[Paddlewise] Day #90, Bumping into Rocks--On Purpose!

11/01/08

With raw sewage clogging the nooks and crannies of our intended destination,
we switched today's rock garden party to the cleaner waters of White Point
in Palos Verdes. Joining Jack and I were Duane, Ken, John Clinton and
Jeandrew. We were joined for a short time by a couple of Sit on Toppers, but
they decided close proximity rock play wasn't their cup of tea, so they
opted for a shore paddle.
The tide was high and the waves were small as we set off from the cobble
beach. Jack being the expert, we let him show us how best to enjoy the
wave/rock combinations, but we were all soon following him. We found a nice
rocky plateau getting a good wash over and we all took turns riding over it.
Duane was in his Mini Benny and John and Ken were in big boats, while the
rest of us were in WW boats. I had the RPM Max out for it's first rock work.
Even the big boats made it over the rocks.
Most of the waves were small, but we did start getting a few big sets. On
one big wave, I was fighting a couple different currents as I passed over
the rocks and when I went over on the other side, I found myself upside
down. The Max rolls really well and I got up just in time for a wave to wash
me into another submerged rock, so I was glad to be upright.
We spent some time bobbing in the swells as they came into the rocky cliff
and then just headed off to enjoy the different areas of White Point. John
had a bit of trouble clearing one reef and took a swim, but Jack and I got
him back in his boat real quick. Ken got swamped by a rogue ripple and had
to combat up, but I didn't see any other rolling on the day as the sea took
it pretty easy on us. We did have a few big waves roll in that gave us a
scare, but everyone handled themselves admirably.
The guys in the big boats weren't shy to get into the same stuff as us short
boaters. Duane handled the rock gardening chores easily with his GP. It was
fun watching Ken and John fighting their braces as they traveled over the
rocks. This was the first time I'd met Jeandrew and I have to say I was a
bit afraid of her before I'd met her. I'd heard the stories of her leaving
everyone in the dust on her paddles and figured she must be some kind of
stern taskmaster with no time for fun. Guess I was wrong. I did start to
feel sorry for her by the end of the day as it doesn't seem the poor girl
can stop smiling!
I was glad for a short break back on shore. We chatted and chomped, but
sitting around I already felt the tiredness creeping in. Duane said if we
waited onshore any longer, we'd have to call it a day and no one was ready
for that. We hit the water again and headed for the northern reef for more
fun. The water here was washing up along the side of the rock instead of
straight over, but that didn't stop Jack. He just followed it up like he was
banking around a curve, but I think he made it look easier than it was. I
rode the waves along side, but it was a bit unnerving to get too close.
Finally, I got one ride where I got a good bump on the rocks and managed to
make it out upright.
It was a short second outing before we started heading in. Of course we all
decided to head over our first rocky plateau to end the day. We all made it
over, although John decided to get in one more swim on the day. We got back
to our cars in the almost deserted parking lot and headed out for the local
Mexican restaurant. It was a great day on the water working on new skills
and pushing the limits a bit. I think we all agree it's nice to have Jack
around to show us the ropes.
Mark Sanders
www.sandmarks.net
#
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