BREAKING NEWS!!! STRAWBERRY ISLAND CLOSED BY DNR

I just learned that Strawberry Island near Cypress Island has been closed to the public.  If you are not familiar this is a great island and a great camping spot for kayakers.  The report was that it was closed to save money.  Yet DNR used a helicopter to remove the picnic tables.  How much did that cost?

Update from Washington Water Trails

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decided to permanently close the campground facilities at Strawberry Island, a Cascadia Marine Trail Site, effective Thursday June 18, 2009. All facilities have been removed, including picnic tables, signs and fire rings and the toilet. Day use is still permitted, but the site is strictly pack in/pack out – including human waste. If you have plans in the area, consider visiting either Pelican Beach or Cypress Head on Cypress Island. Please note that Cypress Island campsites are heavily used in the summer months and campsites fill quickly on weekends.

The DNR states budget cuts required the agency to reduce staff and services to recreation facilities. At this point in time, there are no other proposed closures for DNR Cascadia Marine Trail Sites.

Project Santa Claus

M and I made it out today to volunteer with Project Santa Claus.  Because of the snow we have been getting they were in desparate need of volunteers with 4X4 vehicles to deliver food and toys to some families in need.  My Dodge Ram came in handy.  We saw some really great kids.  So wonderful to hear their joyful laughs with the delivery of some toys.  Really makes me appreciate all that I have.  Feels good to give a little this time of year.

This program started in 1979 when deputies from the local Sheriff’s Office decided to do something to help some of the local families in need.   Starting with 10 families it now helps out about 300 families and over 1200 children.   People volunteer from all walks of life.  A pretty good program this time of year.

PROJECT SANTA CLAUS WEBSITE

An Important Christmas Card

Bellingham Boy Battling Brain Tumor Asks For Holiday Cards.

We send out so many Christmas cards because we feel we have to.  I wonder how many people really care that they got the card from us.  Sometimes the holiday feels holiday to me.  Well we are mailing off two cards today that I feel are truly important.  Please read the article in today’s Bellingham Herald about Kyle Roger. He is asking for holiday cards for himself and his brother Nicolas.  I hate seeing kids go through tough times.  Something as simple as a card can make him feel so much better.  Cards can be sent to Kyle and Nicolas at:

837 S. Hills Drive

Bellingham, WA 98229

Check out his blog for more info:

http://www.kyleroger.blogspot.com/

I know people read my little old posts from all over.  It would be pretty cool if he got some cards from some far away places he never heard of before.

So much for paddling this weekend

I just picked up a demo boat that the manufacturer was nice enough th lend me. I had all kinds of plans for testing it this weekend. But the weather is not cooperating. I did get out yesterday for a very short paddle on the lake with it and so far I love the boat. But more on that later.

My computer is also DOA so I am using an alternate, but I don’t have access to all my photos so no razzle dazzle for the visual senses. Sorry.

Check out the boat I’m looking at below. Anybody want to buy a used Impex Assateague?

http://www.sterlingskayak.com/IllusionSpecs.shtml

Forecast as of 9:00 am PST on December 13, 2008

Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands-
Today N wind 25 to 35 kt…with a few gusts to 45 kt this afternoon. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft. A chance of rain or snow showers.
Tonight NE wind 35 to 45 kt. Wind waves 6 to 8 ft. A chance of snow showers.
Sun NE wind 35 to 45 kt. Wind waves 6 to 8 ft. A chance of snow showers.
Sun Night NE wind 30 to 40 kt. Wind waves 5 to 7 ft.
Mon N wind 25 to 35 kt. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft.
Tue N wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A chance of snow.
Wed S wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A chance of snow.

2008 Deception Pass Dash (What a Beating!)

I arrived at the 2008 Deception Pass Dash early to assure a parking space. With over 130 racers registered and a parking lot that looked like it was going to max out at around 60 cars I knew it would be crowded. At about 7:30 am as I arrived at Bowman Bay the water was glassy calm. I thought to myself that this would be a great race on flat water. Boy was I wrong!

The horn was sounded at 10:00am to start the race and we were off. There were all kinds of boats. Surf skis, skin on frame Greenland kayaks, Baidarkas, outrigger canoes, and even one pedal craft.

As we headed out toward Deception Island the waves were already beating us up. The wind had picked up significantly. I learned later that numerous people capsized within the first mile and before even getting out of Bowman Bay. People were taking different approaches to get around Deception Island. Some were staying close to shore where the water appeared a little closer. Others were going wide. I chose the wide route. It was a a longer distance but allowed me to paddle into the waves longer before I turned to have the waves hit me broadside. Once we made the turn I was able to surf several waves toward the bridge. I have very little experience surfing and no experience surfing waves this big. It was fun and scary as hell all at the same time. I worked my way to the shore on the Fidalgo Island side. The water is usually much calmer along the shore. Today was different. These were the biggest waves I have ever seen in Deception Pass and I knew it was only the beginning. The current was just starting to build and was opposing the wind. As the current got stronger against the wind I knew we were looking for some really rough seas. I changed course to the middle of the pass where things were a bit calmer working my way to Pass Island.

I had my VHF on channel 77, the designated rescue channel for the race. I heard constant radio traffic. “we have a boat over” “there is another boat over” “we need a rescue boat” “we can’t get to the boat we need a power boat” (power boat responds) “they’re up against the rocks we can’t get to them we need the jet ski” This was unerving to listen to. I had brought a tow belt and was prepared to help anybody in need. However every capsized boat I came across was already being helped. My friend Ed wasn’t so lucky. He helped with at least three rescues. This put him too far behind the changing current and he was forced to end the race. He absolutely made the right choice though. People first the race is just for fun. Here he is below involved in one of the rescues.

Ed to the rescue

The photos don’t do justice to the rough water

As I got to Pass Island I was surprised to see that people weren’t all bunched up like last year. The eddy lines were also not as close to shore as usual. The water this year was really behaving different. I had brought a hydration pack strapped to my deck. This is usually really easy to drink from, but I was getting thrown around so much I didn’t dare let go of my paddle long enough to grab the drinking tube until I got to Pass Island. The eddy line on the east side of Pass Island was really easy to get across this year. Last year this gave a lot of people problems. Between Pass Island and Strawberry Island the water was flat calm. What a nice break! I was really looking forward to going with the current back to Canoe Pass. Unfortunately the wind was so strong coming at me that I didn’t get that free ride.

Cool new Epic for a pirate

As I came through Canoe Pass there were several people surfing the standing waves. I almost hit one of them as controlling turning amongst these waves was not that easy. I don’t know if these were people that were out for fun or people that had given up on the race.

I made my way back to Deception Island. I was thinking to myself that if there weren’t so many safety boats around I would quit! I was way beyond my comfort level. I estimated the waves at about six feet high. Now I’m thinking am I like a fisherman that catches a minnow and tells everybody it was a whale. Were these waves small and I was just imagining them bigger than they really are. Well reading through one of the yahoo kayak forums the estimates others gave ranged from 4 feet to 10 feet. The estimate from the Skagit County Sheriff boat was 8 foot waves. As I got closer to Deception Island these large waves were close together and coming from multiple directions. I couldn’t see other paddlers around me as they disappeared in the wave troughs. I heard a girl ahead of me scream out “oh FUCK!” I couldn’t see her when she said this but a moment later I was on top of a wave and could see a large breaking wave crash over her completely covering her in water. I knew it was going to hit me next. I was spending as much time bracing as I was paddling. A moment later I experienced something totally new. I was hit from the side by a large breaker. I brace hard but was covered in water. I thought I had capsized as there was water all over me. I was going to wait till I was no longer being thrown around before trying to roll up. Then the water cleared and I was still upright. Not sure how, but I’m not complaining.

I made it around the Deception Island and I wanted to quit. The waves were beating me up bad. At times my bow was pointing straight up at the sky. The only way to quit at this point was to finish the race. I was wondering how hard it would be to roll in such rough water. Luckily I didn’t have to find out.

I finished the race about 20 minutes faster than last year. And unlike last year wasn’t the last finisher. (Two other people finished behind me.)

Tom Sharp welcoming me at the finish line

I’m glad I did the race, but I don’t know that I would want to paddle in these kind of conditions again.

Some of the stats:

140 Registered Racers

126 Racers Started

94 Finishers (I was number 92)

32 People that started did not finish

One of the many different boats at the race

Here is a sample of some forum comments that other people left describing the race:

Biggest water of any race in the Northwest, ever? Even
though this course was only 5+ miles, almost 1/3rd of the field did
not finish the course because it was too wild.

I had a great race that called
on every skill and knowledge that I possess.

So much for the pre-race prediction of “Flat and Swirly” Sounds more
like “Phat and Squirrely”.

they saw 8 and 10 footers (from a Sheriff’s boat) before we were
all in.

Seriously, today was a “pucker factor” day for the paddlers.

On the boat is was a puke fest.

When we headed back out to the island after offloading, there were just 3 of us
on the boat, the two Skagit Co. Sheriff’s and myself. When we got back out
there, the skipper quietly said “shit” and worked to keep the boat pointed into
the waves. There were honest 8-footer out there. The skipper would holler out
“big one coming” to warn the two of us in the back… and that happened about
every tenth wave.

The DPD is a real game-changer in a paddler’s life.

Well, I thought Bowen made me a man… DPD crushed me.

All I can say is that I’m really whooped! Those were by far the
toughest conditions I’ve ever been in.

-Clearly the conditions today far exceeded anyones expectations and underscored the real potential danger of our chosen sport.

kayak-vs-wave-walls-eating-us-experience

Patrol boats reported 5′ breaking at that S end of DPI before the
last boater came though and we all came back through 6+’ cresting waves
from all directions half the way back into Bowman at about noon.

Gulf Islands Trip Report – Day 3

(Click for larger view)

Day 3 was the only day where we had any real plans. We were off to see the petroglyphs at the Degnen Bay on Gabriola Island. These petroglyphs predate the local natives and nobody really knows who left them or why. I find it interesting how different they look from native art. A bit sad that more isn’t being done to protect this site. People are free to roam about right on top of them, which I am sure overtime will erode them away. I appreciated the opportunity to be so close and attempted to use great care not to walk or stand on any of the petroglyphs, but I’m sure not everybody is so cautious. I even saw recently carved graffiti next to some of the petroglyphs. Pretty sad!

Here are some thumbs of some of the Petroglyphs we saw. You’ll need to click on them to get a better view.

The trip of to Degnen Bay was pretty spectacular by itself. The sheer cliffs along the shore of Valdes Island are beautiful. I would have loved to take a day to paddle just along this shore, but that wasn’t in the works.

Shoreline along Valdes Island

We finished the day by mooring in Telegraph Harbor at Thetis Island. Not much here to see, but there were showers. Oh my God how I needed a shower. A shower is just one of those things that you really take for granted. The rest of the night we stayed holed up on the boat as it was absolutely pouring down rain. That’s okay we had several movies to watch and great company.

More critters for M

Lighthouse at Porlier Pass

Next day off to Ganges.

Google Maps and NOAA Charts

I was just given a link to a really cool website that I thought I would share. It is Google Earth with all the NOAA marine charts overlaid. You can zoom it in and also change the view with a slider in the upper right so that the satellite image shows through onto the chart. Pretty cool stuff. So check it out here at http://demo.geogarage.com/noaa/

Below is a sample image of my favorite place to paddle, Deception Pass. I’ll be paddling there next on March 29th.  When you check out the website zoom in really close to Bowman Bay just north of Deception Pass.  There are a couple of kayakers paddling in the water and several on the beach.

Snow Camping

So a friend and I got the crazy idea of going camping yesterday. I couldn’t talk M into tagging along. She is obviously smarter than I. We got about six inches of new snow on us over night. We camped east of Glacier along the river on a road the locals call Dead Horse Road. I have no idea why and I have never seen a sign with this name. Maps just refer to the road by the Forest Service Number assigned to it. Needless to say with the cold weather and snow we were all alone at the camp. There were a few people that were out on snow shoes, but that was it. The weather was predicted to be cold from arctic air coming down from British Columbia. We’ll blame it on the Canadians eh.

As the night progressed and the temperatures dropped I kept myself warm by chopping firewood and building a snow man. I couldn’t decide if he should be named “Henry ” after the brand of beer that made up his arms, eyes, and hat. Or if he should be named “Frosty the Beer Man.” He did a really good job of keeping my beer cold. As the beer was consumed he gained a nose and buttons from the bottle caps.

I awoke several times throughout the night as snow was falling from trees and landing on my tent in big loud clumps. Not exactly a good nights sleep. Another thing that kept me from sleeping good was the pillow I brought. I have a really nice memory foam pillow. Extremely comfortable, but not when it is frozen solid. Memory foam when it freezes turns hard as a rock.

This morning we woke up and I made a big breakfast with lots of grease. Greasy food seems to warm me better than any other kind of breakfast. Another lesson learned was that my camp stove does not work so well in sub freezing temperatures. The Isopro canisters were freezing and the flame output was down to a simmer once they were burning a couple of minutes.

It was a fun short camp trip and something different to do. I always like camping because it forces me to relax. There is nothing to do but sit around the campfire and enjoy good company.

Interesting Water Facts According to Children

In looking at a drop of water under a microscope, we find there are twice as many H’s as O’s.Water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees.

There are 180 degrees between freezing and boiling because there are 180 degrees between north and south.

Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water. H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water.

Flight of the Conchords Encore

It’s Wednesday so that must mean ….

IT’S BUSINESS TIME

Hope Santa Was Good to Everyone!

Hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I was very pleasantly surprised this year. M went overboard and got me a new camera. A waterproof digital Olympus 790SW. I had been borrowing hers whenever I went paddling so now she no longer needs to worry about her camera and I won’t have to ask to use hers.

She also got me a new book that so far looks pretty interesting. Eastern Arctic Kayaks by John Heath. I have barely dug into but so far so good.

I had a great family meal again compliments of my wonderful M. I am very grateful for all I have and all I have received. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas.

Paddler Magazine and Deception Pass Dash

Paddler Magazine’s website just did a story on Deception Pass Dash. What do you know they even mentioned little old me. Unfortunately it was because of my last place finish at the Deception Pass Dash. I must admit I got a kick seeing my name mentioned in their article.

Check it out here.

Kayaker Gone Bad!

No M isn’t getting ready to knock off the nearing 7-11. She is showing her latest addition to her kayaking kit.

M found a new way to keep the drysuit from tearing out all her hair when she puts it on. A pair of cheap panty hose. She says it works great. I can’t remember where we found this little trick, but for anybody with long hair it seems to work.

Where have all my friends gone?

For some unknown reason WordPress has wiped out all my links to my favorite blogs. This is not my way of telling all of you that I no longer check in on you and your adventures. I hope to have all of you back soon.

Okay I found another way to get my blogroll back.  Hopefully it continues to work.  It isn’t ideal but hey at least I have my friends back.

HMS Interceptor

 

HMS Interceptor from Pirates of the Caribbean, which is actually the Lady Washington came to Bellingham along with her sister ship the Hawaiian Chieftain. We took the opportunity to go take a look. Beautiful ships. More importantly it got us out of the house to enjoy a beautiful day.

 

I haven’t been paddling much. I am trying really hard to stick to my running schedule to train for a marathon. I ran 7 miles with a friend yesterday and easily could have run several more, but it was his first run in a long time. Running with somebody else sure makes the run easier and time goes by much faster.  Finding the time for everything keeps getting harder and harder.  My summer is going by way too fast!

Thieves Hit Kayak Academy Shed!

I learned about this from Andrew’s Blog.  George and Barb at the Kayak Academy are really good folks and don’t deserve this.  Not that anybody does but having bought almost all of my gear from them and taking some really good instruction from George I have a real appreciation for the service they provide.

I hope some bad Karma circles around to those that did this.

From the Qajaq USA forum:

4 Sea Kayaks and Gear Stolen from Issaquah Paddle Sports/Kayak Academy Kayak Shed the Night of July 16th (Monday) located at Lake Sammamish St Park Swim Beach.

Kayaks Stolen:

WILDERNESS SYSTEMS TEMPEST 180 Pro-kayaksport hatches. Color: orange deck/white hull/black seam. Serial # WEMRXA31J607

IMPEX MONTAUK Carbon/Kevlar – Color: yellow deck/white hull/sunburst seam. Serial # unknown

IMPEX ASSATEAGUE Fiberglass –Color: yellow deck/white hull/ black seam. Serial # unknown

IMPEX CURRITUCK Fiberglass –Color: ocean blue/white hull/black seam. Serial # 4004G0CNR

All four kayaks have a unique bilge pump holder under the deck in front of the cockpit. This pump holder consists of bungee cord attached to the under side of the deck with four #6 stainless steel bolts. These four tiny bolt heads in a rectangle pattern are plainly visible on the deck even when viewed from several feet away.

Gear Stolen – Kokatat ProFit Tour Men’s L with Kokatat Tow Rope, Kokatat Tributary System, Wenaka Knife, MsFit Guide WM with lotus tow system, Kokatat Back Pocket, Dry bag with flares, Guardian Light, Docs Ear Plugs; Werner Ikelos 220cm, Kokatat Farmer Jane’s WS,WM,WL, Kokatat dry suit GFE-D WXLS color: Plum/Black, GFE-R XL color: gray, Chota Haul Sack included Kokatat Spray skirt, Adventure Medical first aid kit, 2 Otter boxes with safety and repair materials inside, Garmin E-trex GPS, Kestrel 4000 Weather Pocket Meter, Kokatat Pogies and Leatherman-Juice.

Any information appreciated: 206-527-1825.

Meet My New Running Partner

I ‘ve been running lately trying to train for a half marathon in October. It feels pretty good, but I definately have a long way to go in my training. I used to run all the time and I took my dog Nelson with me regularily. Nelson is a Jack Russell Terror. Tons of energy and he worships the tennis ball. He love the tennis ball so much that we can’t even say the word ball without getting him all crazy. We have to call it the round yellow thing. Several years ago I took him for an eight mile run. At the end he jumped into the back of my full size Dodge Ram 4×4 pickup with the tailgate closed. He easily cleared the closed tailgate. Some know it all came up to me and proceeded to tell me that I was neglecting my dog by not exercising him and that I needed to burn off some of the dog’s energy. He didn’t believe me that the neglected dog just ran eight miles with me. This little dog just has that much energy.

Today was the first time in several years that I took Nelson running with me again. We ran three miles and he did great. Now he is sound asleep. Now there is the real reason I run with him. I’m just trying to wear him out.

El cow me (Welcome)

Silly I know, but whenever I see the word welcome I think back to high school. I had a friend that had letter blocks at his Dad’s house that spelled out Welcome. We thought in our juvenile minds that it was so funny to change them around to say El Cow Me. Funny what sticks in one’s mind over the years.

Welcome to my Blog. My wife (Ms. M) has gotten me hooked on the idea of doing my own blog. She too has one for her hobby. I usually get my daily dose of reading other kayaker’s blogs. The blogs that I appreciate the most are the ones that offer something to learn. Or perhaps insight into what they have experienced through their journey of learning. Kayakers I have seen since I started seem to fall into two categories. The first being the expert. They make their boat dance with grace and the appearance of total control. The other category being the dangerous fool. This is the guy or gal you see paddling with with the paddle upside down and backwards, no spray skirt, not PFD, and no sense of the potential dangers they could face. I believe I am somewhere in the middle and want to be as far away from being that dangerous fool as I can be.

I live in the great northwest. An area known for great kayaking. I have wanted for years to kayak and last year was finally able to gather enough pennies to get M. and I started. It has been great so far and the possibilities are even greater. The best part is the stress relief I get when I am on the water. I am so at ease mentally when on the water. I am an avid motorcyclist as well and have long been a believer in two-wheeled therapy and the peace it provides. With kayaking that level of peace has been taken to the next level.

See you on the water.

 

Photo Courtesy of Impex Kayaks