The Wednesday night fitness paddle out of Newport was well attended this week. Steve Wilson came the farthest, Upland, and was the first arrival and out practicing rolls when I, Dave Houser, arrived. Then Dave, a new CKF member, from Newport Beach showed up with a striking natural-finished Kevlar Raven kayak. Names don't stick well on me so I lost his last name. A nonmember John, never heard his last name, dropped in from Eagle, Colorado to enjoy the SoCal coastline. And Duane Strosaker came flying in at 5 minutes before the drop-dead time. He has a system down because he was ready at the water at the appointed 6:45 PM launch time.

We all were headed for the jetty at 6:50. When we rounded the jetty to the south, we were a bit strung out. Of course, Duane was in the lead. Steve and I hesitated for a minute to make the head count. Steve decided to take it easy and played in the rock gardens with Newport Dave nearby. I decided to try and catch up with Duane and John was stroking along as well. Duane was working out for the Bay2Bay race, two weeks off, and kicked into his rocket man mode. All I could see was the yellow back of his PFD pushing toward the horizon and I swear I could see the embers of one of those skyrockets stuck in his aft rigging. There was a light, broken, close-spaced chop and a light headwind. The flurry of paddles kept the kayaks moving along so they seemed to just cut from top to top of the chop.

The turn around time happened straight out from Crystal Cove. John and I joined Duane taking a breather for five minutes and drank some water. Then we turned around and "headed off into the sunset". A commercial day fishing boat was sloshing around in the kelp beds silhouetted against the red sunrays washing in front of the clouds. This kayaking sure beats exercising while staring at spandex. I must be getting old. Those fishermen are fanatics; they will fish any time day or night. Humm?

The pace back was a little more sane. The push from the now following chop was welcomed. The three of us scattered a little on the way back but we kept an eye on each other. The flash of John's white paddle blades helped us find him hiding in the surf swell, when he swung in toward the beach between Arch Rock and the jetty. We were back at 8:20.

All five of us met up back at the cars. Duane got his stuff in and on his car just as fast as on his arrival and rocket man zoomed off into the darkness just like a scene from a Harry Potter movie. And we will be watching for Newport Dave's good-looking boat at future CKF events. Duane was encouraging John to write a trip report. It would be fun to see a perspective from Colorado.

Dave Houser