Santa Ana day in Morro Bay

Saturday, October 5 was an unusually warm day at the central coast. When the thermometer on the shady side of the house read 70 degrees at 8:15 in the morning, I assumed it had broken. I was wrong. The Santa Ana winds came to the central coast and made for a different kind of kayaking. There were two main differences: the winds were from the east, and they were warm. Lorelei, Ron and I paddled from the dock the marina on the embarcadero in Morro Bay, hitting the water at around 9:30 AM. The tide was heading toward a high of 4.6' that peaked at 11:14, so we headed south on the incoming tide. Our plan was to paddle to the back bay and hang out until the tide turned and then paddle back. We paddled slowly along the sand spit and kept our southerly heading where the spit goes SSW. This put us a few hundred yards offshore. The winds really picked up, and we had 1-2' wind waves on our port side, which made for some nice rolling and splashing; also requiring close attention to position. After a bit, we decided to head down-wind (west) and take out on the spit for a short hike to view the ocean side. With the winds from the east, the breakers would spray back up and behind the waves, an interesting look. We took our time and enjoyed Lorelei's home-grown apples. When we returned to our boats, the tide had started going back out, and the wind had died down. We crossed the bay to the eastern side and then continued north past the museum and back to the dock.

High tides and good times

Three paddles in three days; vacation is good! I paddled from the Baywood Pier on a high tide early this morning. The temp was 40, the tide 5.7'. For only the second time in memory, I was able to drop my boat right off the pier and climb in without ever getting even my big toe wet. I paddled out across the flooded estuary, over sections that are normally above the waterline, and then along the peninsula south of the State Park Marina where they have recently built a long boardwalk for hikers to better experience the area. The picture posted here is of a downed tree that is usually sitting on top of the pickleweed in the area on the north end of the estuary. With the reflection, I thought it had a fish-like (albeit an odd one) appearance. I continued up past the museum and then across to the sand spit and eventually back to Baywood, where the water level had receded to more usual levels and necessitated a beach landing. It was sunny and windless, and definitely a good time to go out, as the wind really picked up later on. My hike at Montana de Oro was so windy in the afternoon that almost no one else was out, and, although I am always blown away by Montana de Oro, I literally was today. Back to the real world tomorrow.

I rock, Sorber rolls

Today, I had the good fortune to paddle with my friend John Sorber. We set out from the beach at Port San Luis, me in my Necky Kyook and John in his homemade Greenland style kayak "Abi" and hand-carved Greenland paddle. The surf was small, so I didn't even have on my spray skirt, which was a mistake as I took a small wave over the bow and had to pump out and paddle wet. John was decked out in a wet suit and his Tuilik, a necessity, since his boat is extremely tippy by design, and he loves to roll it; sometimes in mid-sentence. We paddled out through the harbor at Port San Luis, and out to the point were the old lighthouse was, doing a bit of cruising along the headlands to enjoy the rocks and small caves. From there, we headed out across open water south towards Pirate's Cove, playing around near some of the big rock features, keeping just outside the break (with a wary eye for bigger swells). John got quite a treat while we were in the kelp, as he startled a sleeping sea lion that he did not know was right next to his boat. Both John and sea lion demonstrated their surprise! With some larger swells coming in, we decided not to beach at the cove, and after a while went out beyond the kelp and paddled back to our put in, taking a fairly direct course through the oil company pier. Along the way, John rolled quite a few times, mostly intentionally. Before we headed into the beach, he demonstrated a number of cool rolls. Our landing was un-eventful, and we packed up for the day. Three hours and approximately 5 miles of paddling with a friend is a great way to spend a school vacation day. Back to work soon.

New Year's Paddle 2013

In keeping with tradition, I hoped to get out and paddle on New Year's Day. This year, it was doubly good! Ron, Lorelei and I paddled on a full moon and high tide from the Baywood Pier; we were in the water at 11:45 PM on New Year's Eve. It was pretty cold, and plenty dark, despite the full moon (cloud cover). We paddled around the back bay until 1 am, celebrating the turn of the new year with glow sticks provided by Lorelei. On New Year's Day, we paddled out on the next high tide around noon, making our way to Shark Inlet, along the sand spit and back to Baywood. It was considerably warmer and sunnier than the night before ;). I think it was the 4th year that a paddling outing was done on the first of the year. What a great start.

King Tides Paddle Morro Bay

Mike, Ron, Lorelei and I paddled from the Baywood Pier on a 5+ foot tide on Saturday, December 15. The weather was fine and windless, leaving a glassy bay for us to explore. We paddled over to the sand spit, where we realized that the very high tide had deposited trash right at or just above the water line, making it easy to pick up and bring back with us. We took the trash that we could fit, using a 5 gallon bucket that was part of what we picked up. We did not have the capacity to bring back larger items, like the full-sized plastic trash can that we took from the water line up to higher ground. We plan to organize a more concerted effort on the next very high tide, bringing along trash bags and towing an empty sit on top or two to fill up. We continued down along the spit to the place where it hooks over toward the Morro Bay Embarcadero, and took out there to walk over the dunes to the beach side, where we enjoyed tasty snacks (fun to say peanutbutterballs). We took a more direct route back, able to paddle right through the grassy island area that was nearly totally submerged.

Just Plain Lucky

Sunday, November 18 began with rain. It rained for most of the morning, then began to break up. At the coast, it's hard to tell where the next weather is coming from, as the mountains and sea all have their own ways of surprising you with what comes next. As I did the previous day, I decided (rather spur of the moment) to go out paddling. I put in at the Baywood Pier, which was absent of the normal folks who hang out on nicer days. The restaurants were nearly empty, but the bay was full with an approaching high tide of around 5 feet. I set out in very calm, almost still, water and saw no other craft out. What was out (again) were several groups of jumping seals, followed by the birds. With no destination in mind, I floated and watched the seals, the diving brown pelicans, the floating white pelicans (I counted 36) and numerous cormorants, ducks, gulls, and more. I was watched pretty closely by a lone gray seal (was that its job?)and noticed that there was also a lone white pelican that was not with the rest of the group. I paddled around some more and headed back after an hour or so. On the paddle back, the sun was out and it was quite warm. What looked like rain turned out to be a glorious and entertaining paddle. Just plain lucky.

Rain or not

The forecast called for rain all day. Ron, Lorelei and I went out strolling around Baywood in a light rain, which came and went. The air was warm and the breeze slight, making our walk only slightly different than any other. With more rain promised, kayaking was put on a "probably not" list. We changed our minds, though, and Ron and I went paddling in the back bay just after the high tide. It never rained at all after we got in the water. We were treated to the usual sites of the back bay, paddling past Sweet Springs and out to the sand spit. We heard gun shots from duck hunters, but saw none. What we did see was a fine moving feast enjoyed by dozens of diving pelicans and breaching seals. Another perfect day.

Laura's Birthday Wish

Friends Lorelei and Ron and I had a fine paddle with birthday girl Laura (12) whose birthday wish was to go kayaking. Laura handled the kayak solo all the way from the Baywood Pier to the sand spit and back. We were accompanied by neighbor Rob who was out on his paddle board. Along the way, we watched thousands of diving/feeding birds of numerous variety who were feasting on the bait fish run in the bay. A number of seals enjoyed the feast as well, and checked us out as we paddled. On the sand spit, we snacked and "slid" on the dunes. With plenty of water and little wind, it was a fine outing. I think everyone should kayak on their birthday.

Whales!

Jim and Linda Angelo and I paddled in Morro Bay today. We had considered going to Avila, where the humpback whales have been treating folks for over a week to a spectacular show, but we heard that the whale's popularity has created huge crowds, backed up roads, etc. Instead, I paddled from the Baywood Pier, and met Linda and Jim off their starting point in the Cuesta Inlet. We paddled on a rising tide and into the wind over to the sandspit, about mid-point on its length. We hiked the dunes up to the highest point, where views are 360 degrees of the bay and ocean. We noticed that just off-shore there was a swath of bird floating the was perhaps a mile long. Soon, we noticed a lot of feeding activity off-shore, and we spotted humpback whales! There was a whale-watching boat out there too. We could see the whales breaching and spouting with the naked eye, but were afforded better views with the binoculars. What a treat! We watched until we couldn't focus any more (staring at the ocean is tiring). After a treat of peaches and pistachios, we got back in the boats (the tide had risen considerably) and paddled along the spit, into shark inlet as far as we could go. I "dropped them off" at the Cuesta Inlet and finished my paddle back into Baywood. Wow!

Dolphin in Morro Bay August 2012

I didn't plan to kayak today, but needed to go to Morro Bay to get some propane, so I decided to put my boat in at the Tidelands Marina and paddle north to the rock (Morro Rock) and back. It was a gorgeous day on the bay, and the tide was just cresting. Before I even got in the boat, three dolphin were spotted just off the dock, and heading north toward the harbor entrance. They were in no hurry. I paddled near them and took a bit of video, and then paddled up ahead and just sat with my iphone ready to record. I missed the first dolphin as it surfaced only a few feet from the bow of my kayak, and though I couldn't see what I was recording because of the glare, did manage to get a bit of them as they went by. A feel good experience. The rest of my paddle to the harbor entrance and back was very nice, and I spotted the dolphin again near the rock as they headed out toward the ocean.

Scott's first kayaking trip

While my brother Scott was visiting in Los Osos, we hiked the Montana de Oro bluffs walk, played around near Morro Rock, walked the beach and the pier in Cayucos, hiked a portion of the Estero Bluffs trail, and went out for his first kayak paddle. We paddled on a near high tide from the pier in Baywood, and over to the Shark Inlet area. It's about a mile or so, but seems farther when paddling straight into a decent wind, which is what we did. Scott managed well, and was rewarded with calm waters once we reached the sand spit area at Shark Inlet. After a bit of poking around, we paddled north along the spit and climbed up King Dune for the awesome view of the entire area; ocean on one side, bay on the other, with views of Morro Bay, Baywood, and the surrounding hills. The paddle back had a bit of wind help, but not as strong as the way over. I think we hooked another kayaker.

Pender Island July 2012

During our wonderful week in British Columbia, we had the privilege to spend 3 days with old friends John and Ted and (most of) their families. Hosts John and Cindy provided an awesome place to stay, fantastic meals, fun-filled outings and of course, the enduring companionship of great friends (since 1967 for me). One of our outings included kayaking along the shoreline of South Pender Island. The scenery must be experienced to be appreciated. We paddled from a put in spot 2 miles from their waterfront home, and switched paddlers; Ted taking my place as he and John continued for another few miles and back. Later in the day, Ted and I paddled back to the original put in.

Solo to Shark Inlet

I went out for a solo paddle on a rising tide on Saturday evening, July 14, 2012. I left the Baywood pier at 5:30 pm and paddled southwest  into the wind and across the back bay to the Shark Inlet area, which was in the lee of the sand spit dunes. It was a good, brisk paddle over, and the wind provided a pretty decent workout for me. I investigated little nooks and channels in the far corner, and found a nice place to just chill for a few minutes.
On the way back, I called my best bud Doug on the occasion of his birthday (also Bastille Day).

Two paddle day

Mike and his new Necky Manitou 14 with skeg

One day, paddling twice, very nice.

This morning (July 13, 2012) buddy Mike and I paddled from the Tidelands Marina to take his new Necky Manitou 14 out on its maiden voyage. We paddled on a receding tide to the sand spit and south past Grassy Island, with just enough water to make it through. We continued on south to the channel and then over to Baywood at Pasadena Point. From there we paddled just outside the estuary area and over to show Mike the new launch point at the State Park Marina. Paddling past the museum, we continued up the east side and back to the marina. Mike loved the new boat, and we were in the boats for about 2 1/2 hours. Much easier on his back than the scrambler. Faster too, as well as drier and quieter. Good stuff.

At 5 pm, Ron, Lorelei and I paddled into the wind from the Baywood Pier across to King Dune, where we took out and hiked to the top to enjoy a dinner of Noi's yellow curry with an ocean view. The scenery, food, company and paddle were all top notch. The tide was high, plenty of water everywhere, and Ron got to test out his boat with the rudder that he added to keep from blowing sideways all the time. It worked! 

Morro Bay June 30, 2012

Mike and I paddled from the Tidelands Marina on an approaching low tide. We correctly estimated that we would have just enough water to cross at the north end of the sand spit and follow it south, knowing that the area near grassy island would be very shallow. We only hit bottom a couple of times, but would have had a more difficult time 15minutes later. The weather alternated between partly sunny and almost completely gray, with a slight breeze. We stopped to climb the sand spit for a look at the ocean, and were surprised to see the smallest waves I can recall. Back in the boats, we continued south to the place where the channel wraps around to meet the sand spit. From there, we followed the channel back across toward Los Osos, staying with the channel on the east side, past the museum area and returned to the marina. In all, we were out just shy of 3 hours; time well spent.

Baywood solo

Went out solo this morning. The tide was not going to be too high, leaving just a window of time for paddling in the back bay from Los Osos. I left the pier at Baywood 45 minutes before high tide and returned 45 minutes after high tide. There was little wind, the sky was grey and trying to get sunny. In the Baywood cove I spotted a couple of bat rays, with one going right under me, but couldn't get a picture worth saving. I paddled out to the estuary, trying to find the channel  and eventually turned back when I realized that it would be too easy to get stranded in 3 inches of water. I headed back and paddled along the north side of the Baywood peninsula, and down as far as 8th street, which is only 2 blocks from home. Alas, the views from this side of the hill are much bettter.... The algae bloom has begun, and should soon cover much of the shallow areas along the shoreline there and also along the sandspit. A nice paddle back and an enjoyable hour and a half. I cover a lot more distance when paddling solo, and got at least a bit of a workout. The real workout was in the yard when I returned. All good.

Quarry and Park Ridge Loop Trail

After a morning of kayaking, what better way to spend an afternoon than taking the Quarry and Park Ridge trails loop from South Bay Blvd? OK, maybe you can thing of something better, but this hit the spot for us, as Mike, Clarice, Susan and I did the 2.5-3.0 mile loop with great views of the ocean, bay and surrounding foothills. It would have been perfect except Susan and I found 7 ticks between us when we got home, despite having checked at the end of the hike. We are still hoping that 7 was all of them......

Susan on Park Ridge Trail overlooking Morro Bay

Memorial Day Weekend Paddle

Bennett and Ron dwarfed by the dredger

Well, the back bay had about a spoonful of water in it, so we headed to Morro Bay to paddle from the Tidelands Marina. Mike, Bennett, Ron, Lorelei and I headed into the breeze and into the incoming tide; destination Morro Rock. The weather just kept getting better as we paddled. Lots of rental kayaks out and people having fun. We hugged close to the rock to keep our distance from the dredger that was on its way in. We paddled over to the north jetty and along it, just checking stuff out, and eventually out into the harbor entrance itself, where, true to form the ocean showed just how powerful it is even on a calm day. The trip back was almost too easy, with the wind and tide pushing us home.

Boogie Boarding at 24th Street

Mike M. and I at the start of the Memorial Day weekend. We met fellow b-boarders Mary and Lorelei for a venture into the surf. A bit chilly today. Mike and I got beat up pretty good trying to surf the break. Lots of great rides, though.

Super Moon Paddle in Los Osos

Well, the moon appeared to me as a regular full moon (not the super moon of media coverage), but with a high tide and a windless, cloudless night, it was a great time for a moonlit paddle. Four of us headed out from the Cuesta inlet at sunset and spent 2 hours paddling the back bay along the sand spit and shark inlet. It was a beautiful night of paddling and friendship, enjoyed by all.