and I'm happy my heading is downwind.  Along the way I take a 2nd break for a quick bite, more water and a few more pics.

I round the corner and continue to ride the flood up into the backchannel.  Wind is now at my side so I tuck in tight to the shore.  It means losing the main flood, but also allows me to paddle in glassy waters and check out the homes along the shore.  I turn again, to the north, waving to people on their boats and continue to ride the flood - but now I'm heading straight into the wind.  From here till the end I'd be slogging into the wind paddling hard from wind break to wind break.  It's exactly like eddy hopping up a river and I really enjoy the challenge.  The wind easily outpowers the current assist and it means lowering my stance, my grip and quickening my cadence.  Every stroke is critical and powerful.

Nearing the end of the route I see my finish point in the distance, glance at my watch and realize I could possibly finish in 4 hours.  This prompts me to paddle harder and increase my speed to try and finish by noon.  Another 20 minutes passes and land back at the dock.  In the end I finished the 15.6 miles in 3hrs, 49mins.  I averaged over 4mph and finished an hour faster than anticipated.  Nice.
 

GGSKS

I recently put together a short video to help promote the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in February.  This was my first time playing with video.  Although it's super time consuming, it is really fun and quite challenging.


  

no snow, go surfing

With the lack of snowfall in the West this holiday season, Haley and I decided to go to San Diego in lieu of a week in the mountains.  Leaving Berkeley at 4am, lightly packed with clothing, surf gear, boards and a full bed in the back we quickly made time south, hoping to avoid any holiday traffic this Christmas eve Saturday morning.  Without so much as touching the brakes on the way through Los Angeles, we cruised into Ocean Beach before noon to meet up with friends. 

By 3 o’clock the dropping tide had improved the surf and the launch at sunset cliffs was tame.  The session went well for me, although the lineup was a bit more crowded than I like.  It’s creepy to be the only one standing among a crowd of sitting strangers.  I was well within my capabilities on a standup board in those size waves, but still felt the need to be subtle in the lineup.  

The session ends shortly after the sun sets and each surfs their last wave in.  Energy is high as the four of us discuss our experiences out there.  Since I’m still fairly new at sup surfing, my reflection usually goes like this – “I got my best wave ever today!”.  Wrap that day up with a delicious dinner and a night round the fire.

On Christmas day we woke up early to get Florence to the airport; she was off to Hawaii.  Coffee (Starbucks is open on Christmas day), nice home-cooked breakfast, some relaxing and off to Mission Bay for some flatwater paddling.  We launched sup’s at Aqua Adventures and paddled north to Sea World at a quick pace.  I’d never experienced such strong currents in Mission Bay before and was excited to see fast current and a small (small!) standing wave at the first bridge.  It was fun catching the eddies behind the pylons. 

On the hunt for a good, sunny holiday we followed our tour of Mission Bay with another surf session at sunset cliffs.  The waves were the same size as the day before but cleaner with flatter seas.  Good conditions produced a great session and again I got my best wave ever.  I paddled into one of the bigger waves of the day that produced two peaks, me on the south peak about 15 meters from the main.  I was paddling slightly left to get closer to the peak, felt the drop, turned to the south, set my edge and instantly felt it lock.  I was way up high on a steep face with a perfect trajectory down and forwards, building speed while perched on the edge of the board.  Great feeling. 

Afterwards we celebrated Christmas and spent the next three days visiting family, paddling, surfing, eating and relaxing with friends.  Great holiday trip and now we’re back to Berkeley still waiting for snow.  

Three days on ACA

In the second week of December I spent three days paddling with some of Northern California's finest during an ACA L5 assessment.  Some of us were present as an L4 update (myself included), while others were assessing at level 5.  The course was largely unstructured by design to allow things to come together in a natural fashion.  Without three full days of syllabus to follow we would be able to improvise and try things that may not normally happen on an assessment or formal course.  Roger Schumann and Bryant Burkhardt put on a nice course, save for the insufficient L5 conditions, which were naturally out of their control.

Overall, it was a hugely worthwhile experience that I'm still looking back on and discussing with people.  Of the eight of us, there were 6 delphins, 1 schirocco, 1 romany.  I decided to paddle the Romany simply because I haven't paddled it in awhile and I missed it.  Having spent a couple weeks in an Explorer recently I was really looking forward to paddling it again.  It's a damn good boat for rock and surf and as strong a boat as I've ever paddled.  The plan didn't call for much rock gardening, but even if we did spend three days bouncing off rocks, it would hold up just fine.  I found it very interesting that there were six delphins - 75%...  I certainly walked away wanting to paddle one more and considering upgrading my plastic boat.

We covered rescues new and old, towing scenarios, challenging exercises, throw rope experimentation, played in current, surfed, played in rocks and the list goes on.  I definitely got outside my comfort zone at one point and got one of my best rides ever in a sea kayak - something I won't forget any time soon.  It was a pretty valuable reminder to me how powerful it can make you feel when you do something you're afraid of and succeed.

California Canoe & Kayak offered the course

one, two, three, four, five of the P&H Delphins

Thanksgiving on the river

After an all night drive with canoe and SUP on the roof, I picked up some Dunkin Donuts in Vegas and met Haley & Gillian at the airport.  Couple quick stops and we arrived at Willow Beach to launch for four days of paddling, hiking, soaking and holiday eating.  Haley and I did this trip last Turkey day with friends and were really excited to return with family.

We made our way upriver 8 miles, eddyhopping when necessary, and setup a base camp for the next four days.  Arriving reasonably early, there were few people around and we settled on a campsite as close to the river as we could manage.  We had a great fire ring to cook on with the new dutch oven we picked up just before setting out on this trip.  At 14 pounds it's far from lightweight, but with canoe support it was a breeze.  This Thanksgiving we'd be toasting all the family back home and savoring our meal cooked on Arizona time over an open flame.   Oh, and the paddle boarding wasn't bad either.

Check out some pics here:   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2353111662404.2113861.1088538441&type=1&l=daf3d773cd

Nice hike in the hills

climbing to the tubs

slaving over Turkey dinner

Bark Expedition with gear - great setup!

Baja California Sur

Machaca, Totopos, titanium silverware and Mr. Sandman.  Mulege to Loreto is an awesome route with challenging conditions, beautiful scenery, plentiful wildlife and a great representation of what Baja has to offer.  I spent ten days with a group of seven others on this route.  All were skilled and experienced paddlers coming onto the trip with different reasons for participating and varied expectations.  I made new friends, strengthened existing relationships and managed to fall in love with Baja along the way.  

As I write this I'm 8 hours into a 24 hour bus ride from La Paz to Tijuana.  Post trip I travelled to Los Barriles for a few days of paddleboarding & relaxing with friends.  After that I took a whirlwind drive in the south stopping in Cabo & Todos Santos then to La Paz for an odd night of rain and crime.  I've been on the road 25 days now and am ready to get home.  For Baja, this is just 'bye for now' because I will be back soon.  

I'm not much for writing up long, detailed trip reports so check out the photos below and at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2258317092599.2112315.1088538441&type=1&l=78f1a43610

Now I'm getting in the car for an overnight drive to Vegas.  Four days of paddling coming up!

Rigged and ready - Day One

Lots of sailing with Flat Earth sails

Day of the Dead Alter

A little team building....

Mexico's best sea kayaking guide - Santiago.

Sunset over Loreto

Last sunset

Loreto Kayak Symposium

Sea Kayak Baja Mexico

This week I've had the pleasure of assisting Ginni Callahan with a 4-day sea paddler training at the Loreto Kayak Symposium in Loreto, BCS, Mexico.  "Mi espanol es no bueno" was my go-to phrase on the journey down since my conversational spanish is horrible.  After one flight and three bus rides I arrived in Loreto 24 hours after leaving Berkeley and was instantly greeted by Santiago Berrueta, Mexico's only BCU 4* paddler and lead guide at Sea Kayak Baja Mexico.  Later that day we met the group of 7 students - two Venezualans, one american and four mexicans.  Much of the course was run in Spanish and my conversation skills improved leaps and bounds in the 96 hours that followed.  

Sea paddler training works off the BCU 3* syllabus and can cover a large range of topics.  Since conditions on the Sea of Cortez were predicted to be light - read flat - we loaded trucks and ventured to San Juanico, also known as Scorpion Bay, arguably the longest right wave in North America.  Unfortunately it wasn't going off to it's potential, but we did encounter a nice surf zone to coach in and rather dynamic conditions for two days of training on the Pacific. 

Ginni is a fantastic coach and really brings out the best in her students.  Personally I'm improving my own coaching skills while shadowing and co-teaching with her.  She is leading the way for sea paddlers in Mexico and is raising quite a group of skilled paddlers.  Her business, Sea Kayak Baja Mexico, is a Nigel Dennis Expedition Center and uses the best equipment available - NDK kayaks, Werner paddlers, Seals, Snapdragon, Kokatat and more.  They offer everything from boat hire to training to full-on expeditions.  

It was impressive to watch the students progress quickly in four days and improve on fundamental skills.  Before the training some of these paddlers had never been in the surf zone and by day two they were side surfing, combat rolling and applying fundamentals in dynamic water.  It was beautiful to watch.  To top it off, we camped right on the beach between the ocean and the dunes.    

Back on the Sea of Cortez we said goodbye to Lorena and hello to Dave.  Launching at Rattlesnake beach on day 3, we set off for stroke training and navigation exercises in slightly bumpy water.  The brave stuck around for a fourth day boat control in wind and rescues on the rocks.  Sadly the water was just too warm to be refreshing and you can be out of your boat all day and not be a bit uncomfortable.  Baja is an amazing place and I feel very lucky to be here paddling & exploring with great people.  I'm in Loreto the rest of the day then we head north to start a 10-day trip from Mulege back to Loreto.  Check back for a trip report...  Adios.

my bed for the night

Baja Highway

San Juanico

Sunrise over Danzante

NICE...

Last week I had the chance to participate in the first ACA SUP ICW on the west coast, hosted by California Canoe & Kayak.  After arriving home at 4:30am from Oregon, I had to be fresh and ready in Half Moon Bay by 10am.  Not sure about fresh, but I was there and ready.  Why am I taking an ACA SUP Instructor Workshop?  I figured it would be fun and educational, I'd work with some great ACA instructors, meet some new people and see what the ACA has to say about standup paddleboarding.  Personally, I really enjoy standup paddleboarding and am happy to see this program.  

I entered the course with an open mind and wasn't dissapointed one bit.  Part of what I enjoyed so much is that the program is still on the ground floor.  We were trying things that haven't yet been determined as standard practices.  Standup Paddleboarding is moving in leaps and bounds and I think it is appropriate for such a large paddlesports organization to create a program of safety and instruction.  I can't see it being adopted by the hardcore paddle surfers, but certainly the recreational crowd - which is gigantic.  

Since this was an ICW and not an IDW, the pace was very quick and participants were expected to know all the strokes and manuevers before attending.  We were split down the middle with four of us coming with a paddling background and four with a surfing background.  That division worked out to be advantageous since the crowd of new standup paddlers seems to be split as well.  For three days we worked on teaching styles, SUP concepts, building on paddling skills, and generally all things SUP.  It was an appropriate venue to bounce ideas off each other and try new things.  I'm excited for where this may go.  There are many people teaching SUP already, some with no background in paddle sports or teaching.  I strongly believe they could all benefit from a course like this and would be doing their students a service.  

My personal experience is that SUP is easy to pickup in flat water, but building technique, balance and speed takes time.  if you want to paddle in moving water, surf, wind or in coastal conditions, you should be training your body with skill development and physical conditioning.  Once you leave protected, windless waters SUP can be rather difficult and time on the board in dynamic conditions helps tremendously.  If you want to be a good standup paddler, get yourself into good physical condition, take some paddling lessons and practice often.  Your balance, control and speed will increase drastically as well as your enjoyment.

Lumpy Waters in Oregon

I recently travelled to Pacific City, Oregon with Bryant Burkhardt and Sean Morley,  two other California Canoe & Kayak instructors.  The three of us were coaching at Lumpy Waters, a terrific sea paddling event catering to different levels of boaters.  Without a doubt, anyone who is passionate about sea kayaking and training should go to this event next year.  No matter what drives you there - the class offerings, the coach lineup or just the overall experience - it's worth the trip.  

The event begins Friday afternoon allowing everyone the morning off to free paddle, to drive in or just to sleep in.  Friday came and went with lots of boating and some incredible Incident Management on the part of some instructors.  Saturday brought decent weather and beautiful ocean conditions and I'd estimate around 100 students in attendance.  Sunday was more of the same with nice paddling weather and conditions.  This was one of the first events I've attended as a coach.  I travel to lots of events, but often as a volunteer, student or organizer.  It was nice to attend from a different perspective and learn some things.  I've definitely come away with some new ideas for GGSKS this February.  I also got to spend some valuable time working on my coaching skills and observing top coaches at work.  

Symposiums in general are really exciting to me.  They are such a good place to learn, to fine-tune and to advance your skills in good company.  I got my first serious taste of the sea at a symposium and it kick-started my training.   For paddlers new to symposiums, though, I think it is important they step back and take in the whole experience, not just the on-water courses.  The social aspect is huge at symposia and meeting other paddlers and coaches is very easy.  It's in these social settings that we often talk shop and discuss other events, trips, concepts, teaching styles and more.  Think of it as a meeting of the minds - for sea kayakers.  If you're interested in learning more, check out The Golden Gate Sea Kayaking Symposium in San Francisco in February or The Southwest Kayak Symposium in San Diego in March.