[Paddlewise] Day #36, More Mileage

4/24/08

Got on the water again today with Ken in hopes of putting a few more miles
under our belts. No more pussy-footing around with BAR turn-arounds for us!
Hit the water 9ish on this eve of the Newport to Ensenada race and faced our
first obstacle at Pirate's Cove. There we found Henry and Kathy working on
self rescues. Well, we found KATHY working on self rescues and Henry
paddling around aimlessly! He claims he had got wet too, but there wasn't
much evidence of it!! He said he had tried a roll and his bionic shoulder
let out a squeak and he decided not to provoke it anymore. Probably a wise
decision. Kathy was wearing a smart looking, brimmed bootie hat that made
her look like an equestrian and how appropriate as she did a cowboy reentry
on her steed. We chatted for a while and then realized we ought save some
for the Fest and left them to their own devices.

As we turned the jetty, a small seal greeted us on the rocks and jumped in
seeming to come for a visit, but then gave us our space. On the heels of
this weeks death by Grizzly story, Ken seems to have become deathly fraid of
seals, so we had to make a quick get-away. As we neared BAR, I spied Reid in
his tell-tale Mariner paddling with Jane visiting from Florida. Another chat
session ensued and we learned Jane was a Sit on Top girl giving a SINK a
try. She seemed to have the hang of it and we soon left them for greener
waters.

We got down the business of serious paddling, passing Crystal Cove, Reef
Point and upon reaching Abalone point decided to make the loop around Seal
Rock. That made it Ken's longest paddle in a while and my shortest in my
last two outings! Of course, at SR, it's namesakes were all around cavorting
in what I could only imagine was wet, slimy seal procreation. At least they
had the decency to do it underwater instead of on the rocks for all to see!

We passed on the thought of making a landing and started making good
progress home. We once again ran into another paddler, Chuck Freedman off on
our same paddle, but still a while behind. A short discussion on the dangers
of seal fraternization and we were off again-me taking the inside passage
and Ken hanging out farther from shore. It was a sunny cool day and I knew
in the end I was going to be sorry for forgetting my sun tan lotion, but I'd
have to wait till now to know how much! Soon we were back in the harbor,
passing the line of impressive sailboats ready for tomorrow's launch. We
were both glad to hit the beach after a good sized paddle and adjourned to a
hole-in-the-wall joint for some tasty burgers!

Mark Sanders
www.sandmarks.net

#
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