Surf's up

I packed my dive gear and headed for La Jolla Cove. There was a large swell coming in from the west. Swell was breaking on the outside reef of Boomer and breaking in the Cove as well. So I went to La Jolla Shores to check conditions there. North of the Lifeguard tower surf was shoulder to head high, and the surfers were out in force. A few of my buddies and I watched a class try to get out in the surf. After fifteen minutes or so most of them had not made it out of the surf zone. And a few were pushed back into the beach. So they decided to go to breakfast. I went back home and exchanged my dive gear for my kayak.

I went down to Bahia Point in Mission Bay. I launched my kayak and headed north. I decided I would see how much of the Bay I could circumnavigate. First I went around Bahia Point into Santa Barbara Cove. Then out around El Carmel Point. Back hugging the shore into San Juan Cove. Turning east, with the wind at my back I passed the Catamaran Resort. Passed Riviera Shores, through Fisherman's Channel and under the Ingraham Street bridge. Then I headed back north again past Crown Point Shores. I skirted the edge of the wildlife preserve to Campland By The Bay. I then took a short paddle up Rose Creek Inlet, between Mission Bay High School and Mission Bay Park. I went until the rock weir at Grand Avenue. Turning about I headed back to De Anza Point. On the way there I spotted a Blue Heron fishing along the shore. His head feathers were nearly purple.

Mid way along De Anza Point I made a mad dash across the channel between it and Fiesta Island. Need to avoid the ski boats and Jet Skis. I timed it right when traffic was clear. Then I ran down the west shore of Fiesta Island. I stopped for a ten to fifteen minute break on Fiesta Island. That was two hours into my paddle.

When I got to Stony Point on Fiesta Island I headed across Perez Cove under the south portion of the Ingraham Street bridge. I followed the bridge over to the south shore of Vacation Isle. Then back across to Ventura Cove and Bahia Point.

A total of about nine miles, in just under three hours. Sometimes the wind was at my back sometimes I was headed into the wind. The wind picked up when I was crossing in front of Fiesta island. And it was producing some decent size wind waves, directly from my starboard beam, causing wind spray over my gunnel.

A satisfying paddle on a beautiful, sunny San Diego day.

Spring Break

After a few months off I got back on the water today. A nice sunny and warm Spring morning. A little bit of wind chop from the west, nothing to extreme. Just nice to get back on the sea. Out to the far kelp bed. Then north to the outer ecological preserve marker buoy. Traveled in to Scripps Pier. Then south along the coast to the boat launch. Half a dozen sea lions rafting outside, plenty of seaguls, terns and pelicans enjoying the schools of bait fish.