Re: [Paddlewise] Rock Garden Tail

Wow great whale encounter. I would love to see a blue someday

congrats.

Bob

On 8/5/2012 3:59 PM, Mark Sanders wrote:
> I've been kayaking regularly for about 13 years now. I'll admit 
> sometimes it's a bit hard to drag myself down to the beach. And right 
> now the home grown tomatoes are ripe and I'm swimming in fresh salsa. 
> I've got 72 hours of Olympic coverage recorded to digest--and that's 
> just since yesterday! It would be so easy just to veg in front of the 
> HDTV and eat chips all day. But I convinced myself getting out for a 
> short BAR paddle this morn would assuage my guilt and make those chips 
> and salsa taste so much tastier!
>
> It was time to take Knudsen out for an easy RG day, so off to BAR I 
> headed. The swell was running at 2 feet, but the 20 sec period could 
> still create a bit of trouble. But with just a bit of timing, it was 
> easy to avoid any fuss. The Z handled well during my play as I closed 
> in on BAR. A bit of time in the arch and then at Brace Alley and it 
> was off to TCB hoping to get a couple of easy rides to see how Knudsen 
> handles the waves.
>
> The beach at TCB was pretty empty, despite the manned lifeguard 
> station. I was bummed when I headed in to find the crunch zone 
> completely filled with sea weed that had been mulched by the surf. 
> Still, I planted myself inside to punch the bigger waves and broach in 
> the smaller stuff. I'd had quite a bit of fun, when a wave came in 
> that I deemed a bit too big to broach into. I didn't really think I 
> need to punch through it too hard, but found I'd miscalculated. It hit 
> me and sent me back surfing, but I was happy at how well the Z handled 
> the churn. I was able to get turned around in the white water and was 
> ready to head back out, when I realized my skirt had imploded, so I 
> let myself get washed up to shore.
>
> I pulled my boat up on shore and settled down for a bit of a rest. I 
> was already a bit tired from my activity on the day, being as I've 
> been such a slug of late. One of the best things about being on the 
> beach is getting to nosh on some tasty snack, but unfortunately, I 
> hadn't brought any! I was happy to find I'd left a small bottle of 
> water in my day hatch at least. My breakfast on the morn had consisted 
> of coffee and a banana, because I was tired of thinking I needed to 
> fuel up for a silly paddle to BAR. All too true, but sometimes things 
> happen.
>
> I'd almost thought with my rather rude landing on the beach, the 
> lifeguard might think me in trouble--wouldn't be the first time. But 
> it wasn't till I was about to launch again that he walked by checking 
> out some kids climbing up on the rocks. On his way back, he kind of 
> sheepishly asked me if I had needed help on my initial landing! I told 
> him no, that I'd just been playing, but enlisted him to watch the kids 
> while I launched. I got off the beach without incident, but noticed a 
> bunch of boats congregating out to sea I mile or two. I thought they 
> might be sitting on a whale, so tired though I was I started paddling 
> out. I figured it was probably a WGC, but if I saw something on the 
> way, it might be worth it.
>
> After quite a bit of paddling, I hadn't seemed to close the distance 
> too much and hadn't seen anything to give me any hope. Then, as usual, 
> I thought I saw a spout on the horizon that turned out to be the 
> typical mirage against the haze. But wait, there it was again! Three 
> more spouts out past the boats and then the tell-tale tail of a diving 
> Blue. I figured I'd never make it out past where the boats were, but 
> thought I might get at least one more sight, so I continued on. The 
> boats wandered off further out to sea, so I lost my reference point, 
> but just kept paddling. Finally, I saw it come up again closer than 
> she'd been before. It was enough to keep me going hoping for a better 
> view. The next time it came up, I counted 10 spouts before it dived 
> again with a distant but distinctive tail shot.
>
> Already happy with my whale encounter, I paddled on slowly hoping for 
> at least one more view before heading home. Though I'd seen a lot of 
> spouts, I hadn't heard any, so I moved my hat off my ears hoping to 
> hear one off in the distance. The distance ended up being about 75 
> yards off my starboard bow! I've held the belief over the years that 
> the Blues like kayakers and like to check us out, which seems to me 
> the only reason this Blue would show up so close to me when I thought 
> she was so far off on the last view. Regardless, she was now moving in 
> a path to pass right in front of me. I'm calling it a female, because 
> it didn't seem as big as some I've seen in the past, but it's hard to 
> judge seeing how close it came to me and how dwarfed I felt! She came 
> by and I could easily see her blow holes. I've heard the exhale of 
> many whales, but I think this was the first time I could distinguish 
> the sound of an exhale from an inhale! As always, it was amazing!
>
> Down she went again, so I figured I'd wait one more time to see her 
> take off in the sunset. I figured another 15 minutes and I'd see where 
> she was heading on her journey. But her journey once again started 
> right off my starboard bow! She was moving at an angle to me, so I 
> paddled up hoping to maintain my close distance. She turned a bit and 
> was worried a second about whether I was going to be T-Boned by a 
> Blue. But she surprised me with how quick she could turn and head in a 
> direction back to shore. It was probably closer than I've ever been to 
> a whale and I was backing up to give her some clearance. Once again, 
> she dove with a wave of her tail.
>
> I was starting to get a bit worried. Though I was floating in the wind 
> and the tide, twice this whale had come up right off my side and I 
> wondered if next time she might be too close for comfort! But I 
> couldn't believe it could happen again and stayed for one more 
> encounter. She didn't disappoint and it was a repeat of the last two 
> visits. Once again I was surprised as she rose swimming at an angle in 
> front of me and turned quickly right in front of me to swim off my 
> beam. And once again it was me making sure to keep a respectful, 
> albeit short distance! She dove again and I headed home before another 
> visit could make me stay even longer.
>
> Man was I tired! The Z is not the boat I would intentionally go hunt 
> whales in, but that's where I found myself. The sea had become quite 
> choppy and I had a brisk wind to fight on my way home. The wind and 
> tide had taken me even further than my paddle out, but there didn't 
> seem to be any remedy other than constant paddle strokes! Though I'd 
> launched on a pleasant fall morning, I now found myself on a mild 
> summer day with the last of my water drunk on the beach. I was in my 
> wetsuit ready for RGing, not for a whale chase. It was a long, long 
> paddle home! It was when I could finally clearly make out the Red 
> Right Return sign on the end of the jetty, when I officially declared 
> myself the hungriest I've ever been in a kayak! The closer I came to 
> the jetty, the more it became perhaps the busiest day I remember on 
> the water. Boats were flying out, not seeming to care about a hungry, 
> fatigued kayaker trying to make his way back to the harbor. The 
> combined chop and wakes had me flopping all around, but I admit I 
> loved it! The hustle and bustle made me reflect. I'd just spent over 
> an hour all by myself, visited by the largest creature to ever inhabit 
> our planet. I'd even hoped towards the end that another boat would 
> show up to enjoy the show with me! Now all these folks heading here 
> and there, did they even know of the amazing encounter to be had so 
> close by? Such is our lives! I almost missed one of my greatest 
> encounters with these amazing creatures in order to watch someone else 
> having a life in jolly ol' England! But I feel old and tired, even 
> after replenishing with a large bottle of hard apple cider! I guess if 
> I can still kick my lazy self out on the water on occasion, I won't be 
> too hard on myself.
>
> Mark 
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