Read, Vickie, and I launched at the Sheriff Station/Coast Guard Beach on Bayside Dr. in Newport beach today at about 10:00AM. Vickie was in her Avocet, Read paddled my Sirocco, and I was in his Express. The agenda was mostly just coastal cruising, but also some light surfing as opportunity arose to test the boat. I was hoping the wind would come up so I could see how the boat handled it. We paddled south. The rock gardens in this area were beckoning, but I stayed clear since I didn’t think Read would appreciate it if I damaged his boat. I did get to try a little surfing and the boat handles great. Resists broaching and pearling. When I did start to broach, I felt that I could have successfully resisted it, but I chickened out and let it go. In spite of the fact that my eyesight has degraded significantly, after many years of hunting, my eyes have become attuned to identifying game animals even under difficult or unusual conditions. From ¼ mile away my eyes locked on the unmistakable image of a deer standing on a rocky reef, 100 meters from shore. My brain was struggling to comprehend what my eyes were seeing, but as the distance closed it was clear that there was indeed a deer standing on that rock. Why? As we got closer the reason became clearer. There was a lifeguard truck on shore adjacent the deer, and a man in a wet suit (presumably another life guard) working his way out toward the deer on the reef. Obviously they were trying to “help”, but if there is one thing I have learned through years of hunting it is this: If you chase an animal it will run. Not exactly rocket science, but apparently allusive to those city slicker life guards. As wetsuit-man closed on the deer-boy (he was a young buck), deer-boy predictably jumped in the water and began swimming at a brisk pace, roughly in the direction of San Clemente Island. After a few quick computations which included wind speed and direction, swell height and direction, water temperature, and the phase of the moon, I decided it was best to head deer-boy off at the pass before he tired and drown. Soon Read joined me, and between the two of us we got deer-boy to stop and at least think about turning around. At this point I have to say that herding deer in a kayak is a lot of fun. To my complete surprise, it is even more fun than shooting them. I guess because it lasts longer. Anyway, what made it even more fun was what the lifeguard said over the bullhorn (this is not a joke): “KAYAKERS, COULD YOU PLEASE HERD THAT DEER INTO THE SMALL ROCKY COVE” (and after a many second pause) “BEING CAREFUL NOT TO JEOPARDIZE YOUR OWN SAFETY”. I guess that last part was for liability purposes. Ironic since those same lifeguards have lectured me on the dangers of landing in that rocky area. After some yelling and waiving we finally got those lifeguards to understand that the deer was not going to come in unless they moved to the side – they finally did. Then we herded that critter into the cove. YeHaaaa! Once he entered the surf zone, there wasn’t much left for us to do, but block the way so he wouldn’t come back out. He got window shaded a couple of times, but quickly “rolled” back up. I think he touched bottom during the rolls, but I’m not sure. Generally, he had very good surf zone skills for a deer, but his roll was sloppy as he seemed off balance during recovery. When we paddled away he was standing, panting in 4 inches of water trying to get his wind. Steve Brown *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
CLEARLY THE BEST STORY EVER POSTED ON PADDLEWISE! Jim et al ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Brown" <steve_at_brown-web.net> Subject: [Paddlewise] When Nature goes mad... >Generally, he had very good surf zone skills for a > deer, but his roll was sloppy as he seemed off balance during recovery. When > we paddled away he was standing, panting in 4 inches of water trying to get > his wind. > Steve Brown *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
About 3 years ago, I "met" 2 deers in water. It was in winter and about freezing point, no wind. I was out for a 20km paddling. on a narrow shipping channel and on the way back, about 8km still to paddle. I was in an area with vertical (metall) bank reinforcement, not real good for getting out and about 1km to the next flat bank area. Two female deers had jumped in the channel and swim and swim and swim, don´t know where to go to get out of this wet cold grave. Some sunday walkers lock over the channels "coast" which is like a fence and point out to the deers. What could, what should I do? I was out in my very narrow and tippy TM Umiak, no lines with me, no knife, at that time I even got no cell phone, thin clothing, everything wasn´t ideal for a wild deer saving action. I tried to force them to swim into a direction where one might get a grip on them, but all time they turn around and swim the wrong direction. Meanwhile I was getting real cold, my arms wet the sun was going down, the freezing air said "hello". So I decide to went on with paddling, I couldn´t to anything. Poor deers. I was behind the next curve, about 1km down the channel, I heard the fireworkers coming, a boat rescue unit came down the way and stopped at the fence of an powerstation harbour. One of the sunday walkers phoned them up. I go for them, telling I will bring them to the deers. - they got a quite small PE Dinghy with small outboarder, 3 men in it, the outboarder was hard working. But I was much faster :-)))) Don´t know what they would do on a highwater river in a "real" rescue action. Reaching the point where I left the deers, there wasn´t any deer! They decided to swim dwon the channel, funny, it was the best direction for the flat area and I find them a few 100metre downside. the fireworkers come behind me. It was funny to see how they don´t know to catch these wild animals ;-))) hard to fix them at the blank and get a hold on them. I helped to fix the deers and told the them men in the boat "no fear, only get a grip and pull them inside, its just a deer" and they do so. After few minutes they got both deers inside and they went back. I hurry up, paddling as fast I can, my arms, my whole body was cold and I was shivering. Hungry, thursty and still a long way under these circumstances. After 4km I became slow, so slow - uhhh! Back to the boathouse, first thing was a hot and loooong shower, ahhhh! After that incident I decide to get everytime some reserves with me, even on this good known channel. Normally I´d done so, but in the small Umiak without compartements... Lesson learned. Few days later I saw in the newspaper a picture about two deers in towels, hold by fireworkers and looking quite normal, the text said "a paddler alarmed them..." Crazy world, without a cell phone, how should I´d done that? :-)) Shit happens, but even der got lucky, from time to time. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jim et al said: >>CLEARLY THE BEST STORY EVER POSTED ON PADDLEWISE!<< I agree! Was that the same Steve Brown from the website below? The "plastic pastor of disaster?" http://www.brown-web.net/kayak/discussion/plastic-composite/plastic-rules.ht m I want to hear more stories from him. And I'm glad the park rangers were able to use Steve's skills with shepherding flocks of sheep -- as applied to the surf zone and sheep of the four-legged variety. I wonder how this stuff gets worked into his sermons. And you thought church was boring! Now if we could just get some similar accounts from Reverend Bob in Alaska (yes, Moose cartwheeling in the Alaskan mega-surf with an antler plant in the sand; now that would be interesting, rounding up our compendium of creatures great and small). Doug Lloyd (who's still trying to find Lime Stoned Point on his map of the San Yawn Islands) Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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