Re: [Paddlewise] International Friends

At 05:04 pm 17/07/00 -0700, Steve wrote:
>Just wanted to let everyone know that I had an extremely pleasant day trip
>with a fellow Paddlewiser yesterday.

Thank you Steve.

>About 10 days ago, Alex Ferguson from New Zealand, posted a message that he
>was coming to the Los Angeles Area and was interested in paddling.
>
>a friend of mine had organized a paddle from one
>of the local harbors to one of the off shore oil drilling platforms and back.
>
>Alex was paddling a SOT (for the first time) that I loaned him and was
>surprised that it wasn't quite as fast as the boat he usually paddles.

Well not actually surprised, I'd been warned about the boat's dimensions. 
It did feel like I could go for a walk round the boat at sea if I'd wanted 
to!!! One interesting thing, I was seated next to a Swing SOT owner on the 
flight over (from NZ) and at the time didn't know that that was the model 
I'd be paddling - small world.

>  My GPS proved valuable because the CG needed the
>longitude and latitude of the platform (it is marked on the charts!!).

If nothing else, we were navigationally  well equipped (I even had a 
compass tucked away somewhere).

>On the way back to the harbor, the swells were coming from behind and Alex
>kept trying to surf them in. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the loaned boat
>moving quick enough to catch them.

They were mainly too flat for that weight of boat (my own boat would be 
about a third of the weight). I just got one wave to just give a very short 
run - probably un-noticed as I headed for the lumpier bit on the way round 
the end of the breakwater.

>  I guess that's what happens when you are paddling a strange boat.

ANY boat at least gets one out on the water....

>We then sat and talked with Alex for several hours about his trips in New
>Zealand and ours in Calif.

And ate lunch in the sun - it's scattered cloud and almost 50 F here in NZ 
today... I had photos of NZ paddling areas with me - Abel Tasman, 
Marlborough Sounds, D'Urville Island, Milford Sound.....

>All in all it was a great day. Now I can't wait to go to NZ and borrow one of
>Alex's boats.

At the rate of dollar exchange, I'll be surprised if all the USA paddlers 
aren't here this coming summer !!!!!

 From an NZ perspective it was an interesting paddle - preparation, the 
boats used, the sea conditions (OK, they can change from day to day and it 
was fairly flat), other traffic, the distances to get anywhere (before 
paddling), and all the other differences between NZ and USA plus the 
changes since I was last there.

Alex
.
.
Alex (Sandy) Ferguson
Chemistry Department
University of Canterbury
New Zealand

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