Re: [Paddlewise] How tough are SOF

[Please remove all old content that is not pertinent to your reply
including old headers and footers.  It's list policy.... 
this post was modified to meet policy]

Doug Lloyd pointed out:
> Hey, I like the picture of you from Mick Allen's site:
>>http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/wallpaper/download.php?image=18&pic=5<
>
> It's now on my monitor background.
> Let's do Deception Pass sometime. Sounds like good training:
>
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2002866793_nwwkayaks16.html

Hey, I'd forgotten about that photo.  There was some real intense moments on 
that trip.  That picture was snapped just after I'd surfed in from the right 
and through the centre gap.  I got turned around just as that monster 
crushed through.  I came through on a baby compared to that.

But the real scary part came at the end of the day.  Everyone was on the way 
back.  The guys I was with don't like rock gardens and it turns out  I got 
seperated playing in the rocks.  I mistakenly thought they were on the 
outside waiting for me.  I'd just paddled through this one area and was 
watching the swells come down this intersecting channel.  I waited and 
watched from my relatively protected side channel that was maybe 10 metres 
into the adjoining 30 metre surge channel.  Anyway with my usual bad timing 
I paddled out into the channel just as an unusually high wave entered from 
the ocean.  I was compleletly perpendicular to the oncoming wave. The 
channel was about 20 feet wide and the waves power was getting concentrated 
rather quickly.  When it hit I did a high brace and was swept along racing 
for the barnical and rock wall at the end.  Luckily the channel did not 
narrow or I think the bow and stern might have had a hard time of it.  When 
the wave, me and the boat hit the wall I was doing a combination sculling 
and draw stroke on the port side in an effort to avoind crashing into the 
wall on the starboard side. It seemed like I was on an express elevator. The 
boat and I flew up the wall and just kissed a barnical at the top of the 
ride.  Then just as quickly we slipped back down.  On the ride down, the 
retreating wave, and I suppose my sculling kept the boat clear of the wall. 
Didn't even scratch the hull.  At the bottom Iswung the bow for the 
enterance and paddled like mad cause half way down was the second wave.  I 
climbed up and over and got out.  I stayed out of the rocks for a good half 
hour after that.

Inside the rock garden I had only intermittent views of my partners.  Often 
I was so focused on the conditions that there was no time to watch to see 
where they were. When I popped out of the channel they were 300 metres away, 
backs to me and heading for home.  I was a tad disappointed in that as 
they're always going on about staying together. I concluded staying together 
is one of those things with a slippery definition, you know it means 
different things at different times.

Anyway Deception Pass has been on my list for a long time.  So has Nitinat 
Narrows.  Get healthy and we'll make plans.

Gordin
***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************