KAYAKING!!!!!
KAYAKING!!!!!
Welcome to My Kayaking Page. I hope you enjoy my Adventures!
GeeBee on Big River
GeeBee and Gus
A fellow is paddling his kayak in the frigid waters of Vancouver. He gets cold so he builds a fire. The fire burns a hole in the kayak and he sinks. The moral of the story, you can't have your kayak and heat it too!!
My Friend Larry afloat off of the town of Mendocino. He did not start a fire!
Adventure List
1. One Wave Dave, Contrary Connie and GeeBee go Fishing
2. Contrary and GeeBee Round the Point
3. Phosphorescent Dinoflaggilates
4. Kayak Fishing in Elk
5. Clam-Up!!!!
6. GeeBee and Gus et-al do Big River!
One Wave Dave, Contrary Connie and GeeBee go Fishing
SEPT. 4 1995- DAVE, CONNIE AND I SET OUT TO FILL DAVE'S FREEZER WITH SEAFOOD. WE LAUNCHED AT ABOUT 10:30 A.M. AT CASPAR BEACH, DAVE AND CONNIE IN THE ZODIAC AND I IN MY KAYAK. WE FISHED THE HEADLANDS TO THE NORTH OF THE BAY WITH MINIMAL SUCCESS. DAVE HAD SOME LUCK WITH A SPINNER AND LANDED A FEW BLACK ROCKFISH. I CAUGHT A NICE CABAZONE AND CONNIE CAUGHT ONE BLUE ROCKFISH. DAVE DONNED HIS DIVE GEAR AND MADE QUICK WORK OF OBTAINING A LIMIT OF ABALONE. WE THEN HEADED SOUTH AROUND THE SOUTH POINT OF THE HARBOR. HERE WE HAD BETTER LUCK. DAVE CONTINUED TO CATCH BLUES, BLACKS AND A COUPLE OF ROCKFISH, CONNIE GOT SOME BLACKS INCLUDING THE BIGGEST ONE OF THE DAY. I CAUGHT A BLACK, A GREENLING (SEATROUT), A CHINA COD, A GOPHER ROCK FISH, FOUR MORE CABAZONE AND FINALLY A LEGAL LING COD, TWENTY SIX INCHES LONG A BEAUTIFUL SHADE OF GREEN WITH LEOPARD SPOTS AND A BLUE TONGUE. MY SUCCESS WITH THE DIFFERENT VARIETY OF FISH SEEMED TO BE DUE TO THE LURE I WAS USING. DAVE AND CONNIE USED A VARIETY OF PLUGS AND JIGS WHICH PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH THE BLACKS AND BLUES. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE FUN TO CATCH AND ARE OKAY TO EAT I PREFER THE BOTTOM DWELLERS. I USED A PLASTIC LURE CALLED A SCAMPI. IT IS ABOUT FOUR INCHES LONG MADE OUT OF THE SAME PLASTIC THAT FAKE WORMS ARE MADE OF. IT HAS TWO CURLY TAILS AND IT'S HEAD IS A LEAD WEIGHT WITH A BUILT IN HOOK CALLED A LEAD HEAD. I DRAG AND BOUNCE THE SCAMPI ALONG THE BOTTOM THEN LET IT REST FOR A MOMENT OR TWO. THIS IS WHEN I USUALLY GET MY FISH. OFTEN I WON'T KNOW IT'S THERE UNTIL I PULL ON THE LINE AND SOMETHING PULLS BACK. AT THAT TIME I SET THE HOOK HARD AND THE FIGHT IS ON. ONE OF THE CABAZONE AND THE LING COD TOOK ME FOR SHORT RIDES. THE CABAZONE TURNED MY KAYAK IN A 270 DEGREE CIRCLE. ALL TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FORTY FISH. I KEPT THE LING COD AND ONE CABAZONE, CONNIE TOOK A CABAZONE AND DAVE GOT THE REST. A GREAT DAY OF FISHING.
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Contrary
and GeeBee Round the Point
SEPT. 13, 1995- CONNIE AND I CRUISED THE CABRILLO
RESERVE. WE HAD HOPED FOR A CALM DAY AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT BE UNTIL
WE ROUNDED THE SOUTH POINT OF CASPAR BAY. THE TIDE WAS COMING IN AND WAS
ALREADY UP ENOUGH FOR US TO STAY INSIDE THE PROTECTION OF THE SEASTACKS
AND WASHROCKS. PAST THE POINT THOUGH THE SWELLS INCREASED TO FIVE TO SEVEN
FEET FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS WAS GOOD IN THAT THEY HELPED PUSH US IN THE
DIRECTION WE INTENDED TO TRAVEL BUT THEY WERE BIG ENOUGH TO GO OVER MOST
OF THE WASHROCKS LEAVING US TO CONTEND WITH SLOPPY CHOP AND WHIRLPOOL TURBULENCE.
THE SENSATION WAS SIMILAR TO WHITE WATER RIVER RAPIDS WITH OUT THE CURRENT.
OUR ENTIRE ENERGY WAS ON PADDLING AND KEEPING OUR BUTTS CENTERED IN THE
BOAT AS WE SLIDE DOWN THE SIDES OF PEAKING WAVES. BACK AND FORTH, UP AND
DOWN. NEARLY SPINNING LEFT THEN SLIDING AND SPINNING RIGHT. APPARENTLY
WE AND THE KAYAKS WERE UP TO THE CHALLENGE. SETTING ASIDE OUR DESIRE TO
EXPLORE THE CAVES AND COVES WE PROCEEDED TO ENJOY THE CHALLENGE OF TRAVERSING
THE VARIOUS POINTS AND OPEN AREAS. WE MANAGED TO MAKE IT INTO ONE INLET
BY THE LIGHT HOUSE.IT IS HOME TO FOUR HARBOR SEALS. WE DRIFTED IN QUIETLY,
ABOVE ON THE HEADLANDS SOME PEOPLE WERE WATCHING THE SEALS, THEY SAW US
AND WATCHED US DRIFT IN. THE SEALS IN THE MEANTIME WERE WATCHING THE PEOPLE
ON THE HILL AND DIDN'T NOTICE US AT FIRST. SOON THOUGH THEY BECAME AWARE
OF US AND THEY MADE A FEW ATTEMPT TO CHASE US OFF BY SPLASHING CLOSE TO
US AND THEN THEY CONTENTED THEMSELVES TO JUST WATCH. WE LANDED ON ONE OF
THE WORLDS SMALLEST BEACHES. THE SANDY BEACH WAS ABOUT TEN FEET LONG AT
THE WATER LINE. THE COVE IS SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY NEARLY VERTICAL
SANDSTONE CLIFFS THIRTY FEET HIGH. WE FELT QUITE SEPARATED FROM THE REST
OF THE WORLD. WE DRANK WATER AND ATE SOME FRUIT THEN HEADED OUT AGAIN.
WE CROSSED BEHIND SOME LOW ISLANDS AND INTO THE MOST TREACHEROUS SECTION
OF THE DAY. THERE WERE SEVERAL SMALL FLAT ROCKS ABSORBING THE BRUNT OF
THE INCOMING SWELL HOWEVER THE CURRENT CARRIED OVER AND AROUND THE ROCKS
BUFFETING AND TOSSING US ABOUT. AFTER REACHING THE END OF THE TURBULENCE
I TURNED TO MAKE SURE CONNIE HAD MADE IT SUCCESSFULLY. SHE HAD. I LOOKED
FORWARD ONLY TO FIND A LARGE SWELL BEARING DOWN ON US. I TURNED INTO IT
AND STROKED HARD RIDING UP AND THROUGH THE TOP OF THE SWELL. UPRIGHT BUT
THOROUGHLY DRENCHED I TURNED AGAIN AND CONNIE HAD OVERTURNED. FORTUNATELY
THE SWELLS SETTLED FOR A WHILE AND UNHARMED CONNIE RIGHTED HER KAYAK HOPPED
BACK IN RECOVERED MOST OF HER FRUIT AND NOW WATER LOGGED PARTY SNACKS.
WE HAD TO STAY OUTSIDE OF THE ROCKS THE REST OF THE TRIP AND WERE UNABLE
TO ENTER ANY OTHER COVES. WE LANDED AT RUSSIAN GULCH ABOUT TWO AND A HALF
HOURS AFTER WE HAD LEFT. THE BAY WAS PROTECTED AND WE GOT TO PLAY A BIT
BEFORE WE CALLED IT A DAY. NEXT TRIP WE PLAN TO START AT RUSSIAN GULCH
AND GO TO BIG RIVER IN MEDOCINO 
Phosphorescent Dinoflaggelates
LAST WEEK, SUNDAY JULY 16, 1995, I GOT THE WORD THAT THE OCEAN WAS BIOLUMINATING. BECKY, SHE TAUGHT THE FIRST SUMMER MARINE CLASS THAT I TOOK, CALLED AND TOLD ME THAT SOME CANOEISTS HAD COME IN LATE FROM BIG RIVER AND NOTICED A PHOSPHORESCENCE IN THE WATER. WE LAUNCHED AT 9:30 THAT NIGHT. ASSUMING THAT THE ILLUMINATION WOULD BE GREATEST NEAR THE BAY WE PADDLED IN THE DARKNESS TOWARDS THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER. SEEING NO PHOSPHORESCENCE WE HEADED UP RIVER. WHEN WE GOT AWAY FROM THE REFLECTED LIGHTS OF MENDOCINO WE STARTED SEEING SPARKS IN THE WATER AS WE PADDLED. THE LIGHT SHOW INTENSIFIED AS OUR EYES ADJUSTED TO THE DARK. EACH PADDLE STROKE RESULTED IN A SWIRL OF LIGHT LIKE A SWARM OF UNDERWATER FIREFLYS. I PADDLED HARD AND WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE A LIGHT STREAM IN MY BOW WAKE. THE SOURCE OF THE LIGHT WAS A TYPE OF PLANKTON, DINOFLAGELLATES. WHEN AGITATED THEY LIGHT UP. I HAVEN'T FOUND OUT WHY YET. AFTER AN HOUR OF CHILDISH DELIGHT MAKING THE LIGHT HAPPEN WE PADDLED BACK. I JUMPED OUT OF MY KAYAK INTO SHALLOW WATER. WHEN I STEPPED ONTO THE BEACH MY FOOT SPRAYED LIGHT SPECKS ALL AROUND. IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS PRODUCING RADIOACTIVE FOOTPRINTS AS I WALKED AROUND. IT WAS WHILE WE WERE GLEEFULLY STOMPING INTO AND OUT OF THE WATER AT 11:00 AT NIGHT THAT THE SHERIFF PULLED UP, HIGH BEAMS AND SPOT LIGHT ON, WE MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE QUITE A STRANGE BUNCH. IT TURNED OUT THEY WERE TRYING TO FIND THE OWNER OF A MOTOR HOME THAT WAS ILLEGALLY CAMPED. FORTUNATELY IT WASN'T US. WE TRIED TO SHOW THE SHERIFF THE GLOWING DINOFLAGELLATES BUT THE INTENSE LIGHTS COVERED THE GLOW SO ALL THEY SAW WAS US STOMPING ON THE SHORE IN OUR WET FEET. I'M SURE THAT IF THEY HAD HAD MORE TIME THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN US DRUG TESTS.
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