I got a call last night from Duane asking me if I'd be interested in an afternoon paddle today. One of the Paddlewise folk were in town and they were going to head down to San O for a coastal paddle. Richard Cohen was in San Diego getting ready for a trip down Baja way, but had a couple days to kill. I think he said he was from Ithica, NY, but it could have been Utica, but then out here on the west coast does it really matter? They both sound cold this time of year! The two o'clock start time was going to be tough for me, but I drove like a maniac all day and got home in time to hit the road with my boat at ten to two for the half hour drive. On the way, I could just imagine as I drove down the cliff to the beach seeing Duane and Richard out to sea a mile past the launch site. That wasn't the case, but Duane was just shoving off the shore when I drove up. I could tell I was going to like Richard right off the bat, as he seemed to have a more leisurely attitude about starting a paddle. Most of us folk who paddle with Duane know we need to get there 20 minutes before he does to be ready to go when he hits the water! I'd guess you'd say it was a good day/bad day for a paddle for someone visiting from the cold climes of the east coast, as the sun was out and the sky was clear, but it was about as flat as a pancake! San O was not going to impress anyone as a top surf spot on a day like today. But we still decided to hang out in the surf and get a few rides before heading out. Small waves though they may be, they were still fun to ride and at least warmed us up a bit before we headed south. One good thing about flat days is at least you can gab easily which was nice with having someone new in town. All your old stories that your usual friends are sick of hearing are fair game with a fresh ear. Richard has paddled with quite a few well known paddlers, so he and Duane were able to drop names. We'd chosen San O as a site mid way between the OC and San D and it's not the most exciting coast SoCal has to offer, but where else do you get to paddle past a nucular reactor! Duane needed to hit the road by five, so our paddle wasn't a long one. We found a sandy beach to land on to take a respite and I felt it only fitting I'd demonstrate to Richard my patented groveling on the beach landing. Richard had hoped to try out Duane's Point Bennett, but at 6' 2", he came up short against Duane's bulkhead footrest and decided to pass. It was a short break and we were soon heading home right outside the small break. Richard is GP paddler, so he and Duane had that in common. Richard tried out Duane's home-made CF GP and was quite impressed with its light weight. Duane has seen me break too many paddle to ever let me try his and I'm too familiar with the price of Richard's Superior GP to have asked to try his, so I stuck with my Onno. If I want to break a Superior GP, I have my friend Ken for that! The sun was getting low when we got back and Duane had to head out, but Richard and I stuck around for a few more rides. The waves weren't getting any bigger, although they did seem to be rolling in a bit more frequently. In between waves, Richard demonstrated some nice rolling technique. I was happy to hear he'd actually paddle a QCC before and said it was a hard one to roll, so I knocked off a couple just to prove I could even though one was a pawlata. We decide to get one more ride to head into shore, but before we did, we watched the sun sink below the Pacific with orange tinged Catalina and San Clemente Islands clear on the horizon. We loaded up as leisurely as we unloaded and then we headed off hoping to paddle together again some day. It was nice to meet another Paddlewiser and share my ocean with him. 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 8:53 PM, Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> wrote: > I got a call last night from Duane asking me if I'd be interested in an > afternoon paddle today. One of the Paddlewise folk were in town and they > were going to head down to San O for a coastal paddle. There has been a plethora of stories (with photos) on West Coast Paddler of paddling in ice and sliding down snow banks. Photos of guys covered in ice. Of cars smothered in white with the defining line between the vehicle itself and the kayak strapped down on top of it blurred beyond recognition. Sitting here and looking out across a lake that's frozen solid (I walked out on it today) I was thinking that the last thing in this damn world I need is another story about paddling in ice and snow. So Mark Sanders, I thank you kindly for not making me think of anything but sunshine and gentle surf. And as for the frozen lake, I think I'll just stop looking at it. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Mark Sanders wrote: > I got a call last night from Duane asking me if I'd be interested in an > afternoon paddle today. One of the Paddlewise folk were in town and they > were going to head down to San O for a coastal paddle. Richard Cohen was in > San Diego getting ready for a trip down Baja way, but had a couple days to > kill. I think he said he was from Ithica, NY, but it could have been Utica, > but then out here on the west coast does it really matter? They both sound > cold this time of year! > It's Ithaca. I know Richard and have paddled with him a bunch of times. We did the BCU Canoe Safety Test together. I remember when he first started paddling but he's probably far exceeded my skills now. I wish I could paddle as often as he does. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Paddlewisers, It was a pleasure meeting and paddling with Richard Cohen from New York. His timing was especially good with Southern California having hot weather and very calm conditions. Hopefully, the rain coming later this week won't dampen his Baja trip. Mark and I almost got to paddle with Shawn Baker about a year ago, but he became ill while out here and had to cancel. A photo of Richard and Mark at San Onofre State Beach is at: http://www.rollordrown.com/images/richmark.jpg Duane --- On Mon, 2/2/09, Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> wrote: > I got a call last night from Duane asking me if I'd be > interested in an > afternoon paddle today. One of the Paddlewise folk were in > town and they > were going to head down to San O for a coastal paddle. > Richard Cohen was in > San Diego getting ready for a trip down Baja way, but had a > couple days to > kill. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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