Liquid Fusion Kayaking

Guess I am the Goldilocks of kayaking . . . constantly testing out this boat and that and being hopeful that eventually I will find one that will be “JUST RIGHT.”

When will I find the boat that is just right for me? Statistics say that the average height for US women is 5’3″ to 5’4″. So at 5’4.5″ why do I have so much difficulty finding a kayak that fits? Especially in the realm of whitewater kayaks. Sea kayaks by nature are narrower and manufacturers have started working on low volume designs that are more friendly smaller adults.

I just deleted a whole rant about whitewater kayaks but will save that for another day. Currently there is an Eskimo Kendo Starlight sitting in our boatbarn that Goldilocks thinks is going to be “JUST RIGHT.”

Ah . . . the maiden voyage of Big Red. Today we launched Big Red from the Noyo Beach. She is a Wilderness Systems Northstar – tandem sea kayak. This is the 6th of our brand new, specially made for us kayaks and she is a shiny beauty. So how did she do? GREAT!!!

The Mendocino Coast is an amazing place to sea kayak with exposed rocky reefs, sea caves, rock gardens, beautiful intertidal life, interesting marine mammals, and pelagic birds; however, it is not always the most kayaker friendly area. We paddle the Mendocino Coast all the time and use our local knowledge and paddling expertise to guide others. We have found the Wilderness Systems Northstar to be one of the most stable yet maneuverable tandem sea kayaks available for kayaking the Mendocino Coast. It is user friendly for beginners and performs well for experienced paddlers and the outfitting is very comfortable.

Here are a few photos of Big Red’s maiden voyage. The top one is her at sea with the lost coast in the back ground. The next is Big Red exiting the Sinkhole sea cave followed by Big Red in the maze. Finally Big Red lands on Naked Beach followed by her older sister the Mango Tango.

Last weekend we received 6 beautiful brand new boats. They were made specifically for us and I got to paddle one of them for the first time. Wow, I don’t think that I ever paddled a brand-new, never paddled before boat. It was a surreal feeling.

So what was it . . . well hold on to your paddles and put away your skirts, it was a new Dagger Torrent. A what? Yes, I was paddling a sit on top whitewater kayak. We bought 5 of them for 2009 because we have been having so much fun with rock gardening in our whitewater kayaks that we wanted to share the fun with those who don’t want to paddle a decked boat.

Typically I paddle a Necky Jive when we are rock gardening in whitewater kayaks – aka “short boats.” The Jive is fast and carves nicely. My first impression of the Torrent was how nice it was to just jump on and paddle and not have to deal with the skirt. I liked that I could kick my legs out of the thigh straps when paddling straight stretches. I was very impressed with the tracking of the boat. We were paddling in 10 foot swells that would have had me bobbing and spinning about in the Jive, but the Torrent tracked straight as I paddled it with little correction. The Torrent was super maneuverable though and I could face the swell and spin a 180 to get onto the wave with ease.

I am not one to push the limits in a new boat and the conditions were not ideal so I will have to paddle it again to see how well it handles in our favorite pourovers and surge channels. I did a couple of eskimo rolls with it just to see what would happen and found it fun to roll. I think that our new Torrents are going to be the user friendly boat that we were looking for to share our rock gardening playground with others. Stay tuned for more reports and photos.

And of course I mentioned 6 new boats (only 5 were Torrents). A new sea kayak is still awaiting its maiden voyage.

Yes, I am officially guilty of pedaling this week more than paddling. Oh, but mountain biking in the Mendocino Coast redwoods is so much fun, the traction is great, I love my new bike, and the whole gang is doing it. Besides, I am not really keen on paddling in the 20 to 30 kt winds that we have been having.

We are getting some new boats tomorrow so I am sure that given high winds or high water – we will be paddling this weekend.

The wind has been howling on the Mendocino Coast but we’ve found a peaceful paddling refuge on the Noyo River. At times we bemoan the wind for interfering with our plans of whale watching, surfing, and coastal paddling; but we also appreciate it in the bigger scheme of things. The winds are essential this time of the year for upwelling nutrients in the ocean and are great for drying out our favorite mountain biking trails. They also have given us reason to kayak on the Noyo River more.

The Noyo River is beautiful in spring. It’s beauty extends beyond greenery and blooms to the sounds of song birds and the ethereal feeling of spring. A perfectly timed paddle with the tide and the efficiency of our sea kayaks make the experience effortless and dream-like.

Of course we enjoy being entertained by the wildlife. Curious harbor seals follow us about and we are still regularly seeing “Cate’s Odd Duck” (a lone harlequin duck). The osprey have returned and have discovered that a large white goose has taken up residence in one of their prominent nests. We are curious to see how long this situation remains.

While I have not been successful in my goal this spring of videoing whales from my kayak, I happened to catch a river otter scampering on the bank with my camera. As the winds continue, I hope to capture some more footage of our wildlife on the Noyo River. Wow, I can’t help but think how lucky I am to have all of this in my backyard and to be able to share it with others.

Our new and improved Liquid Fusion Kayaking website is up and running. On Saturday, we managed to get out for some paddling fun with some friends from Humboldt County as well as some of our local Mendocino Coast kayakers. The “short boat” revolution on the Mendocino Coast continues as we show our “long boat” sea kayaking friends the funness of ocean rock gardening with “short boats” – whitewater and sit on top kayaks.

We are continually amazed by the playground that is in our backyard. We love kayaking in Fort Bragg’s Noyo Bay. It is close to home, Bear and Aften (our dogs) love the leash free beach, good food is close by at Silver’s, and we have a playground of rock garden features (rocks in the ocean that we can paddle around, through, or over and that often create whitewater, waves, and currents with the swells and surges of the ocean). One day Jeff counted 30 different play spots.

We compare our Noyo Bay to a skatepark. Like skaters, we rally our friends, don our protective gear, and seek to perfect our moves and create new ones as we play and interact with the features. We marvel at all that the Noyo Bay has to offer in such a small area – sea caves, gigantic rocks, rock reefs, a few nice surf waves, pour overs, surge channels, and amazing beauty. The wildlife is all around us and doesn’t pay much head to our antics. Occasionally we will have harbor seals following us about and watching with amused curiosity as we seal launch and slide on the rocks.

Creativity is a large part of ocean rock gardening. It is fun to experience with friends as each has their own paddling style and interpretation of the feature. We enjoy taking seasoned paddlers with us as well as adventurous first timers. Again, it is like a skatepark with features for all skills and abilities and the opportunity to be inspired and awed as the skilled “Go Big.”

For me, it is fun to play and explore my creativity as a kayaker but also to share the experience through my photos and videos. I hope that you enjoy them.

Put me back in the water. I have had too many Cate vs asphalt encounters in my life to enjoy antics such as sea kayaking down the street. Some how the guys convinced me that I should be the test dummy for this little project. Yes, I was wearing my helmet.

Our new and improved Liquid Fusion Kayaking website is up and running. On Saturday, we managed to get out for some paddling fun with some friends from Humboldt County as well as some of our local Mendocino Coast kayakers. The “short boat” revolution on the Mendocino Coast continues as we show our “long boat” sea kayaking friends the funness of ocean rock gardening with “short boats” – whitewater and sit on top kayaks.

We are continually amazed by the playground that is in our backyard. We love kayaking in Fort Bragg’s Noyo Bay. It is close to home, Bear and Aften (our dogs) love the leash free beach, good food is close by at Silver’s, and we have a playground of rock garden features (rocks in the ocean that we can paddle around, through, or over and that often create whitewater, waves, and currents with the swells and surges of the ocean). One day Jeff counted 30 different play spots.

We compare our Noyo Bay to a skatepark. Like skaters, we rally our friends, don our protective gear, and seek to perfect our moves and create new ones as we play and interact with the features. We marvel at all that the Noyo Bay has to offer in such a small area – sea caves, gigantic rocks, rock reefs, a few nice surf waves, pour overs, surge channels, and amazing beauty. The wildlife is all around us and doesn’t pay much head to our antics. Occasionally we will have harbor seals following us about and watching with amused curiosity as we seal launch and slide on the rocks.

Creativity is a large part of ocean rock gardening. It is fun to experience with friends as each has their own paddling style and interpretation of the feature. We enjoy taking seasoned paddlers with us as well as adventurous first timers. Again, it is like a skatepark with features for all skills and abilities and the opportunity to be inspired and awed as the skilled “Go Big.”

For me, it is fun to play and explore my creativity as a kayaker but also to share the experience through my photos and videos. I hope that you enjoy them.

On Saturday we had a great coastal exploration of the rugged Fort Bragg Coastline. Rain was in the forecast for the Mendocino Coast and the skies were a bit gray, but the tide was high and the ocean was calm and beautiful. We had the pleasure of sharing the calm before the storm with a family from Santa Rosa.

We got to explore some of the “inside” passages along the Fort Bragg Coastline that are only accessible to kayaks and only on certain tides. Two of the photos here are of one of my favorite spots which we call the “maze.” I paddle this area a lot and each time continue to be awed by these awesome geological features. As we watch a blowhole, I marvel at the handiwork of the ocean in carving this beautiful coast.

We are thrilled to see the return of the Pigeon Guillemots to the Mendocino Coast. At first we hear their high pitched wheezy whistle and then start seeing them in the water and flying to their nests. We are careful to give their nesting areas a wide berth. They too are fans of the rugged Mendocino Coast as they like to nest in the sea caves, arches, and nooks that the ocean has carved into the rocks.

After a meander through our coastal rocks and checking out some oyster catchers, we ventured out to sea to look for whales. We love our tandem sea kayaks because they are so stable and fast that we can easily guide novices out into the ocean. The sun poked out, and we were all quite warm as we paddled about a mile off shore to look for whales.

The whales were not particularly cooperative with our mission to see them. Sighting three spouts were the extent of our whale watching; however, we got to see some murres and had a great viewing of the colony of California Sea Lions that hangs out near and on the Noyo’s bell and whistle buoys.

Our return to the Noyo Beach was easy as the wind and swells carried us along. With our coaching, our novice kayakers were able to surf a couple of the swells which is an exhilarating feeling. As we returned to Noyo Beach, we were greeted by some friendly dogs who were enjoying another beautiful day on the Mendocino Coast.

Ahhhh . . . rainy days don’t get me down but our website being down might. 10 days ago our Liquid Fusion Kayaking website finally said “ENOUGH!!!, I am old and just can’t take another update.” It still has our calendar, our Mendocino Coast sea kayaking video, and information about our classes, but the time has come for a new site. So this woman on water has been woman on the computer and has been consumed with rebuilding our site.

As I develop the pages, write the descriptions, and upload photos; I long for the water. I am getting excited about how the new site is looking but am anxious to launch it and to be able to get more time in on the water.