Crash Test Dummies

A couple of strip-built sea kayaks were dropped off for us to demo. "The Mattang" was designed to be a rugged, nimble surfing and rock gardening sea kayak. It was specifically built for the surf and rock gardens of the Mendocino Coast. "The Sundance" was a gorgeous, 18.5' long, pointy sea kayak with Greenland and British design influences.


We slipped out for an evening paddle. I paddled the elegant 18.5' Sundance and Jeff paddled the rugged Mattang. A couple of minutes after we launched from the beach, the bulkhead on my boat came loose and shifted forward of my feet, and the right thigh brace came unglued. I didn’t come unglued over these outfitting details (story of my life) and enjoyed the smooth, effortless feel of her gliding through the water. She was surprisingly nimble and turned well with a little edge. She was fast, sleek and efficient and very different from my 16 foot plastic Valley Avocet.

It was a mellow evening, and we enjoyed a couple of rides on a rock garden feature called "The Toilet Bowl."

We meandered over to Chicken Point which was breaking on some of the larger sets. I was content to sit on the edge of the break and admire and photograph Jeff and the Mattang in action. Jeff was tearing it up with her!!! He made that boat dance on the water.


My friend Amy and her family were spectating from the bluffs. Of course they goaded me into catching a wave at Chicken Point. I thought, "Sure, great idea - surfing a rock-strewn break in an elegantly crafted 18.5’ wooden sea kayak with a hull design that had never been tested in the surf."

I contemplated . . . worst case scenario . . . I would not be able to control the boat and end up broach surfed into the rocks . . . at least my friends would witness some spectacular carnage.

As my friend Amy says, “I nutted-up” and got into position. The boat accelerated with ease onto the wave. As I dropped in, I felt totally in control. The bow and stern both rode high in the water allowing me to control the boat's direction. I edged her slightly and surfed her across the face of the wave.


Huh? An 18.5 foot sea kayak that drops into a wave and edges and carves. The builder was ecstatic. He had no idea what she would do on a wave. Jeff and my friends were hooting and hollering . . . . I was grinning from ear to ear and paddling back for another wave. And caught another, and another, and another. On one wave, I actually dropped in and cut right toward the rocks and then cut back left. It was amazing and so much fun.

So much for being crash test dummies . . . this time.

Here's a video of our session using the rapid fire photos that Amy took from above on the bluffs.

The Hockey Stick Roll

This week when I was grabbing paddles to take to our Monday night pool session at the CV Starr Center, I grabbed a stick (not a greenland paddle but a hockey stick). Peter Donohue, editor of California Kayaker, inspired the idea this summer. Here's a video of my first attempt at the hockey stick roll.




After I loaded this onto YouTube, I discovered that some paddlers in the Olypmic Kayak Club have already rolled with a hockey stick. They call it the Canadian Emergency Paddle Roll.

Pretty fun, eh?

New Boat - New Paddle - New Waters - Happy New Year

We have been enjoying drop in kayak sessions at the new pool just blocks from our house in Fort Bragg. It has been nice to have a couple of hours to just play in calm, warm water -no waves to catch, no wildlife to watch for, and no where to go. So what does one do - enjoy the music and mess around in boats. Kayak polo - anyone?


This month I started playing with the greenland paddle during our pool sessions. WOW - it is so much fun. I have been intrigued by the greenland paddling style for its traditional roots and admired the fluidity of movements from the first time that I saw Cheri Perry rolling in This is the Sea 3. It has brought a new sense of kinesthetic awareness to my rolling including more precise and controlled movement. Here's a clip of one of my first rolls with the Greenland Paddle (This is a start and definitely room for improvement).

New for me this year is paddling a performance surf kayak. There has been a green Mike Johnson Design Mini Mako sitting on our kayak rack for a couple of years now. I finally got out our bag of foam and outfitted it. SWEET!!! It is has a totally different feel than any other kayak that I have paddled. It is a fast boat and makes catching waves effortless (almost). I have had a few head over heels tumbles from catching one of the rails and definitely need to learn more about maneuvering the mini mako in the surf. I feel like I have upgraded from my Camry-like Eskimo Kendo to a high performance sports car.


New waters for me besides more time in the surf zone include our local whitewater runs. Last weekend I had my first run on Rancheria Creek and understand why so many boaters rave about the run. It is scenic and fun. Miles of class II rapids keep one entertained and grinning from ear to ear while traveling through a mystical mossy canyon inspires awe as one watches for wood sprites and fairies in the seemingly ancient forest.



Winter rains have also put us back on the main fork of the Eel River between Outlet Creek and Dos Rios. I definitely get to exorcise my demons on this Class III run (more on that in another entry). One of the highlights of this run for me of course are the birds including American dippers, bald eagles, and believe it or not - a male harlequin duck (this is the first recorded sighting of one on an inland river in Mendocino County). In this photo, Jeff watches a 2 year old bald eagle land on a rock next to us on the Eel River.



Good Stuff!!! And more to come!!!