California Kayaker Magazine Winter 2010 Issue

8/8/2019 California Kayaker Magazine Winter 2010 Issue

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Always Free Winter 2010

inside:Moss LandingBoat OutttingRancheria CreekMaking Swimbaits


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2 www.calkayakermag.com Winter 2010

Cobra Kayaks meets the ull range oon-water paddling needs; surfng un,

serious fshing, diving, touring, highperormance training and racing.

A Kayak ForReasonsNew Marauder include

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Length 12 6

Width 36 Weight 57 lbs

Capacity 600 lbs

F N DLength 9 7

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FUNLength 11 3

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Call 888.412.6272 or visit www.cobrakayaks.com

Length 16 6

Width 23

Weight 42 lbs

Capacity 240 lbs

LMNATOR

Cobra Kayaks all feature polyethylene hulls for super tough performance

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scuppers throughout give unparalleled hull rigidity and a drier ride.

Customize your Cobra Kayak with our Made in USA seats,

paddles & a full range of assorted hatches.

Cobra Kayaks all feature polyethylene hulls for super tough performance

with a LIFETIME warranty to prove it. The self draining reinforced

scuppers throughout give unparalleled hull rigidity and a drier ride.

Customize your Cobra Kayak with our Made in USAseats,

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California Kayaker Magazine

Cover Photo - Current ICF World Free-

style Kayak champion Nick Troutman (red

boat) hits the water alongside Junior World

Champion Jason Craig during the Reno

River Festival. They took rst and second

place, respectively, in what is considered

one of the deepest elds of competitive

whitewater athletes in the world.

Photo by David Calvert,

CalvertPhotography.com

Camera: Nikon D300

Publisher/Editor

Peter Donohue

Design & Layout

Laura Ramos www.portalcm.com

Contributing Writers

Gregg Berman, Meade Fischer, Cate

Hathorne, John Kenny, Marna Powell,

Duane Strosaker, and California Kay-

aker Magazine

Contributing Photographers

Gregg Berman, Amy Byers, David

Calvert, Meade Fischer, Cate Hathorne,

John Kenny, Jeff Laxier, Dominck

Lemarie, Mark Lessley, Tom Middleton,

Jocrebbin, Michael Powers, Duane Stro-saker, and California Kayaker Magazine

Psychological Support

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

www.sierranevada.com/about/news.html#WildRivers

Legal Support

Karen A. Lapinski, Attorney

www.LapinskiLaw.com

Find Us

PO Box 282004

San Francisco, CA 94128Phone: 650-868-8653

Fax: 650-560-2783

Email: [email protected]

www.calkayakermag.com

Copyright 2010 by California KayakerMagazine. All rights reserved. Duplicationor copying of any portion of this magazinein any form is strictly prohibited. Letters tothe editor should be sent to the editor at theaddress listed above. The opinions found inCalifornia Kayaker Magazine are those ofits writers and do not necessarily reect the

opinion of management or advertisers.

California Kayaker Magazine is an independ-ent magazine available for free at paddlingshops, sports retailers, outdoor stores, tnessclubs, marinas, and events, available free onthe web, or individual copies can be mailedfor a nominal charge to cover postage andhandling.

Kayaking can be a dangerous sport. Dressappropriately, always wear your PFD, andpaddle within your skill level.

Winter 2010Volume 1, Issue

Contents

9 18 21

Features

6 Skills - GreenlandPaddling

9 Critters from Kayaks -Gray Whales

12 Boat Fit - the Seat

18 Surng MossLanding

21 Rancheria CreekWhite Water

24 Fishing - MakingSwimbaits

In Every Issue

4 Editors Note

5 News, Results,and Calendar

16 Center Hatch

27 Gear - Dry Storage

30 Wet Exit Cartoon

30 List of Advertisers
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Editors Note

Welcome Letter

Welcome to the Winter issue ofCalifornia Kayaker Magazine. Hard to believe that this is the4th issue (and being quarterly, that means we have nished our rst full year). The magazineis still coming along nicely.

I received an email from a reader regarding last issues Leopard shark Critters from Kayaks

article. When we talked about where to go see Leopard sharks from a kayak, we missed oneof the better places La Jolla. During the summer, it is common to see a school of large Leop-ard sharks just off the beach common enough that there are 4 or 5 kayak rental shops theregetting people out to see the spectacle. Sorry about not listing La Jolla.

California Kayaker Magazine has been available online since the rst issue. But now ratherthan just having a PDF available for download, there is also a version of the magazine thatcan be read using a Flash-based player hosted by a company called Yudu.com. In both PDFand Yudu, all links are active. So if you want to check out an advertiser or get more informationfrom one of the links with more information in the sidebar of the articles, opening either of theonline versions will let you click to go to the link rather than having to retype the URL.

I am putting this together around Thanksgiving, which makes me think about what I am thank-ful for. Good health, living in an area where I can kayak year round, etc. are all on the list. Butfor the magazine, I am thankful for the many new advertisers in this issue, which are helpingthe magazine get closer to breakeven. And I am VERY thankful for the advertisers who havebeen with us for a few issues now, some even showing their support forCalifornia KayakerMagazine right from the rst issue. If you like this magazine, let the advertisers know that yousaw their ad. This way they will know they are spending their advertising dollars wisely.

Happy Paddling!

Peter Donohue

[email protected]
http://www.calkayakermag.com/mailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=mailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=http://www.calkayakermag.com/


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New Fishing License Process

State shing licenses can now onlybe bought online or from a specialterminal that will be installed at manyof the larger licensing agents. Those

agents that did not sell at least $6kworth of licenses a year (or about150 per year) are not able to get themachine.

Impact You can get a license online(more convenient), but many of theshops you may have bought licensesfrom in the past may not offer themanymore. Annual licenses will bemailed to you. However, at the endof the transaction you will be ableto print a temporary document for

immediate use until you receive yourlicense in the mail.

On a positive note, earlier this yearthe requirement that you wear yourlicense in a visible location wasremoved, but of course you still needto have the license with you whenshing.

For more detailed information visitwww.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/shing/sport-shing.html.

Johnson Outdoors to SupportFight Against Breast Cancer

As part of their commitment to eradi-cate breast cancer, Necky Kayaksand Ocean Kayak (both part of theJohnson Outdoors product family)donate one percent of the grosssales from their women-specic kay-aks to the Breast Cancer Fund, theleading national organization workingto identify and eliminate the environ-mental causes of the disease.

Since the programs inception in2002, Necky Kayaks and OceanKayak have donated nearly $85,000in cash and products to the BreastCancer Fund. Johnson Outdoors do-nates proceeds from its designed forwomen by women Necky Eliza andOcean Kayak Venus kayak sales.

Both of these brands look forward tocontinuing the support in 2011.

California Coastal Cleanup Day

California Coastal Cleanup Day isthe premier volunteer event focusedon the marine environment in thecountry. In 2010, more than 80,300volunteers worked together onSaturday, September 25 to collectmore than 1,100,000 pounds of trashand recyclables from our beaches,lakes, and waterways. Since Cali-fornia Coastal Cleanup Day startedin 1985, over 800,000 Californianshave removed more than 15 millionpounds of debris from our statesshorelines and coast. More informa-tion and reports can be found atwww.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html and www.thewatershed-project.org/enewsccdaywrap.html.

News Continued on Page 15

w

To submit news or an event forconsideration to California KayakerMagazine, please send basicinformation [email protected].

Golden Gate Sea Kayak

Symposium

Sausalito, CAFeb 18-20, 2011www.ggsks.comsee ad on page 2

25th Santa Cruz Surf Kayak FestivalSanta Cruz, CAMarch 17-20, 2011www.asudoit.com/kayak_fest

w

wU.S. Waveski Nationals

The 2010 U.S. Waveski Open washeld in Ventura on October 15-17,2010. A waveski is basically a surf-board designed to ride waves while

seated and be propelled with akayak paddle. More information canbe found at www.uswaveski.com/blog/?p=193

Open (overall winner):1. Blaire Moore2. Steve Farthing3. Tyler Lausten

Top U.S. WaveSki Surfers:1. Tyler Lausten2. Geoff Jennings

3. Roger Adams

Women:1. Wina Duminy2. Lucy OBrien

Vets (age 60+):1. Dennis St. Clair2. Mike Wright3. Dick Gallovay

Grand Master (age 50-59):1. Roger Adams2. Mike Harrington

3. Eric LuhrsMaster (age 40-49):1. Blaire Moore2. Stephen Farthing3. Jeff Munson

Seniors (age 30-39):1. Morne Eramus2. Geoff Jennings3. Francois Duminy

New Age (age 21-29):1. Tyler Lausten

2. Kevin Mackinlay3. Jim Gaffney

MERV (nless boats):1. Jim Grossman2. Mike Harrington3. Rick Haley

Kayak:1. Jim Grossman2. Vincent Shay3. Geoff Jennings

Kayakers cleaning up Marina del Rey

photo by Mark Lessley
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishing.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishing.htmlhttp://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.htmlhttp://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.htmlhttp://www.thewatershedproject.org/enewsccdaywrap.htmlhttp://www.thewatershedproject.org/enewsccdaywrap.htmlmailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=CKM%20News%20and%20Calendar%20responsehttp://www.ggsks.com/http://www.asudoit.com/kayak_fest/http://www.uswaveski.com/blog/?p=193http://www.uswaveski.com/blog/?p=193http://www.uswaveski.com/blog/?p=193http://www.uswaveski.com/blog/?p=193http://www.asudoit.com/kayak_fest/http://www.ggsks.com/mailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=CKM%20News%20and%20Calendar%20responsehttp://www.thewatershedproject.org/enewsccdaywrap.htmlhttp://www.thewatershedproject.org/enewsccdaywrap.htmlhttp://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.htmlhttp://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishing.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/fishing/sportfishing.html


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There is no doubt about the effectivenessof the Greenland paddle (GP) for rolling.

But in the world of sea kayaking, where theforward stroke is king, dont underestimate

the long, narrow blades of the GP. They are as ef-fective for paddling as they are for rolling. Just thislast summer, Joe OBlenis used one to take backthe speed record for circumnavigating VancouverIsland. With proper technique, the GP is silent,smooth and efcient for cranking out the miles. Ifyouve been paddling with big blades and would liketo try the skinny stick, here are some tips to makethe transition easier.

Holding Between the Ends

The GP is meant to be held up and down the full lengthof the paddle, so Im hesitant to describe a normal placeto hold it. But there is a place to hold the paddle in be-tween the times your hands are sliding back and forth.This place is with the thumb and forenger of each handwrapped around where the shaft meets the blades. Theother ngers wrap over the top edge of the blades. Thisway youll know the blade orientation by feel and be cen-tered to quickly extend the paddle either way.

No More Kerplunk

If youve been using a feathered paddle, the rst thingyou might notice when using a GP is a kerplunk as theleft blade enters the water at an awkward angle andsplashes. Switching to unfeathered paddling takes somegetting used to. The trick is to relax the grip on the righthand as soon as the right blade exits the water. The lefthand now becomes the control hand while the paddlespins freely in the right hand, allowing the paddle to beheld at any angle, low or high. Then as soon as the leftblade exits from the water, relax the grip on the left handand the right hand becomes the control hand. Switchingcontrol hands with each stroke is symmetry at its best,and youll lose that big callus knob on your right thumb.

Getting Off the Treadmill

There are few things more hilarious than watching a bigblade paddler try a GP for the rst time and look likehes on a treadmill. You cant start cranking back on thepaddle as soon as the tip hits the water. Air gets pulleddown behind the blade, creating a trail of air bubbles ana scratching sound, and most of the cranking power islost before the paddle has maximum bite. The trick is toplant the blade quickly and smoothly into the water at

The Greenland Paddle

Not Just for RollingBy Duane Strosake

A selection of Greenland Paddl

Photo by California Kayak
http://www.calkayakermag.com/http://www.calkayakermag.com/


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least twelve inches before crankingon it. When no air bubbles follow theblade, the stroke is silent, and thereslots of bite, the paddle is telling youthe stroke was started right.

Putting Spin on It

When a GP utters, it is becauseit cant decide which edge of theblade to let the water ow over, soit switches the ow back and forth.To resolve this problem, think of howping pong players put spin on the ballwith a slicing motion from the paddle.As you paddle with a GP, put a slightangle on the blade to allow the waterto ow over just one edge of theblade. This makes a slicing motionthat creates lift and allows the paddleto nd new water to push against,much like a wing paddle. But better

than a wing paddle, a GP can sliceboth outwards, with water owingunder the bottom edge of the blade(wing paddle style), and inwards withwater owing over the top edge ofthe blade.

For the wing style stroke, with theblade slicing outwards and waterowing under the bottom edge of theblade, let the blade drift away fromthe kayak while rotating through thestroke. While the wing style strokeworks with the GP, I nd the paddle ismore powerful with the blade slicinginwards and water owing over thetop edge of the blade. This style ofstroke is done with the bottom handpulling straight back and close to thekayak. Because the top hand crossesover the deck during rotation and thebottom hand stays close to the kayak,the blade in the water draws slightlycloser to the kayak through the stroke.Holding the paddle with the top edge

of the blade canted forward slightlyhelps direct the stroke. The slicingand cant are subtle and take practice,but nding the sweet spot results insmooth and powerful strokes.

Using More Than Just Half of thePaddle

The funny thing about kayak paddlesis that one blade is usually sticking

up useless in the air. The genius ofthe GP is that the blades are de-signed to be held with the hands slid-ing back and forth to vary the widthof the grip and extend the paddle to

take advantage of its full length.The sliding stroke is useful for gettingmore power with a wider grip andgetting the blades deeper into thewater for more bite. Its sort of likeswitching into a higher gear. To dothe sliding stroke, as the right bladeexits the water, relax the grip onthe right hand and slide it out ontothe blade about six inches, whichextends the paddle out to the left.Take a stroke on the left side, and as

the left blade exits the water, slidethe right hand back in where theshaft meets the blade. Now relax thegrip on the left hand, slide it out onto

the blade about six inches, and takea stroke on the right side. Repeatto continue the sliding stroke. Re-member that the sliding hand returnto where the shaft meets the bladebefore the other hand slides out onthe blade. Although the sliding strokis tedious at rst, with practice youwont even realize youre doing it. Asingle sliding stroke also works niceas a corrective stroke to keep thekayak going straight.

When wind or waves knock the kayak far off the heading, nothing gets

it pointed back in the right directionfaster than the far reaching sweep

Gripping with thumb and foreng

where the shaft meets the blad

Demonstrating the sliding stro


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stroke from an extended GP. Extendthe paddle to the left by sliding theleft hand to the right hand, and thensliding the right hand out towards theend of the blade. Return to the un-extended position by sliding the righthand to the left hand, and then slid-ing the left hand to where the shaftmeets the blade. Remember, while

one hand is sliding, the other one isholding the paddle. Extending the GPalso makes high and low braces verypowerful.

As mentioned earlier, there reallyisnt a normal position to hold the GP.If your hands arent sliding back andforth, unglue them.

A Little about Sizing

Body measurements are commonly

used for sizing a GP. I like a paddleblade a little shorter, with a shaft alittle longer, than typically prescribed.So while body measurements are agood place to start, dont fuss overthem too much. If the sizing is a bitoff with the rst paddle, your strokewill adapt, and youll have an idea ofwhich way to go for the next one.

Paddle length is typically as highas you can reach while standingwith the ngers of one hand curled

over the end of the paddle, but tallerpeople will need to go shorter and

shorter people will need to go longer.Most GP lengths are 84 to 90 inches.The width of the shoulders is typicallyused for the shaft length, but I ndthis measurement too narrow and goa few inches wider. Shaft lengths areusually 19 to 24 inches. The bladesshouldnt be wider than you cancomfortably grip with your hands to

extend the paddle. Most blades arearound 3 inches wide.

Nothing like Using It

These tips should help you getstarted paddling with a GP, butnothing replaces the experience ofcranking out the miles with one. Backwhen I was using both types of pad-dles, I noticed that my GP paddlingimproved my big blade paddling bymaking me more aware of what I was

doing. But eventually the big feath-ered blades seemed like a hindrance,and the long, narrow blades madeevery stroke that much more enjoy-able. The countless generations ofGreenlanders who survived by hunt-ing from their kayaks would agree.v

Duane Strosaker resides in Irvine, CA.

His favorite types of paddling are cross-

ings and surng, and he does both with

a Greenland paddle. Visit his website at

www.rollordrown.com.

Photos of Scott Brown modeling the GP

are by Duane Strosaker

For more info on GPs and how tomake them:www.qajaqusa.org/Equipment/paddles.ht

Greenland Paddles...where will you take yours?

Greenland Paddles Storm Paddles

Rolling Sticks T-Sticks

www.joeoblenis.com

The paddle of choice of

professional sea

kayaker, Helen Wilson

Showing the typical paddle leng
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The female Gray whale slidthrough gunmetal gray water pastthe jutting Point Reyes Peninsula, tinselstreamers of rain pockmarking the turgid

ocean swell. Gulls hovered overhead, kiting andwheeling before cutting away again. Gravid with

calf, in her hurry to reach the safety and buoyancyof Bajas calving lagoons, the whale ignored themales intent upon engaging her in mating. Withmeasured urgency she maintained a speed of threeto ve knots, and a regular rhythm of four to sixbreaths, or blows, per minute, diving at three-to-ve minute intervals. Having traveled much farthernorth to feed, she will not reach the calving lagoonsbefore her calf arrives. If lucky, the cow-calf pair willbe able to withstand winter storms and escape killerwhales en route to the Baja lagoons and safety, andpass our shores once again this spring.

Each winter as the solstice approaches, many Califor-nians anticipate the migration of the Gray whales past ourshores, signaling the advent of a new year. The major-ity of the Eastern Pacic Gray whale population makesits stately progress twice each year past the Californiacoast. In late fall and winter, having laid down a severalinch thick layer of insulating and nourishing blubber, theyhead south from the Arctics Bering and Chukchi seas totheir sheltered winter breeding lagoons in Baja Califor-nia. Then, in late winter and spring, mating and calvingaccomplished, they begin their trek north again to resumefeeding throughout the summer and early fall in high-

latitude waters.

The most coastal of the large whale species, their pathtakes them through the Gulf of the Farallones NationalMarine Sanctuary just beyond the Golden Gate, usingour waters as a marine superhighway. But this pattern ischanging.

Warming ocean temperatures in the Arctic are hasteningpolar ice cap melt. Consequently, the nourishing am-phipodstiny mud-living marine invertebrates on which

Graysfeedaredisappearing fromthe Grays traditionalfeeding grounds. Amphipodsfeed on dead marine plants, or algae,that rain down from the underside of the icesheet. When the ice sheet shrinks, the amphipods dis-appear, and Gray whales must seek sustenance elsewher

Some Grays have begun to stall out along the migrationpath, utilizing coastal waters in a different way. Instead ofmarine superhighways, these waters are now becomingseafood buffet tables. In addition toor as an alternativetoamphipod-laden mud, changing conditions have cause

Grays to switch to other prey such as swarms of mysidshrimp, or even herring roe slurped from kelp fronds.

Beginning in the early 1960s, small summer residentpopulations of Gray whales began to linger in variousspots along their travel route: In 1962 Grays establisheda feeding site off western Vancouver Island. Later, Graysbegan to over-summer at the South Farallon Islands, andin sheltered bays and inlets along the coast, includingTomales Bay and San Francisco Bay. These opportunistimeals can be high-risk propositions. Gray whales, alreadvulnerable to shipstrike because of their near shore migration, are now targeted by curious boaters and paddlers

eager for a closer look. Careless whale watchers coulddisturb the whales even as they attempt to eke out a hardscrabble existence. And the danger to small craft operatoposed by a 40-ton whale should not be ignored.

Another concern: what foods are they nding in thesenewfound feeding spots? Is there enough to sustainthem, or are these junk food pit stops? And are thewhales ingesting toxins or bacteria? Scientists are cur-rently looking at this.

Encounters withLeviathan

By Mary Jane Schram

Gray whale in British Columbia

Photo by Shutterstock/Tom Middleton


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Some researchers note that a melt-ing Arctic ice cap may open up morenortherly feeding grounds, allowing

Gray whales to forage in the path ofthe receding ice. The most dramaticexample is the solitary Gray whalesighted in May 2010 off Israel. Itslikely that it overshot the Arctic viathe newly ice-free Northwest Pas-sage, and found itself in the Atlantic,where it veered south and into theStraits of Gibraltar and Mediterra-nean beyond.

While we are still studying the re-sponses and adaptations of the Graywhale to a changing ocean climate,we are advised to be cautious anytime we may come into contact withwhales, and give them distance andrespect as they struggle to survive.

Gray Whale Facts

The Gray whale, Eschrichtius robus-tus, is alone in the Family Eschrichtii-dae, and may be one of the oldest sur-viving cetacean families. Two stocks,

or populations, remain: the NortheastPacic stock off North America, andthe Western Pacic stock, off Russiaand Asia. The North Atlantic stock dis-appeared in the 17th or 18th century,perhaps helped into extinction byEuropean and Yankee whalers.

E. robustus is a mid-sized whale,reaching around 50 feet and nearly40 tons, with a streamlined body, nar-

row tapered head, and arched upperjaw. Its dark skin has gray patcheswith white mottling, often scratched,with patches of barnacles and orangewhale lice. Newborn calves are a

glossy dark gray to black. Grays lacka dorsal n, but instead sport a ridgeof knuckles extending from mid-backto the ukes (tail).

The Gray whale is a mysticete, ormustached whale like many largewhale species, lacking teeth, butusing bristle-like plates hangingfrom inside its upper lip as a sieve. Itengulfs great mouthfuls of food andsilt, often gouged from the seaoor,but sometimes gulped from the water

column. The food is then trappedbehind the baleen plates, while siltand seawater are spit out.

Conservation Status

Its specialized behaviorsits del-ity to breeding sites and its nearshore habitshave rendered theGray whale unusually vulnerable toexploitation. Whaling brought theGray whale to the brink of extinctionseveral times until it was protectedby international treaty. Although theirnumbers once recovered to nearly27,000, about one third of the Graywhales died between 1999 and 2000,many malnourished. The reasons arestill not fully understood. They nownumber around 19,000.

By using binoculars to assure a goodview, and leaving the whales undis-turbed, you can enjoy seeing these

magnicent creatures while helpingto assure their survival in the face oa changing ocean climate.

How to spot Gray whales

Gray whales can sometimes be seefrom a kayak. Often the thing you wsee is its bushy blow, which lookslike a puff of white smoke about 10to 15 feet high, since very little of thwhale itself is visible at the surface(particularly when you are sittinglow in a kayak). A whale may sur-face and blow several times beforea prolonged dive, typically lastingfrom three to six minutes. On its lassurfacing, sometimes you will see thuke as it starts its deep dive.

Grays generally migrate south pastour coasts in December and Januar

During this time, they are often a halmile to a few miles off shore. Malesand non-breeding females migrateback north in March, at about thesame distance from shore. Mothersfollow after their calves have grownstrong enough to do the migration,around April-May. Cow-calf pairs stavery close to shore, and may evenpause in quiet coves for the calf tonurse or rest. They may even rollamong the breakers in the surf zone-- which could provide refuge or asound-screen to protect against killewhales that patrol the coast.

If you want to watch from a kayak, baware that Gray whales are federalprotected, with serious consequences for those who violate the rules.The Marine Mammal Protection Act(MMPA) of 1972 prohibits the tak-ing of marine mammals, includingwhales. Take has been dened asthe act of hunting, killing, capture,

and/or harassment of any marinemammal; or, the attempt at such.MMPA has given National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) the enforcement powers tomake sure whales are protected.

Kayakers in the 21st Century arentusually out hunting for whales, butcan possibly be in violation of theMMPA by harassing them. Because

Gray whale in San Francisco Bay

Photo by California Kayaker


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our boats are very quiet, we cansometimes get very close to whalesbefore they notice us. But this stealthapproach is also the tactic that Killerwhales use, so Gray whales maybe surprised by your approach (andcould possibly react violently indefense).

The NOAA Ofce of ProtectedResources has issued guidelines forboaters:

Remain at least 100 yards fromwhales.

Never separate a whale cow fromher calf.

Limit your time observing an ani-mal to 1/2 hour.

Marine mammals should not beencircled or trapped between boatsor shore.

In addition to these guidelines youcan also make sure you are notharassing the animal by ensuringthat nothing you do causes the whaleto change its behavior, even if thismeans staying further away than theguidelines listed above.

If you are not sure about ndingwhales and behaving correctly whenaround them, it may be easier totake a guided kayak whale watch

tour (see box for information on tourcompanies).

Or you can increase you chances ofseeing whales even more if you go on

one of the whale watch cruises (oftenon shing boats), which launch frommost every major port in California.

And there is always the option ofviewing these whales from shore,which you cant do with most otherwhales. At the right time of the year,Grays can be seen from just aboutany shoreline, though you can in-crease your chances if you gain a lit-tle elevation (view from a bluff, ratherthan a beach) and go to a point of

land that sticks out (possibly bringingyou closer to the whales). v

Mary Jane Schramm is a whale watch

naturalist and media specialist for

NOAAs Gulf of the Farallones National

Marine Sanctuary. She has led whale

and wildlife expeditions off California an

Mexico.

Learn more at: farallones.noaa.govand at www.acsonline.org/issues/grayWhales/index.html

A video of the Gray whale in SanFrancisco Bay can be seen atcalkayakermag.blogspot.com/2010/11/graywhale.html

Below is a list of some of the kayakcompanies that have whale watchkayaking tours:

Arcata Area: Humboats KayakZak (pg 14)

Mendocino Area: Liquid Fusion Kayaking (pg 29)

Bay Area: Clavey Paddlesports (pg 13)

Monterey Bay area: Kayak Connection Venture Quest

San Diego area: Hike Bike Kayak Aqua Adventures

Companies in bold are advertisers.

Baleen visible on a spy-hopping Gray whale in Baja

Photo by Shutterstock/ jocrebbin

Gray whale in San Francisco B

Photo by California Kayak
http://farallones.noaa.gov/http://www.acsonline.org/issues/grayWhales/index.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/issues/grayWhales/index.htmlhttp://calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2010/11/graywhale.htmlhttp://calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2010/11/graywhale.htmlhttp://calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2010/11/graywhale.htmlhttp://calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2010/11/graywhale.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/issues/grayWhales/index.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/issues/grayWhales/index.htmlhttp://farallones.noaa.gov/


12/32


Ihad just launched on an eight-day kayaktrip paddling through beautiful areas of theEverglades and parts of the Florida Keys. Thewind was light, the azure skies were sunnyand clear and the water was wonderfully warm

in this near tropical climate. It seemed an idyllic start

to my journey.

Regrettably, I was in a new boat and had not spent anytime outtting it. Within my rst few hours on the waterI had progressively lost sensation in both my legs. Thesymptoms extended from the tips of my toes to above mywaist on both sides of my body, accompanied by a burn-ing pain that extended throughout my legs and butt. I hadnever experienced symptoms so severe, and I certainlydidnt want to struggle with it for eight days. I seriouslyconsidered ending my trip right then. Thankfully anotherpaddler gave me some wonderful advice that largelyeliminated my complaints and allowed me to complete thetrip. So what was this great advice? Before I answer, letsdiscuss what caused these symptoms in the rst place.

Most of us have experienced some sort of discomfortwhile paddling, even if not typically as severe as thedescription above. We may have gotten out of our boatsa little stiff or with a sore spot here or there. Any little ir-ritation may diminish the enjoyment we feel while kayak-ing. In this two-part series well discuss some of the mostcommon maladies, their causes and how we can outtour kayaks to best prevent them.

A Medical perspective on Leg Numbness

The factors creating leg numbness go by a variety ofnames includingpiriformis syndrome, sciatica,peripherand/orentrapment neuropathies, nerve compressionsyndrome, limb paresthesia, and more. No matter what

you call it though, the underlying ideology stems from thsame set of factors, namely compression of the nervesand blood supply running down the leg. The sciatic nervessentially runs from the spine down the buttock and cotinues down the back of the leg. Along its path it comesin close proximity to the ischial tuberosityor sit bonesand travels under or over a wide variety of muscles in thbuttocks and thigh including the piriformis muscle. Inammation of any of these areas in addition to the directcompressive forces of sitting can impede blood ow andnerve conduction causing pain, numbness and the pinsand needles sensation.

One way to limit these effects is with proper and consist-ent stretching of the hamstring muscles. Doing so canprevent the tightness that not only creates its own pres-sure but also leads to minor or sometimes major musclespasms that can further irritate the sciatic nerve. Of courthat knowledge doesnt help while youre sitting in yourboat feeling uncomfortable. Fortunately, there is an easysolution you can do even while on the water. Simply inayour paddle oat under your knees and slide it back to-wards the front edge of your seat until you nd the desiredegree of support. This is what saved me on my eight-da

Outtting Your Boat for Comfort &Control A Medical PerspectivePart 1 Sit Bones and Hip FlexorsBy Gregg Berman

Thigh support placed providing support to hips, butt, and thig


13/32


trip. It sounds ridiculously simple butits amazingly effective. There arealso commercial devices such asSeal Lines thigh cushion support orEric Jacksons Happy Seat.

The oat allows for a natural bendin the knee. This all by itself re-lieves back pressure (more on this

later) and also allows the hamstringmuscles to relax. Try sitting on theoor with your legs straight in front ofyou, no bend in the knee. Now try thesame thing but bend the knees. Formost of us the latter position will befar more comfortable. Of course youcan hold your legs in that positionwithout use of the paddle oat butthis would further tax the hip exorswhich are already overworked frommaintaining the seated position. Overtime these hip exors become shortand tight which results in a conditionof unwanted reciprocal weakening ofnon-engaged gluteal muscles. At thesame time, compensatory musclessuch as the piriformis and relatedmuscles enlarge. This isolatedenlargement of certain muscles canincrease impingement of the sciaticnerve. The paddle oat prevents thatby allowing your hip exors to relax.

When not on the water, we can do

even better with our outtting. Manykayak seats are essentially nothingmore than a hard, basically at panwith an often overly large and overlytall backrest. These features alsoincrease the strain on the hip exorsas well as greatly increasing the di-rect pressure to your sit bones. Thisdirect pressure can create an inam-mation of the bursa, the protectivepads that provide lubrication betweenthe ischial tuberosity (the bones feltnear the juncture of your hamstringand buttocks while in the seatedposition) and the tendons that moveover it. This is yet another potentialsource of irritation of the sciatica.

Imagine driving your car for long pe-riods if your seat was not much morecontoured than a board with a milddepression carved into it like thoseold wooden school chairs. Likely youwouldnt be able to sit in it comfort-

ably for very long. Instead your carseat is designed to rise in the front,up under your knees as well as bescooped near the buttocks while alsoproviding lumbar support. We can dothis in our kayaks as well. Thoughsea kayaks and surf kayaks are pro-gressing, most whitewater boats are

far more advanced in terms of ergo-nomic design. Whitewater boats typi-cally have a seat pan heavily scoopedout in the rear, with a gradual risetowards the front where it rests underthe hamstrings.

If youre lucky enough to have thisscooped out type of seat the addi-

tion of the paddle oat may be allthe modication you need. The stocseats in both my sea and surf kayakwere very at, creating lots of pres-sure on my sit bones. My legs woulfall asleep to some degree on any-thing more than a very short paddleThe use of the paddle oat greatly

alleviates this but we can go a stepor two further. If you are handy withfoam shaping or berglassing, youcan nd some very good web sitesthat explain in detail how to makea seat with a perfect t using thosemethods.

If like me, you are endowed with ne

Commercial options for thigh support include (clockwise from top) the Jac

son Kayak Happy Seat with built in tube to inate after placing under leg

Seattle Sports paddle oat (with a custom ination tube attached), and t

Seal Line self inating Kayak Thigh Support Cushio

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ther of those talents, nding a stockseat to use that is comfortable can bean easier option. I had a selection ofmy own boats to compare between,but even if you dont have boats ofyour own to choose from, your localshop can provide seats to try. I tookthe seats out of boats and placedthem on at ground to isolate onlywhat I was feeling in the seat withoutother aspects of the boat t interfer-ing with my selection process.

Often whitewater seats have a moreergonomic design, so they are worthconsidering. And dont be afraidto call the manufacturer. They candenitely provide seats from newermodel kayaks and they often have

seats for discontinued models clutter-ing their warehouses. Theyll typicallysell discontinued seats at amazinglycheap prices (at least until word getsout about how valuable they are sokeep this quiet). If they dont have themodel seat youre looking for theylltell you the closest current productionseat to the one you like.

I ordered seats to outt both my seakayak and my surf kayak. Simplemodications needed to be done toboth seats so they would t insidethe boats. In my case, I reducedthe width with a hack saw and thensanded smooth the sharp edges.If you are planning to surf or rockgarden, you may want to beef upthe underside with expandable foam(available from TAP Plastics, amongother places) and cover the seat witha three-quarters of an inch layer ofclosed cell foam. This extra strengthwill help prevent the seat from crack-ing and provide extra shock absorp-tion to protect your spine from hardjarring forces common if bouncingdown waves or in rock gardens.

In the end the best seat is simplythe one that comfortably cradlesyou without creating undo pressureon your sit bones. The scooped outnature of the seat along with theupward slope towards the front,when combined with the paddle oat,provides for even weight distribution

and better paddling posture. Not oncan this translate into a much morecomfortable ride, but youll likely ndyou have better control of your kayaas well, no matter what type of pad-dling you do.

In Part 2 of the article well furtheryour boat comfort and control withideas for outtting your backrestsand foot rests. v

Gregg is an Emergency Room Regis-

tered Nurse, ACA Level 5 Coastal Kaya

Instructor and can be found paddling

throughout the Bay Area playing with

his friends in BASK, guiding with Envi-

ronmental Traveling Companions, and

working for Sunrise Mountain Sports in

Livermore.

Photos by Gregg Berman and Amy Bye

Jackson Kayak Sweet Cheeks, The

marest Camp Seat, and REI Lit

Core Sit Pad are some of the optio

to reduce pressure points creatby a at pan seat without creatin

a whole new seat. Place these ov

the existing seat to conform to yo

shape. Also great to create a mo

snug t for better boat handlin

in Humboldt County

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Examples of a at pan seat (left) that will offer little support thus creating pres-

sure points versus a more ergonomic seat that will reduce pressure points by

supporting your frame more evenly.

Resources:

Making a seat out of berglass:www.kayakforum.com/cgi-sys/cgi-wrap/guille/wiki.pl?Making_A_Seat

Making a custom seat out of foam:www.isomedia.com/homes/gady/kayak2.htm
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15/32


News -Continued from page 5

The next California Coastal Cleanup Day is scheduled forSaturday, September 17, 2011

Support Strokes Raises Over $25k to Fight BreastCancer

Support Strokes began as a result of a desperate needto save one couples home and pay bills following a fatal

misdiagnosis of a young woman in her late 20s. The pad-dling community acted swiftly and generously to staveoff imminent nancial collapse and provide a supportstructure allowing her nal days to be lled with qualitycare and the richness of family and friends. That paddlerlost her battle with breast cancer in May of 2001, but theght against breast cancer is not over. There is still a lotof paddling to do before breast cancer becomes a thingof the past.

In 2010, over 120 paddlers went around Alameda Islandor paddled on the short courses within the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. Pledges received to date exceeded

$26,000, bringing the grand total to over $500,000 sincethe event was rst held in 2000. More information can befound at www.calkayak.com/supportstrokes/?go=info.

Sea Trek Regatta and Paddle-a-Thon

196 paddlers came out for the 29th Annual Sea TrekRegatta and Paddle-a-Thon to raise money for Environ-mental Traveling Companions (ETC) accessible outdooradventure programs.

Races that challenged paddlers and a rafe of a Feather-craft kayak, week long trip in Baja, and more helped

raise over $27,000 this year, bringing the total to over$400,000 since the event started 29 years ago.

All proceeds enable ETC to provide scholarships topeople with disabilities and disadvantaged youth in theiroutdoor adventure and education programs. Every year,more than 2,100 people with special needs discover thechallenge and beauty of the great outdoors on ETC seakayaking, river rafting, cross-country skiing, or youthLEAD adventures! More information on ETC and theRegatta can be found at www.etctrips.org/regatta/

California Kayaker Magazine Adds Resource Page to

its WebsiteThere are some websites that kayakers go to frequentlyto get information they need before they go paddle. Cali-fornia Kayaker Magazine has compiled a list of these andposted them at www.calkayakermag.com/resources.html.Bookmark this page, and whenever you need to nd outwhether a river is running, check water temperatures, orsee if the waves and tides are such that you can have agood paddle, you can nd all the information you needfrom this one site.v
http://www.calkayak.com/supportstrokes/?go=infohttp://www.etctrips.org/regatta/http://www.calkayakermag.com/resources.htmlhttp://www.advancedelements.com/http://www.wheeleez.com/http://www.advancedelements.com/http://www.calkayakermag.com/resources.htmlhttp://www.etctrips.org/regatta/http://www.calkayak.com/supportstrokes/?go=info


16/32


Have a photo that shows the beauty of kayaking or otherwise makes people thinWed love to see it. Send submissions to [email protected]

Include the background story and what camera was use

When professional kayak guide (and auther of the boat tting article on page 12) GreggBerman assured his friend, a class IV river boater, that landing through the big winter

shorebreak at Moss Beach along the rugged northern California coast would be a piece ofcake, no one expected the look of sheer terror that appeared on her face when their inatable

double kayak suddenly did a nose stand in the rambunctious shore break. A moment later

they landed safely (and right side up) on the beach.

Photo by Michael Powers

Camera: Cannon EOS 20D
http://www.calkayakermag.com/mailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=CKM%20Center%20Hatch%20submissionmailto:editor%40calkayakermag.com?subject=CKM%20Center%20Hatch%20submissionhttp://www.calkayakermag.com/


17/32


Duct tape kayak at the Kern River Festival. This unknown paddmade the boat by duct taping a bunch of empty water bottl

together, and got about a 2-minute ride before being ipped ove

Photo by Dominck Lema

Camera: Canon EOS 1DS Mark


18/32


On a recent, sunny, early spring day, Iwalked up the dune from the parking lotat Moss Landing to nd Buck Johnson,winner of the Masters Long Boat World

Championship in Spain in 2007, in the water with hissurf buddy Rick Starr. They were ripping the small,two to four foot waves in their traditional closed surf

kayaks. So after taking a couple of photos, I quicklysuited up and joined them. It was good to see kay-aks in the water on a Friday morning.

Until about a year ago, there was a tight group of MossLanding regulars, kayak surf buddies who met at leastonce a week to ride these somewhat special waves.Saturday mornings at 9:00, there would be from sevenor eight, up to fteen or more men and women gatherinat the Sandholdt parking lot to ride a break that was fair

to good as often as not. With decent waves, there wouldalso be 15 to 25 boards in the water. Sometimes a grouwould show up on Friday, often Sunday also.

I got introduced to kayak surng a half dozen years agowhen my ocean kayaking friend, Bix, told me to drop byand check it out. At the time I was a long board rider,but sitting in the line up, watching kayaks rip waves thatId paddled for and missed, made me give it a secondthought.

At that time Bix and a few others were using sit-on-topsurf boats and it looked like fun, so I picked one up from

the local outtter. Other folks were in the short, closedsurf boats, but since I never learned the roll, I didnt serously consider one of those. In that mix were some riveboats and a couple of wave skis, which look more likesurfboards on steroids.

Although we all surfed other places from time to time, weloved Moss because of the nice peaks with fast lefts andrights. A big plus was that just a few yards north of the breakthe surf almost totally died, except for a small shore break,making paddling out a cinch, even on fairly large days.

Mossy Surfby Meade Fischer


19/32


For four years, a congenial mix ofpeople, some retired, a few still quiteyoung and a great young couple,recent transplants from South Africa,met each weekend, surfed whenthere were waves and gathered afterat the local Surf City Coffee shop fora snack and surng trash talk.

Over time, more and more of thesefolks moved from other types ofboats to wave skis, but I never tiredof my sit-on-top, truly a boat for allseasons. The guy from South Africaused to show up alone with the sametype of boat as I, but soon his lovelywife joined him, and they purchasedtwo new wave skis. She was juststarting out, but soon, with her ag-gressive approach to riding, Vena,was out surng her husband and hadbecome one of the best in the lineup. After two years, she won a localcontest.

A year or so ago, Id show up andnd some of the regulars missing,and soon it wasnt a must gather-ing on Saturday. Often, being in aposition to surf during the week, Istarted to skip Saturday altogether.

On a good weekday or weekend, afew kayak surfers would show up,but it was hit or miss, and I often ndmyself in the water with only boardsurfers, but at Moss, board andkayak surfers get along.

The south side of the Moss Land-ing Harbor is a mellow place, where

boards and boats share the water.The place has both kinds of regulars,and boarders like Donny and Mandyare part of the Moss crew and areour friends. The other side of the har-bor mouth, the Dunes side, is almostall board surfers, and there are folksover there who regard kayakers asinterlopers.

The place is fun from two feet tooverhead, when the waves are hol-low pipes, which is the name some

locals use for the break. Conditionsare dependent on the sand bars thatbuild up right in front of the parkinglot. If the currents and storms havebeen kind, they produce perfectwaves where the left and right shoul-ders mirror each other, and you canhigh ve a buddy before taking off inopposite directions.

This sand bar break is just off theparking lot. In the winter its oftenshoulder high when a hundred yard

south, there are ten foot boomers impossible to paddle through. Howevein the summer, when the main breais often too small, surfable waves ajust a short paddle south, where anice left peels off.

While you never know who youllsee, if anyone, on a given day, in

Directions: From the Highway Onebridge in Moss Landing, go south.Turn on Moss Landing Road (at theWhole Enchilada Restaurant). Go ablock, and turn right on SandholdtRoad. Cross the bridge and immedately turn left into the parking lot forSandholdt Parking Lot for SalinasRiver State Beach.

If you are new to surf kayaking, it isadvisable to understand the surf eti-quette before going out. Below are aBay Area and San Diego area sourcfor information on kayak surng:

www.bask.org/surng

www.sdkc.org/surng/surng.php
http://www.bask.org/surfing/http://www.sdkc.org/surfing/surfing.phphttp://www.sdkc.org/surfing/surfing.phphttp://www.bask.org/surfing/


20/32


the weeks before the annual SantaCruz Surf Kayak Festivalat Steam-ers Lane, competitors from all overgather at Moss to practice for the bigevent.

The lefts there are particularly nice,as they shoulder off into the areabeyond the sand bars where waves

dont break, making for a quick andeasy paddle back to the line up.

As in the old TV show, Cheers, itsnice to go where everybody knowsyour name, so if you come down tocheck it out, just say that Meade sentyou. v

Meade Fischer is a freelance writer,

radio commentator, part-time educa-

tor, artist and environmental activist.

Photos of various kayak surfers andthe parking lot by Meade Fischer.

Personalized instruction withRoger Schumann,

author ofSea Kayak RescueandGuide to Sea Kayaking

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Like skiers and bicyclists, many kayakersenjoy going downhill. Downhill in kayakinginvolves whitewater and is often referred toas going down river or river running. River

running entails carving in and out of eddies, ferry-ing across the current, riding wave trains, surngwaves, and boong off rocks. California has consid-erable diversity of whitewater runs ranging from thepolished granite of the Sierras to the woodland runsof the coastal range.

The coastal rivers and creeks of Northern California arepredominately rain-fed and come and go with winter andspring rains. Like snow sport enthusiasts, coastal white-water boaters eagerly anticipate storm fronts and pre-cipitation predictions. (On occasion, we have even beenknown to do a few rain dances.) As a storm passes, wemonitor the rainfall totals and river ows.

Situated in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County,Rancheria Creek is one of our favorite rain-fed runs.Known for its scenery, Rancheria Creek meanders for26 miles through riparian woodlands and mossy gorgestowered over by redwoods and rs that occasionally part,

providing glimpses of the surrounding Anderson Valley.Many tributaries tumble down the hillsides enhancing thescenery and feeding Rancheria Creek until it eventuallybecomes the Navarro River. Wildlife varies from river ottersand wood ducks to bald eagles and red-shouldered hawks.

Rancheria Creek can usually be boated 10-15 daysduring the rainy season, typically on days immediatelyfollowing signicant rainfall. Sometimes we luck-out witha cold front that provides snow on the coastal range andgives us a couple of extra days. Despite its infrequent

ow, you can count on seeing boaters there when it isowing. The lower stretch of Rancheria Creek is mostcommonly run and is 13 miles of class II+.

Rancheria Creeks wilderness setting with willow-strewnrapids and potential strainer hazards necessitates inter-mediate whitewater boating skills. In several areas, therapids on Rancheria Creek run through gorges and offefun stretches of continuous class II. One of the most notable rapids on the run is The Ledge (aka The Class IRapid). Approximately 8 miles into the run, an outcrop-ping of bedrock creates a sharp right turn in the creek.

The willows that grow in the creek block visibility of theledge, and the line on river right is narrow and difcult tosee. Once scouted, boaters may decide to run the line oriver right or run the 4-foot ledge drop on river left.

Wilderness Anxiety

My rst run on Rancheria Creek was riddled with anxietyAs a novice whitewater boater, a bit of apprehension wacommon for me on any run. The wilderness nature of thirun elevated my usual whitewater nervousness. The onlyaccess points to Rancheria Creek are at the put-in andtake-out so we couldnt scout the run from the road beforgoing. Once we put-in, there was no alternate take-out.We were committing to 13 miles of wilderness boating.

Contributing to my anxiety was the presence of twobrand new kayakers who had only a couple of swimminpool rolling sessions under their spray skirts. The twoadvanced whitewater boaters in our group would be 1:1escorting the new paddlers down the river. I was told topaddle ahead, boat scout the rapids, and lead the way. was gripped, but my paddling partners assured me thait was straightforward and within my skills.

Following the DucksAdventures on Rancheria CreekBy Cate Hawthorne

The author paddling on Rancheria Creek


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Half mile into the run, I started to feelthe character of the run. Stretches ofclass II rapids intermingled with the oc-casional surf wave. The mossy greenrocks and towering trees with rootsgrowing down the canyon walls hadme envisioning elves and hobbits onthe forested river banks. The willowsgrowing along the banks and in theriver (even in the middle of some ofthe rapids) danced and rattled in thecurrent like skeletons and denitely

kept me on my toes, making sure that Iexecuted my lines with precision.

Being an avid birder, I was delightedwith sightings of bald eagles, sev-eral species of woodpeckers, woodducks, and common mergansers.The common mergansers in particu-lar helped me get through the run.They are good swimmers and knowthe lines to take in rapids so I start-ed following them down stream and

watching for the lines that they wouldtake as they swam through the wavetrains and skirted the hydraulics.

My rst run on Rancheria Creek be-came a fun game of follow the duckson a journey through Tolkiens MiddleEarth. Knowing what to expect, Iwanted to paddle it again with lessanxiety and take more time to enjoythe scenery and wildlife.

Dont Follow Don

The ow was a little higher on mysecond run of Rancheria whichincreased my anxiety again. It meantthat the current was a bit pushier. Iknew that there were only a couple ofsignicant hydraulics on the river thatcould potentially give me trouble, butthe menacing skeletons (willows) thatloomed along and in the rapids weremy constant fear. My second run was

with our paddling friend Don who is avery competent whitewater kayaker.Don takes clean lines through rapidsand surfs every surf wave possible.Instead of following the ducks, I was

lulled into following Don down riverand enjoyed bouncing along behindhim through many of the class IIwave trains.

Not long after The Ledge is a serieof class II rapids. Assuming the rapito be mostly wave trains, I followedDon and was enjoying the scenery

and day dreaming of the journeys oelves and hobbits. Soon a landslideappeared, bringing about the begin-ning of a narrow gorge with an elevation drop. Lost in my daydreams, Ididnt notice Don go over a drop andthen a larger drop from which he didnot emerge. Too late, I saw the rstdrop but managed to punch throughit. I failed to anticipate the larger drobelow that had eaten up Don. Fortunate for Don, I dropped into the holeand nudged him out of it.

The collision with Don stopped myforward momentum and ipped me.rolled up only to be sucked backwainto a nasty hydraulic which spun anipped me again. Upside down anddisoriented with water rushing overmy head and wresting for control ofmy paddle, I wet-exited and swammy boat into the nearest eddy. Theguys were cheering for me for help-ing Don out and executing a comb

roll and a skilled swim. However, Iwas cursing at myself for losing composure and bailing out of my boat. Iwas frustrated with losing my nervethat I seemed to nally have gotten

View of Anderson Valley

Following the Common Mergansers through the rapids


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Springtime on the Ranch

A late March storm left snow up on the ridges, so on AprilFools Day we found ourselves heading out for anotherrun. As we drove through the Anderson Valley, snow glis-tened on the ridges, and we were lled with the optimismof spring boating.

We relished launching in the late morning and knowingthat we had plenty of hours of daylight to meander andenjoy the run. The sunshine penetrated into the canyonand warmed our bodies and spirits. After several weeksof running harder waters on the Eel River, my skills andcondence had increased. The ow of 450cfs felt like a

friendly oat down the river. Today, I felt at peace with thewater and was ready to enjoy the scenery and wildlife which is what Rancheria Creek is known for.

GREEN!!! The backdrop for the river had changed. Thewillow skeletons of the banks and rapids were sportinggreen leaves and enchantingly dancing with the current.Our last run in February seemed damp and dark com-pared to this bright green, sunny day. Wildlife was plenti-ful and appeared to be enjoying the sunny day as well.A river otter escorted us along the rst half mile and apileated woodpecker crossed in front of us. The commonmergansers that guided me through my rst run casuallyoated along. During our lunch break at The Ledge, abald eagle soared overhead.

After lunch, we took the time to admire Ham Creek whichis a tributary of Rancheria that appears to ow uphill. Iskirted the hydraulic that troubled Don and I on our previ-ous run and vowed to master my boof stroke and boof itthe next time. With no hairy moments or carnage, this runseemed anticlimactic but really was just perfect for enjoy-ing a warm, sunny day of excellent scenery and wildlifewhile oating down river. v

Cate Hawthorne is a teacher who has moved out of the

classroom and onto the water. Cate and her partner JeLaxier teach and guide sea, river, and surf kayaking on

the Mendocino Coast through their businessLiquid Fu-sion Kayaking(www.liquidfusionkayak.com).

Photos by Cate Hathorne and Jeff Laxier.

Resources:

www.dreamows.com/ows-canv.php#California_North_Coast for ow informa-tion, links to more information on the runs,and checking for recent trip and hazardreports.

www.cacreeks.com has the put-in and take-ouinformation for most California. Some of theirwrite-ups are helpful and others are not soaccurate. Many are from a rafter or inatablekayak paddlers perspective which is often verdifferent from those of a hardshell paddler.Their Lower Rancheria Creek write up is prettygood.

www.calkayakermag.com/resources.html hasa compilation listing of various resources forkayakers, for both white water and at water.

Helen Wilson, Kokatat Ambassadorpaddling with friends, Humboldt Bay (CA

hh SeekerAn ultra light, exible and low

prole shoe designed to t

well in low-volume kayaks.

hh MsFIThTourhThe anatomically cut foam

panels have made this life

jacket one of the most

comfortable for both genders

and all paddling styles.

hh GMEROur GORE-TEX Meridian dry

suit with relief zipper and socks

is specically designed withpaddlers in mind. It incorporate

an adjustable overskirt which

layers with a spray skirt tunnel.

Going over The Ledge
http://www.liquidfusionkayak.com/http://www.dreamflows.com/flows-canv.php#California_North_Coasthttp://www.dreamflows.com/flows-canv.php#California_North_Coasthttp://www.cacreeks.com/http://www.calkayakermag.com/resources.htmlhttp://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.kokatat.com/http://www.calkayakermag.com/resources.htmlhttp://www.cacreeks.com/http://www.dreamflows.com/flows-canv.php#California_North_Coasthttp://www.dreamflows.com/flows-canv.php#California_North_Coasthttp://www.liquidfusionkayak.com/


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Its that time of year when winter has you wish-ing you were on the water. But the conditionsare too rough on the ocean. The howling windis making it difcult to hold a spot on your fa-

vorite lake, not optimal conditions for shing from akayak. A great way to get your shing x throughoutthe winter months is to make your own lures. Mak-ing swimbaits, top water lures, and saltwater jigs areeasier than you might think.

This article will be on making swimbaits, a popular lurechoice for many ocean kayak shermen. If you get agrasp on the process, you can use this same process for

worms and other soft plastic lures for all types of shing.

All of the information in this article can be directly at-tributed to Larry Dahlberg and his methods. I am simplysharing the knowledge I have learned with his blessing.

Materials used: one pound Alumilite High Strength IIImold making rubber, Alumilite Alumisol soft plastic, Alu-milite Heat Stabilizer, Alumilite dyes, Alumilite syntheticmodeling clay, a piece of glass or an old mirror, super-glue, stirring sticks, a microwave safe glass container,measurement scale, gloves and a microwave oven.

First you will start with modeling clay and your favoriteswimbaits. I am using one 7-inch, one 3-inch and a pairof 5-inch swimbaits as my masters. (Note: This usedslightly more than 1 pound of mold making material. If us-

ing only one 5 inch, one pound should be just right.)

I start by gluing the at side of the masters down to theglass. Next, I create a box around them by using somescrap materials, like scrap wood or plastic. You want toleave about - inch on all sides of the masters. A largenough hard plastic box can be used as well. I nd it beto make the box specic to the size needed, as that willkeep you from wasting old material.

Once the box is placed, lay down a thin bead of clay onthe glass to keep the mold material from seeping out. Ayou go around the box, make sure all edges are sealed

with the clay as in a watertight seal. The silicone willleak through the smallest of cracks so make sure youseal it well. (Note: Hot melted glue also works well forsealing the mold box down to the piece of glass.)

You dont want to waste mold material so I recommendusing the online volume calculator found at www.alu-milite.com/CalcVolume.cfm. The mold material is a RTVsilicone that uses a catalyst to make it cure. (RTV is shofor Room Temperature Vulcanization, meaning it willsetup from a liquid to a solid at room temperature.) Oncyou have calculated the amount you will need, measureonly what you need and start mixing the mold materialand catalyst together in a plastic cup or container. Mixit slowly but very thoroughly, scraping the bottoms andsides of the container. After mixing, let it sit for about 10minutes, as tiny air bubbles from mixing will rise to thesurface.

After the bubbles have dissipated, pour the mixed rub-ber over the masters. Pour slowly from one corner ofthe mold box and allow the rubber to ow naturally upand around the masters so you dont re-introduce ortrap bubbles in your mold while pouring. Some bubbles

Make Your Own Swimbaitsby John Kenny

Sources for Materials:

MakeLure www.makelure.com

Lure Craft www.lurecraft.com

Janns Net Craft www.jannsnetcraft.com

Soft plastic swimbait attached to a jig he
http://www.calkayakermag.com/http://www.alumilite.com/CalcVolume.cfmhttp://www.alumilite.com/CalcVolume.cfmhttp://www.makelure.com/http://www.lurecraft.com/http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/http://www.lurecraft.com/http://www.makelure.com/http://www.alumilite.com/CalcVolume.cfmhttp://www.alumilite.com/CalcVolume.cfmhttp://www.calkayakermag.com/


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may continue to rise as the materialcontinues to cure, which should notbe a problem. Make sure you coverthe master with at least one-quarterto one-half inch of rubber you dontwant the mold to be too thin on theback side. If you use a long cure timemold making rubber, you can startwith barely enough and then mix andadd more if needed.

Once you have poured the mold, let

it sit for 24 hours. Do not touch it ormess with it give it the time it needsto cure. The next day you are readyto undo the box and start pouring softplastic into your new mold. This moldwill practically last forever when us-ing soft plastics.

Pouring Soft Plastic

Soft plastics are easy products towork with but keep in mind that it willbe very hot coming out of the micro-

wave, so handle carefully. It will notstick to the silicone mold when curedso no mold release material is neces-sary.

Pour 3 to 4 ounces of soft plastic intoyour glass container. Put the micro-

wave on 50% power and set it to 3-4minutes. (Times will vary for eachmicrowave. You can burn the softplastic, so keep an eye on it.) As theplastic heats up, stop every minuteor so and stir the plastic gently toprevent burning. The material willtransition from its original milky-whiteliquid state, to a thick and cloudy gel,and nally to a thin, clear liquid. Once

it becomes a thin clear liquid, it willthen harden to a soft plastic when itcools. Remember to stir the materiaseveral times as it passes throughthese stages.

Making Colors

Once you have the plastic heated toa thin consistency you can add youdyes. The butt end of a small paint-brush or scrap piece of wire barelydipped into the dye is plenty. Youwill need white dye to make colorsopaque. If you want a translucentappearance use the colors withoutany white dye. There are many colochoices for dyes so you can mix

them to achieve the color you want

You can also add glitter or some ofAlumilites metallic powders. Whenrst using glitter make a smallamount to see how it reacts withthe plastic. You can also add salt toincrease the weight and fall rate ofyour lures. Add Microbaloons if youwant a suspending or oating lure.

After the box is made and the edge

sealed, you pour the mold making

material around masters

The mold after it sets next to the

masters. You are now ready to pour

the soft plastics


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Experiment until you nd the desiredeffect.

Pour the soft plastic into the moldand ll the cavity moving back andforth. If a little bit spills on the sideswhen pouring layers or over the top,you can trim it off using a pair of scis-sors after it solidies. After pouring,

allow the plastic to cool until the luresare solid, about 5-8 minutes. Thebigger the pour, the longer it will taketo cool.

You can layer the soft plastic withdifferent colors and it will adhere toitself. It is best if poured within therst 5-10 minutes of pouring the rstlayer. As soon as the rst layer skinsover, go ahead and pour your nextlayer. You can also pour simultane-ously to achieve swirl colors through

your soft baits.

If a pour doesnt turn out right, dontworry. Most soft plastics can bereheated and reused after they havecured, so keep all of your waste (andyour used lures that sh tore up).To re-melt, clean the plastic, cut intosmall pieces, and put it back intoyour glass container. Then add lessthan a teaspoon of heat stabilizer forevery half pound of recycled baits.This will help it melt evenly. Makesure you stir it several times alongthe way using the same heating proc-ess as above but note that it will notgo through the thick gel stage as rawmaterial does. As soon as it meltsinto a thin liquid, it is ready to re-pour.

Now grab your new baits and get onthe water. I think you will nd a greatsatisfaction in catching sh on luresyou made. v

John Kenny (a.k.a JK) is an avid kayak

sherman living on the California central

coast. He has over three decades of sh-

ing experience and is the co-founder of

CentralCoastKayakFishing.com. He can

be reached atjohn@centralcoastkayak-

shing.com or on various kayak shing

forums.

Adding a second color to the swimbait

by pouring it on top of the rst color

Pouring the soft plastic into the mold

The new swim baitsplaced next to theoriginal masters
http://www.calkayakermag.com/http://www.centralcoastkayakfishing.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.centralcoastkayakfishing.com/http://www.calkayakermag.com/


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Many boats now come with sealed hatches,so why would someone need to put gearin dry bags and cases? Well, it turns outthat these sealed hatches arent always

waterproof and have a way of proving it to you atthe worst possible moment. And gear kept on deckor in PFD pockets doesnt benet from any protec-

tion a hatch may provide.Not all gear needs to be kept in waterproof containersbut much should be. For example, electronics (like cellphones and electronic car keys) should be kept in veryreliable waterproof containers, as the damage that can bedone if these containers fail would be great. Similar issuewith clothes, food, and sleeping bags if you are doing acamping trip. But it is probably not as important to put apaddle jacket or splash jacket in a waterproof container,or things like canned foods or other items already insealed, waterproof containers.

On the other hand, California Kayaker Magazine hasfound out the hard way that not all electronics marketedas waterproof are actually waterproof, so sometimes anadded layer of protection can be benecial.

A Test Case

Take one 21-foot tandem sea kayak lled with gear for afour-week expedition. Add some inclement weather (six-foot waves, 20- to 25-knot winds), capsize with wet exit,and rescue by a Coast Guard helicopter. Leave boat to

stew in the storm for a few days before it washes up on beach (the Coast Guard rescues people, not gear). Thepop hatches open and check to see how all your dry bagand cases worked.

This unfortunate test actually happened last Septemberon Lake Superior (details can be found at www.natural-lysuperior.com/blog/2010/09/which-stuff-stayed-dry/).Thankfully the participants were none the worse for weaout of the episode. But the boats hatches were lled witwater and sand. And there were interesting results in

regards to the dry storage containers inside the hatches

Dry Bags

Probably the most common type of dry storage containeis the dry bag. Early versions were wax-impregnatedcanvas bags tied off with rope used over a hundred yeaago. These had some limitations, such as not handlinghigh or low temperatures well, and sometimes animalsfound the wax to be tasty.

Over the years, the materials and designs improvedand developed into current dry bags. Now, the design

involves a bag with a top that rolls down to form a seal.Vinyl (such as PVC) and urethane-coated cloth aretwo common materials used to make dry bags. Vinyl ischeaper, but the manufacturing process is generally badfor the environment. Dry bags made of urethane-coatedmaterials have many advantages over vinyl, such asbeing lighter, easier to close, and the material is not assticky as vinyl, so the bag can slide into tight spaces witmore ease, but have a signicant disadvantage in price

Turns out, many people are not always closing their drybags properly. Christian Folk of Outdoor Research saysThe roll top is supposed to be rolled down at least three

times before being closed. Excess air should be purgedfrom the bag so that the roll is not pressured from withinthe bag.

Andy MacAuley of AquaPac adds Its all just a matter opressing two layers together to make a seal. What hap-pens when you fold a bag over on itself is that you stretthe back layer over the front layer on a really small ra-dius, so that the two inner faces of the bag are squeezetightly together. Then, when you close the buckle/strap/cinch on the dry bag, what youre doing is holding the

The Basics ofDry Storage
http://www.naturallysuperior.com/blog/2010/09/which-stuff-stayed-dry/http://www.naturallysuperior.com/blog/2010/09/which-stuff-stayed-dry/http://www.naturallysuperior.com/blog/2010/09/which-stuff-stayed-dry/http://www.naturallysuperior.com/blog/2010/09/which-stuff-stayed-dry/


28/32


whole rolled part of the bag undersome sort of tension, so that it cantunroll itself. However, a roll-seal isonly as good as the tightness of therolling, so always make sure youhave nice, crisp folds. The best dry

bags often have some sort of stiffinsert or webbing at the opening tomake sure that your folds are tight.

But roll-down dry bags are notsubmersible, even when closed cor-rectly, which was shown in the LakeSuperior incident. All of the dry bagsin the boat were ooded. So thesebags are good at keeping splash andtemporary exposure to water out, butare not truly waterproof.

These bags come in a variety ofcolors, sizes, and shapes. When se-lecting, keep in mind that it is easierto pack a bunch of small dry bags

into a hold than it is to t a smallernumber of large dry bags. And havingdifferent colors and/or see-throughwindows allows you to better keeptrack of what content is in which bag.

Added benet dry bags can beused in a pinch to carry water or dolaundry. And clear bags can be usedto keep kids occupied by turninginto temporary aquarium with locallycaught critters.

Pros light weight; simple con-struction; inexpensive; little upkeepneeded; easy to use; soft construc-tion allows for easier tting in a hatc

Cons no indicator to tell you thatthe bag is sealed correctly (easyto not roll enough or not roll tightenough); even when sealed correct

it is not 100% waterproof

Recommended for - clothes, food,tent, and other gear that is large anwould be an inconvenience if it got bit wet

Re-sealable Zip Style Bags

Ever since ZipLoc was rst marketein the late 1960s, people have usedthem to protect their valuables fromgetting wet. Once ZipLocs patentexpired, many competitors jumped to the market, some even providingbags specially made for use in theoutdoors (a bit more rigorous appliction than keeping a sandwich pro-tected in your ofce fridge). But thebags follow the same basic design reusable, re-sealable zipper storageas the original ZipLoc, but perhapswith the additon of more rugged seaing properties and thicker materials

Ottavio Cinelli of LOKSAK suggeststhe following for care and testing ofzip closure bags: We suggest that

LOKSAK zip-style bag being used to

protect some VERY important read-

ing material. They also have bags

which keep food smells locked in,

reducing the chance of a critter raid-

ing your food when camping.

Outdoor Research has dry bags that

roll down along the long edge, mak-

ing it much easier to access the gear

that you keep inside.


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you test your bags seal integrityevery so often after extended useby simply blowing a small amount ofair into the bag and giving it a goodsqueeze. The plastic may cloud overtime but is very resistant to punctureregardless; it is the seals that canbecome damaged over time.

The report from our capsized tan-dem was mixed on zip-closure bags.Some standard grocery store zipperbags, inside of ooded dry bags,failed. But a more robust type ofmedication bags did survive. Theredid not appear to be any of the zipclosure bags developed specicallyfor the outdoors market in the kayak.

Pros light weight; inexpensive;clear and pliable, so you can accessbuttons and read screens of elec-

tronic devices

Cons will fail if dirt gets trappedin the seal; light weight materialsmay fail; cant always tell if the bagclosure is completely sealed or notby looking at it

Recommended for - keeping chartsor maps dry on deck, and for keepingitems separated (and double pro-tected) inside of a dry bag

Bags with Clips or Clamps and aGasket

Another type of bag is one that usesa clamp to seal the opening of thebag. These usually have a leverwith a cam on it that pulls two hardmaterials together, clamping the bagtogether with a gasket to form the

seal. These bags benet from thestrong seal provided by a clampedgasket, and still provide the benetof a pliable material with transparentwindows. They come in a variety ofshapes, sometimes special made fora specic application, and allow youto do things like take photos throughspecial lenses or windows, operatea VHF radio, and even use touchscreens on PDAs and such while thebag stays sealed.

Andy MacAuley of AquaPac providesthe following maintenance advice:The number one tip is to keep theseal clean and free of obstruction.Theyre a pretty precise science andneed some respect. Generally, re-spect your drybag/box/case as muchas whats in it.

There was one of this type of prod-ucts on the capsized tandem, andits contents remained dry during theentire unplanned test.

Pros hermetic seal so OK underwter; denite yes/no closure; clear anpliable, so you can access buttonsand read screens

Cons expensive; must be keptclean/free of obstructions to work;heavier than roll-seal

Recommended for - gear that you wato use while it is protected in a bag,such as VHFs, GPSs, cameras, etc.

Dry Boxes

Dry boxes are hard cases with anopening that seals with a gasket at

edge of lid, which forms a waterproseal. They provide more mechanicaprotection than soft bags.

Care for

California Kayaker Magazine Winter 2010 Issue

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Transcript of California Kayaker Magazine Winter 2010 Issue