As we exited the jetty, the liquid chaos of boat wakes and tide races had me on high alert. No carnage here, just some slightly rattled nerves, at least for Doug and myself. Sandy had done this paddle several times previously, which made him the unofficial leader of our group. He did a wonderful job.

We paddled the seaward side of the little oil islands until we neared the Queen... a huge Carnival Cruise ship was docked next to her. Sandy mentioned he saw several federal police boats speeding around the area. As we approached the huge ships, I asked if we should all start yelling in Arabic. No go... none of us knew the language. We paddled so close to the Gray Ghost that I could see her rivets. Cool.

We docked at Shoreline Village, had some drinks and snacks, and talked about what to do with expired flares.

On the way back to Alamitos, Sandy had us take a route closer to shore to avoid the now heavy boat traffic and the confused seas. This helped a lot. It was at this point that my lack of experience on such long paddles started to catch up to me... I struggled to keep up. I don't know if that my Cape Horn 17 was slower than the other boats (one was fiberglass), or if my paddling technique needs some work, or if I just ran out of steam. Probably a combination of all. No big deal, a brief water break and we were all back on track. As we paddled in formation through the jetty entrance, the liquid chaos reared its head again. Still, no carnage or wet surprises.

What a great paddle, with great people. And my shoulders have such great inflammation!

    Kevin Harris