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Camp Pendleton Paddle, 22 NM, August 2, 2008 Paddling the length of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base in Southern California is rather rare. One reason is the distance, and the other reason is concern about paddling in a military area. I did the paddle solo in 2000. On this more recent occasion, six local paddlers were accompanying the Rogue Otters on their paddle down the coast from Dana Point to Oceanside. View the photo journal. Difficult Surf Launch, July 20, 2008
Usually, I can land and launch in surf without getting my hair wet, but I had some difficulty launching today. With a long period swell bringing lots of water and a six foot beach break at Crystal Cove State Beach, I was repeatedly getting knocked back or turned around in just inches of water. I was trying to wait for the lull between sets, but three long sets came right after the other. It was all caught by video camera on the deck of my kayak. Catalina Island Crossing Trip, July 4-6, 2008 After canceling the Catalina crossing trip over the Memorial Day holiday weekend due to bad weather, we had wonderful weather on the trip over the Independence Day holiday weekend. I had a milestone 25th crossing of the channel between the mainland and Catalina during the crossing over. View the photo journal. The Blue Whales Are Back! June, 29, 2008 I paddled solo four miles offshore from Dana Point today, and for two hours I was following a blue whale, which I saw at the surface a dozen times, including three fluke views. It never surfaced closer than a hundred yards from me, so I wasn't able to get any good video. I saw about a thousand common dolphin too. As the pod swam by, I thought it was never going to end. Greenland Paddle #15, 100% Carbon Fiber, 19 oz., June 22, 2008
I just completed my 15th Greenland paddle. This one is 100% carbon fiber, weighs only 19 ounces, has the same amount of flex as Sitka spruce, and with foam plug silencers is as quiet as wood. It is the 4th composite paddle I've built, and I've gone through the whole "from plug, to mold, to paddle" sequence three times, so building composite GP's is not a fluke. The project is a lot of fun and results in a lightweight and rugged paddle. I've updated the instructions for building the paddle with more details and tips, and better photos. Dolphin Video, June 12, 2008
After work I paddled two miles offshore from Newport Beach to look
for blue whales, and a pod of common Catalina Island Crossing and Camping Trip Canceled, May 23, 2008 I organized a Catalina Island crossing and camping trip for Memorial Day weekend, but with the forecast showing instability in the weather, the chance of having bad weather on the 20 mile crossings was too high, so I canceled the trip. Although disappointed, everyone on the trip, Bob M., Steve W., Dennis H., Ken F., and Mark S., had a good attitude about canceling the trip, and as Ken said, "Live to paddle another day." Over the years, this is the third time I've had to cancel a Catalina crossing trip due to weather. Oil Rig Edith Crossings, May 18, 2008 View the video report. The Point Bennett Sea Kayak in French, May 9, 2008 Thanks to a lot of hard work by Christophe Meyer from France, the Point Bennett sea kayak info and building webpages have been translated into french and converted into metric. En français. He told me that three of them (the 16.75, 18, and double) are being built there right now. Carbon Fiber Greenland Paddle Built in Sweden, April 12, 2008 Three years after I provided instructions for building a carbon fiber Greenland paddle, Rune Eurénius from Gothenburg, Sweden is the first one to build one. It looks great! See Rune's building photos.
Point Dume Paddle Video, March 23, 2008 See the Point Dume paddle video report, which includes some surf carnage. Greenland Stroke Tips, March 16, 2008 I started a Greenland Stroke Tips webpage, and the first tip is on the forward stroke. Newport Beach Paddle Video, March 15, 2008 A group of us went for a paddle on a choppy day before a storm arrived, and I took some video. 100% GP, February 24, 2008 It was in early 1998 when I carved my first Greenland paddles and enjoyed using them. However, the only kayak instruction I could find back then was with the Euro paddle, so that's were I migrated. I still dabbled with the GP, but the EP forward stroke became so ingrained in my head, the GP became hard to use. Then thanks to resources like Qajaq USA and TAKS, and using the GP more and more, I finally re-found my GP forward stroke last year and fell in love with using the paddle again. Over the last couple of months, I've been giving away my EPs. As of this weekend, I'm 100% GP. Greenland Ropes at Southwind, February 24, 2008
The Greenland ropes demo at Southwind Kayak Center on Sunday went
great. With the rain, we did the ropes inside, and it turned out that
some
of the beams used to support kayaks stored up high
were perfect for stringing up the low and high ropes. Paddle Bags Gone Wild, February 2008
Greenland paddle bags made from wild colored flannel or fleece are all the rage here in Orange County thanks to Barbara Tomita. She's great at sewing, and after seeing another paddle bag, she started making custom Greenland paddle bags as gifts for friends. When the OC gang gets together, it's great seeing all the different wild colors of the bags, and it makes you want to have one. Being the good friend that she is, Barbara offered to make me one, but being the industrious kind of guy I am, I just had to make my own. After a quick trip to the fabric store for the wildest fleece I could buy and a hour of cutting and using the sewing machine, I had my own bag, shown in the photo above.
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