Surfing in the Bay

On April 5, Mike M. and I paddled out from the Baywood Pier around 10 am. The breeze was just starting to pick up and the tide was near its peak. We headed to the sand spit and got out of the wind. We paddled south into Shark Inlet, and then back up along the spit, taking out to stretch our legs and snack on pretzels and pistachios.
The wind had picked up considerably, so instead of paddling a straight line back to Baywood, we heade upwind until we had a direct wind-at-our-back ride back to Baywood, heading southeast. By this time, the bay was covered with 2+ foot wind waves that were very tight. We found ourselves surfing on the way back. I had to do some back leaning to keep my kayak nose out of the water in the trough of the wave in front of me. We really flew back, whooping and giggling.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Communication Breakdown

Saturday, November 3, 2011

Ron, Lorelei and I paddled north from Tidelands Marina and up the bay near Morro rock. Some of us were in the channel, and I saw approaching fishing boats so I yelled to "get out of the channel". This was interpreted as "go back" and we got split up. After checking, I decided to paddle out through the harbor entrance to check out the 6 ft. swells reported by surfers. Sure enough. We all re-convened some time later back at the put-in, each of us having had our own paddling experience.

Dolphins in Morro Bay-10/23/11

This paddle was fantastic! Late morning I put in at Tidelands Marina, which was as crowded as I have ever seen it. Lots and lots of fishing boats. The tide was heading out, but was near low tide, so I paddled south into the tide and past the museum and State Park Marina before turning around and heading back. I took a picture of the floating triangle and puzzled over its placement...??? On the way back toward Tidelands Marina I noticed dolphin fishing in the bay and took lots of still shots with my iphone (actually got a few with dolphin in them) before switching to video and shooting the short video posted here. Pretty unusual to see them in the bay. I continued my paddle up toward the rock and noticed a beach full of activity with (mostly) paddle boarders at Coleman Beach. I had read that there was a memorial race over the weekend. I also noticed the twin of the floating triangle, and am supposing that each was a race point marker. The tide was nearing lull, but there were tight, angular swells coming in between the jetties. I paddled out along the north jetty and just hung out for a while, watching boats coming and going. I noticed three dolphin heading out to sea. There is often whacky water in the channel here, but today produced white caps and very steep, tight swells. I stayed to the edge of them on my way back toward (the town of) Morro Bay, getting some good rides and nearly hitting a seal in the trough between swells. There were times when it took some effort to keep my bow from pearling, and several times when waves washed over, particularly when a big fishing boat produced wake that crossed the swells. I enjoyed the paddle back to the marina, with a slight breeze at my back that was bringing in the fog.

Back Bay 9/17/11

This morning I paddled the back bay of Morro Bay in a clock-wise direction, starting at the Baywood Pier and paddling past Sweet Springs Preserve, Cuesta Inlet, Shark Inlet, then north along the sand spit. I took out on the spit and hiked up to see the 360 degree view of the bay and ocean.
It was fairly windy when I began around 10 am, with the tide just under 3 feet and rising.  The sky was sunny and blue, but on the ocean side of the sand spit was the fog bank, which I assumed would blow in and cover Baywood (as it has for a month), but the wind died down and the fog bank retreated out into the ocean. The rest of the day has been sunny and warm!

As I sat in shark inlet watching the feeder fish aerate the surface, a group on horse back passed by on the trail. I also saw a number of large egrets and several great blue herons, and was reminded why they call them great while watching them stretch to their full height while I passed. A lone pelican flew past right next to me and only a few feet off the water. Generally, they will give wide berth to paddlers, usually staying outside of a 20-30 foot cushion. Love those dinosaurs. On the return paddle, the wind picked up and the catamarans and wind surfers started to put in. Perfect timing and a perfect day.

Museum of Natural History

Today I paddled solo from Pasadena Point in Baywood at the lowest afternoon tide (just over 2 feet). I headed north toward Morro Bay and paddled past the museum and up to the Morro Bay Inn before turning back for Baywood. I was on the water for only 75 minutes or so, but saw several dozen seals and a few diving pelicans. Photos are of the Museum with Black Hill in the background and of the State Park Marina with Hollister Peak in the background.

Shark Inlet 8/8/11

I paddled from the Baywood Pier on a rising tide, planning to paddle around the point and into the estuary, but the wind and waves were coming pretty solid from the northwest, so I headed into them and out over to the sand spit, then south along the spit into Shark Inlet. Once in the inlet (and out of the wind), I paddled slowly and watched as numerous little silver fish ran out ahead of my boat. Before long, a leopard shark hit hard and fast on the edge of the water over the pickle weed. It was the only one I saw. With the tide over 4 feet and rising quickly, I paddled back as far as I could, into the 3 foot wide channels that fill only on higher tides. I settled against some pickle weed and just sat for a while, amazed at the flow of the tide into the channels. When the place where I sat became totally submerged, I headed back into Baywood with the wind on my aft quarter, making good time.

Sand spit paddle with Emily

Emily and I had a nice paddle from Pasadena Point over to the sand spit, with a stop there to hike up to the top to enjoy the view of the spit, the ocean and the bay. It was a bit windy paddling over, but not a problem. A gorgeous day and certainly a fine one to share with my daughter, who has not been paddling for several years.

Harmony Headlands

View Harmony Headlands Trail in a larger map
My Dad and I drove up the coast on Hwy. 1 north of Cayucos and went to hike the Harmony Headlands trail. The trailhead begins on the west side of the highway just south of the little town of Harmony. It's about 2.5 miles from the trailhead to the beach, and the walk is easy along an old dirt road that was part of a cattle ranch. Along the way there are restrooms available at a spot where an old ranch hand house exists. There are some interesting features, including a pond; fairly rare around these parts. There are some trails along the bluffs on the beach side, and several benches for resting and gazing at points along the trail. A great way to spend a few hours, especially if you have my Dad with you!

Baywood Boatzart Concert

My Dad and I paddled from Pasadena Point over to Cuesta Inlet, then back into the cove at Baywood to join a few hundred others who were enjoying the Boatzart concert at the pier. The band on this fine Sunday (July 31) was the Gilley Wheesels, a Scottish band with pipes. Great sounds, a fine day, and a nice paddle.

Jellyfish and Chablis

The tide was very high and cresting around 6:30 PM, and my  friend Ron Saul and his band The Dentures were playing for a friend's 60th Birthday Party on the tour boat Chablis in Morro Bay. What to do? Easy. I paddled out from Pasadena Point just after 5 PM and humped it into the wind across to the sand spit, heading north from there on a leisurely pace to the dock where the Chablis Cruises docks. Along the way, I noticed quite a few orange jellyfish, and attempted to take some pictures. I arrived dockside next to the Chablis just at 6, when a surprised birthday boy arrived. I listened to the Dentures play (they are terrific!) and paddled along with the Chablis for a while on its southern trek through the bay. Wherever I paddled, I passed jellyfish. Eventually, I paddled back to Los Osos and got out of the water around 8, with some sore shoulders from paddling hard for much of the way.

Though I usually don't mention endeavors other than paddling on this blog, it is worth mentioning the hike that Ron and Lorelei and I took along the bluffs trail in Montana de Oro if only to have a place to publish this photo taken of a rattle snake that was next to the trail (one of four we spotted without really trying). Stay on the trails, people, and watch where you step.

Morro Bay July 8, 2011

I arrived in town at about 5:15 PM, and noticed the high tide in the estuary as I drove by.  I quickly unloaded the truck and then loaded my kayak and gear, hitting the water at Pasadena Point at 5:38. I paddled across the back bay to the sand spit, and then south along the spit for a bit before heading back. I was back on shore just after 7 PM. During my time on the water, I did not see one other boat. Too bad, as it was a beautiful time to be out, the breeze was not too strong, and the flowers blooming on the sand spit.

Morro Bay June 25, 2011

With the tide already low (and receding), friends Jim and Linda and I paddled from the pier at Tidelands Park in Morro Bay. We headed into the tide, and paddled south past the museum, and then crossed over to the sand spit for a walk and a look at the ocean side. Reversed the path for the return trip, and saw a group of white pelicans feeding in the shallows. Everyone enjoyed the paddle, and all entries/exits were dry! Thanks to Linda for the pic.

San Simeon June 24

No pictures from this day, which was spent on my sit on top. I was in full wet suit, hoping to do some snorkeling, but never did. Originally, this was to be a two kayak outing, but turned out to be just mine. For some odd reason, I rarely manage a clean, dry entry at San Simeon, and this day was no exception. My second attempt was the clean and dry one. Nice to get the wet suit wet. Did a bit of cave and nook exploring along the north side, and sat next to the cliff letting the spray from the blow holes get me. Fun. Did a bit of swimming off of the boat, but not much. Also practiced some landing/re-entries. Mary F spent the entire afternoon swimming the cove with her boogie board. I could not have lasted that long in the cold water (or swum that long). San Simeon is always nice.