Although the swell and wind at Pt. Conception were supposed to be nasty, the waters along the south-facing beachs where we paddled were protected. We ended up paddling with almost no wind, no wind waves, and gentle swell that averaged about 2 feet. The sun was bright, the air temperature was in the 80's, the water temperature was 61 degrees, and the water was rather clear and free of the red tide that has been with us all summer.

Our launches from Gaviota were routine and uneventful. Our pace was relaxed and conversational. We only paddled about 14 miles round trip. And none of us did anything macho, stupid, or heroic. So any of you who are carnage ghouls should quit reading this report and look somewhere else to find your thrills. About the only paddling rushes that we had were when John Petersen and I found a set of nice surfing waves and had some good rides. But nothing that we did was worth bragging about, just fun to do.

So why was this day worth writing about? The wildlife was spectacular. We had pelicans flying in close formations, sea gulls serenading us, and dolphins swimming around us feeding on bait fish that were so thick they formed cloud-like clusters under our boats. At one point a stream of bait fish was so big and so long that it looked like a rippling river of silver flowing under us. The dolphins were with us much of the time.

A couple of times I tried rolling my boat to find out if I could hear any of the dolphins while I was sumberged. But either they were too far away, or else they were not very vocal - maybe the water was so clear that they could see their prey and didn't need to use their sonar. I know that we were able to spot star fish and clams on the bottom in several locations.

At one point we even spotted a seal that was feeding with the dolphins. I don't know if it was coincidental, or whether the two species were actually cooperating in the hunt. My suspicion is that it was coincidental because the supply of fish was big enough for both of the species to feed upon.

Peter O'Sullivan and John Ernst headed back a bit earlier than did John Peterson and I. John P. and I were having so much fun with the the wildlife and the views of the luxury estates that we took our dear sweet time returning. Although the locals have a reputation for inhospitality, we did not have any negative encounters, for the most part we avoided them and they didn't do anything to bother us.

All in all, we had a very relaxing day on the water in the company of good friend. My thanks to those who joined me.

All the best,

    Patrick Martin