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.

Test of Fortitude

March 14th, 2009 Saturday

Down to The Shores for my regular weekend paddle. Surf was up just a bit, about 2 to 3 feet, occasional sets up to 4 feet. I had packed a few snacks to eat along the way; some bananas, apples and oranges along with a couple of water bottles. Usually I bring only water, even on my long trips. Surprisingly enough my typical breakfast of cereal, fruit and a glass of orange juice will last me for my entire trip. I hooked my dry bag behind me, stashed my water and my tube of sunscreen in the forward bungee and set off through the surf. Made it out through the surf the first try, though I got soaked by the surf. But as I came up out of the wave that had just crashed over my head I noticed my brand new, as yet unopened, tube of sunscreen floating in towards the beach.

Not wanting to litter and loose an $11.00 tube of sunscreen I did an immediate U-turn. Back to shore and located my tube. Hopped back on the kayak for another attempt at the surf. This time I was not so successful. Tipped over. Back on again and began paddling out. I was again overthrown by a powerful wave. And this time I lost one of my water bottles. So I pulled into shore and dragged the kayak up out of the water. Located and retrieved my water bottle. Then I took a rest and caught my breath before trying one more time. This time I was successful without loosing anything.

Even with all that extra energy expended getting out, I was feeling good and took off for the western kelp bed. Out at the kelp bed just off the Children’s Pool I spotted something very odd floating on the surface in the kelp. It was a very large black and white mass. I need to wear eyeglasses to see details of objects at a distance. Not wanting to loose my glasses I do not wear them out at sea. (I have a couple of cheap sunglasses that I have beach-combed). The mass looked like it could be a flock of birds. But, if it was, they were the most unusual birds I have every seen. I started paddling towards them. They made no reaction to my approach. As I got about 50 yards away I was able to identify these birds. It was a flock of black and white party balloons.

So to do my part for the environment I attached this raft of balloons to my kayak and paddled off to continue my trip. I looked back a minute later to see that I was leaving a trail of single balloons behind me. It was clear that they were not all securely tied together. So I spent about ten minutes popping the balloons and collecting them into my kayak. Then I chased down the escapees and brought them onto my kayak for safe keeping. Too many times have I found remnants of party balloons wrapped around kelp plants or Gorgonian coral to leave them in the ocean. I met two kayakers that were going back to the beach and asked if they would mind taking back my find, as I was going to be out another couple of hours. They were glad to help.

I continued south towards Bird Rock. Stopped a couple of times for a bite to eat. For not having done a long trip for some time I was feeling pretty good. But as I neared Wind and Sea I stared to feel a little nauseous. Now, I rarely get seasick. Having spent many years sailing in Alaskan waters in all types of seas I am not usually susceptible to this ailment. But for some reason I was feeling so now. I turned back and was paddling home. Soon I began to feel very weak. What was coming over me? Could it have been my sitting still for so long picking up the balloons? Or was I hit suddenly with something else that was causing me nausea? Whatever the case it was all I could do to keep paddling.

Even turning back this soon I still had a couple of miles to go to get back to my starting point. This was a test of my fortitude. Going in to another beach would only be a temporary relief. Going in and out of the surf would just expend energy I could not afford to use. I must get back to The Shores. I was in no immediate danger. But I knew that I had to keep going. My illness was definitely sapping my strength. And it was taking a toll on my mental ability to keep going. But I just kept telling myself to paddle. Slowly and consistently and I would make it. Occasionally I would become discouraged. But I would realize that this mental state was actually causing me to lag more than any physical ailment I was suffering.

I eventually made it back to the beach. And I had to visit the nearest cylindrical metal altar where I bowed and prayed to The Great Norse Sea God, Hrolfr. After propitiating The Gods I felt better and proceeded to stow my kayak.

Thinking back on the episode I have given some thought to just what it is that allows people to survive stressful situations. Although I was in no danger of expiring this did give me insight to what people who are faced with life threatening situations may go through. And I also realized that the best thing to do if you do find yourself in such distress is to keep a good attitude. Despair is probably the worst thing that can happen. As long as you have any life left you must keep going. If some outside force takes your life, or your body shuts down do to circumstances beyond your control is one thing. But, I believe, as long as you have one once of strength left you must strive to reach your goal. And now I have to get back out there.

Beaufort Sea State Scale

February 5, 2009, Thursday.

Down to "The Shores" for a quick paddle on my morning break. Wanted to get in before the storm hit this weekend. From the Lifeguard Tower to the Boat launch there was virtually no surf. What surf there was had a height of about 6 to 8 inches. However, I could see that the surf north was big. Upwards of six feet at Scripp’s Pier.

But the wind was blowing and there was quite a bit of wind chop. Back in my Coast Guard days I was able to gauge the Sea State visually, using the Beaufort Scale. By observing the characteristics of the wind generated waves you can estimate the sea state and wind speed. Today the wind was generating some good-sized chop with the occasional white cap. Trying to recall what sea state this was I guessed it was about a 2 or 3. But I could not remember the wind speed that is associated with this part of the scale. Probably around 5 to 8 knots.

So when I got back home I searched for a website that showed the Beaufort Wind Force and Sea State Scale. (See link to this under Dive Links) I found one and determined the Sea State. It was about 3. The description of that level on the Scale is 7 to 10 knots with a wave height of 2 feet (.6 meters) described as a Gentle Breeze, and the appearance of the Sea is as follows; "Large wavelets. Crests begin to break. Foam of glassy appearance Perhaps scattered white horses."

This Sea State of 3 is exciting to be in. Going with the wind it pushes you right along at a nice clip (The winds are going between 7 to 10 knots, or about 8 to 12 mph.) And on the return this wind is not too much to paddle against. But you must definitely pay attention to your aspect to the waves. Coming directly at your Bow or Stern is fine and even or even from you quarter is okay. But at this Sea State a wave on your Beam could tip you. And if you were to find yourself in a Sea State of 4 or greater it would most likely tip you if it caught your kayak on the beam. And fighting the wind would be very exhausting. Being out in a Sea State of 4 for a short while would not be too bad. But any extended period in a kayak out in this weather could lead to trouble. A Sea State of 5 is now up to 19 to 24 mph and six-foot waves. It would be very difficult to paddle against winds and seas of this force. Beaufort Scale 6 is a Small Craft Advisory.

The Art and Science of the Graceful Exit

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Long mid-morning break today so I went out to La Jolla Shores for a paddle. Launched and went directly out to the Far Kelp Bed to watch for whales. I did not see any after searching the horizon for whale sign for about half an hour. Turned back to The Shores.

When I got to the surf zone I decided that I would practice my entries and exits. Surf was about two to three feet in front of the Lifeguard Tower, just at the south end of the surf zone. Down at the boat launch they were just small ankle-slappers.

The ultimate goal is to look good while exiting the surf. If you tip over all the time you are not going to instill confidence in your kayak and dive buddies. Also, tipping could result in the loss of gear. So the graceful exit is what you should aim for. Of course, realistically, as long as you get in without injury to yourself or an innocent bystander it was an acceptable exit. (Any landing that you walk away from is a good landing.)

There are of course, different degrees of gracefulness. The ultimate is coming in perpendicular to the wave and the beach and washing up onto the shoreline, stepping out of the kayak, and pulling it out without getting wet above the waist.

The next desirable degree of gracefulness would be coming nearly all the way in, controlling the kayak sufficiently so that the breaking wave stays on your stern quarter. Then you scrape sand or jump off the kayak in time to save you from a spill.

The least graceful exit (without actually getting dumped) is the frantic paddling, shifting of the lateral center of gravity, and the bail and grab. I will briefly discuss some of the techniques for achieving these different degrees of the "Graceful Exit".

The Mechanics of the Surf Exit; When coming back to shore in your kayak there are a number of forces acting on the kayak. First, is the weight distribution of you and your equipment on the center of gravity. When encumbered with dive gear the center of gravity is shifted back and down. This is the most stable of configurations. And you are least likely to get tipped. Without dive gear the center of gravity is forward of the aft end of the kayak and higher above the water line. Thus making the kayak less stable.

As you and the kayak enter the surf zone the breaking waves will push on the rear of the kayak. The front end sticking many feet out in front of you will be traveling at a slightly slower speed then your rear end. This will cause the kayak to turn and become parallel with the wave. This is to be avoided, as it will lead to the ungraceful effect of being tipped over in the surf. This is especially embarrassing if done in front of other kayakers, Lifeguards, or cute girls in bikinis. (Ladies, this is to be avoided unless your goal is to instill in the male of the species the Knight-in-Shinning Armor Syndrome.)

There are many possible solutions to the problem of turning abeam to the wave. Thinking about how a kayak maneuvers on the surface supplies you with several strategies for overcoming this dilemma. When paddling there are two basic ways of turning. One is to paddle on just one side of the kayak. Paddling on the starboard (right) side will turn you to port, and vice versa. Or, if you have forward momentum, putting the paddle into the water on one side (say port) will turn you to port. Just how effective these strategies are will depend on the size and strength of the surf. If it is too big you are going to get dumped. You may resort to the "Bail and Grab" strategy.

Timing is everything. It is very important to watch the surf. Waves come in sets. There will be larger and smaller sets. Generally, you will be able to see about how many waves are in a set. By looking out to Sea you will be able to observe if the set coming at you is large or small. This is not foolproof and rogue waves do appear unexpectedly. Try to choose the smaller sets for exiting. This requires a little foresight. For, by the time you paddle into the breaking surf, that small set may have passed you by and a large set is coming up on your stern. At this point you need to decide whether to abort re-entry or continue.

Having chosen your time start paddling with all the speed you can muster. The waves are going faster than your kayak and there is not much that can be done about it but compensate for it. The "Rudder Approach" was the first strategy I tried. As I entered the surf I continued paddling as fast as possible. Once the kayak starts to turn I then placed my paddle into the water on the side away from the wave. This should turn the kayak’s nose back towards the beach. This works as long as the wave is not too fast, big or powerful. This is one of the more graceful appearing exits, as it looks effortless.

This next strategy is the "Paddle Approach". As you begin to turn into the wave begin paddling powerfully on the side towards the wave. Theoretically, this will point the nose back to the beach. Again, this will depend on the speed and power of the wave. This is the second most desirable strategy. It does not look and is not as effortless as the previous approach.

The last and least elegant strategy is the "Frantic Counterbalance" approach. I discovered this one quite by accident and it was done, at first, completely intuitively. As I was doing one or both of the previous approaches I felt my kayak reaching the tipping point. Neither of the strategies was working sufficiently to keep me from tipping. Instinctively one or both of my legs went out over the side of the kayak towards the offending wave. This seemed to counterbalance the wave pushing on that side of the kayak. Though this does nothing as far as maneuvering the kayak back perpendicular to the wave it does act by shifting your weight out over the side of the kayak. This is the least graceful of the exit strategies and is the last step before the using the "Bail and Grab" approach.

This last strategy should be avoided if at all possible. If you use it too often you might even gain the attention of Lifeguards who may, rightfully so, view you as a hazard to yourself and other beach-goers. If you need to use this strategy there are two procedures you can use. You can either "Bail and Grab" towards the wave. The downside to this is not grabbing in time and having you kayak plow into shore without you. This can endanger others on the beach as your kayak comes rushing in. Or, you can "Bail and Grab" on the side away from the wave. This can offer more control, but if the wave is very large or powerful you may be run over by your own kayak. Very embarrassing.

Now back to the beach for more practice.

Not Another One

January 17, 2009 Saturday

After my blog entry "Time Trials", I went out paddling on 1/15, 1/17, and 1/19. But, this entry will focus on Saturday’s paddle. It was the most interesting.

This whole week has been the most excellent week for being out on the water, flat, clear, with just the gentlest of breezes to keep you cool and refreshed. There was supposed to be some high surf starting up this weekend. Well, at The Shores, in front of the lifeguard tower it was non-existent. A few hundred feet north it was chest to head high and the surfers were out in force. I launched my kayak and was headed out by 0840. Once past the ankle-slapping "surf" I headed over to The Caves. Bit of a swell in close so there was no shooting the Caves today. But otherwise the surface was a glassy mirror. The waning moon hung in the southwest and its reflection was visible as a single orb. No breaking up of its image by even the smallest wind ripple.

As I headed out towards the western kelp beds to spot whales I passed by Boomers and Children’s Pool. The surf was crashing there. And on all the reef breaks at Hospital Point, Marine Street, Wind & Sea, and Bird Rock the surf was up.

I paddled down to Crystal Pier where I stopped for a break and ate a little snack and rested. Then I started back north. Right away I ran into a pod of Dolphins playing just outside the surf. It was such a nice day and I had nowhere to be so I sat and watched them frolic for about a half an hour. Two young ladies on a tandem had paddled out to see them. We watched them and chatted. They asked me where I had started. I told them. They said they might go as far north as Bird Rock. I told them about conditions and moved on northward.

I paddled up the coast and when I got to Wind & Sea Beach my butt was getting just a little sore. You see, by then I had been sitting on my kayak for three hours and twenty minutes. So I paddled in to shore to see if I could haul out and take a rest. You must be very careful at some of these beaches along this part of the coast. There is a very steep beach and the swell will come right up to the shore and then suddenly break in a very powerful crash. But today the tide was just right and I beached my kayak with no problem. I took a little walk to stretch my legs and ease my butt. After that short break I was re-energized.

I watched the sets carefully to time my entry just right. I sensed a lull and pushed my kayak into the water. A small wave was coming in just then. I sat on my kayak but was not well positioned on the seat. My seat had caught under me. I fell out of the kayak and let go the paddle. Grabbed both paddle and kayak and tried again. Not having to wait anytime at all I hopped up and was paddling out. Not a bit of breaking surf in my area. But the surfers out at the Wind & Sea reef break were really going at it. (Not being a surfer I don’t know the proper lingo. So, If anyone wants to educate me I would appreciate it.) Paddling out I spotted the two young ladies I had met earlier. They were headed back south and I could not catch them up to say "Hi". But they had gone quite a bit further north than they had planned. I was impressed since they had told me that this was the first time out in about six months.

Meandered my way back north and was turning east around Children’s Pool when I spotted a flotilla (I think that might be the correct term) of kayak tourists sitting out west. This is unusual. They typically do not come out this far. As I was wondering what they might be up to when I sighted the distinctive gray mist of a Whale spout. Even after many hours sitting on a kayak when I see something like this I get a boost of energy. I paddle at top speed in their direction.
I was able to get out in the vicinity and get a good look at the whale. I infiltrated the group and followed the whale for another 20 minutes of so. At one point the whale came up right between two kayak fishermen, about 20 feet from one of them.

I turned back to The Shores. I caught up with a couple that had been out watching the whale with us. I said to them that this was my second sighting in two Saturdays. I told them that soon my friends were going to stop believing my stories. He said he would vouch for my. I was seriously tempted to tell about my Kayak Blog so he could go on and post a comment verifying the sighting. But I figured they had nothing to write the Blog address on. So you will just have to trust me.

PS. On Sunday while waiting for my dive buddy to show up at La Jolla Cove I saw another Gray Whale just outside the near kelp bed. Am I straining my credibility?

Time Trials; Warning Uninteresting Content

January 13, 2009

One of the perks of being a School Bus Driver is a nice long split between morning and afternoon routes. So, since it is a carbon copy of last Saturday I zipped down to the beach directly from work this morning.

Left the parking lot at work at 0920. There was a little traffic going into La Jolla from Highway 52. I arrived at Starbucks 0940 for a little fortification. Ordered a Grande Espresso Truffle (if you like Hot Chocolate and Espresso I highly recommend this drink) and a Banana Nut loaf. Ate the Nut Loaf while waiting for the Espresso. Drove to La Jolla Shores and was in the parking lot by 0950. Unloaded and prepped my kayak and was paddling through the surf by 1010.

By 1040 I had made it all the way out past the farthest Kelp Bed West Northwest of the Children’s Pool. There was a fishing boat, The Sea Watch, out there. I circled around it on the outside using it for a reference point. I knew that I wanted to be back at the beach by 1130 so I could get home and get ready for work and be there by 1330. I still had 20 minutes left until I would have to start back. So I went south for ten minutes and turned back towards the Sea Watch. I paddled directly back to the boat. I made it in 7 minutes. It was now 1057. I took a three minute rest and then headed back to La Jolla Shores.

I arrived at The Shores precisely at 1130. Striped my gear off the kayak, washed off the sand and put it up on my car. Then I rinsed the sand off of me, changed clothes and was driving out of the lot by 1200. I was back home by 1220 in plenty of time to make myself lunch and get to work.
Now that I know it can be done I will try to get out anytime the weather is nice and I have no other errands I need to do on my break.

To Blog or Not to Blog

January 10, 2009

The Ocean is a Desert with its Life Underground,
And the Perfect Disguise Above.

The weather this weekend was forecast for clear skies with Santa Ana winds building in the mountains later in the day. So I planned to do my first kayak paddle of the year. Due to the Holidays, family obligations, and some days of very dense fog at the beach I did not get out on the kayak. Although I did get in my traditional New Years Day dive.

I arrived at the beach later than usual, about 1030. It was warm and sunny with small surf at La Jolla Shores, occasional sets of 3 to 4 feet. There was just a gentle breeze coming from the southwest. I went through the surf and got the regular cold water wake-up slap in the face. Very bracing, and believe it or not one of the pleasures of kayaking.

Started heading due west, bypassing my usual excursion over to the cliffs and caves. Just went immediately out to the western kelp bed to the northwest of the Children’s Pool. Then I turned south to Marine Street beach. This was my planned turn around point. Since it has been a while since paddling I decided to keep it short.

When I paddle I really enjoy experiencing my surroundings. The sights, smells, and sounds of the Ocean. I sometimes will pause in my paddling and just listen to the Sea. Absolute quite, broken only by the cry of a sea bird or the huff of a sea lion or seal taking a breath. And I also think about what I will write in this Blog. But I have previously discussed many of those aspects of kayak in past entries.

Now if this were my dive log I would record the particulars of a dive regardless of how uneventful a dive turns out to be. Of course, a dive log has the added function of being a record of the ones dive history for Dive Operators to know your experience level or possible medical reasons if a problem with Decompression develops. But this Blog is not only a record of my kayak experience, but an exercise in creative writing that I hope is enjoyable to read. So I was debating weather or not to make an entry at all. This paddle was turning out to be a very nice but typically uneventful day in Paradise.

Well, I reached Marine Street and turned north to head back. I had paddle up to the inside kelp bed just off The Children’s Pool, and was passing by a Sea Urchin fisherman’s boat. He had his Dive flag raised and was underwater on a hookah. (For non-divers that is an air supply from a compressor on the boat with a hose down to the diver.) Coming out from behind his boat something on the horizon to the west caught my eye.

The Ocean is generally a flat surface, except for the swell. So when something rises above the surface it is usually worth checking out. This time what caught my eye was a puff of gray mist. Whale sign! I immediately turned in that direction, west past the outside kelp beds. I continued to scan the horizon to spot the whale sign again. A few minutes later there was another puff, a little closer and traveling slowly south. I figured it was a half-mile or so west of my position. Again and again over the next few minutes I would see a puff, then the back of the whale as he arched through the water. Then I got a glimpse of the flukes as he sounded to the bottom. This I believe is a sign that it was feeding. And it seemed that it was now not moving south but staying in the vicinity I had first spotted it. Then, simultaneously, to my left and to my right about one hundred yards apart I saw two spouts and two flukes rise above the surface and sound in perfect unison. So what I though might be one whale I now had proof of at least two. I continued to paddle in their direction for a bit. But after many minutes they surfaced far to the southwest. And there was no hope of my getting any closer than the quarter to half mile I got. After that I turned towards The Shores. At least I would now have something to write in my Blog.