3/4/08 Third day on the month-not a bad way to start. I met Ken at the secret beach _at_noon today, a beautiful day to be on the water. On my way home from my paddle on Sunday, I nearly lost my boat from the wicked wind that almost torqued it off my racks. We were lucky the wind didn't start until we were done with our paddle. Today the wind was our friend, easing the heat from a sunny sky. I've got to be impressed with Ken. Old man that he is, he seems to have recovered quickly from his bike crash and was ready to hit the water. We had no real agenda; just started paddling. I was a bit worried with my blisters from Sunday, but they seemed no problem while paddling my Onno. Conditions were calm and the low tide prevented any excursions behind Big Arch Rock, so Crystal Cove became the default destination. Ken surprised me by saying he was up for a landing at CC. I just wanted to atone for my adventure at Treasure Island on Sunday. I headed in for the Green House, figuring if I was going to mess it up, at least do it for the folks feasting on over priced burgers at the restaurant. There was a rather nasty shore break breaking on occasion, but I made it in without incident if you ignore my usual sandy dismount. Ken exhibited good timing as well and we were soon snacking on the sand. Did I mention it was a beautiful day??? There's something special about standing on the beach taking a break from a paddle that gives you a chance to realize your good fortune. Snacking, chatting and watching the surf roll in--it seems the way a paddle should follow. Talking with Ken, I mention how before I started kayaking, if I saw a group of kayakers off Crystal Cove, I would be amazed! Where did they come from--these intrepid explorers braving the elements so far out to sea??? Now perhaps I am one of those people impressing the luncheoners and beach wanderers. As is usually the case upon landing at CC, we had a nice couple walk up to ask about our boats and our trip. Even the mild surf at CC seems to impress the uninitiated! Just about then, a wicked wave unlike anything we'd seen till then pounded the beach! The couple was concerned for our exit and Ken didn't help things by mentioning the loss of our club president last year!! Ken told them that with judicious timing, we'd be out safe and sound, but added that I (me) would just punch through anything that came my way!!! They asked if they could watch and I assured them that an audience could only lead to carnage!! I launched without a hitch and just to show off, waited for one of the large waves to roll in to catch a bit of air for our fans. The waves were hard to predict and I worried for Ken with his sore ribs getting hammered by that rogue wave, but after a bit of waiting he made it out with no trouble. Our trip home was rather uneventful. Off in the distance we saw a paddler headed home that by the cadence we discerned to be Chuck Freedman, but we never caught him to confirm. Towards the jetty, Ken seemed to be feeling the longest paddle since his return from his crash, but still had enough oomph to knock off a couple rolls at Pirate's Cove. When we hit the beach, Chuck's Nordkapp sitting on the sand confirmed our suspicions of the suspicious paddler. We had all snuck this paddle in for the day and couldn't hang out to chat, but I think we were all glad that we made it! Mark Sanders www.SandMarks.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:48 PDT