3am was the wake-up call this Monday for the start of my Catalina adventure. What had started out as a group of eight dwindled down to three brave souls willing to make the trek to Goat Harbor. Ken, Debra and I carpooled down to Cabrillo with Barb offering to drop us off and pick us up--a great offer. This was Debra's first crossing, so she had the typical newbie nerves, although we knew she wouldn't have any trouble. But trouble there was as we tried to enter the parking lot near our launching beach! A car was parked right in the entrance with its hood up and someone fumbling inside. There were two kayaks on the roof, so it seemed someone else might be looking at a 6am launch to Catalina. We all agreed we didn't want to cross with some strangers who might not rise to our lofty kayak talents! The man looked unfamiliar, but then I saw a woman's face peek out from the back and I said "it's Jeandrew!" "No", said everyone in the car; she's gone home to South Africa. But she it was and upon closer examination, the man turned out to be Connor. So the tables could be said to have turned--slim chance they'd want US dragging behind them like a sea anchor! But it turned out, they weren't heading for Catalina--they'd just RETURNED from Catalina! And what was worse, they said it had been a horrible crossing---not the sort of encouraging word for our newbie. But Ken had checked the morning forecast, which called for reasonable conditions and we decide to head out anyway. (CKF clubmembers know Jeandrew to big one of the longest, fastest paddlers around and Connor just came back from an epic 2000 mile paddle of the coast of Wash. and AK, so when they tell you they had a rough time, you listen!) We bid all adieu and left the Cabrillo sand to launch into small surf. I started the trip off poorly committing the cardinal sin of surf launches--listening to Ken on when to launch! The wave I punched was nothing to cause carnage, but the idea of starting off somewhat dry ended as my boat submarined through the wave. A bit later after plunging through quite a few swells, I noticed I'd forgotten to clip the straps on my front hatch, but somehow, everything remained dry. This was the start to our wet crossing. We had just enough wind to make sure any drips off our paddles or water loosened churning through the swells would gather about our person. Only for a few minutes did the sun come out to create a shadow. The wind and wet kept us all on the chilly side. For most of the trip, we battled quartering seas from both the front and rear and Ken and Debra had a time dialing in the correct skeg setting. A little over half way, we started to see bits of the island peeking through the haze. About two hours away, conditions got even more challenging. The quartering seas picked up, as well as the wind sweeping around the Island. I was really enjoying myself, as having my bow plunging under the water always makes me feel like a real kayaker! The two quartering seas would often meet in the middle to crash right on our beam for a wet, bumpy ride. I was plowing away, when Ken came up to remind be I had a fully loaded kayak with a deck bag on the front and stadium cushion and guitar strapped to the back, so it might not be a good time to go too wild! That Ken! Always ready to throw sand in your picnic! Anyway, that got me contemplating the rolling motion for an overloaded kayak which made me go remind Debra that if she had to roll to take it nice and slow. I'm not sure she knew how to take the warning! The rest of the way in was dicey, but we soon found ourselves in the lee of Goat Harbor! One bright side of losing more than half of our original paddlers for this trip is we had scooped up all three sites on the beach. Goat Harbor was to be all ours for our stay. It is a nice crescent shaped gravel and cobble stone beach. The high terrain in the back gives you a real sense of privacy. We set up camp and Debra and I both worked on setting up some shade. We'd both brought extra tent poles and tarps and we hooked them all together to create enough shade for all of us to lie under together to enjoy the cooling breezes and ocean views. The frequent strong gusts threatened to take away the whole shebang, but it lasted the whole stay. It would become command central for our Goat Harbor stay. So we had made it to Goat Harbor in less than 7 hours. The crossing had seemed pretty easy to me, but when I looked at my finger tips, they looked like giant puckered alien fingers! Debra had it worse--she'd worn a new pair of fingerless gloves and the edge of the gloves created a line of blisters on quite a few fingers! Ken said he started to remember why he said on his last trip to Catalina he wouldn't be coming again! There was already talk of skipping the planned trip to Two Harbors the next day, but I knew that was just the initial landing weariness talking. It was hot in the sun without much shade available, so our shade tarps were a life saver and after rehydrating, setting up camp and noshing a bit, we three sat in seventh heaven enjoying the beach and the breeze. This was not a group that suffered from those long, unpleasant pauses where you can't think of anything to say!! We entertained ourselves quite nicely till the sun reached the cliff on the west side and the camp and we went from sunny heat to a warmly lighted glow. After our various dinners, the sky started to dim. Ken and Debra were like two folks from the olden days, huddled around the radio, but instead of Fibber McGee, they were listening to the weather channel to see what it predicted for the rest of our stay. I sat strumming my guitar in the glow of a big camp candle I'd brought to replace a roaring fire. Debra was the first to crack at eight, but before everyone headed to bed, I made them listen to my song, Goat Harbor Roar, that I'd written when our trip was first planned. So that was the end to a very eventful day. We woke up to a nice leisurely morning. With no real agenda, we didn't have to be worried about being on the water at any certain time. I planned to head to 2H, but still wasn't sure if Ken and Debra would be joining me. We ate our breakfast sharing our table with the one abundant wildlife on the beach--bees! I think they were sand bees and they didn't seem to care too much about us, but spent their time searching the table and rocks for any morsel of food. True to my own heart, they were quite fond of bacon, which was my breakfast staple for the trip. You could swat them with impunity and I applied the "Aussie Salute", recently learned during our visit from Jacqui, to keep them away from me and mine! At about 9am, I said I was going to paddle to 2H and Ken and Debra decided to come too--the memory of the weary crossing now passed. Debra used duct tape to swath her bumpy fingers and we set out west against a steady wind. We hugged the rocks to stay clear of the weather and didn't care we were only producing 2.5kts. We headed straight across a couple of the big coves and for this long slog had no relief from the wind. The sight of Ship Rocks buoyed my spirits, but it was a long 5+ NM. The trip to 2H wasn't just to replenish our water and buy a tasty burger, we were also expecting a fourth member to our camp. Dublin Dave was heading over own his own, although with the wind and waves what they were around the island, we weren't sure he hadn't aborted his trip. But Dave being the strong paddler that he is, within 20 minutes of our arrival, he was enjoying a burger with us on the patio overlooking the harbor! We left 2H with the wind finally on our backs. I wanted to take full advantage of the conditions that made the paddle up a slog and so headed out wide while the other three kept closer to shore. I was tacking--getting good rides on the waves that would bring me closer to shore and then paddling out again. We were probably more spread out than some would prefer, but I kept watching to see if everyone was still around. Ken was staying with Dave and his full boat and Debra was out front with me, albeit closer to shore. I thought the inside waters were too confused because of the waves refracted from the shore. But if I had the easier rides, the rest of the group got the best view of a stampede of dolphins just flying through the wind! It was a neat sight even from my vantage. Closer to the Goat, Ken caught up with us and promptly missed a plant and had to roll, our only combat action! Back at the Goat, we had plenty of beer, wine and shade for everyone, especially as Debra only imbibed of the shade! Dave and I both took refreshing soapy baths in the ocean, while Ken and Debra seemed content with their camping patinas. Dave soon set up and found his spot in our shade array and we got down to some serious ocean watching! Dinner came around with various meals planned, but I supplemented everyone's meal with the perfect camp food--hot dogs! I was left with half a can of chili to stick back into my cooler, but it actually came in handy later on our trip. Evening again found us around a blazing can where Dave, too was subjected to Goat Harbor Roar as his rite of passage. Perhaps we stretched the night a half hour past the day before. You have to bring your own water to Goat Harbor as it is a primitive camp site--it should be MORE primitive! We knew there was an outhouse somewhere nearby, which we thought would make camping more pleasant, but the sight on the skip to the loo would make you cringe! Let's just say people must have decided that the outhouse was just something to aim for! And their aim was unsteady! Of course, the door had broken off long ago, which was probably a blessing! Debra and I decided to Wag Bag it, but Ken was a brave soul. But on our third day while sitting at camp we had visitors. A service boat arrived with three people, a kayak, several buckets and bags and a long stick! The first guy got off the boat and asked us if we were all together. Ken told him we'd rented all three sites and his reply was, "yeah, but you're all together, right? You took all three sites so you could have the whole beach to yourself! You know other people could have camped here if you'd all stayed at one camp!" We told him that we'd had a larger group planning to come, but the weather had scared them off, but he wasn't too mollified. I could see his point, were 2H and all the other boat-in sites full, but we'd passed by all empty beaches on our travels, so his admonition seemed unwarranted. I gave him some latitude considering he was just about to go up and clean our s&*t-house! When they were through with their work, they were friendlier and chatted with us. We opined to the head guy that we'd just as soon Wag Bag it than use such a facility and he was of the same opinion. When they left, one of them left part of the door and stick and told us we could burn it in the fire! I have to admit, the facility was at least usable after their administrations, but I think their visits are way too few and in between. They left us with some good advice--cat food put around the camp would draw away the bees--hence a use for my unused can-o-chilli! And gee, thanks for lettin' us burn your s&*t stick!!! Our guests had provided an interesting change from our usual routine on what was our day of rest before the trip home. When the sun climbed our eastern peak, we headed for the shade and a day of checking out anything on the water. Ken had brought a good pair of binoculars which made the task easier. Dave had deserted us for another trip to 2H, he being a paddling hound! Ken napped in his tent while Debra and I stretched out in the shade. All of a sudden, Debra gave a start as something had either stung or bit her right above the knee, which gave her quite a bit of pain. It was a chance for both of us to raid our first-aid kits to see what ammunition we had to help her. She found some type of insect sting wipe and I put some ice in a small bag to wrap around her leg as a compress and after a bit of swelling, it started to ease. You might think sitting in the shade staring at the ocean might become a bit boring, but I never found it so. I'd brought a book to read and crosswords to do, but never got a page read. Ken got antsy and spent some time rolling, but Debra and I wanted to save our shoulders for our next trek. Then, as Ken took a hike in the hills, Debra and I spent some time flying the kite I'd brought. Dave soon returned and under the shade the drinking began. Ken and I shared a giant Fosters beer and then some wine, but sadly, I couldn't get anyone to help me use up my tequila! From then on, I know I enjoyed some tasty chicken tacos, but someone else will have to fill us in on what happened the rest of the night! Still, I had a good night and followed everyone to bed before too long. We awoke before the sun our headlights darting about as we went about the task of readying for sea. We wanted an early start to avoid any nasty conditions for the trip back. We were all on the water by 6:05 and treated to a beautiful morning at sea. The view of the island from an hour out with the sun still fringed in the clouds was just great. The four of us made great time and within two hours had glimpses of the mainland. Our only wild life were on several occasions big groups of bait fish would come leaping out of the water. It was almost as if they were rounding us up, but more likely something else was after them! We had a bit of sun, a tad of wind and a hint of seas so it was a picture perfect crossing and both Ken and I thought we could do another twenty by the time we landed. Barb was waiting for us on the beach and Ken was so excited to see her he window shaded in the small surf! Dave and Debra landed incident free, but I hung back outside. This was my second trip with a guitar on back of my kayak and conditions hadn't always been benign! Ken had said he'd buy me a burger if I could roll my boat with guitar, cushion, deck bag, water bag and paddling jacket still under my bungies. I figured I ought to know if I could do it in case I ever want to carry it again. It was windy and cold and as I went over the boat rolled 3/4s the way around. I waited for it to settle and started my slow roll back up. Success!!! So not only do I claim to be the only kayaker to haul a guitar to Catalina, I'll also claim to be the first to roll with one till some proves different! A good way to end a good trip on the water! It was a long process of getting all our nasty gear back into K&B's van. Dave had his own car to load as well. Barb came prepared with sodas, chips and salsa and Rollo cookies to ease us back to civilization. Finally we headed out to eat at the Lighthouse restaurant, where everyone ate like pigs, but me who supped on a reasonably size burger. It was a great trip. Having a high volume boat, I have a tendency to over pack, which I'm going to try to work on, but if you've got the room, why not fill it! My only real disappointment was there wasn't any real driftwood on our beach, so I never had an opportunity to bring out my throwing knives! Mark *Link to Ken's photos, as I went mostly photoless http://tinyurl.com/27lz329 #* *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Sep 17 2010 - 19:40:37 PDT
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