Back Bay August 6, 2009

I paddled out from Pasadena Point at 11 AM with the tide near high and went around to Baywood, where there were a dozen or so sailors out learning to sail as part of the Sail Away Camp. The wind was blowing pretty good; nice for them but tough for me as I headed toward the Cuesta Inlet and Shark Cove. There was enough wind for me to feather my paddle, which I do not prefer, as I have more control with a straight paddle. Oh well, good practice.
The sun was shining as I followed the wind-sheltered sand spit north, taking my time and watching the numerous egrets and herons. Around noon, I noticed the fog bank coming in from Morro Bay, but continued north picking up trash on the shoreline. Within the hour, the fog dropped in from the south and then over the sand spit (photo), with visibility down to about 150 yards by 1:00. I floated around for a while, waiting for the fog to get to its thickest. When I couldn't see anything at all, I checked my compass and headed back toward the put in. I knew I was a bit off course when I saw the outline of one of the oyster barges. Sure enough, I had altered course northward and made the correction. I was darn close to shore before I could see the outline of the peninsula, and landed back at Pasadena Point. This was my last paddle before returning to work at school next Monday, and it was an interesting one.
Peace and Paddle on.

San Simeon August 5, 2009

San Simeon twice in one week! The cove was blue with a bit of wind. We had an un-remarkable entry (yeah) and paddled out through the cove and north along the shoreline for about a mile or so. We kept a close watch on the fog banks that were threatening from both the north and south, and turned around when they came together and covered over. It was still easy to see the shoreline, and with the wind at our backs, the paddle back was fast. Upon reentering the cove, we were greeted with blue skies and sunshine, so we spent some time poking around the rock features and sea caves on the wind-protected side. Noticed many rows of sea stars along the rock edges. Perfect landings finished off a great paddle.

Morro Bay August 4, 2009

I paddled out from Pasadena Point on the small high tide of the day (3.2')and rounded the Baywood pennisula north to the Elfin Forest area. The water was too shallow to make it through to the channel, but in the shallows I disrupted several leopard sharks who broiled up the water getting away from my boat (I saw one fin to identify them). I headed straight out and across to the sand spit and hung around for a while picking up trash and then paddled back. By the time I got to the sand spit, the fog had rolled in and the opposite shore could not be seen so I used a heading from my compass/thermometer/magnifying glass/whistle to find my way. I heartily recommend the $3 investment. On the beach in Baywood, I saw another dead seal; this one was being reduced via vultures. Is there some reason why seals die in August? It's the third one in several days.

Kayak surfing Cayucos

This was a kayak surfing/boogie boarding outing off of 24th street in Cayucos. The waves were great, and the boogie boarding awesome. We shared the waves with a handful of surfers, a couple of seals and dolfin, and several hundred surf-camp participants.
Kayak surfing had some mixed moments. Both Lorelei and I had our share of great rides, and also some pretty good wipeouts. I finally learned what an end-o in a kayak feels like when I failed to clear the crest of an incoming wave. Lorelei was a natural; she seems to have great balance (not that she didn't crash plenty of times). What a great workout, and we all made it through injury free! I haven't been this sore in a while......
Alas, pictures are not an option when you know you're going to get all the way wet (frequently).

San Simeon August 2, 2009

The cove at San Simeon is a gorgeous place; nice pier, protected water, sea caves, good access, restrooms, it has a lot going for it. It's even prettier outside of the cove and north along the shoreline. The only visible sign of human habitation are the hiking trails that follow the coast for a ways. This area has great rock gardens and an ever-changing landscape that features 30+ foot cliffs and forest beyond. We paddled several miles up, and had a nice view of the lighthouse at Piedras Blancas in the distance. We stayed mostly just inside the kelp beds along the shoreline, where many seals checked us out. The adrenaline rush of the day came when the coastline went east into a large cove. A swell that was twice the size of what we had been watching all day surprised us, and I headed out to sea paddling as hard as I could (while yelling-Get the @#$% out of here!) and crested the swell, dropping into the air space behind it. Mary was 5 yards back, and honestly, I don't know how she made it through before it broke. Several more waves of the same size followed in the set, and we kept paddling hard until we were well clear. Whew. A learning experience. The paddle back was just as nice as on the way in, and Mary got to do some side surfing on the landing.

Morro Bay August 1, 2009

This was a great paddle that lasted over 4 hours. I left from Pasadena Point and ran into Mary, Lorelei and Ron. We paddled down to the rock in Morro Bay, and then out the harbor entrance for a peak at the ocean in both directions. There was no hurry, and the paddle was dominated by good conversation.
I have never seen so many seals and sea lions in the bay (including several deceased ones). There were also more paddlers on the bay than at any other time that I've observed. At least forty of them were visiting from the Fresno Kayak Club. The rental folks also did a great business this day. Ron and I decided that we liked pink kayaks (they were numerous). We were the only ones who shared that opinion.

Eelgrass Program

This info has been in the papers and elsewhere; one more place can't hurt.
Volunteers are needed to take a waterproof map out with them when they're paddling on the bay and make note of their relative position when they paddle over eelgrass. The maps are available in Morro Bay at the Estuary Program office, Kayak Horizons, the Kayak Shack at the State Park Marina and the Harbor Office and in Los Osos at Coffee'n Things. Completed maps can be dropped off where they were picked up or at the Estuary Program office.
Contact info:
Ann Kitajima
Monitoring Program Manager
Morro Bay National Estuary Program
Phone: 805-772-3834, ex. 14
Fax: 805-772-4162
www.mbnep.org

Cayucos, July 7, 2009

Since we had encountered big wind on our previous endeavor to paddle off of Cayucos, we hit the water before 9 AM and went out through the surf on the north side of the pier. We headed out toward the kelp, and then north up along the rocks and coves. Dolphins leaped at several different times, within 25 yards, but couldn't get a picture. Judging by the number of seals, dolphin, and pelicans, there must have been plenty of fish out there. We were on a tight time schedule, and didn't paddle north as far as we will on the next trip. Pretty good surf landing with only minor seepage and sand.

Morro Bay July 6, 2009

Mike M. and I left around noon to check out a possible paddle off of Cayucos, but found that, while the surf was not too big to get out, the wind was already blowing like crazy, so we opted to turn around and paddle in the bay. We put in at the Tidelands Marina and paddled into a stiff wind out to the rock and around the cove between there and the south jetty. There was plenty of swell near the harbor entrance, and we made sure that we stayed away from the dredger and from the several boats and a jet-ski that were working with a group of junior lifeguards. On the easy return trip, we were treated to a trio of sea lions who were coming in and out of the water very near to us. Two of them seemed to tussle a bit, but I honestly don't know the distinction between play and fighting when it comes to sea lions. Tried to get a picture but they were camera shy.

Morro Bay July 5, 2009

After everyone else left Los Osos, I took a pre-sunset paddle from Baywood Pier over to the spit and back. Lots of wind, and a good workout.

Surfing the South Jetty in Morro Bay

Mike, Steve S. and I paddled from Coleman Beach and out around the south jetty to do so surfing practice. It was a full wetsuit morning, and it's too bad we didn't get video. Plenty of great rides and spills. Learned a few things; the most important being that wetsuits are great if you have a good chance of getting dumped. Apologies once more to those who couldn't join us.......

Monterey Bay Aquarium

OK, this was not a paddle, but I drove up Highway 1 from Los Osos to Monterey, and there were HUNDREDS of places that I saw that begged kayaking! The aquarium is a great destination, and there were plenty of folks paddling in the bay visible from the aquarium decks. Anywhere along the coast looked great, although ingress and egress is often difficult. Plenty of places to go later. Don't forget the aquarium, which is just a great place.

Montana de Oro July 1, 2009

This has been a fabulous paddling week. Jim, Lorelei, Mary, Mike and I launched our flotilla from Spooner's Cove at 10 AM on a low tide. Windless gray skies that turned to blue complimented the calm sea and medium swell that remained throughout the 2+ hour paddle. We paddled south past Pt. Buchon, with one detour into a cove. With the tide low and several first timers in company, we avoided the caves and archways nearest the beaches. The return trip was closer to land, and we enjoyed the ride up and down the swells that had gained in size since the start. A bit of time playing around in Spooner's Cove and a safe beach landing for all completed another great day out.

Avila Beach June 29, 2009

A GREAT paddling day!
Mary F. and I paddled out from the ramp at Port San Luis and headed up through the pier and along the shore line to the beach where the sea wall extends out into the harbor. We viewed a work crew high up in the hills constructing a set of stairs for what must be a new (or improved) trail (the view from the top must have been spectacular). We continued out along the sea wall, past a cacophonous chorus of hundreds of seals and sea lions, and out to open water. From there, we paddled about 1.75 miles toward Shell Beach, choosing a spot just south of Pirate's Cove as our destination. The sea was smooth, windless, with a small swell; the air warm but not hot, and the visibility good, with some cloud cover. We paddled around near the cliffs, and picked up a fair amount of trash in the kelp beds (Hey Mickey, you're so fine, but also a choice of litterbugs who heave your empty 32 ounce bottles overboard!). We paddled in through Pirate's Cove, truly a beautiful place, even considering the ridiculously sized homes that overlook it. We continued north along the bluffs, where there are numerous and wondrous geological features. Once past the bluff areas, we headed into a fairly stiff breeze with quartering whitecaps that made our return leg back to Port San Luis a pretty decent workout. Mary experienced a new way of arriving on the beach. Total time on the water was 4 hours, and we paddled between 6 and 7 miles as calculated later on Google Earth. We returned wet, hungry and tired. Perfect.

Morro Bay June 28, 2009

Paddled out on a cresting tide in the late afternoon from Pasadena Point, where numerous fishermen lined the banks. Several had catches of bat rays and leopard sharks. Paddled down to the rookery near the museum, where hundreds of cormorants and herons perched in the denuded eucalyptus grove. Continued down to the sand spit across from the embarcadero, and walked up the dunes to see what was displaying the tall masts that could be seen from the bay side. A large vessel was backing up right in the mouth of the channel, and is presumed to be tasked with dredging said channel. Returned to Los Osos by paddling up the sand spit side. Here's a bad picture of the ship in the channel.

Lake Kaweah June 22, 2009

Bennett and I paddled the Slick Rock area of Lake Kaweah this morning, and went up the mouth as far as the first river drop. We did some playing around in the eddies and currents. Lots of sun and wind. The fish were jumpin'.
The photo shows Bennett at the new launch ramp and dock at Slick Rock.

La Jolla Cove

June 18, 2009


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My Dad and I paddled La Jolla Cove this morning. We rented a tandem sit on top from the La Jolla location of San Diego Bike and Kayak Tours, who did a fine job of getting folks out with little or no hassle. There are several rental companies doing a brisk business from the beach in La Jolla Shores, where it is easy to get out through the surf and close to the cove. I chose this company because I saved $5 by reserving online. Total for 2 hours with a tandem, 2 pfds was $40. They have free lockers to store your valuables, and a place to change.
The water was nice, the weather pleasant, and the paddling easy. They have caves in the cove, but it is not legal to enter them without being in tour group. It was easy to look inside, and also easy to see how folks who don't know what they are doing could get hurt. The cove is famous for its clear water and abundant sea life (star fish, leopard sharks, seals, etc.) but on this day, we had only 5-6 feet of visibility, so we had to settle for great company and a fine paddle off of one of California's prettiest beach towns.

Montana de Oro June 12, 2009

As promised, we are back today! We paddled out from Spooner's Cove just after 9:30 and spent 3 hours paddling down to where you can see the Diablo Canyon power plant (and back). Along the way, we investigated several coves, did some minor rock gardening, and enjoyed the numerous seals and sea otters. The seals were the only ones around who might have been having more fun than us. Another awesome day kayaking!

Montana de Oro June 11, 2009

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Linda, Mary and I put in at Spooner's Cove in Montana de Oro State Park this morning around 9:45. This is an amazing place enjoyed by many; hikers, bikers, equestrians, surfers and tide-pool explorers, as well as typical "family day at the beach" outings. Anyone who thinks of closing a place like this to save State funds has no soul.
The put in was easy, with very small breakers at the beach in the cove, but wind and tight swells made paddling a bit dicey, especially heading out past the point in the "whacky water" that is trying to go several directions at once. We paddled out to the kelp beds, where the water is settled. From there we paddled south for a quarter mile or so before returning because the conditions were un-predictable. We enjoyed a fine roller coaster ride back into the cove and spent some time playing around the rock features there. A great paddle and a promise to return.

Morro Bay June 10, 2009

Paddled from 4-7 today from Pasadena Point north past the museum and then over to the sand spit side. Followed the spit south and spent some time up on the dunes. Spotted more bat rays, near the oyster farm where the channel goes into the estuary. This is the first time that I have seen rays there.