Well, Megan and I paddled both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday what we really wanted to do was go to Drakes Bay and do some whale watching. But we got a late start, and only had time to paddle around Brooks Island in the San Francisco Bay. Since we were pretty sure Sunday would be a full on El Nino day we knew we had better go for it. It was a beautiful afternoon. Those massive white billowy clouds are not the normal fare in these parts. They were quite delightful. There were a few sail boats out but they weren't having much luck. We passed them like they were standing still. The sailors thought we had racing kayaks. Nope. Even better: stitch and glue. We could see light squalls over the city and off in the north, but we were rain free. There's a big rock just off the western shore of Brooks. I guess we came up on it pretty quietly because we took a small group of seals by surprise. Most of them slipped quietly into the water nearby. They didn't panic and neither did we. They just watched us in silence as we paddled by, much as we were watching them. Pretty awesome to see this kind of nature so close to the gizmo metro. The next day was the first day of daylight savings. Ugh. Hard to get out of bed. But the sky was blue! A quick look at the satellite photo and we were convinced we could get in a whale or two today. We called our kayaking buddies, but they couldn't quite struggle out of bed, so we made a little breakfast, loaded up and took off for Pt. Reyes. The swell was light at Drakes Beach. The surfers weren't getting very long rides. Megan launched first and made it look easy. I had to punch through what must have been three of the biggest waves that day (I have a knack for that). But I got to test out my latest Greenland design for agility on the way down. Mmm. Not bad. Once assembled outside the surf zone we headed for Chimney Rock. Pt. Reyes is a huge peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The migrating grey whales heading north along the coast are forced to take a sharp left turn fairly close to shore when they encounter Drakes Bay, making it a great place to see them by kayak. We hung out at Chimney Rock for a while, but saw nothing. Still it was a great day. The hilly terrain was lush green with wild grasses punctuated by an occasional stand of live oak. Where land meets water the ocean has sectioned these hills to make gorgeous hill-shaped cliffs. The sky was blue above even though there were those massive clouds on a panorama around us. We headed back with a gentle breeze to port. I was timing the the lulls between the large swells that passed under us. Suddenly Megan shouted, "One just blew over there!" She was pointing to southeast to her right. We rafted up facing opposite directions so that we could scan 360 degrees. I saw one come up for air basically straight back toward our launch site. "Over there!" We watched as this great animal broke the surface and arched along back under. We looked at each other. "That looked more like a humpback than a grey." "Yeah." Then a mother and her calf spouted in the same area. Then another. Sure enough they were humpbacks. They were less than 100 yards away. Well that made our day. Landing through the surf was a piece of cake. We had some clam chowder at the snack bar and basked in our good fortune. Here we were going to kick back at home, have some dinner and get to sleep early. Those whales would still be out there on their northward journey. It makes me wonder, how do whales sleep? Do they dream at all about kayaks? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Craig, I guess my attempt at a prosaic trip report was not quite as clear as it might have been. The rock we paddled by near Brooks Island was not in restricted waters. The seals were as much a surprise to us as we were to them. There was no way to transport ourselves instantly to a "safe" distance. As there were only 5 or 6 seals in this group I don't think they were in any danger of trampling themselves. "Get in a whale or two" does indeed mean that marine life excites us. It is also consistent with respecting and protecting them. You say that kayaks may be more disturbing to wildlife than motorized craft. I differ with you there. It almost sounds like you are against whale watching from a kayak. Personally, I think whale watching ought to be *restricted* to kayaks only. To suggest the whales didn't know we were there is to sell them a little short. They knew where we were and they are the ones that chose to surface and blow near us as they did. They honored us with their trust, and we did not abrogate that trust. Last year a gray whale surfaced within 50 feet of me. This was not an accident. The whale was okay with being that close to me. I'm sure there are a lot of people on this list who have had a similar experience. Marine life encounters are precious to us. It is one of the reasons we paddle. We know the guidelines. Come on down sometime to San Francisco and paddle with us! Maybe we'll catch a few whales, and you'll see why we're excited. Keith Kaste Craig Olson wrote: > On April 6, 1998, Keith Kaste wrote: > > SNIP > > There's a big rock just off the western shore of Brooks. I guess we > > came up on it pretty quietly because we took a small group of seals by > > surprise. Most of them slipped quietly into the water nearby. They > > didn't panic and neither did we. They just watched us in silence as we > > paddled by, much as we were watching them. Pretty awesome to see this > > kind of nature so close to the gizmo metro. > > Are you aware of the federal marine mammal protection act? It is illegal to get > within 100 yards of a marine mammal unless they come toward you. the seals > "slipping quietly into the water" may in fact have been their way of protecting > themselves from an unknown danger. During this process, young seals can be trampled > or left vulnerable to attack from predators and the adult seals can be drained of > vital energy better used for rest and recuperation. > > > The next day was the first day of daylight savings. Ugh. Hard to get > > out of bed. But the sky was blue! A quick look at the satellite photo > > and we were convinced we could get in a whale or two today. > > "get in a whale or two" indicates to me that you may be thinking of the marine life > as a tourist attraction - something to entertain and excite you - rather than > something to be respected and protected. > > 'Sorry if this sounds heavy handed. It's just that I've seen so many > well-intentioned paddlers disrupt the essential activities of marine mammals and > other marine life by getting too close. The idea that we're not really disruptive > because we are human-powered, silent craft with good intentions doesn't really > matter to those we encounter afloat. Kayaks can be more disturbing to wildlife than > motorized craft because our silent approach can be misinterpreted as the stealth of > a hunter. Please respect the lives of those who share the waters with us! > > Craig Olson > Bellingham, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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