Author Archives: Jay Murdock

Tall Ships Club Paddle and Picnic

Kayaking affords a special view

The “First Annual SDKC Tall Ships Paddle and Picnic” will coincide with the “Tall Ships” event on the “Big Bay” this year. The Liberty Station launch ramp is the ideal place for us to gather, launch our boats, and have a picnic afterwards. There is plenty of parking, and restrooms are close by, just to the south in the park. The “Tall Ships” will be tied up at the embarcadero area of downtown, and there will be “Gun Fights” on the bay throughout the day for us to view as we paddle.

Date: Saturday, September 5th

Launch Time: 9:00 am

Launch Location: Liberty Station launch ramp (see map below)

Who is Invited: SDKC members, CKF members, Night Herons, Valley-Wide Kayak Club, TRR people, Thursday Night and Meet-Up Paddle Groups, and any guests you want to invite. SOT’s & SUP’s are encouraged to join in on the fun.

Rentals of Boats & Stand-Up Paddle Boards Available: Aqua Adventures is offering special “overnight rental rates” for boats, paddle boards, and foam car top carriers. You must pick yours up at AA on Sept 4th. Give them a call to reserve yours at (619) 523-9577.

Raffles to help raise money for the SDKC: To raise funds for ongoing expenses of web site fees, Skill Sessions subsidies, and promotion costs, there will be several raffles:

-Club hats ($15 value each) -Special Kayaking Items from AA -Two Jen Kleck Instructed SDKC Group Skills Sessions ($20 value each) -One Jen Kleck Instructed Private 2 Hour Skill Lesson ($150 value) -A few of Steve Wilson’s Hull Cracker music cd’s ($18 value each)

Picnic Following the Paddle: Around 1 pm…or when we return from the paddle.

Music: Steve Wilson of “Hull Cracker” fame will be there to sing some of his great songs, and will bring a few of his albums to the event.

Club Hats: We will have a few hats at the picnic to purchase for $15 (which includes tax).

Duration of the Paddle: We will be on the water for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, checking out the Tall Ships and gun battles out on the bay.

SAFETY NOTICE: This is a intermediate-level paddle of at least 7 miles, not intended for beginners. Please read the “Disclaimer” at the end of this announcement.

There will be a lot of power boats, personal watercraft, and sail boats on the bay during this event, so we need to stay close to shore at all times. When we cross the open water between Harbor Island and the B Street Pier, we need to stay in large groups, in order to be more visible to other boaters.

CAUTION: The ramp at our Liberty Station launch site can be very slippery, so be careful when you walk down that concrete ramp.

Our Plotted Course is in Yellow

What to Bring: All safety gear (life jackets must be worn by all paddlers), VHF radio, camera, zinc sunscreen for skin and lips, sun glasses, water and snacks for the paddle, hat (a few of our new club hats will be available to purchase for $15), food and drinks for the picnic (everyone brings their own, and no glass bottles please), and a blanket to sit on. There is a grassy area next to the ramp for cleaning off your boat, so bring water for that.

Directions to Liberty Station Launch Ramp:

From I-5 south and I-8 west, take the Rosecrans exit (which is Hwy 209 on the map). Take Rosecrans to Lytton Street (at the Sail Ho golf course) and turn left. Take the first right, into Liberty Station. Follow the one way street to Sims Road and turn left. Turn left on Historic Decatur, a one-way street which takes you back toward the entrance. You will immediately see another street named Perry on your left. Turn into the parking lot on your right at that juncture. The ramp is at the east end of that lot (LS Launch on the map). There are restrooms just south in the park (follow the sidewalk along the canal/park).

Liberty Station Launch Site

PLEASE NOTE: The announcer of this event is not the leader of such, merely a “coordinator”.

Disclaimer: We will have experienced paddlers on this trip, but they will not be responsible for telling you what is or is not safe for you to do. We watch out for one another and assist one another, but all individuals are responsible for, and manage their own safety. This responsibility includes assessing your gear, skill level, and physical conditioning relative to conditions and location, as well as making decisions about what you will or will not do. Participants acknowledge that kayaking on the open sea or bay is inherently dangerous and can lead to physical injury including death as well as property damage. Participants, on their behalf and on behalf of their heirs and assignees, agree to hold the announcers and other participants blameless in the event of such injury, damage or death. Please join us if you want to mildly stretch your capabilities, but please stay home if you would be wildly stretching them. Participants should have bracing skills, be able to self-rescue and assist in the rescue of others. They should be able to launch and/or land along the rocky bay front.

Hats Now Available For Purchase

Colors: Chrome, Black, Kaki

Club hats are now ready for a special initial order at a great price. These are good quality, low profile, 100% cotton washed twill, with hook and loop closures (one size fits all). The colors are chrome with navy blue embroidery, black with grey embroidery, and kaki with black embroidery (that paddle length will be the same as on the other two hats).

Jen at Aqua Adventures will be selling these hats starting later this summer, but we are having an initial “Roll-Out” special-priced offer for prepaid orders starting now for only $12 each, which includes tax. Embroidered hats of this quality typically sell in stores for over $20 + tax. After this initial order, the price will be higher at AA, so now is the time to get a great looking hat at a good price.

Quote from Jen: “I love them! Yes, please! I want to sell them. I think visiting kayakers will like them and maybe some locals who don’t know about the club will find out about it”.

Not a club member? Simply sign up on the website, at no cost to join. But you don’t have to be a club member to buy a hat.

Deadline for placing your order: July 15

Distributing the hats to you: I will bring them to some paddles in August and September (like the San Salvador and SDKC/Tall Ships paddles). In case that does not work out for you, yours can be picked up at AA, but that should be a last resort please.

How to order: Simply reply to the email sent to the club on 6/26/15 (or the one which will be sent on July 8) , and tell me the color you want. I will then give you an address to send your check to, which must be received by July 15 to get the special price…and, at this price you should consider getting two, or all three colors!

So, get a hat. They not only look cool, but are great advertising for our club and this fun sport!

UCSD / Kaiser Medical Appreciation Paddle

(Click on photos to enlarge)

To thank those in the medical community for their good help in treating skin cancer (see Safety article on “Protecting Yourself from Overexposure to Sunlight“), we took some paddling on Saturday, May 30th. Jen at Aqua Adventures really stepped up to help on this, and contributed boats and her time for the paddle. Her new helper, Ben, also paddled with us, having just arrived from back east.

Jim Alsup and Joe Morin helped out as safety boats. My thanks to them and Jen for a good morning on the water, while treating medical care-givers to a fun experience of kayaking.

-Contributed by Jay Murdock

SDKC Business Cards Now at Aqua Adventures

There have been several occasions that I wanted a club business card to give out to someone interested in what we do, so here they are. Jen has agreed to display them on her counter at Aqua Adventures, and that is a great place for anyone in the club to stop by and pick some up. Take as many as you can use, and let’s get the word out about our paddles and this great sport. And while you’re in Aqua Adventures, check out the new items Jen has, and take home something…like a new kayak!

San Salvador Launch Paddle – Postponed Again

San Salvador

THE LAUNCH DATE HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY THE MARITIME MUSEUM

Due to technical difficulties in moving the San Salvador from Spanish Landing to the B Street Pier, the date of April 19 is no longer the “Launch Date”. Please check back on this site each week, and as soon as we know something, we will give a new launch date, and email that info out also.

All the info below (except the date) will hopefully apply to our paddle, once we have a new date.

Here are the safety instructions issued by the Maritime Museum to all boaters for the event. We will paddle to the location just off the “B” Street Pier, approximately where the “Spectator Viewing Lane” arrow is pointing. The full details of our paddle, including a Safety Notice and maps of where we launch and our plotted course can be found below. If you are an experienced paddler, we hope you can join us.

THIS WILL BE A 7 MILE INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL PADDLE

The replica of Cabrillo’s flagship has been under construction near the airport, and will be launched with great celebration (TV coverage, a parade of boats, speeches, etc). We are going to have a paddle to coincide with that event. This is a good opportunity to see the launch from the water, while possibly getting some free club publicity, given the news media coverage. We will meet at the Liberty Station launch ramp, paddle down the canal, then along Harbor Island and over to the launch site of the San Salvador at the Broadway Pier. That is a distance of about 3.5 miles, so this will now be an intermediate level paddle of at least 7 miles total. We should arrive at the pier around 10 am, when they will be lifting the SS off the pier. From there they will tow it over to Coronado and back to the museum pier where she will be berthed, with several boats sailing along with it. We can paddle down to the Midway, then back to the Maritime Museum pier location to see the parade arrive there. It should be an exciting day.

BOAT RENTALS AVAILABLE

Aqua Adventures has kayaks for rent, but you must pick them up at the store. If you want a rental, you will need to call and pay in advance to reserve your boat. Their phone number is 619 523-9577.

For more info on the San Salvador project, click on these links:

http://www.sdmaritime.org/san-salvador-build/

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-san-salvador-ship-20140915-story.html

http://www.sdnews.com/view/full_story/25829651/article-Replica-of-Cabrillo-s-ship–San-Salvador–nearly-ready-to-sail?instance=update1

LAUNCH DATE AND TIME:

The exact date WILL BE ANNOUNCED. When we know the date, we will give it here, and via an email to the members of the SDKC (so sign up to get on our mailing list, with no cost to join).

DURATION OF THE PADDLE:

We will be on the water for about 3 hours, checking out the San Salvador and the boat parade.

SAFETY NOTICE:

This is a intermediate-level paddle of at least 7 miles, not intended for beginners.

There will be a lot of power boats, personal watercraft, and sail boats on the bay during this event, so we need to stay close to shore and the end of the B Street Pier (where we can watch the SS launch). When we go down to the Midway, we need to stay close to the piers also. When we cross the open water between Harbor Island and the B Street Pier, we need to stay in groups of 3 or more, in order to be more visible to other boaters.

Caution: The ramp at our Liberty Station launch site can be very slippery, so be careful when you walk down that concrete ramp.

WHAT TO BRING:

Bring your hat, sunglasses, camera, water and snacks for the paddle. There is a grassy area to clean off your boat, so bring water for that. Bring all safety gear and a VHF if you have one. Life jackets are mandatory, and must be worn. Please read the Disclaimer at the end of this post.

OUR PLOTTED COURSE TO THE B STREET PIER IS IN YELLOW:

DIRECTIONS TO LIBERTY STATION LAUNCH RAMP:

PLEASE NOTE:

These paddles are not sanctioned San Diego Kayak Club or Aqua Adventures events. The announcer of this event is not the leader of such, merely a “coordinator”.

Lower Colorado River Paddle Announcement

This coed camping trip is open to age 18 on up, and will be in the Lake Martinez area just north of Yuma, Arizona. The date will be the weekend of March 20-22. There are now 13 signed up to go, and we want you to join us. The photos show what the area is like: the winding Colorado and small lakes, backed up by the Imperial Dam, with many narrow canals through the reeds. A great place for kayaks to explore. The weather that time of year is ideal, with mild breezes, and temps in the mid 70’s during the day, and around 55 at night (at 4am). This date is also past the rainy season there, and is still relatively quiet of boat traffic. We plan to launch at Squaw Lake, and go up river to camp at “Hidden Lake Island” (click on photos to enlarge). Since we are paddling against a one knot current, decked kayaks are better suited (but if you are a strong paddler in a SOT, it can be done, so join us).

It is a 3 hour drive to the launch site, so we can drive there on Friday morning, and have time to paddle up river and set camp by mid afternoon. We’ll explore the river all day Saturday, then head back to San Diego on Sunday sometime early afternoon.

If you are interested in going, and are not yet a club member, sign up on our email list. I’ll be sending more email notices to the club on this trip, and you can then reply with questions, or sign up. Details of the trip (what to bring, etc) will be sent out at a later date to those who are going. I hope you can join in. The desert that time of year is wonderful, and this open area affords a big night sky to enjoy while we sit around a campfire.

Whale Watch Paddle Report

Sixteen paddlers ventured out on Saturday, January 17 to check out the whales. We had the good fortune of seeing two whales, one of which surfaced within 100 yards of us while we were just southwest of the “Whale 1” waypoint on the 177 ft depth bathymetry line. That whale then went right under us, and surfaced again just to the south, where we heard the spout. The Whale 1 waypoint is: N32 44.445 W117 17.390. The second whale was spotted on the way in, and was inside the kelp, which is a somewhat rare place to see them. Several people had cameras, but no one was able to catch the whale fluke or back. But for those who were there, it is an image we will remember for years to come. Being that close to something so large in the water is an awesome experience. (Note: click on a photo to enlarge it).

The paddle lasted about 3 hours, and covered 7.47 nautical miles with an average speed of 2.3 knots. Tiffini joined us from Ensenada, and paddled a SOT. Our moving speed and calm water allowed for everyone to make this paddle in a comfortable manner, so next year we will include slower boats. Several people rented a boat, and this is a great way for more paddlers to see the whales.

If you want to see the whales, and do not want to surf launch, going out of the Aqua Adventures location to the Whale 1 waypoint has now proven to be the best and shortest paddle to see them in the San Diego area. We have now done this paddle 4 times, and have seen whales on two of them. That is pretty good odds. The key is to stay on that location (we paddled just past the waypoint, then drifted south on the current), while looking north where the land ends off La Jolla. In this case, we saw two whale watching boats slowly approach us, and suspected they were following whales, which they were. Otherwise you need to quietly listen and look for the spouts. It was a beautiful morning, and a good paddle. Come join us next year.

Whale Watch Paddle out of Mission Bay

Joe looking at a fluke

The third weekend in January is historically when the highest number of grey whales are sighted off San Diego, so let’s go try our luck. This is an open ocean paddle for intermediate and beyond kayakers. Because of safety reasons (staying together as a group), decked kayaks and fast SOTS (able to paddle 2.5 knots/hr) only please. Here are the details:

DATE: January 17, 2015

LAUNCH TIME: 8:30 (be there at 8 am please)

PLACE: Aqua Adventures dock (best place to launch, without going through the surf)

BOAT RENTALS AVAILABLE: If you have open ocean paddling experience, you can rent a boat at the launch site. Call Aqua Adventures in advance to reserve equipment. You must have prior experience in a decked kayak, or check with them if they have a fast SOT. Their number is 619 523-9577.

OUR PLAN: The round trip is approx 8 statute miles (unless we decide to also paddle further south along the kelp), and will take 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Our average moving speed will be about 2.5 knots/hr. The whales move down the coast along the kelp beds, so if you are anywhere near the 164 ft depth line (give or take 40 ft of depth), you may see them to the west or east, possibly within 500 ft of you. We have found that it is more likely to see whales near the kelp beds for some reason, and this is why the paddle out of AA has a good probability of a sighting. The Lat/Lon of the “Whale 1” waypoint on the map is: N32 44.445 W117 17.390

EQUIPMENT: All safety equipment is required. If you have them, carry a VHF and GPS, with batteries fully charged. And, always wear your life jacket (required). Remember to bring your water, food, hat, sunglasses, and camera. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this email message.

IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: Check your email Friday night after 6 pm if the weather looks bad. We will give an update if the paddle is still on.

Hope you can join us.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a sanctioned San Diego Kayak Club or Aqua Adventures event. The announcer of this event is not the leader of such, merely a “coordinator”.

Disclaimer: We will have experienced paddlers on this trip, but they will not be responsible for telling you what is or is not safe for you to do. We watch out for one another and assist one another, but all individuals are responsible for, and manage their own safety. This responsibility includes assessing your gear, skill level, and physical conditioning relative to conditions and location, as well as making decisions about what you will or will not do. Participants acknowledge that kayaking on the open sea or bay is inherently dangerous and can lead to physical injury including death as well as property damage. Participants, on their behalf and on behalf of their heirs and assignees, agree to hold the announcers and other participants blameless in the event of such injury, damage or death. Please join us if you want to mildly stretch your capabilities, but please stay home if you would be wildly stretching them. Participants should have bracing skills, be able to self-rescue and assist in the rescue of others. They should be able to launch and/or land along the rocky bay front.

TRR Fundraiser a Great Success!

On Saturday, November 15th TRR had a “Paddle and Pints for a Cause” fundraiser on Paradise Point in Mission Bay. The San Diego Kayak Club helped spread the word, and several of our members turned out to support TRR and our vets. There were 75 paddlers who took part on the water, and several more showed up for the refreshments, silent auction, and raffle (of which Gilbert Siegel was one of the winners). There is already talk about having this event next year, so please consider taking part.

There was a mix of kayaks, paddle boards, and specialized craft involved. Aqua Adventures supplied several kayaks and paddle boards, and Brooke Sullivan and Dale Osborn of TRR did a great job in organizing the event. There were a lot of smiles that day, and it was fun to be part of such a worthy cause.

Even though Mike is not a vet, he wanted to support the event, and came down from the LA area.

Going around the island.

Paradise Point Barefoot Bar

The silent auction and raffle were fun, and thanks to Ninkasi Brewing for helping raise money. Also, one of our club members anonymously donated several kayak items to TRR for their paddles. Very cool.

Having a good time at the party after the paddle.

Almost every boat in this photo ended up being paddled by someone. Many thanks to Jen and Aqua Adventures for supplying several kayaks and paddle boards.

Team River Runner (TRR), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, gives active duty service members and veterans an opportunity to find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating and other paddling sports).

If you would like more information on TRR, here is their website: http://www.teamriverrunner.org/

South San Diego Bay – a Good Paddle to see Wildlife

A Quiet Place with Few Power Boats

At the end of Grand Caribe in the Coronado Cays is a small park with a sandy beach, an ideal spot for launching kayaks. The Saturday Paddle Group has launched here on occasion at various times of the year. On every paddle we have spotted several kinds of birds nesting or diving for fish, with others poking in the sand for food, or Ospreys just sitting on perches looking back at us. In the fall we have observed large Green Sea Turtles surfacing while munching on Eel Grass, some within 20 ft of our boats. We often hear them breathe before we see them. And on most occasions there have been Mullets jumping out of the water, and Sea Rays swimming under our kayaks. We have sometimes had schools of Mullets under our boats, that surface, causing our craft to rock a little.

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The diversity of both Littoral and Pelagic wildlife is abundant here, as the sounds of the city and traffic are distant and soft. There are nesting Least Turns on a land spit, Pelicans diving for fish, and Sand Pipers looking for a meal in the mud. Shearwaters, Egrets, Blue Herons, Cormorants, and Sea Gulls all frequent this environment.

We will be having more of these paddles in the south bay throughout the year, and will announce them through the Club. It is our hope you can join us next time.