Friday Paddle
Ari Danesh and myself me at 9:45 A.M. at the docks on Victoria Ave - he with his OC Prowler and me with my WS Tarpon 160. By 10:00, we were just getting in the water. We headed straight out to sea. The conditions were almost totally flat... a tiny swell, barely noticeable, with some chop. As expected, the water visibility was non existent from the recent rains. We headed north up the coast, enjoying the clear views of the islands. About 3/5 of the way to the power plant, we headed to shore to play in the "waves." There were a few baby ones, and Ari managed to (deliberately) experience wet carnage.

After we played in the waves a bit, we headed out to sea, then back toward the harbor. We had a strong, fast but small following sea, allowing us to surf part of the way. We paddled seaward of the wall, looking for some clapotis. We found about 30 seconds worth. We then entered the harbor, and proceeded to cover most of it, doing the limbo under the small bridge with the quickly receding tide.

Ari and I both had similar SOT boats, and I think similar paddling experience. This made for a comfortable paddle, with neither of us slowing the other down or rushing the other. In my experience with CKF, fast, experienced paddlers are extremely patient with slower paddlers or with slower boats, but paddling with an equal, in this case a fellow SOT paddler, made for a great time. Just an observation.

Kevin Harris

Submitted on January 14, 2005