Saturday, January 28, 2012

Morro Bay January 28, 2012

Had a wonderful paddle with friend Linda Angelo today. I walked my kayak down to the Baywood pier on the cart and paddled over to meet Linda in Cuesta. We paddled to Shark Inlet and then north along the sand spit, taking out across from the estuary and hiked up to the top, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch (thanks Linda!) and great views. Pretty much perfect weather with a slight breeze. The central coast in January; priceless.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Back Bay Jan. 6, 2012

Looking East from middle of sand spit. Foggy on the mainland
For the past week, the tides have been such that there has been little water during daylight hours. By Friday the 6th, the highest tide of the day had worked up to 8 am, which meant that I needed to go out early on my last day here before returning to the "real world". Unable to find anyone else interested in an early paddle, I got up, made some coffee, apologized to the dog (who has become accustomed to morning walks) and headed down to Pasadena Point, where it was cold and windy. No matter; there was plenty of water. I paddled without pause across the bay to the sand spit, and arrived at 8:24. Not a soul was in sight on the water. It was just a bit foggy, but I could still see Baywood a mile across the bay. Well, at least I could see an outline of Baywood. On the ocean side, the surf was pounding, and the winds turned the waves into a series of crashing boils. I sat out of the wind, in a bit of sun, and enjoyed my lukewarm coffee. Note to self: Bring the thermos, not the commuter cup. The paddle back was warmer and faster, with my back to the wind. This was my 5th paddle in 6 days at the start of the new year (the non-paddle day was body boarding), so no complaints from this guy! Back to work.

Morro Bay Jan. 5, 2012

Paddled in the afternoon again with Mike. We left Tidelands Marina and paddled south toward Baywood on a zero tide. We went as far south as the State Park Marina, where we observed the rather slow construction of the new ramp (nothing has changed since the last time we looked).
Smooth water on Morro Bay
We reversed direction and headed into the incoming tide, going not quite to the harbor entrance by Morro Rock. Most of the paddle was absolutely windless, which made it that much more enjoyable. Made it home in time to wash up and get ready for the Dick Dale show at SLO Brew that night. Great show, but this is a paddling blog after all.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Morro Bay Jan. 3 2012

Mike and I paddled from the marina out to the harbor entrance today. It was pretty dicey in the harbor entrance, with breakers coming over the jetty. We took out at the south jetty and walked to the most southern jetty, along the way trying to return some large crabs to the ocean that had been washed up in the big surf. The crabs will no doubt be part of some sea bird by now. A beautiful sunny day with a great friend. It's great to be able to say that I have paddled every day this year so far. Someday, I may actually be able to do an every day of the year paddle. Something to look forward to! Tomorrow; boogie boarding if the surf is not too huge.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Morro Bay Sunset Paddle

Friend Lorelei and I paddled from the Tidelands Marina, putting in just after 3:30 and paddling until sunset. The skies were cloudy, but there was no wind at all, so we had a beautiful flat water paddle up to the rock and back. In the clear shallows just east of the rock, where the bay turns the corner, we floated and watched bat rays resting on the bottom or gliding along. We spotted about half a dozen. The seals were out, as well as a sea otter, and the requisite water birds. Peaceful and gorgeous.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

New Year's Day Paddle

I have tried to begin the past few years with a paddle on the bay, and made it out again today. Friends Lorelei and Ron joined me for a foggy paddle in mid-afternoon. The tides left the back bay a big mud flat for much of the day, but there was enough to get in and paddle by 2:30. Unfortunately, the rising tide corresponded with the incoming fog, which turned a previously warm and sunny day (totally gorgeous, really) into a grey and cool one. Still, a fine paddle around the back bay; lots of birds, no wind, good company, and enough visibility to paddle without getting disoriented. Happy New Year!

Morro Bay Paddle with most of the band

Jeffer, Mike and I paddled from the Tidelands Marina on a low tide. We headed south past the museum and followed the channel markers as far as the data collection center off of Pasadena Point in Baywood. Dozens of seals were "sunning" on the exposed mud flats along the way, always with a spotter checking us out. It was not a sunny day. Cool enough to be cold to sit on toppers with exposed feet and legs.
We paddled back, passing our entry point, and went up along the Embarcadero so we could tie up and have lunch at The Hofbrau, which was delicious and warm. The sun came out as we got back into the boats to finish our paddle. We stopped at Kayak Horizons to look around and Mike took a spin in a 13' Necky Manitou, which seemed like a good size for the bay. Mikey likes it!
We went wine tasting later in the afternoon at Wolff Vineyards in San Luis Obispo, and finished the day with takeout from Noi's Little Thai and a couple of hours of pickin' guitars. How good can it get?