[Paddlewise] Storm Paddling Southern Calif Style

It's not often that we get any storms in Southern CA, but six of us had an
opportunity to do some storm paddling today. The NOAA forecast was for 15 -
20 knot winds, 5 - 7 foot swells and 2- 4 foot wind waves.
 
Although the Coast Guard station was flying small craft warning flags, we
launched from Oxnard, CA in what were rather mild conditions. The wind was
maybe 10 knots and possibly gusting occasionally to 15 knots. The 5 - 7 foot
forecasted swell was right on, but there were few wind waves. By the time it
was time to turn around and put the wind to our backs for the paddle home,
the wind was at a steady 15 knots. The 5-7' swell was still there, but we
now had 4 - 6 foot breaking wind waves coming from our port rear quarter.
 
Surfing one wave, I noticed that the entire bow on my Gulfstream was under
water all the way back to my compass. This was even as I leaned way back on
my back deck and was back paddling to try and get off of this wave.
 
Soon we were passing a sea wall on our right and it was causing some really
nice reflected waves to hit us from our starboard rear quarter in addition
to the wind waves from our port side.
 
Even with my skeg fully deployed, my boat broached 90 degrees twice.
Feelings were ranging from "whoo hoo, this is the most fun I've ever had",
to moments of abject terror as both the sea wall on the right and the
horizon on the left would disappear behind steep 5 - 7 foot walls of
breaking green water coming at us simultaneously. 
 
To compound this, starting about a mile before we reached the harbor
entrance from where we launched, there was a tidal race that threw some
standing waves into the equation. Then a 45 foot sailboat, under full sail
started leaving the harbor and aiming almost right for us. We couldn't move
to our rights because of a jetty that we had to get around, and he couldn't
move any further left because of a breakwater that he needed to get around.
 
We all waved and exchanged greetings as we passed within ten feet of each
other. I'm sure he thought we were as nuts as we thought he was to be going
out in those conditions.
 
All in all a great day of paddling for us down here, where it "never rains".
 
Steve Holtzman
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