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Archive for October, 2009
Friday, October 30th, 2009
Kiliii Dreaming – Ancestral Ways Photography
Here’s a photoblog I came across that includes many photos of handmade wooden, skin-on-frame kayaks. The photographer apparently teaches classes about ancestral lifestyles, including survival and hunting and fishing methods. Sometimes I forget how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is, but looking at sites like this reminds me in an instant.
Yeah, I know. That’s a lot of i’s.
Technorati Tags: kayaks, kayaking, photography, kayak fishing, pacific northwest, wooden kayak
Posted in Kayak Fishing, Kayaking Lessons, Kayaking Photography, Kayaking Photos, Sea Kayaking, Wooden Kayaks | No Comments »
Friday, October 30th, 2009
Drake’s Estero is a relatively shallow inlet near the tip of Point Reyes, CA, comprising a number of smaller bays. The launch point is near Johnson’s Oyster Farm (apparently now known as Drake’s Bay Oyster Farm) at the northernmost point of Schooner Bay. I’ve had one of my best kayaking trips ever at Drake’s Estero, and I’ve also had one of the worst. But it takes just such a bad trip to fully learn what not to do when visiting Drake’s Estero.
Map of Johnson’s Oyster Farm at Drake’s Estero
1. Drake’s Estero is closed in the spring. Drake’s Estero is usually closed between March 1 and June 30 to keep paddlers from stressing out the seal pups and their mothers during seal pupping season.
2. Tides are important. Make sure you check the tides before you go, as they are VERY important here. Drake’s is extremely shallow over large parts of its area. Check the satellite view above, and you can see where the shallow areas are. This means that you can easily get stuck in the mud at low tide. Also, note that the large volume of water in Drake’s Estero is connected to the ocean by only a very narrow waterway at the mouth of Drake’s Estero. As a result, the tidal currents here can get pretty strong when there is a large tidal exchange. The shallow areas also restrict some of the water flow, resulting in currents in other areas. The best time to come here is when the tides are high all day, and the tidal exchange is small as possible.
 mud sucks! at Drake's Estero, CA Don’t launch your kayak from a muddy area, like the muddy area directly in front of the path from the parking lot. It looks like the logical place to launch, but the mud will suck you in knee-deep. It will also take your footwear. Thinking of going barefoot? It’s full of sharp oyster shell fragments. I’ve launched here without problems during a sufficiently high tide, but if the tide is too low, it’s better to carry your boat a little farther to the steeper and less muddy slope on the left (as you face south towards the water).
4. The sticks mark a channel. As you are heading south out of Schooner Bay away from the oyster farm, you may notice some wooden sticks near the right side of the bay. If you are having problems getting stuck in the shallows, follow the sticks, since they mark a channel heading out of the bay. Much thanks to whoever set this up!
 oyster racks at Drake's Estero, CA The farm has some oyster racks out in Schooner Bay that only show up at low tide. Be careful not to run into these – look for the wooden posts at each end, sticking out of the water. There may be wires or metal attached to the racks that can damage or scratch your kayak.
In addition to the above, don’t forget all the other tips that apply to every kayaking location – don’t approach the marine mammals, avoid the rough surf outside Drake’s Estero (unless you know how to handle it), etc. I have never seen as much wildlife as I did at Drake’s Estero, including leopard sharks, giant bat rays, jellyfish, seals, and a dead deer buffet for the vultures. Tread lightly, be invisible, and enjoy…
Technorati Tags: drake’s estero, drake’s estuary, drake’s bay, point reyes, kayaks, kayaking, paddling, bat rays, leopard sharks, vultures, carcass, jellyfish, marine mammals, oyster farm, oysters, johnson’s oyster farm, drake’s bay oyster farm
Posted in Sea Kayaking, Sloughs & Estuaries | No Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Katabatic winds blow downhill, while Anabatic winds blow uphill. Use whatever crazy mnemonic you like, but I always imagine a cat (katabatic) rolling down a hill.
Katabatic winds are caused when air above a slope is cooled, becomes denser, and then flows down the slope to replace warmer air below, such as in a valley. You might experience this if you are kayaking in a lake or river at the bottom of such a valley. In some cases, the cooling of air at the top of a mountain is caused by the lower temperature at that altitude. Snow or ice at elevation may contact the air, causing it to cool. The cooler, denser air then falls down the slope under the force of gravity.
Anabatic winds are caused when the air above a hillside or mountaintop is heated, causing it to become less dense, and therefore rise to replace denser air above. For example, over the course of a day, the sun may beat down on a hillside, causing the air above the hillside to become warmer. By the time afternoon comes around, the heated air is moving up, which may be towards the peak of the hill, or may be upstream in a river valley. If you are kayaking in a lake or river at the bottom of the hillside, you may perceive this as a wind blowing upstream or towards shore.
Anabatic (uphill) winds tend to occur in the daytime, while katabatic (downhill) winds occur in the evenings. Katabatic winds are potentially stronger and faster than anabatic winds. If you are hit by some crazy wind, you can look for slopes around you along with areas where some uneven heating of the air might be occurring. True, it might not save you from having to paddle through it, but you can file in the back of your brain for future reference.
Technorati Tags: weather, winds, anabatic, katabatic, fall winds, kayaks, kayaking
Posted in Kayaking Tips, Weather & Tides | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Not a lot of time to post today, due to my boring day job (hereinafter “BDJ”). But I did get an email that Moosejaw’s having some sort of sale. Here’s the banner:
I haven’t shopped there in a while but maybe I’ll take a look later today. I am the ultimate consumer. The last Moosejaw catalog had a bunch of models wearing Moosejaw clothes and having various food items thrown on them. Creamed corn, for example.
Technorati Tags: Moosejaw, sale, kayaking gear, kayaking equipment
Posted in Sales and Coupons | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The Folbot CitiBot is probably my favorite kayak that I don’t own, have never paddled, and have never even seen in real life. That said, I still think I know more than the reviewer who wrote this short review on the Citibot at Wired:
 CitiBot review in Wired Click here or on the image above for the review.
Folbot owners seem to be quite rabid in their defense of their favorite brand, myself included. You might quite reasonably guess that the lone commenter is one such rabid Folbot fanatic (hereinafter “RFF”). Anyway, I agree.
This is not to say that all Folbots are perfect – I did have my share of issues, including some stitching that came apart on my Kodiak and less-than-perfect fit of parts in the Aleut. But I am still very happy with the kayaks. I have had no problems with my Kiawah, which is one of the new style of Folbots, like the CitiBot. Anyhow, it is clear to a fellow Folboter that the RFF’s comments have some basis, because if there is anything to complain about in a Folbot, it certainly isn’t that the topside zipper makes the CitiBot any less waterproof. My Kodiak has such a zipper on the front and the back and has been washed over many times by waves in rough seas without any problems. The Kiawah also has the same zipper arrangement as the CitiBot – again, no problems even in rough seas.
The Velcro straps are weak and are a poor choice? Really? I doubt the reviewer tried to pull apart two frame members strapped together by these allegedly weak Velcro straps. Again, this is not to say that these kayaks don’t have issues (very few issues), but these are not the issues to harp on if you actually know something about the boat.
In defense of the reviewer, however, I also don’t doubt that the reviewer means well – it’s just too bad that the pressure to create large volumes of original content is compromising the accuracy of these types of reviews.
citibot, folbot, folbot citibot, folding kayak, wired, kayak, kayaking
Technorati Tags: citibot, folbot, folbot citibot, folding kayak, wired, kayak, kayaking
Posted in Folding Kayaks, Kayaks | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
This is a book I’ve had on my reading list for a while now. Here’s a link to it on Amazon:
I’ve read excerpts of it in the past and it was pretty interesting. It’s a true story about (and by) doctor Hannes Lindemann who crossed the Atlantic in 1956, completely unassisted, in a Klepper folding kayak. Along the way, he encountered a couple of hurricanes, and also went a little insane.
In the (long lost) excerpt that I read on the web years ago, he was talking to his outrigger while imagining it was a boy. He also described how, after he ran out of food, he found a floating bottle with tiny crabs on it. And how he smashed the crabs and ate them, raw and with shells on.
Anyway, the alleged point of the trans-Atlantic crossing was to see the human body’s reaction to stress. I believe he started in Liberia and ended at the east coast of North America.
I had forgotten the name of the book for a while, and the proper spelling of “Hannes Lindemann”, thinking for a time that it was “Hans” or “Lindeman” or some variations thereof. But now that the proper spelling is preserved on my very own website, I can definitely maybe put this on my reading list of books to possibly one day read when I have more time.
Technorati Tags: Hannes Lindemann, klepper, folding kayak, atlantic, transatlantic, alone at sea, 1956
Posted in Folding Kayaks, Kayaking Travel, Kayaking Trips, Sea Kayaking | No Comments »
Monday, October 26th, 2009
I’m a big fan of folding kayaks, if you haven’t guessed already. Since folding kayaks are not as commonly found in brick-and-mortar stores, they may be harder to find than hardshell plastic or fiberglass kayaks. Here’s a list of folding kayak manufacturers to get you started with your research. I’ll try to remember to update this list when I hear of new folding kayak manufacturers.
Atlyak
http://www.atlyak.com
Clear Blue Hawaii
http://www.clearbluehawaii.com/products/boats/napali.html
Feathercraft
http://www.feathercraft.com
First Light
http://www.firstlightkayaks.com
Folbot
http://www.folbot.com
Fujita
http://www.fujitacanoe.com/en/top.htm
Greenland
http://www.enviro-sci.com/ourkayaks.htm
Klepper
http://www.klepper.com
Long Haul
http://www.longhaulfoldingkayaks.com
Nautiraid
http://www.nautiraid.com
Pakboats
http://www.pakboats.com
Pouch Boats
http://www.pouchboats.com
TRAK Kayaks
http://www.rethinkkayak.com/
Technorati Tags: folding kayak, folding kayak manufacturers, kayaks, kayak manufacturers, kayaks for sale
Posted in Folding Kayaks, Kayaks | No Comments »
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
View Larger Map
We launched from Estuary park (bottom right of the above map) at about 11:30AM. From there, we headed towards Jack London Square, in the direction of San Francisco. The put-in at Estuary park was easy, with parking lots right by the water.
 Dock near Jack London Square Not far from Estuary park is Jack London Square. We stopped at this little dock to eat our lunches and use the bathroom. There are restaurants and a Barnes & Noble here. If you forgot something important, there is a kayak store nearby (California Canoe & Kayak) near the Franklin and Water Street intersection.
 San Francisco From Oakland Estuary you can see the San Francisco skyline, although it’s not really close enough to be very spectacular. There’s the Bay Bridge, and you can barely make out the Transamerica Pyramid.
 Matson container ship with tiny kayakers Another thing you’ll see at Oakland Estuary is massive container ships. These are not the biggest I’ve seen, but still huge. There are some other kayakers in the above picture for scale, if you can find them (under the smokestack, and a bit to the right). I’ve heard that the Star Wars AT-AT walker was inspired by shipping cranes like these.
 Houseboats at Oakland Estuary On the way back, there were some houseboats. I always try to respect people’s privacy and avoid getting too close to houseboats. I think it would be like going for a walk through your neighborhood, but instead of staying on the sidewalk, cutting across people’s front yards and looking in their windows as you pass by.
We landed back at Estuary Park in the late afternoon. It was a little windy by then and the waves were getting choppy. Nice urban paddle, especially if you live nearby, but not much wildlife.
Technorati Tags: oakland, oakland estuary, kayaking, paddling, houseboats, estuary park, jack london square, container ships, bay bridge, transamerica pyramid, california canoe and kayak, barnes and noble
Posted in Kayaking Trips, Sea Kayaking | No Comments »
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