[Paddlewise] Day #10, Month End Paddle

1/31/08

With Ken out of action, I was lucky to snag Duane for a paddle this noon
from the secret beach. It was my tenth time out on the new year, but with
the weather we've been having, my paddles have been pretty short. We decided
to head for El Moro beach--a good distance considering our rust.

It is hard to find a better word to describe this paddle day than perfect.
Little wind, a bright sky and 30 mile visibility made for a great paddle. We
hugged the shore heading through Corona del Mar and were treated to a pod of
dolphins that seemed to be hunting in the kelp. They seemed perfectly happy
to ignore us as they leisurely scouted the area.

We headed south past BAR and actually got a little warm while we paddled.
There was no need for rubber today, so we were just in t-shirts which was
plenty under the bright sun. The ocean was calm and we had no trouble
landing at El Moro, where we took a short break to enjoy the view of the
coast and out to Catalina. I had some trouble launching in the tiny surf
when I got held up on a sand bar as the one foot waves crashed on my
immobile boat. I got broached, but found enough water to get turned around
in time to straighten out into one of the larger waves hitting the beach.
While the sun was still warm, the cold water was its own version of bracing!

We paddled home close to shore and inside Reef Point, were challenged by the
small but confusing waves that were backed up by a couple more larger ones
looking to do us harm. The tide was low, so the rocks were close, so finding
a line with enough water wasn't so easy. Of course, we're here to write the
tale, so things must have turned out alright. We had another sneaker set
surprise us as we paddle home side by side with me, of course, right next to
the sucking rock that seemed to appear out of nowhere--just enough to put
some fun in a mostly placid sea.

So we once again marveled at how lucky we are to kayak in place where a
winter's day can be so perfect. After my slow start on the year, I was able
to squeak in 10 paddles on the month, not a bad haul. As I paddled home, I
thought of the year ahead with hopes of salty adventures and more paddles
with assorted kayaking friends. Let's hope everyone stays healthy!

Mark
www.sandmarks.net
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