Fickle Finger of Fate

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009. On Wednesdays I get off from work early in the afternoon, about 2:30. Today happens to be a very beautiful day. And I have time to get in a couple of hours kayaking before the sun goes down early in these short fall days. I drove down to the beach and launched my kayak. Today is a very special day. To understand why this day is special I must bring you back to Wednesday, October 21st. For that is the last time I was paddling on my kayak. I had a good paddle and returned home. Thursday passed and Friday dawned a typical cool fall day.

Leaving my apartment in the dark (we have not yet set the clocks back to standard time) I walked to my car as I have for the last 15 years. And for the last two years the sight of my kayak atop my car has greeted me. But today was different. Through in the early morning gloom, broken by the dappled streetlight coming through the trees, I could see that my kayak was not where it should be. Coming closer I found my tie-downs lying cut on the ground and my kayak gone. My jaw dropped. I could not believe it. It was stolen was my first thought. Then partial denial set in. Maybe some kids in the neighborhood were playing a prank. They took it off the car but surely it was just tossed over the fence or hidden behind the dumpster. But there was no immediate sign.

First action was to call into work and say I could not be in. The dispatchers said I must, as they had no one to cover my routes. Even the Supervisors were out doing routes this day. Typical, everyone wants to have Friday off, leaving no one to cover for emergencies.

So I called the Police and made a preliminary report over the phone. That is about all that can be done accept in the case of real emergencies. I then drove into work and ended up being only three minutes late. A supervisor clocked me in so my lateness did not show up in the system, which would require written acknowledgment of my tardiness.

Later in the day Officer Cairncross of the SDPD Eastern Division contacted me. She took a full report and told me that a Detective would be in touch with me in a couple of days, as soon as the case was assigned. I also called my Insurance agent and Neighborhood Watch person.

On Sunday my Neighborhood Watch person contacted me. She informed me she had observed a suspicious person she knew of having possibly committed other thefts in the area. So this might be a possible lead. I told her that as soon as I knew whom the investigating detective was I would let her know.

On Monday I spoke with Detective Guffy about my kayak. She gave me some ideas about possible recovery. Such as looking on Craigslist and checking used sporting good stores. I did both. And eventually would call some of the swap meets and dive shops that sometimes sell used equipment and gave them the heads up. Colby’s Swap meet was very helpful. They said they would look out for it. Having a serial number stamped on it helped very much. Colby’s said that they have in the passed caught people selling stolen goods. And go as far as detaining people that have purchased stolen goods (though they are not arrested) until police get there. That was comforting to know.

I found no Scrambler XL on Craigslist. But I did locate some potential replacements in case mine was not recovered. Something that Detective Guffy did not think too likely. Meanwhile I also put the word out on Divebums to keep an eye out at the beach, especially if someone approached them with a blue Scrambler XL for sale. According to John Moore that is potentially 800 pairs of eyes on the lookout for my kayak.

The worse part of all this was that in a week some friends of my Cousin Dana were coming out from North Carolina and were avid kayakers and wanted to go out. They were very excited about being out here and kayaking. They had never seen seals or sealions and were looking forward to it. I e-mailed them and said I had had a little problem with my kayak, but that we would still go. I would just rent one. Why could not this thief have waited until after they came?

Well, the week prior to my planned kayak excursion the weather had not been all that great. Some large surf and heavy winds. But I put in a requisitions for perfect kayaking weather and told my friends to "Touch wood, scratch a stay, turn three times, and may the Lord and Saints preserve us." (An old Nautical charm).

Saturday, October 31st arrived. I went to the beach early and checked out conditions. My request had been granted. It was flat; ankle-slappers were all that touched the shore. Just a slight breath of wind to keep you cool.
I met Rich and his son Tyler at Starbucks. I got a cup of coffee; we picked up some water for the paddle and headed down to The Shores.

We parked main lot and walked down the beach. We got our kayaks from OE Express. This is me (in the Blue PFD and white hat). Yellow kayaks! It 's just not my color.

Launched and headed over to Marine Room to see the Leopard Sharks. Crystal clear water, teaming with dozens of the skittish creatures. Spent some time viewing them and headed over to the caves to observe the sealions. Explored a few of the caves and watched the sealions. Just a few sleeping in the early morning sun, rather quiet.

Rich Tyler

From there we paddled north around the (now unmarked) swim zone leading out of La Jolla Cove. And pointed our bows westward to the far kelp beds past the

Children’s Pool. Made it out there.

Told Rich & Tyler what little I know about the ecology of the kelp beds. Then we headed back to La Jolla Shores. Took one quick detour for a last look at the Leopards Sharks and headed to the beach. Such non-existent surf that we didn’t even get the rush of riding some one to two footers into shore. But they really had a blast.

On the way back from eating lunch we stopped by and had a look at the Jack-o-Lanterns form the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest. I liked the Jack-o-Lantern that was eating another, smaller Jack-o-Lantern.

Friday I had received my initial insurance check. And when I get a replacement I would get the remainder of the cost, minus my deductible. I spent Monday looking for a replacement kayak. I was not able to find a used Scrambler XL. This one fits my needs for diving perfectly. Ocean Kayak has a new model, The Scrambler 11 that replaces the XL. I may have to get that. It has one feature that effects my use as a diving platform. The rear carrying handle is a hard plastic handle that goes across the rear tank well. Thus making it difficult to slide your dive gear out the rear. But otherwise it has all the features of the Scrambler XL.

Tuesday, and it has been ten days since the theft of my kayak. Detective Guffy indicated that the likelihood of recovering it is small. And I don’t think that she has been able to talk with the Neighborhood watch person to check into the possible lead. So it appears that I have lost my kayak.

Wonders of Wonders!!!!! I came home after my morning routes and there was a message on my recorder. The Police had found my kayak! I called the number and the Detective said that he could meet me in 20 minutes at the Eastern Division on Aero Drive and return my kayak to me.

Turns out they had an on-going investigation of a auto theft ring in Serra Mesa. And when they went into the residence to look for stolen motorcycles a blue kayak was found among the stolen bikes. One of the Detectives saw the serial number and punched it into his computer. Up popped my Police report and I was called. I drove over, the Detectives met me, let me in, helped me load my kayak, and I drove off one very happy kayak diver. Called my insurance agent and canceled the claim and reimbursement check. Best $150 I never got.

And so today was a very special day. Because I was out in the flat, crystal clear ocean on My very own blue Scrambler XL, perfect for diving and paddling.

Lessons learned; Put some kind of identification number on everything you own.

Don't get complacent. I always used to lock my kayak. Until one day I dropped my cable at the boat launch and did not realize it until I got home. Not wanting to drive back I decided I would buy another one. Days, weeks and then months pass and my kayak is still on my car. Parked all over town, while at work, diving, visiting friends, it never got stolen. One and a half years it was up there without being locked. Then one day I got up for work and it was gone. A crime of opportunity. And I allowed that opportunity. NOT AGAIN !!! Fool me once...etc.
So that is the story. As for the guys who did it. They know who they are and where they live. If they are not now in jail they soon will be. With the cost of my kayak being over $400 it is a felony. And it will just add to the charges of Grand Theft Auto.

Long Break

Well, it is nearing the End of Summer, at least as far as work goes. This last week I have had an extra long break between my morning and afternoon shifts. So I set a goal for myself to get out and paddle every day this week, Monday through Friday.

Every morning I would get off at 0910 and set out for the beach. I would usually make it there by about 0940 and be paddling out through the surf by 1000. Most days I would head out towards the Far Kelp where I dived on Sunday. I know that the round trip takes me about an hour.

On Monday the surf was still small at the launch, but there was a little bit of a breeze to cool things off and make a little chop. By Tuesday there was a bit of an increase in surf. Things were breaking big over at Boomer. I was surprised not to see any body surfers. Remains small at the launch.

Wednesday; Very clear water in the surf zone. Went over to see the Leopard sharks in front of the Marine Room restaurant. There were dozens. Instead of going out to the Far Kelp I went and touched each of the Ecological marker buoys, thereby circumnavigating the La Jolla Ecological Preserve.

Thursday; Back out to the Far Kelp. Today the water in close was stirred up and murky. Not able to see the Leopard sharks. Virtually no breeze. Some breakers still at Boomer Beach. Heading back to shore had to drench myself to keep cool. Hottest day of the week, 102 in Clairemont.

Friday; Goal attained. Five days of kayaking in a row (not counting my kayak dive on Sunday.) Water clear again, observed Sharks for a few minutes before heading out. Still very hot. Absolutely no wind and small surf. Burning hot with no refreshing breeze to cool me or give me a push on the way back. Surf so small that I got no help or fun ride back to the beach. In fact, with so little forward momentum supplied by the surf, I could feel the drag in the wave troughs as the water found its way back out.

Dive the "Far Kelp Beds"

Kayak Dive #3
Kelp Bed NNW of Children’s Pool
August 23, 2009
Descent Time; 0854
Depth; 49
Bottom Time; 00:37

When I awoke this morning at 0600 it was overcast with a thick Marine Layer of clouds, not unknown at this time of year, but more common in May and June where this weather pattern actually has a name, May Gray and June Gloom. Because it is not usual, and nothing easily rhymes with August, it does not have a name and sometimes confuses San Diego natives. We claim this is weird weather. I am not sure if it is true. I think it happens often, if less, and burns off sooner, than in the previous months. We are supposed to have hot, sunny days with large thunderheads forming out east over the mountains. And in fact, this is what we have right now. The Marine layer is confined to the immediate coast.

Most of my dive gear was already in the car. I just gathered together my dive computer, log book, and hot water bottles (for my aprés-dive warm water "shower". Comfort is essential). Brought those out to the car and drove to La Jolla. I arrived at the boat launch early and set up my kayak and loaded all my dive gear. Jeff, my dive buddy, arrived a short time later. He started setting up his gear and we discussed where to go. My two choices were a deep dive in the South Branch of Scripps Canyon or out to what I call "The Far Kelp Beds." These are just to the north-northwest of The Children’s Pool. It is out here where most of the kayak fishermen spend a great deal of time. And it is here that I have paddled to see Gray Whales during the late winter, early spring. We decided to paddle out to The Far Kelp Bed.

There was a forecast of high surf. But it had not materialized anywhere near La Jolla Shores. We could see breakers over at Boomer Beach. Which indicated that if there is any high surf it is on the southwest facing beaches. But here there were only small ankle slappers with the occasional set of one-footers. Launching and paddling was so easy. And it seemed like we were just gliding effortlessly over the surface. I mentioned this to Jeff and he agreed it was remarkably calm.

In the surf-zone at The Shores we saw a couple of good-sized Leopard Sharks (for those of you not familiar with local shark species these are not Tiger Sharks). Just past the surf we encountered a school of bait fish jumping up out of the water as if being pursued me some large carnivore. Often, when I see this phenomena, I remark that that must be what is happening. Very rarely do I see what is actually chasing them. We paddled over to the spot and as we got close observed the dorsal and tail fin of a Leopard Shark beak the surface in a frenzied attempt at getting a meal.

An extraordinarily smooth paddle out to our chosen dive site. On the way out we passed a kayak fisherman coming back in. Jeff asked how the fishing was. He held up a good-sized sea bass of some type. Jeff turned to me and commented that someone was going to have some really tasty fish tacos tonight. We anchored the kayaks in water about 45 feet deep. Shallow enough for me to use my anchor. I have not yet gotten a longer anchor line. When anchoring in deeper water (like the last dive at Quast Rock) I just tie of to Jeff’s kayak. I could have done that here, but it is good practice for me to deploy my own anchor.

Now for the hard part, getting my step-in wetsuit top zipped up. I struggled for a bit trying to do it on my kayak. I was having a little trouble. Trouble that I did not have the last time out. So I jumped in the water to zip it up. There was no current so I was able to stay near my kayak even without my fins. But I was still unable to pull up my zipper. I kept trying but it would not come. Then suddenly my hand flew up out of the water and nearly hit me in the forehead. My zipper pull had broken off in my hand. I thought for a moment what I should do and informed Jeff of the problem. But the water seemed very warm. So I told him I would just go. The straps of my dive gear would hold together my wetsuit top. After a 1 ½ to 2-mile paddle I was not going make Jeff paddle back without diving. It turned out that the water was very warm and there was no change in temperature from the surface down to our deepest depth. And I was quite warm even with my jacket open. My farmer john was sufficient. I might have even been warm enough without the top at all. Reflecting after the dive, I think I had not zipped up my top enough prior to getting on my kayak. Now I must get that repaired.

After getting all our gear on we dropped down the anchor lines onto the rocky reef below. This area of the reef has a low rocky profile. Not the dramatic rocky out-croppings in some reefs closer to shore and along the sites south of here. Visibility was about twenty plus feet horizontally, and we could see up to the surface, though hazy, at 45 feet. The surge at depth was light with an occasional moderate set rolling through that only required us to kick a little to stay in one place. But not strong enough to require that we hang on to rocks or kelp strands.

A fairly dense and healthy kelp bed covers the area, providing a wide variety of habits for different sea creatures, from the bottom dwellers in the rocks and kelp holdfasts to the swimmers and crawlers that live in the vertical water/kelp column. We saw all the regular reef inhabitants. (I use this phrase when nothing outstanding or rare was observed. That does not mean it was a boring dive.)

But we did run across one interesting find on this area of the reef. Heading west from our anchor lines I spotted a cable or rope about a half inch thick held to the bottom with what appeared to be a large Railroad spike. The rope was fixed to this spike and led in and east/west direction along the reef. Tied at 20 foot intervals from the spike were orange plastic ribbons. It appeared the rope had been there for quite some time as there was a fuzz of alga growth. But the ribbons indicated it had recently been tended to, as these ribbons would not last for too many months in this environment. I followed the rope and came across a few more orange ties. Then I spotted another rope over to the right paralleling this one. Swimming over to that I spotted yet another line. The ropes and ties seemed to form some kind of research grid. At least that was my surmise. I will have to post this find to Divebums and see what I can find out. Following one of the ropes I found something that showed they had been there for quite a while. One of the ropes led right through the middle of a large kelp holdfast. It was about two feet across. For a holdfast to get this size takes some time, even with the rapidity of growth that the kelp plant has. (I received a reply from a Scripps researcher complete with an article about the research.)

We explored for a little more. Jeff took some photos of marine life and me. Following the cables back we came to our anchor lines. They reached straight up into the kelp showing that there was little or no current. We surfaced and reversed the process of stowing all our gear and getting in. I was able to get my tank assembly up on to my kayak without assistance. This is a satisfying accomplishment. My kayak does not have a covered hold to stow my weights in. So I must leave them in by Buoyancy device. That makes it considerably heavier and not easy to lug up onto the kayak. But I have developed a way to do it. I gather all the hoses and gauges and secure them tightly with my BCD straps. Then I belly up on the opposite side of the kayak from my BC, grab it and lift it up while sliding down into the water. This brings it up into the tank well. Then I secure the bungees get up on my kayak and take off my fins, gloves, hood, and wetsuit top. And I am ready to paddle back.

We turned to shore and headed back to the boat launch. The sun was starting to burn off the Marine layer and it was getting warm. Got a little sun. Getting closer to The Shores we started encountering the numerous kayak tourists that use the launch to be lead on tours by one of the many Kayak tour operators. We passed by triple kayak. I noticed that the girl in the middle did not have a paddle and was just along for the ride. The guys in the front and back were doing all the paddling. I hailed them and asked how she rated not having to paddle. Without missing a beat, the guy in the rear of the kayak told me that she was the Captain.

Surf still low and glided into shore effortlessly and with no embarrassing spills. The weight in the back of the kayak helps out tremendously. Unloaded the kayaks, loaded the cars, and went off for my usual shrimp burrito at El Charro’s. While eating, we discussed our next big adventure. I said I would like to attempt diving the HMCS Yukon from our kayaks.

Post Card from Paradise

Just a quick postcard from Paradise. Still out kayaking and diving on a regular basis. Just not a lot new to report. In the immortal words of one of my favorite song writers; "Life is easy when it's boring." - Sting.

Not actually "boring" just uneventful. Beautiful weather; clear skies,small swell, and gentle breezes. No dolphins or whales being seen now. Just the occasional Harbor Seal peeking out of the kelp at me. And the ever present Sea Lions lazing at Goldfish Point. The most unusual thing to report are the white Egrets standing out on a kelp patty fishing for top smelt. I have seen this behavior now two weeks in a row. And in my last two years of kayaking I have not noticed this before. Someone forgot to read the memo that they are shore birds. These birds are typically seen in the estuaries and bays around town.

Quast Rock Complex

Kayak Dive #2
Quast Rock Area
June 6, 2009
Descent Time; 10:21
Depth; 68
Bottom Time; 00:42

Jeff and I planned a kayak dive to the Quast Rock complex (as it is called on "The Map" ™). This area consists of several dive sites including Quast Rock, Anchor Rock, and T-Rock. Jeff and I were to meet at The Boat Launch around 0800 Saturday morning. He invited another diver, Mike, to come along.

Being a natural early riser I was up about 0600 to get all my equipment ready. This time I would put together my gear before getting to the beach. Walking out to my car I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise. Some rain clouds to the east making for an interesting horizon. But above, clear blue skies. I assembled my gear and checked that I had all my kayak stuff. Made sure I had my anchor, dive flag, and extra line. These are things that I don’t use when I just go for a paddle.

I left for La Jolla Shores as soon as I was ready. Got there before our meet time. But that gave me time to get ready and enjoy the morning. It was still clear at the beach. This is unusual for this time of year. Typically we have the overcast skies of June Gloom. Today there was just a line of gray rain clouds out west. There was virtually no wind to speak of and small two-foot waves coming in. I parked the car out on the sand and off -loaded my kayak and dive gear. Got everything set up before Jeff and Mike arrived. I am diving today with my Farmer John wetsuit that I just got expressly for kayak diving. Now I don’t have to have my suit zipped up and hood on prior to reaching the dive site. It is much more comfortable to paddle out without being encumbered by 7mm of wetsuit restricting your paddling.

By the time they arrived, just after 0800, the tide had covered twenty feet of the thirty feet between my car and the water's edge. They set up, while I parked my car, and we paddled out through the surf of an incoming tide. Heading west towards Quast Rock we encountered a very small swell from the southwest. Oddly enough the surf was breaking large at Boomer Beach. Usually if this is true the swell is a lot bigger. As we passed Boomer Beach I started looking towards shore for the line up of the visual coordinates. (Check www.divebumes.com to get these and the GPS coordinates.)

I lined up the visuals and Jeff found the GPS coordinates and he dropped his anchor. We then tied the three kayaks together in line and I raised my dive flag. Getting on our gear we dropped down the anchor line into about 60 feet. Visibility was about 20+ feet, typical for this time of year. There was no surge to speak of, but we definitely had a thermocline. It was a chilly 53 degrees at depth.

As we approached the reef the first rock formation that I noticed reminded me of a deck gun that you might see on a sunken warship, encrusted with sponges or coral. The floor was strewn with a jumble of large boulders making for all kinds of nooks and crannies for life. Swimming around the "Deck Gun" was a large school of Blacksmith damselfish. The male Garribaldi were in force protecting there newly made nests of purple algae, as yet there were no yellow eggs masses.
Many Golden Sea Fans dot this area of the reef, along with plenty of sponges, strawberry anemones, and coral polyps.

We began exploring the reef complex. Just to the northeast I found a rock formation that looked like the bowsprit of an old sailing ship. This impressive rock points up at an angle of about 15 degrees and on the compass it points northeast 030. I seemed to have wrecks stuck in my imagination this day.

After circling the area a couple of times to get a general picture of my surroundings I started searching the cracks and crevices for critters. First off I noticed a good population of painted greenlings. And we saw a good-sized lincod hanging out on the bottom. Looking closer I began noticing the Hermisenda nudibranchs, plenty of those. These were some of the more interesting critters found this dive, but plenty of the regular reef inhabitants.

After forty minutes or so, with our air running low, we located the anchor line where we planted it, and surfaced to our line of kayaks. The swell was small enough and the reef rocky enough that the one anchor was sufficient to hold all three kayaks. I then reversed the process of getting in my dive gear. Taking off and stowing my mask & snorkel and light but leaving on my fins, I inflated my BCD and secured it to the kayak. Bellying up on to the kayak, I stowed my fins, hood and gloves. When everything is secure (in case I flip) I pull my tank assembly up on the kayak. In this case I tried to pull it up over the side. Hoses, straps and weight pouches snag on the side. Eventually, with a little help from my buddy, I got it. This process is something I have yet to perfect.

After a relaxed paddle back to the boat launch we stowed dive gear and kayaks and head off to for a bite to eat and recount the dive. Jeff thinks that we may not have been at Quast Rock. We were at one of the adjacent sites, either T- Rock or Anchor Rock. Between arriving at the GPS coordinates and getting the anchor set we probably drifted just a bit off the site. I am not sure this is anything that can be avoided. And next time we go there we just need to extend out the initial exploration of the Quast Rock Complex.

Three Rivers Kayak, North Carolina

April 5, 2006

On Friday April 3rd, I flew out to my cousin Dana’s in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (near Raleigh) for a visit. One of the first things I wanted to do was to get out and paddle. Near by Chapel Hill are the rivers, The Eno, The Flat, and the Nuese. I searched for some places to rent a kayak. Found an operation called Frog Hollow. For $38 I was able to get a sit-in kayak for about three hours.

On Sunday I woke early and drove to the Eno River. It was cold when I got near to the river and steam was rising off the water. Luckily I had prepared for cool weather, although it was a nice sunny day. I arrived at the river about 8:00 am.










There was a couple getting their kayaks ready to go out. I chatted with them for a while. They had only been kayaking a few months and asked how long I had been kayaking. I told them and they asked me if I had any tips for them. I first had a question for them. "What was the longest trip they had made so far?" They told me that it was about 13 miles. I said they really did not need any tips from me. However, I did tell them that one thing I really enjoy is keeping this Kayak Blog. I gave them the address to it. Hopefully they will remember and take a look. Unfortunately by the time of this writing (two weeks later) I have forgotten their names. So if you happen to view my blog and give me your names I will post them.


The kayak guide showed up about 0830. He briefed me on the operation of the kayak. It is a sit-in but has no rudder. So it operates very much like my ocean kayak. But he did have to instruct me on how to get out of it and empty it of water in case of a spill. Luckily, a skill I did not have to utilize. I had printed out a map of the three rivers and brought that along, as instructed. He showed me where I could go. I decided that I would go down the Eno until I got to the confluence of the Flat River. Then I would paddle up the Flat for a while, turn about and return to the Eno and then go out to the Nuese River. That leads into a lake. But I did not think I would get that far.


I started paddling. It was cool. But soon I would have to peel off all of my layers of clothing except my shirt and shorts. There was virtually no river current. And so it was impossible to tell if you were going up or down stream. This was good in that I never had to fight the flow of the river. But it later became an issue as you will see.


I had a very enjoyable cruise down the Eno to the Flat. Turned up the Flat and paddled for about 50 minutes. I then turned about and went back to the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers. The guide had told me to look out for a group of power lines. This would mark the confluence of the Flat and Nuese Rivers. I found them and headed out into the Nuese. So I paddled for another 45 minutes and came out to a widening in the river. I there met a fisherman and his son. I asked them where the lake began. He pointed out a train trestle bridge that crossed the water and said that was it. It looked too far to go. So I then turned back up the Nuese to return to the Eno.

As directed I followed the power lines until they crossed. This would mark the turn into the Eno. I continued on when I found that I was paralleling the power lines instead of crossing under them. My map had disintegrated by then. And then I kept running into channels that turned out to be dead ends. There was a point where I was becoming frustrated and on the edge of worry. About this time I ran into two other kayakers. They were going up the channel I had just gone up. I told them it was a dead end. They said it did go through and continued on. I went around to find the open channel. And soon I met up with them again. I told them where I wanted to be and they said they would lead me back. When we came out it turned out that I was up in the Flat River above the confluence with the Eno River. I had gotten disorientated. I am glad I ran across the kayakers. I would have kept going up the Flat until I had reached these recognizable boat ramps on that river (where I had turned around). I was not in any real danger of being lost for good. But, going up the Flat until that boat ramp, would have delayed my return to The Eno River Boat launch. And I don’t when they would have figured me over due and sent a search party.







Question: Which of these is the through channel?

Answer: All of the above. So you can see my dilemma. None of them look to be through channels.

I eventually got safely back to my starting point and had returned on time. So I was not missed. I recommended to the guide that they make laminated maps for us tourists so we would not get lost when our map disintegrates. He said they had tried that but the maps kept disappearing. I don’t know why they have this problem. The kayak operations at La Jolla give out maps and seem to get them back. And there is very little chance of getting lost. I described my situation to the guide. He told me that because the river level was high the ground below the power lines had flooded and this made it appear to be a channel. Thus the cause of my disorientation.

So my adventure on the Three Rivers was very good. But give me the easy navigation of a clear coastline anytime.

No Praising Hrolfr

March 29, 2009

I went down to La Jolla Shores this morning to meet with "The Map" tm Cleaning Crew volunteers and show them the procedures for cleaning. After I was done I decided I would get out on my kayak for a short paddle. I had not planned on going out and did not pack anything to eat or drink. When I was at the beach last (on Friday) surf was up and it was cloudy, cold and windy. But today was better. Though still partly cloudy and with a brisk breeze blowing from the south, the surf was manageable.

So I launched my kayak and headed out for a short paddle. First, down to The Cliffs for a peek at the Sea Lions. Ran into a small pod of Dolphins by the Marine Room Reef. Then I headed out to the far kelp bed off Children's Pool to test my resolve and fortitude. Wind was picking up and there was a bit of wind chop and swell coming in from the south. And the ocean swell was coming in from the west at about 4 feet. I was feeling just fine. Not having prepared I did not want to go too far. Turned back and headed to The Shores. The wind and ocean swell were at odds with each other and it was causing my kayak to turn south. I had to keep correcting my course to larboard (port) in order to keep my heading eastward. Made it back to the beach.

Everything went fine. I was not obliged to bow down to the god Hrolf this time. Instead the god Hungr was calling to me. At visit to Jeff's Burgers took care of appeasing that god.