Attention all marine mammal fans. We are having another spectacular whale migration. The past 2 days in Fort Bragg have been sunny and warm with calm wind conditions which makes for ideal whale watching. We were scouting the surf from the headlands yesterday and saw half a dozen spouts within a mile from shore. We were on a surfing mission with our surf kayaks so no kayak whale watching, but now I am on a mission to get some video footage of the whales from a kayak. Each time that I have been out whale watching in my kayak, I have been too enthralled with the experience to pick up my camera. Which is saying something as I am quite a bit of a shutterbug.

Come paddle with us to SEA the Whales or watch for my next posting to see if I got my video.

Just finished reading the article from Newsweek titled “Why We Need More Time in Nature.”

I couldn’t agree more and reading the comments posted indicated that many agree.

Even more interesting would be research on why many of us feel such a draw and connection to water. Perhaps it is because our bodies are over 70% water or maybe that our planet is mostly made up of water and our lives depend so greatly upon it.

Regardless, my recommendation is to get out there and enjoy it.

Since starting my blog, I have been scanning the internet for ways to find other kayaking blogs. Many of the different manufacturers have blogs that you can access from their website, but a recent posting on paddling.net alerted me to paddlingplanet.com. If you are interested in all things sea kayaking and the most comprehensive listing of paddling blogs, be sure to check it out. As I am in the hunt for a second digital waterproof camera, another blog that I recently found was paddling with a camera.

I am continuing to research paddling websites on the internet and am impressed by the activity in many of the paddling community forums. Paddling.net definitely appears to be one of the most diverse and popular. Being a California Whitewater Boater, I of course find Boof to be entertaining and useful. Kayak Mind is a smaller but growing online paddling community with a very visually appealing layout. I first got interested in Kayak Mind when I found out it was how the Boater Chick Festival got started.

YouTube continues to be a big source of paddling entertainment. One of my favorite YouTube videos was The Cold Edge: Winter Sea Kayaking in Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska. We have been inspired by the video world and have recently posted 2 videos of our paddling here on the Mendocino Coast – Rock Gardening on the Mendocino Coast and Sea Kayaking on the Mendocino Coast.

There is so much information on the web, but here are a few of the most interesting and useful resources that I have found. Please feel free to share with me what you have found interesting or useful and I will continue to review and post them. But for now, I am off for a paddle.

Yes, remastering the Eskimo Roll was my New Years Resolution. My partner Jeff says that it takes about 100 rolls to have a “reliable eskimo roll.” In January, I made an effort to do at least 3 rolls each time that I paddled. Of course being a perfectionist, this usually translated to 5 to 7 rolls. I would often ask for one of my paddling partners to spot me so that I could get an eskimo assist if I missed my rolls. They have been very supportive and encouraging.

This week I hit my 100th roll since January 1st. So do I feel that I have mastered the roll? Yes, I am very confident in my on-side roll. Lately I have started kayak surfing in a decked kayak (which I never thought would be in my paddling scope) and am having a lot of fun rolling in the surf. Jeff tells me that rolling in warm water is even more fun. Our water here on the Mendocino Coast is usually in the mid-50′s.

It was quite a commitment to make myself roll in that chilly water, but it has helped me to get used to it so that I am not shocked by it when I do roll over. I definitely recommend learning the eskimo roll in a pool with an instructor, goggles, and nose plugs. We had several sessions last fall at the Fort Bragg Recreation Center swimming pool and are looking forward to teaching rolling this summer at the STARR Community Center - Fort Bragg’s new aquatic center.

Rolling on though, now it’s time to work on the offside roll.

Yesterday, I spotted several whales off of the Fort Bragg Coast heading north. We had spectacular viewings of the whales in January heading south and are anticipating a good showing of them over the next month on their northern migration.

During the southern migration, we cruised in our kayaks along the whales’ paths and were thrilled with our encounters. Seeing the barnacles on the whales backs as they pass by and hearing the whoosh of air exploding out of their blowhole is such a treat and an experience that is magical from a kayak.

Residents and visitors to Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Coast celebrate the whale migration each spring with whale festivals. Details about the festivals are available at fortbragg.com or mendowhale.com. The charter boats are popular ways to see whales, but for a more eco-friendly and up-close and personal experience we enjoy kayaking to SEA the WHALES.

I am Woman . . . hear me ROAR!!!

I am a Woman of Water who plays in and on the water as much as possible and wants to share my experiences in this world of water with others.

Exploring and playing on the water in a kayak is my current passion, but I am interested in all things to do with water and the sea.

Share with me the adventure of being a Woman on Water.

Rainy days won’t keep us down. Sunday night, we hosted our first video night at Silver’s at the Wharf in Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor. We opened the evening with our new Mendocino Coast Sea Kayaking video followed by our recent Rock Gardening video. The audience was dazzled, amazed, and amused by Chuck Lees’ film Local Liquid. It definitely got us psyched up for our upcoming whitewater kayaking trip to the American River.

Sunshine and Whales . . . Rain and Otters . . . Mendocino Paddling

The whale migration in January on the Mendocino Coast was simply spectacular!!! Warm sunny days with glassy ocean conditions made for some great sea kayaking and whale watching excursions. Calm conditions and sunny days also afforded amazing visibility below the surface of the water. It is always a treat to be able to scout the abalone population as we paddle. Eat well and grow little abalones!!!

To get our whitewater fix; we pushed the limits of our sea kayaks in the ocean rock gardens and paddled some very technical spots off of the Fort Bragg Coast in our river boats. Of course we enjoyed some great surf sessions in both long and short boats but continued to wonder when we would get some rain.

Finally our winter storms seem to have arrived. The Noyo Bay is a great spot to watch the windswell come in. One can watch the short interval sets building at sea and then crashing and rolling through the bay and even into the Noyo Harbor.

Excitement for whitewater river running is building as we check DreamFlows hourly to watch our rivers start to flow. We scouted the flow on the Noyo River ourselves and are pleased to see it at a runnable level. The Eel River is beckoning us though. Just an hour and a half away with beautiful scenery, salmon, bald eagles, river otters, and some great surf waves; the Eel is definitely on our agenda for the weekend.

Video, photos, and more of what do can be found on our website .

Rain, Rain, Rain . . . Where are our winter storms?  California’s drought conditions are not going to get us down.  We have a whole big ocean of whitewater in our backyard. Saltwater is good for the sinuses, right?

Mendocino coast whitewater kayakers aren’t letting this winter’s drought conditions keep them high and dry. On Sunday January 18, a posse of six local whitewater boaters played in the whitewater and rock gardens of the Mendocino Coast’s Noyo Bay. A 6-8 foot swell provided surfable waves and exhilarating whitewater drops over the rocks and reefs.

Liquid Fusion Kayaking’s Jeff Laxier and Cate Hawthorne just returned from sea kayaking in San Francisco Bay and the Big Sur area and were longing for some whitewater so they rallied the crew. Mellow play spots were sought out to warm up and practice water reading. When the crew found their groove, more technical features were sought out that involved surfing the swells over and between the rocks.

As the afternoon progressed, the green faced waves of Chicken Point lured the paddlers for some kayak surfing. Whale watchers on Todd’s Point where treated to an exhibition of kayak surfing as competitive kayak surfers Josha Stark and Jeff Laxier played on the 12 foot waves off Chicken Point. Josha and Jeff are preparing for competition in the 23^rd Annual Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival in March.

The paddle concluded with some Eskimo rolling and deep water recovery practice off of Noyo Beach. The warm sunny day and immersion gear made the chilly water refreshing. Check out YouTube for our exciting video of Mendocino Coast Rock Gardening:

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