Surf and Play At Cabrillo Beach
Back at Cabrillo for some surf practice and rock-wall play. I met with Jack at 10 AM. The call was for long boats because of the conditions, 2-3 foot waves with the occasional 4 foot plus outside sets rolling in. This all changed in a matter of minutes. Cabrillo seems to be that way. At one minute it's calm and then the next minute it's alive with 4-5 foot waves. This makes it hard to choose between small river kayaks or long sea kayaks. So, we were kinda bummed when we put in that the conditions changed so dramatically into a playground tailored more for small kayaks. I mention this because earlier this morning, Jack had spent about an hour surveying the situation up and down the coast to determine the best place to surf and put in at, as well as what style of kayaks the conditions dictated.

We were committed to our long boats today, and it turned out to be some good practice time with developing and fine tuning my surfing and bracing skills. Jack observed my technique on entering, stern ruddering and bracing. After some humorous rides, he suggested some pointers that proved to be very insightful. I had been confusing the two styles of kayak surfing. Being new at small river kayaks, I had been using the same surfing techniques for both types of kayaks. This became noticeable when I would surf in to where Jack had been observing on the shore..and, Jack would be laughing. Having low energy and beat down the other day, surfing monster waves here, my body and reactions had painfully slowed. After sharing the humor of it all, Jack pointed out that I was starting perfectly, and ending miserably. After explaining to me what "the sweet spot" was and felt like, I picked up on where I had been confused, and experienced what Jack meant. This is the beauty and the result of practicing kayak skills with an experienced individual on a weekly basis.

The day began informatively and turned into just plain ol' fun. We surfed and Jack played as I took pics. A fun day at a fun place that seems to dictate the need to have both styles and types of kayaks at hand.

By the way, This was the first time I had ever seen Jack out of his boat. I think he was just as surprised as I.

A good time at a great place! ....Check out the pic's

Until next time,
    Victor (Paparazzi) Martin

Submitted on March 14, 2005