We launched from Kiddie Beach in time to enjoy a really nice sunset. The evening fog was hovering over the islands on the other side of the channel. But it was clear on our side, and Gina was always in sight. I was surprised to see the flashing light from the Anacapa lighthouse through the fog that covered the island. That meant the fog was still close to the island. Gina was lit up like a gigantic ornament with lights all over the place. In spite of the fact that it is an industrial oil platform it was actually rather pretty as the darkness settled in around us.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening for our paddle. The temperature was in the 70's and there was just enough wind to keep us comfortable without kicking up wind waves. The swell was between 2 and 3 feet and was spaced far enough apart to be enjoyable. Paddling in the darkness is something rather special. You become more sensitive to the feel and sound of the water when you are not bombarded with so much visual stimulation as in daytime paddling. Although the three of us enjoy talking with each other, most of the time we paddled in silence. The silence added to the wonder of being on the water with a canopy of stars overhead.

We were even fortunate that the moon did not rise until later because it afforded us a view of the Milky Way. We must have stopped four or five times just to look at the stars. Mike thanked us for being willing to spend time doddling since he couldn't remember when he last saw the Milky Way. Actually he didn't need to thank me for doing something that I enjoyed as much as he did. I hope I never get so sated that I do not enjoy the spectacle of the stars, planets, and moon. If you look at them with a little serenity about you, it might occur to you that they are not just little twinkling lights making patterns in the sky; they are billions of real places with exotic environments all their own. And likely there are other beings out there sharing the wonder of being alive.

I had rigged up a small led light under my compass so that I could see it in the darkness. The light worked well to illuminate my compass without being so bright that it interfered with my night vision. Unfortunately my night vision is no longer as good as it used to be. Without my reading glasses I couldn't see the numbers on my compass very well. From time to time Mike and George would turn on their headlights to check their compasses. Since none of us were familiar with the night view of the shoreline from Gina, and for some reason the red and green lights at the mouth of the harbor were hiding, we agreed to paddle toward the lights of the tall bridge that goes over Channel Islands Harbor.

As we approached the shore, we noticed that our paddle strokes created green phosphorescent clouds in the water. We could also easily recognize the lights from the Embassy Suites hotel on our left and the red and green lights from Port Hueneme Harbor on our right. It wasn't long before we began to speculate that while we were gone someone had turned off the lights marking the harbor entrance. For that matter, the diabolical fiend had gone so far as to hide the breakwater so that we couldn't find it!

It so happens that paddling toward the lights of the bridge had put us about half a mile to the left of Channel Islands Harbor. The lights that we thought were at Port Hueneme actually were the entrance to CIH. By the time we paddled the half mile back to CIH, the fiend had decided to return the breakwater to its rightful location and turn on the green and red channel lights. Amazing things happen in the darkness when no one is looking.

When we got back to Kiddie Beach, we found Chris Wood sitting there waiting for us. It hurt to find out that he had missed us by about 20 minutes. Missing Chris was the only downer of the evening.

I remember a small conversation that Mike Bode and I had as we were floating around near Gina. Mike said something like, "You know, this is so amazing out here at night. I wonder why night paddling isn't more popular?"

I replied, "I agree with you, Mike. But if you try to tell people about it, most of them will look at you as if you are crazy."

I imagine that many people reading this report might think that we are crazy to enjoy paddling on the ocean at night. But I also expect that are a few who will want to join us the next time we do it.

My thanks to my friends for a grand evening.

My Ten Favorite Reasons for Paddling at Night

1. Paddling at night improves your sense of balance since it teaches you to respond to the feeling of the boat's motion rather than depending so much on visual stimulus.

2. You can save money because you do not need to use so much suntan lotion.

3. There are fewer beach people getting in your way when you want to do your landing.

4. There is more peace and quiet on the water since the jet skiers and power boaters are busy annoying other people.

5. The red tide looks better at night, and the phosphorescence shows the trails of the fish swimming below you.

6. It's cooler at night so you don't overheat so much.

7. It's dark at night, and unless you are a celebrity you do not need to wear sunglasses.

8. The world looks differently at night so you can paddle in a familiar place and still be amused while trying to find your way back to where you started.

9. Big Daddy-O's is closed at night so there is less temptation to larder-up after working hard to get in shape.

10. When the stars are out it's easier to appreciate that you are paddling in a much larger universe.