Maine Paddling Connection Blog
Today, I launched from Tidewater Boathouse in Oakland just before 11am for a lap around Alameda island. The course is 15.5 miles long and offers a balanced circuit of upwind & downwind. I caught the very end of the ebb and was able to ride that almost to the north tip of the island. Paddling against the very start of the flood, the wind threatened to pick up some, reaching maybe 10 kts at times.
Read MoreOn Saturday I participated in the inaugural California 100 paddling race from Redding to Chico on the Sacramento river. 100 miles of continuous paddling is a challenge for anyone in any discipline and I opted to do the course on a standup board. I anticipated a conservative, consistent pace down the river and was shooting for a time under 14 hours 24 minutes.
Read MoreThe Davenport race last saturday, put on by the Ghostryders Watermans Club, was one of my toughest days on water ever.. I've paddled sea kayaks in some very challenging conditions and this was right up there. 20-25 knot sustained winds created some good sized swells a bit mixed up. The route is a 14-mile downwind shot from Davenport Landing to the wharf in Santa Cruz.
Read MoreSean Morley & I got out recently for a nice downwind crossing of San Francisco Bay from Horseshoe Cove, beneath the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, to Berkeley. We had to get an early start in order to be back in time for other responsibilities, which meant we were a bit too early for the wind. But, no worries, the wind made an appearance halfway into the trip just as we were getting near Point Blunt.
Read MoreSea Otter is one of my favorite events of the year. It's a ton of work that involves long hours but in a strange way it's one of the easiest events I've ever worked on, mainly because I had so much fun I forgot I was working. There was an overwhelming amount of teamwork between departments this year and everyone was working towards one end goal.
Read More1 trashed fin, 2 holes in my board and a 3rd place finish. What a fun event! This was my first time running the section of river from Alexander Valley campground to Veterans Memorial Beach Park in Healdsburg. The fifteen mile route started out shallow and rocky and continued for most of the race. Some fast moving water in places moved over shallow rapids and around overgrown bends.
Read MoreBaja Kayak Fest was a blast. Even though I had to jet out on Sunday morning and missed a day on the water, it was well worth the trip and was just an overall good time. Jennifer Kleck of Aqua Adventures and Victor Leon of Baja Aquatics did a fantastic job organizing the event in a worry-free and safe manner for students & coaches.
Read MoreI recently spent a few days dog sitting in South Lake and got a couple days of paddling in. Since the forecast called for warm temps and sunshine I went up armed with paddling & skiing gear. Instead of skiing uncrowded spring conditions I opted to hit the lake.
Read MoreI recently assisted Steve Scherrer on an ACA Level 1/2 SUP ICW in Long Beach with ten SoCal instructor candidates. We spent the first 30 minutes of the course on the 2nd floor balcony at Bayshore Park, just a short paddle from Marine Stadium Park, rowing site of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In the foreground we watched locals enjoying the heat wave on the beach and in the water, in the background we stared at the snow-covered Mount San Antonio, tallest point in Los Angeles county standing at over 10k feet.
Read MoreI finally got a chance to paddle at GGSKS this year, but it wasn't until Monday morning during the 3-day 5 star training with Steve Maynard & John Carmody. We had quite the group with Jen Kleck & Roger Schumann joining the coaching team. Santiago, Victor, Andrea, Kim, David, Lee, Richard & myself had a full 3 days of BCU that was fun, mellow and complete with broaching whales underneath the Golden Gate. We saw mysterious 6-ft breakers rolling into the bay and we had strong representation from the Mexican Canoe Union (MCU). It was just fun.
Read MoreThree weeks have passed since the 2013 Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in the San Francisco Bay Area. The vibe was right-on this year with a healthy mix of personality, positive attitudes, a relaxed atmosphere & abundant sunshine. It was a great place to make friends and do some paddling.
Read MorePowder skiing is my favorite thing in the world. A few days after xmas, Haley and I flew to Spokane, rented a pickup truck and drove into Canada. We arrived at the airfield in Nelson, British Columbia around 2pm, organized our gear, squeezed into the helicopter and ascended into the hills. Barely 10 minutes later we were scurrying across the helipad through a frigid downdraft surrounded by winter at Baldface Lodge.
Read MoreJust before noontime on Thursday I got that stir-crazy kind of feeling like If I didn't get out of the house soon, I was gonna go nuts. The surf was reported to be small, but clean and ridable and a perfect day to surf longboats. Kayak surfing hasn't been on my mind though - the fourteen foot standup board has. At 14 feet it's pretty darn long for a surf outing but I figured if I can handle long kayaks surely I can handle this huge board.
Read MoreToday I was looking for mellow and that's what I got. I paddled out of Emeryville and along the normally shallow, marshy shoreline from the 80/880/580 interchange to the Oakland Bay Bridge toll booths, affectionately referred to as "the maze". Like most residents of the greater Bay Area, I've passed this cove in a vehicle hundreds of times and never once paddled it.
Read MorePaul Kuthe and the crew at Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe go far out of their way to make sure everyone has a good time and I'm pretty sure that was the case. For me, it was 4 solid days of paddling this, paddling that. Talking about paddling, actually paddling, reconnecting with other paddlers & meeting new ones. There was a wonderful fresh energy this year dominated by first-time attendees, some of them having only gotten into kayaking this summer.
Read MoreYesterday morning I made the paddle from Berkeley out to Treasure Island, around it and back. The planning was perfect, as was the weather. What I was looking for, however, was the 15-25 kt wind from the west that was forecasted but never materialized. The idea was to get out to the far side of TI as the winds picked up and then ride the wind swell back home with some surfing excitement. Unbelievably, the wind was stronger at 9am when I launched than it was at noon on my return.
Read MoreFor the first time in years, I have a paddling-related blister. My arms feel heavy and my abdomen is sore but I'm in good spirits. I knocked off two of my summer paddling goals yesterday when I standup paddled 45 nautical miles in a day and completed the 56nm loop of Lake Tahoe. This was sort of a backyard expedition for me. I had 3 days completely free from any responsibility and the weather forecast was highly favorable.
Read MoreLast weekend I ran an American Canoe Association Standup Paddleboarding Level One/Two Instructor Certification Workshop in Half Moon Bay, CA under the watchful eye of Roger Schumann. We had 7 candidates attend the 3-day workshop from all parts of California with various degrees of skill and experience from the kayaking and surfing worlds.
Read MoreAfter a recent cycling-related wrist injury I was forced off the water for three long weeks while I recovered. My first dive back into paddling found me on the Jersey Shore visiting the fam. Since we were staying beachfront for a week and SUP rentals were scarce and expensive in that area, I opted to bring along a borrowed 10'6" inflatable with a Werner 3-piece paddle.
Read MoreAfter a mid-morning low-tide surf at Sunset Cliffs with smooth small conditions and an uncrowded lineup, we packed up the truck, took our time enjoying a lunch and motored south of the border stopping just north of Ensenada. My companions had once before spent time at the The Motel California, a cute little place with five oceanfront rooms and a well manicured grassy yard leading down to the beach.
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