It was another great Catalina Island trip this year. Accompanying me were Jon Brindle, Steve Wilson, Dave O'Connor, and George Miller.
On Sunday, June 6, 2004, Jon, Steve, and I launched at Cabrillo Beach on the mainland to paddle the 19 NM crossing to Two Harbors at Catalina Island. Dave and George had crossed over the day before, because Dave wanted to visit family camping at the island that weekend. George joined Dave so he wouldn't have to cross solo.
The entire crossing over, Jon, Steve and I had a 10 knot wind from the east, which was caused by a Catalina eddy that was circulating. There was also mixed south and west swell. Because Steve loaded his kayak bow heavy and didn't have a skeg or rudder, his kayak was weather cocking terribly. Two hours into the crossing, he was becoming fatigued from the weather cocking. His hatches were too stuffed to shift gear around, so a tow line was used, not to tow him, but rather to help keep his kayak pointed in the right direction. I took a one-hour shift wearing the tow belt, and then 45 minutes into Jon's shift, the conditions changed enough for Steve to not need the tow line anymore. He was still weather cocking some, but he did a great job of toughing it out the rest of the way. His shoulder was killing him afterwards.
Monday was a rest day. Steve rested his shoulder, and the rest of us went for a relaxing paddle to Empire Landing and back, which was a total distance of 6 NM. We hugged the shore, looking at the rocks, fish and plants under the clear water. We also went through the large sea cave at Blue Cavern Point. Along the way, we saw a deer on a ridge.
On Tuesday, all of us paddle 16 NM to Little Harbor on the back side of the island, via the West End. The West End has a reputation for rough seas. As we approached it, we had a strong localized headwind for about a mile. Just before the West End, I had us pull in behind a small point that sheltered us from the wind, and we fueled and hydrated there to be ready for whatever awaited us at the West End and back side.
The swells were larger at the West End, but we had no problem. On the back side, the wind was calm, but we did have a mix of south and west swells, as well as waves reflecting off the cliffs, which made for a fun bump to ride all the way to Little Harbor, where we camped.
The front side of Catalina (the side facing the mainland) is nice, but by far the back side is much more spectacular, with huge cliffs, rocks, and direct ocean exposure.
Wednesday was a rest day, which was a good thing, because the wind had picked up for the whole day, covering the ocean with breaking waves.
On Thursday we paddled 27 NM back to Two Harbors, via the East End, to complete a circumnavigation of the island. Some of the most beautiful coast on Catalina is between Little Harbor and the East End.
With everyone paddling well and the weather being so nice, we split up to do our own things. George raced ahead, Jon, Steve and Dave paddled point to point, and I hugged the coast, enjoying the scenery and scouting potential bail out locations for future trips.
Along the way we stopped for lunch at Avalon.
Between Avalon and Two Harbors are a bunch of primitive boat-in campsites. Using a map, I followed the cove names along the way, found all of the campsites, and scouted and photographed them for future trips. Along the way, I saw a bald eagle.
Friday was a rest day in Two Harbors.
On Saturday, we had a calm and uneventful crossing back to the mainland, with only about a 5 knot breeze coming from the east and some swell from the west. This crossing a milestone for me, because it was my 10th time across the channel between Catalina and the mainland by kayak.
Duane Strosaker
I learned quite a bit on this trip that may be of interest to others, beginning with packing. It is much easier to meet scheduled launch times if all your gear is systematically stored in small dry bags that all fit into a carry bag. Duane's paratrooper training was evident as he was always organized and only needed a half hour from the time he woke up to break camp and be ready for launch.
With respect to food, I made the rookie mistake of bringing backpacker food. I was impressed with the carefully planned, readily available, food the others brought. Pre-measured packets of rice, soups, cans and packets of tuna, quesadillas, pasta with pesto sauce, jerky, etc. seemed to work very well.
Helpful repair items include a butter knife to remove pesky gravel from your skeg box, and a small pair of readily available, needle nose pliers to pry the skeg out. My skeg jammed after the landing at Two-Harbors, and more importantly, during the launch from Little Harbor. I had to re-land, fix it with Duane's assistance, and do a straddle launch through dumping surf to avoid a repeat jamming.
Non-minimalist items that I found useful were a therma-rest chair that can be packed with tent poles, gore-tex wind pants that can be put on as soon as you land, and a thermos always filled with hot water (for possible first aid and mixture with individual coffee packets). It is useful for early morning launches when it is not feasible to set up a stove or to have coffee as soon as you wake up.
Duane set an excellent model for leading the crossing and selected portions of the circumnavigation. He was aware of the conditions (swell direction, wind speed, potential hazards (shipping, boats, localized conditions), kept the group together when conditions warranted, and set up systematic rest and water breaks to ensure everyone was hydrated and ready for any conditions that could arise.
The trip was awesome and well worth the effort. Since the trip's difficulty factor can change dramatically with the conditions, I wouldn't try the trip unless I was with as many skilled paddlers as were on this group or I was going with a good outfitter.
Dave, Duane, George, and Steve are all outstanding kayakers and were a pleasure to be with.
First of all congratulations to Duane on his tenth crossing, and the successful maiden crossing of the Point Bennett a boat he designed and built himself. This was a great trip due to Duane's organization and good friends like George, Jon and Steve. My many thanks to all of you.
This was my third voyage to the island and I am gaining a certain familiarity with it. However, the beauty and charm of the Island never fails to impress me. Most people who visit Catalina never venture outside of Avalon, the soaring cliffs and the undeveloped coasts of the rest of the Island are where its true beauty are. Specifically the West End and the ocean side of Catalina are some of the best paddling I've done. Also the Little Harbor campsite on the backside is rated by many as one of the best in California. While we were there about 25 buffalo wandered in camp to watch the sun set with us.
Once again thanks to Duane for setting this trip up.
All of the participants were assigned to do a personal trip report of the 6/5-12 Catalina crossing and circumnavigation, so, here's my two cents worth...
Very nice trip! I want to start by thanking organizer and instigator Duane, who I have paddled with extensively over the last three years or so. Also, thanks to my other buddies Dave "Fletcher" O'Connor, Steve "Crooner" AKA "Hullcracker" Wilson, and new friend and paddler Jon "Eddy Bauer" Brindle, who's becoming another kick-ass paddler. They all made it fun. What a group-- One BCU Four Star rating and two candidates, two blackbelts in various martial arts, two ex-marathoners, four rock gardeners, four crossers (five now-- it was Jon's maiden voyage). It would be hard to come up with a list of other local kayakers as good and safe to paddle with as these guys!
I have been to Catalina more than a dozen times over 25 years, initially to Avalon. In recent years, I have gravitated to Two Harbors. It was my third trip there by kayak. Once, Duane, Dave, Mike Brown and I just paddled out for lunch and back, last October. I have been there on my powerboat several times as well and never had a bad time. This was my first time at the Two Harbors campsite, which I recommend. I have stayed twice at the "Banning House," a comfortable bed and breakfast with a commanding view and nice management.
Carol "Runt" Miller drove me to Cabrillo Beach for the launch on Saturday, before the crack of dawn. Dave's very nice folks were already there with their son. Mrs. O. was looking rather apprehensive about the whole "crossing" thing. Carol just stood there, tolerantly, with a "there they go again" and why do they have to go so %#&@C*@** early smile. What were we all doing out there and why weren't we sitting home on our LaZBoys? Duane later mentioned that his own father thinks that Duane is "too old for kayaking." I wonder what he would say about me?
As Duane stated in his report, Dave and I paddled out a day early to get a jump on the festivities and also grabbed the best crossing weather. It only took about 5 hours or so (Dave's gonna do pretty good at the upcoming Bay-to-Bay race in San Diego this month). There, we met the fair Karen-- Dave's sister-- and her two talented and beautiful daughters, who are into swimming and soccer. One could nearly outrun us on the crutches she used to help herself through a bad ankle sprain. Karen was kind enough to share her campsite and hospitality with us. She is an extremely well equipped camper. We had a great time sunbathing, loafing and eating in town that day.
Karen and the kids took the 1:20 PM boat home on Sunday. Disturbingly, the other guys were overdue at sea-- no sign of them as the ladies prepared to depart. I walked back to the campsite and saw them headed in shortly thereafter. I was a little irritated that they didn't look as tired as I felt on the previous day's crossing. Dave and I later learned of Hullcracker's difficulty with a frontloaded, rudderless, skegless, hapless kayak. He was in pain upon arrival, but rested up for the big day on Tuesday. I hope he buys a real kayak, before he ruins his shoulder, because he's one of the strongest paddlers in SC, especially for someone about to reach geezerdom this year.
Duane, Steve and Jon took a campsite on the cliff directly over the water, while Dave and I stayed one level up-- not waterfront property, but relatively free of gnats, humidity and chilly winds. We used the communal table and firepit down below and burned enough wood to heat an Iraqi village for an entire winter.
We were all interested to see how well Duane fared with the crossing in his new, self-designed, self-built kayak (excellent). The Point Bennett, as he named it-- after "the roughest spot in Southern California," is made of marine plywood, fiberglass and epoxy resin. It is about 17 feet long, with the trademark Strosaker 100 mile foam seat, bulkheads, hatches, including day hatch, no rudder, no skeg. I tried it out at the CKFest and it performed rather well. Duane is now selling the plans. He demonstrated its durability by jumping up and down on it (really!) throwing it off a cliff and allowing sharks to bite it.
So, we had a great time talking and telling stories that day and night. Everyone slept well. The next morning, we paddled down the coast a few miles, exploring coves and caves on a gloomy day, but one which was blessedly cool to paddle on. It was an easy and pleasant trip.
We returned, explored and loafed around the camp and village of Two Harbors, which is a very small and unpretentious place. It is a typical small town, with gossip and everybody knowing everyone and everything. By the second day, nearly all of the residents knew that we were "those kayakers from the mainland."
The main organization that operates the town has about 200 employees, 80 off season. Tourism (and support services) is the ONLY significant industry On a typical weekend, there are at least a couple of thousand visitors there, but it doesn't feel that way, because most of them are spread out along the coast several miles, at various camps and clubs. there is just one hotel in town, with only about eleven rooms. There are various municipal services, such as harbor patrol, police, fire and paramedic service. There are a number of attractions, including tours, sit on top kayaks, paddleboards and powerboats. There is a large anchorage, holding about three hundred boats, some quite large, with more room in neighboring coves. This is where most of the money comes in and why they don't need so many hotel rooms. The town is much more relaxed, less urban, with a very different ambiance than Avalon, at the other end of Catalina.
That afternoon, we all watched Dave practice his skills in chilly, dark weather. He did all kinds of rolls and braces, on both sides. I can see why he can begin to challenge CKF rolling champions Pyropeter O'Sullivan and Duane Strosaker. Dave may at least keep the title in Irish-American hands.
Tuesday morning, we broke camp and were on the water before 0600 in nice weather, headed west around the end of the island, to Little Harbor-- nice trip. We were able to see all of the beautiful camps and yacht clubs along the way. Emerald Bay and its boy scout camp was the jewel. The trip around the point was a bit choppy, but easily manageable. Schools of little fish jumped in front of our boats along the way. A few sea lions sat on rocks or swam around.
We moved along at a moderate pace, but before we knew it, we had swept around the very scenic point, past dramatic cliffs with sparse beaches and few "bailout" points along the way. We passed Cat Harbor, where we saw about the only other boat underway that day on the back side of the island. Passing one more headland, we came around into Little Harbor and threaded our way through the shoals and kelp beds, to the most beautiful campsite and adjacent surfing beach on the Island (see Duane's pictures). The immaculate camp, with mature palm tees and mowed lawns was managed by Ranger Paul Neil and his wife, from Huntington Beach. How does one get such a job? Even the portajohns were fairly clean, but not enough so for the notoriously sanitary Duane.
While we were getting set up and beginning to relax in this idyllic place, a herd of buffalo (I'm told that the correct term is "bison," but I'm writing this, not some prig from National Geographic) literally charged into the middle of the campsite, with heads down, like in an old western movie. Just before my heart failed, they stopped and ate grass instead of us. What a photo op. They came and went until dark, blocking the access road for a time, then disappeared for the remainder of our stay. Hope to see some of those pics posted soon!
I swam at the neighboring beach in the warm sun, but avoided going out far, because I was alone and unfamiliar with the conditions. Thirty boy scouts were due in on mountain bikes that afternoon, but didn't get in until nearly nightfall, due to trail conditions, heat and various other problems. We talked with some of them and their leaders. Boy scouts seem more sophisticated than in the old days, when we were more like characters in an "Our Gang" episode.
It got windy that night and stayed that way through Wednesday afternoon, leaving us lots of time to loaf, talk and hike during a previously planned "rest day." Dave and I explored miles of territory around the site, hiking west, north and east to all the most scenic spots. We all avoided kayaking, because of the conditions and because we had to complete the circumnavigation of the remaining 27 nautical miles, the next day. That sounds tough, until you consider that Duane once did the entire circumnavigation in a single day (43 NM) and Dave did it solo!
As much as we loved Little Harbor, Thursday morning, we were on the water by 0545. However, problems intervened, with Jon's skeg getting jammed solid, delaying us about a half hour-- one more reason that I'm a rudder man. Once underway, we enjoyed the beautiful, calm weather and breathtaking coastline, much like Santa Cruz Island, but the coastal cliffs are not as high. Catalina has a lot more roads and trails, lacks the pristine-ness of SC, but is far more accessible. Even so, there were many places only reachable by birds and small mammals.
With about eight miles to go, Duane cut us all loose to do our own things and meet for lunch at the waterfront Busy Bee restaurant in Avalon. I had been listening to some of the guys talk about racing at the upcoming Bay-to-Bay event and felt that I was not trained for such an event, but decided to attempt a time trial. I was not quite able to average my minimum targeted 5 knot pace and even had to stop and shed some clothes, due to overheating in the warm, still, humid air. I realized that my wind was OK, but I simply hadn't developed enough strength to push my nearly 19 ft, heavily loaded kayak along that fast for the whole distance. The guys teased me about the enormous weight of my load and assured me that without a kayak burdened with eight days of gear and with the additional adrenaline of racing, it would make a big difference. Maybe next year.
As we reached the East end of the island, we saw more and more boats and increasing numbers of Pinnipeds, but nothing like the creatures around San Miguel Island. Coming around the point, there were only four miles or so to go. It got even calmer and the air more still, forcing me to shed my Hydroskin top to maintain a decent pace. I passed the rock quarries, powerplant, freight, helicopter and ferry terminals, transiting scenic Avalon Harbor, with its famous Casino, then rounding the rock breakwater into the next cove west of it.
Duane had asked us to land at nearby Descanso Beach. This guy really does his research. Descanso is a pristine private beach, nearly carpeted with stunning babes (please excuse the non-PC terminology), sparkling clean restrooms, shops and bar. Management graciously allowed us to park there and head into town.
We waited till we were all in, then strolled into town and got a nice table at the Busy Bee. We lunched on burgers and other fare, but avoided booze, because we still had 12 miles to paddle after lunch. Avalon hasn't changed that much over the years, except for the plaza remodeling and new ferry terminal done years back. I remembered many places where I had been and enjoyed. Because this trip wasn't about shopping and tourist stuff, we did just a cursory exploration and headed back, to find that Steve was already long gone. As the rest of us headed out, Duane hung back to play "sweep" and scout the coast for future trips, including mapping and photographing every boat-in campsite. I caught up with Steve at Long Point. He stayed quite close inshore, exploring. I stayed out a few hundred yards to get a bigger picture. Jon and Dave did the beeline point-to-point route.
The wind really picked up several miles from our destination, in typical Two Harbors fashion, causing us all to work harder to get home. We set up camp again on the coastal cliff, near our site earlier in the week. Jon and I slipped into town for some quesadillas, bringing a doggy bag back to the starving masses in camp. I took pity on the ones who had freely elected to live on outdoor store freeze dried food. Needless to say, everyone slept rather well that night.
Friday was our last full day on the island and also a rest day. Again, we rested for our return crossing, but we discovered a downside. Guys like us need to stay active, or we get cranky and restless. Although the day was relaxing, it was also boring. I ended up lounging, reading, going into town a couple of times, light hiking and talking to various people. The big highlights of the day were the book signing party at the Banning House for Scott Panzers' new book, the Catalina Island Hiker's Guide and also our farewell dinner and thank you to Duane. The party got relocated to outside of the restaurant and quite a few books sold. The dinner was excellent, if a bit pricey. On a subtle queue from Steve, we all simultaneously produced and applied sterile wipes to help ensure a sanitary meal in Duane's presence.
Back at camp, we had one final blaze of glory in the firepit and prepared for an 0600 launch, with the weather forecast a "go." I heard stirrings before 0400 from people already getting packed. I forced myself to stay in the hay until 0430. Most of us were ready or launched by 0530. We got underway in calm, hazy weather at 0545 or so, taking turns leading. Boat traffic was very light due to the early hour and gloomy weather, but it was great for paddling. As we got clear of the shelter of the Island, we encountered up to a 5 ft. west swell and light winds. Steve back loaded his boat and had no weathercocking problems on the return trip. We composed and sang new songs for the Kayak Symposium in San Diego on the way back. We blew into Cabrillo Beach at 1050 and landed before any of our rides showed up.
We packed up and accepted four rainchecks for the previously planned luncheon, but went to the Lighthouse Diner in San Pedro with Carol and Marie, before heading back. I was energetic upon landing, but by the time I arrived home, was feeling the toll of the previous week, being tired, scratched, insect-bitten, sore, cut, abraded, sun and wind-worn. A trip to the Greek Festival in Camarillo on Sunday mostly cured that feeling.
In retrospect, Santa Catalina seems to have an ideal mix of development and open land, to allow pretty good access without ruining the land. I believe that the naturalists have gone a bit overboard with some other habitat areas. We should keep this in mind when reviewing use plans for other areas, such as the Northern Channel Islands.
On a clear day Catalina sparkles in the sun. The island calls out to all costal kayakers "paddle on over". This was my forth planned crossing to Catalina. The last three attempts thwarted by whether or family disasters. Not this time. This time all systems were go. I trained steadily for this journey with weekend and midweek training paddles. I was ready.
I packed and balanced the load in my Kayak days before launch. The night before launch, I decided to do some gear reduction. Everything I removed was heavy and from the stern, I didn't rebalance the load. On the beach I lifted the center of my boat slightly off the sand, the bow stayed down. "No big deal" I thought, wrong! In the middle of the channel the weather cocking was extreme. Duane hooked a tow line to my bow. I supplied all of the horsepower with slack in the line most of the time. Still it was humiliating to have a tow line on my bow. I paddled most of the crossing on my left side with my right knee raised. For the rest of the trip I packed heavily in the stern, reducing the weather cocking to insignificant levels.
The trip was magnificent, exceeding all of my expectations. The group dynamics were great. Duane, Dave, George, and I have logged a few miles together. We kid each other mercilessly. I wasn't sure how John would take us. John fit in just fine. He was soon engaged in the fun. On this trip every time you did something of note you got a new nickname. Here are a few, you can guess who got what, Whether Cocker, Lobster boy, Speedo, Teflon, The Urinator, The Holder, Fire Master, Crooner, Blue Butt, Mister Fletcher, Don't Call Me Skag Jammer, King of all Skag Jammers, and many that I can not print. On the water we watched out for one another. It's good to know that every paddler with you is strong, capable, and well practiced in all forms of self and assisted rescue.
Duane provided excellent leadership. His overall knowledge and skill are unmatched. Dave relentlessly practices his skills. He is as solid as a rock out there. George the oldest of the group and the fastest can paddle all day at flank speed. John is a solid well prepared paddler. Sometimes at the end of a trip you might be ready to strange one of your cohorts. Not this time, we parted great friends. I'd paddle anywhere with these characters.
Lessons learned:
I think everybody on the list can learn something from Steve's adventure on this trip. I have paddled with Steve Wilson many times, and he is an extremely capable and skilled paddler. Steve's previous "failure" was that he only completed 75 nonstop Nautical Miles (about 86 1/4 regular miles) before getting sick and having to quit. Not too many people on this list can say they've paddled that far.
The "humiliating feeling" that we get with a tow line should be removed from our minds. If paddlers as good as Steve W occasionally need some help, it's obvious that all of us on occasion may need it too. I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of.
The other lesson that we should all learn is that the trim of a boat is extremely important. Not just making sure that it isn't bow heavy, but a stern heavy boat in a strong wind will want to leecock or turn downwind. That can be just as dangerous and tiring as a boat that is weathercocking. Whenever you load you boat with a lot of weight, try to keep it balanced and load the heaviest items as low and as close to the center as possible.