12.02.2025
Have the week off so took advantage for a paddle. Launched near Enoshima Island to round the island and paddle west around Uba Island and back. Relentless wind from the North, but not too strong and still and enjoyable paddle.
Total Distance: 10.79 miles
Duration: 02:59.14
Average Speed: 3.6 mph
Max Speed: 4.8 mph
12.03.2025
It was supposed to be routine paddle, with calm winds and cloudy / light rain in the forecast (the light rain part was just added in the morning). The first 3/4 of the paddle went as planned, launched from Wada beach and did my normal lap around Jogashima Island. I was paddling around a small rocky island and for a reason I still can't explain...I lost my balance and flipped over. Probably didn't help I was paddling surf-ski style (knees together). Here are the events next:
- Try to roll? Nope... 1) I flipped to the right and only can roll from the left...unless I wanted to go all the way around, and 2) I dropped my paddle and see it floating in front of the kayak
- Keep eyes on the paddle, try and pull the skirt
- Skirt is not coming off, can't reach the ripcord, watch the paddle
- Go under to reach the ripcord and exit the kayak
- Keep a hold of the kayak and swim to the paddle....can't see, bini is over my eyes.
- Discard the bini, grab the paddle
- Right size the kayak, harder than normal for some reason, probably because of the wind/waves and exhaustion. And my knee-high boots are all full of water.
- Rest, and catch breath while bobbing next to the kayak, paddle in hand.
- I can at random time touch rocks from the bottom, however wind is blowing me around.
- OK, cowboy rescue time, success first attempt, but not a fast re-entry process.
- Pump out all the water, I can see my bini on the sea bottom.
- Sponge out the remaining water, put the skirt back on and paddle on.
Paddling back the rest of the way, the wind really kicked up from off-shore creating some gnarly conditions. Tons of whitecaps with building waves...at least I was mostly going downwind, but still had to be careful of a wave grabbing the back of my kayak funny and flipping me again.
At least I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard, there was about a half dozen fishing kayaks all scrambling to come back to shore also...
After landing, it was so windy that I couldn't even set down the kayak without it blowing away, and had a really challenging time loading it on the car. No matter how much you plan, mother nature can change plans in an instant.
This situation is one only a sea kayaker will understand. All others just picture sea kayaking as floating around in a tiny lake in the middle of summer. I guess I need to stop being lazy and practice rolling in the summer. The quote from an eye opening video "Paddling the Salish" keeps sounding in my head:
"You can love nature, but nature doesn't love you back"
Total Distance: 10.95 miles
Duration: 02:39.54
Average Speed: 4.1 mph
Max Speed: 5.5 mph
12.11.2025
Welcomed home the CVN73 my favorite way. Good conditions considering a gale force advisory for this afternoon!
Total Distance: 5.77 miles
Duration: 01:55.31
Average Speed: 3.0 mph
Max Speed: 6.4 mph
12.27.2025
Potentially my last paddle of 2025, and it was looking like I was ending 2025 with still shattered confidence from my experience earlier in the month. Launched from Wada Beach in the Stellar S18 with a mirror image paddle around Jogashima Island and back. This time the forecast showed some wind coming from the NE... which meant it would be behind and from the left during the first part of the paddle. Conditions built as I got closer to Jogashima Island and I was definately shakey at points...even almost turned around at the mouth of Aburatsubo Bay. I stubbornly (and maybe not wisely) pressed on. Conditions around Jogashima definately tested my abilities, but maybe helped rebuild my confidence. At one point my hands went completely numb from the nerves. In the end, it was a very challenging paddle. Once I made it around Jogashima Island, it was headwinds all the way back, and much stronger then when I launched.
This trip put me over 400 miles this year, not bad.
Total Distance: 11.22 miles
Duration: 03:03.43
Average Speed: 3.7 mph
Max Speed: 8.3 mph
