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Beach/Kayaking
Events
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T KAYAK?
OHGLA KAYAKERS KAYAK EVERYWHERE!
Cynthia Webber, Kayaking Leader, has put
together an OHGLA Album - Ask her and she'll show it to you!.
A note from
Cynthia:
Cynthia wants all kayakers (and maybe-kayakers) to
know that she will begin kayaking Wednesdays,
Fridays and Sundays from April through the kayaking
season. She encourages everyone to come out for the
first time and try this great sport and invites
everyone else to join her who wants to fit in some
extra kayaking.
Call me or email me
anytime. Cynthia Webber. Thanks.
webberwork@aol.com
310-207-7460
July 19. Saturday,
7:30. Catalina Two Harbors.
Arrive at 7:30 in San Pedro to leave at 8:00 a.m. on the Catalina Express.
You can reserve a kayak for the morning only, stay
for lunch in our private sunny room, and go home on
the 2:00 p.m. ferry OR stay and keep your kayak all
day; a bunch of us did this last year and loved it.
You kayak in the morning, stop for lunch, take a
little hike over to the isthmus, listen to the band
in the arboretum, watch the dancing, kayak again,
and take the 4:20 p.m. ferry home. This is our
favorite. And this year we will kayak to Emerald
Cove, a new site for most of us.
BUT THE SINGLE MOST
IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL EARLY FOR
YOUR RESERVATION ON THE CATALINA EXPRESS.
310-519-1212. DON'T DELAY.
It gets crowded early. Say you are with the Over the
Hill Gang. Round trip fare for seniors is $58.00.
Then let me know because I will make all the kayak
reservations and the lunch reservations. Kayaks are
$15.00 per hour; $48 for the day. Lockers are
available for everyone for 25 cents. You can bring a
bag with change of clothes, but it must fit under
your seat during the ferry ride. Two Harbors
is like going to Tahiti. Do come. Call me to let me
know.
August 16. Saturday. 8:00 a.m. Channel Islands
Santa Cruz.
Channel Islands is a thrilling and unique experience
and California's best-kept secret; you will
encounter some of the largest known sea caves in the
world with a certified kayaking guide. Rangers call
Santa Cruz "The Beginner," the easiest. We
meet at Ventura Harbor at 7:30 a.m. and take the
ferry across. This is one for which we must
make our reservations early. I have asked Paddle
Sports of Santa Barbara to add us to one of their
groups if we do not have enough kayakers so if you
plan on coming, I will send you their number to call
and make your reservation. They provide us with
great kayaks, paddles, helmets (county requirement,
you can wear your visor under it), life jackets,
rubberized "paddling jackets" (wind-breakers but
very water proof) , certified guide all day. You
bring your lunch, water, change to dry pants, gloves
with cut-off fingers, waterproof footies if your
feet get cold. Full day senior-only cost is $156.00
if we have a minimum of 8-10. No shows get to pay
anyway, county rule. Call for more information.
September 20. Santa Barbara. Coastal Kayak with
Guide.
Route is from El Capitan State Beach in and out off
the coast to Refugio (2 hours) or back to Santa
Barbara Harbor (3 hours). This is a new kayaking
event. Tour Santa Barbara afterward with L.A. Times
tour recommendations. I will be going up to SB
to scout out the possibilities and more info will be
available later.
October:
Two choices: Dana
Point and San Juan
Capistrano and dinner and travel speaker at Odette’s
or beautiful Baha. I have been trying to get a
group together to do this every year, and this year
I will wait no more. I am going to request Aqua
Adventures in San Diego
to give us a shorter trip – four days. More on
prices and options later. Plans are tentative and
ideas are invited.
Reports from the Kayaking Season 2007
Two Short Kayaking Stories
(Hello dolphin well hello dolphin won't you
 please
tell us where you are? Saturay,
October 20, Malibu Kayaking.
Molly F, Jacky G, Dar C
and I went to Malibu to kayak to find those Dolphins
I keep seeing from DUKES. Zuma Jay (yep that's his
name), retired world class surfer, rented Dar and me
kayaks while Jacky and Molly brought theirs in
Jacky's truck. Dar and I had kayaks with wheels on
back; kayaks had to be dragged to PCH, stop traffic,
drag across to beach, remove wheels. Zuma told us to
enter surf right there; surf looked a little
intimidating; smart Jacky and Molly went to the
Malibu Pier (no surf). Dar and I decided to go for
it. Oooops. We turned over, slammed back on the
beach; I went under and spent the rest of the day
wet; Dar tried and tried to paddle out to no avail.
Too much surf. When, HURRAY!!, Jacky drove her kayak
onto the beach, pulled Dar in boat into the surf and
told her, "WAIT WAIT NOW PADDLE, PADDLE, PADDLE,"
and over the
waves she went, got me and did the same. Then back
into her kayak she went, daring those waves to give
her a hard time. The four of us paddled way out,
half a mile and then a mile, looking for the
Dolphins. Some divers told us they had seen 5 of
them in the kelp beds so we went to every kelp bed.
No dolphins. After 4 hours all over the
 sea,
we gave up. Still, it was thrilling to be out that
far, look back and see the beautiful hills of
Malibu. Of course, Dar and I had to face the
even-larger waves coming back in -- a real heart
stopper even with Jacky urging us on. Brave is too
quiet a word to describe Jacky -- hence forth to be
known as SuperJockJacky. We will come again, but we
will never never never launch from anywhere but the
pier. Promise. Report by Cynthia
Cataling Twin Harbors,
Aug. 18, 2007
Stay
a little longer.
When bikers go a little farther, hikers a little higher, they
usually discover something wonderful; this year OHGLA kayakers
stayed a little longer and discovered the 6 pm Ferry! And had
such a good time, we decided this is the way to do
 it. There
were 17 of us who started out kayaking early in the morning out
toward the caves. At noon our goodfriend Steve had arranged a
private room with inside/outside sun and a great lunch. Then
the 2 pm Ferry kayakers hurried off, and the rest of us
discovered Catalina all over again. Al Mizrahi found how to
hike over to the Isthmus and we discovered the shortest point on
Catalina. Then we split up; Al and Diane and Dar and I had
reserved our kayaks for all day and we headed out to sea to see
if we could find Richard and Joanne’s yacht. Annette and
Marilyn stayed
 behind just as the band came on the porch so they
 could listen to the terrific lively music and watch the
dancers.
It was the first time we had no rush, time to explore, and we did. Lots of it, paddling all along the
rocks, the water calm and
crystal clear, so many coves to see. We even made plans for a
new direction, go left next season and see beautiful Emerald
Cove. Lucky us Californians – Paradise is only 26 miles away.
Summer
Sailing with Joanne and Richard
Cool breezes, clouds burning off, skillful skippers, good food,
friendly company – a memorable sailing experience for all.
 
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The tide, the temperature, the wind, the
launch conditions. Every outing presents unique challenges.
Circumstances are often ideal, and we recognize our good
fortune as we maneuver through the water, close enough to
see jellyfish just under the surface, sea birds up close, and
other creatures of the sea and inland waterways. |
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About Beach/Kayaking Activities
Cynthia inspires kayakers -- the brand new and the experienced.
Whether
it's Alamitos Bay, the Colorado River, or the Channel Island
caves, we put lots of energy into OHGLA's shortest season
because we are water-borne. Any new member who
has never kayaked or never kayaked with us, don't hold back:
every OHGLA kayaker loves to help you. Remember that I came
from New York City and didn't know a kayak from a Cadillac!
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Sailing on Chantey with Richard and Joanne |
April 16, Wednesday
April 26, Saturday
April 30, Wednesday
May 7, Wednesday |
Day sailing with lunch aboard
Chantey, a 42 foot sailboat, out of Alamitos Bay in Long
Beach. Bring lunch to share and rubber soled
shoes, hat, sunscreen, and windbreaker or jacket..
After leaving the dock we'll sail awhile, then anchor in
bay to enjoy potluck lunch, then sail some more before
returning about 4 p.m. Soda drinks are provided.
Limited to 8 participants. Call Joanne P. to
reserve your space.
All sailings leave the dock at 10:30 |
 Marina
Del Rey Kayaking, October 27, 2007.
Eight OHGLA kayakers -- Marilyn
T., Fleur Y., DiAnn D., Charlie C.,
 Carol
R., Darlene C., DB L., and Cynthia W. joined the Marina Water Youth
Group. Youth? Well it is one of only
two Adult Groups allowed and the adult Kayak Managers insisted we
have lessons UNTIL the OHGLA kayakers proved to be such good
kayakers that the guides went silent and never mentioned the lessons
again as we traveled over the Marina, to Mother's beach, then to
part
of the channel and back. Nice ending, but I plan to find out why we
can't go out with more freedom. Are we
finished with kayaking for the
season? Not as long as we have warm sunny Fridays or Saturdays. I
will be in Huntington Harbor with Gloria C., Jackie C. and Jackie
B-b. so join us. Call me. And I just tore out of the newspaper the
Holiday Parade of decorated boats December 8. How about decorating
some kayaks and joining them? Thanks for a great season! Cynthia
OHGLA Santa Barbara Kayak & French Festival, July 2007
  Do these pictures speak for
themselves Oui! 20 wonderful OHGLA Kayakers showed up to kayak
beautiful Santa Barbara Harbor. In seconds our guide was leading
us on a chase through the
pilings of the pier, under the tunnel of one wing of a gigantic
catamaran, then out and out and out to sea, the farthest buoy we’ve
ever been to where the swells were pretty swell and
a few of us had bumpy stomachs at her command to hold paddles while
she explained local history. But we were brave, experienced and by
this time, just plain hungry. We deserved the French Fiesta where
the line for crepes was so long Chuck and Helen and I ate “Le Hot
Dog” in a giant baguette smothered in mustard and Helen Ryan ate a
crepe AND a sausage with sauerkraut. Then we all gathered to cheer
the great Can Can Dancers followed by our own dancers, Annette and
Tom. Thanks to our show-ups! Cynthia
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Dana Point,
June, 2007
Dana Point Jet Ski supplied us with
brand new kayaks and sent their surfers to lift us in our kayaks off
the docks and into the water. With their directions we kayaked first
across the harbor to
investigate an 18thC. 12-masted Schooner, "Pilgrim," which is an
exact replica of what Richard Henry Dana sailed on into this rugged
cove, originally called Bahia Capistrano, which became a
major port after Dana wrote his renowned book Two Years before
the Mast a novel of his experience of life aboard a hide trading
ship. We then paddled all along the long, long causeway and out into
the ocean. Entering the ocean from the causeway, the surfers at
Doheny Beach are surprisingly far away to the left of us and closer
to the beach and surf, so we were not near surfers or surf. In fact,
I turned to see Dar Clarke and Fleur Yano blasting out into the
ocean to the buoy where we were told to go say hello to the sea
lions. We were completely captivated by Dana Point's beauty; across
its wide span of beach and ocean there is a sunlit shimmer that is
breathtaking.
Upper Newport Beach Ecological
Reserve, April 2007
 Right
away we started to see dozens of birds, from every sandy bank there
were curlews with their long long beaks digging in the wet sand for
tiny crabs, Ospreys overhead, several dark shadowy Cormorants and
one lone brown Pelican watching us from the tall grasses. Across the
bay DB and Don paddled right into the middle of a huge tribe of
gorgeous white birds with
black
markings and red beaks having a tremendous screeching squabble which
DB and Don apparently trying to adjudicate without much luck -- kind
of like the gorgeous movie star with a voice that could crack eggs!
Joining us on the waterways was a seal showing off his breakfast
catch, a large fish which he kept lobbing in and out of his mouth --
  yuck
- and finally swallowed. Everyone went bird hunting. Betz found a
white beauty with a brown and white
cape (Western Sandpiper) and
Joyce and Bob went all the way to the very end while others turned
from the wind. But Diane Lenkin and I stayed behind to watch a real
treat courtesy of Marilyn. Standing in the tall grass were three
dark pieces of wood, we thought. As Marilyn moved in on them, one by
one they rose up to their full gorgeousness, revealed themselves to
be Great Blue Herons, gave Marilyn a little attitude and turned
away, spreading their huge beautiful blue-grey wings and marching
off. What a wonderful surprise. The Paris runway of Herons! All that
was left was lunch at the Back Bay Cafe. Now we know: The birds seem
to say: save my wetlands - because I'm worth it! Report by Cynthia
Kayaking the Caves of Santa
Cruz Island in the Channel Islands Group, August 2006
Excerpts from Annette Mann's Article.
At
7:30 a.m., we met at Island Packers in Ventura, downed a cup of
coffee and boarded a 67-foot catamaran which whisked us to our
destination,
 Santa Cruz, the largest of the Channel Islands.
After we were underway, we began to notice dolphins near our boat.
There were several hundred dolphins moving with the boat. I have
seen dolphins many times but I have never witnessed so many dolphins
in one place. We saw a mother and baby dolphin swimming side
by side. They seemed to be there to entertain us. We
arrived at Scorpion Ranch located on the northernmost point of this 42
mile long island. Next to the dock was a rocky beach where the
kayaks were unloaded. Katia and Spencer, our guides, gave us
instruction on using the kayaks and signals (pat your helmet if OK,
make a fist if not). We suited up in helmets and life jackets,
and wet suit if wanted. Once on the water the first thing
 that
really made an impression was the clarity of the water. Youcould
clearly see the ocean floor, rocky and teeming with colorful sea
life, purple sea urchins, bright orange star fish and silver
anchovies. Our guides told us that the Channel Islands have
some of the largest sea caves in the world. We
kayaked caves large enough to accommodate our entire group and caves
so narrow that only one kayak could enter at a time and you had to
lean back (not forward so as to avoid injuring the back of your neck
if there was an impact). Some caves were very dark inside (at
one, our guide went in first and wore a miner's head lamp so we
could follow the cave). Each cave was unique. I was
enthralled by the colors; in another it was the sounds, the echo of
spray and the hiss of the blow holes. The day went by quickly and
too soon our guides were leading us back to the each. |
Cynthia Webber,
kayaking leader, caught her enthusiasm for kayaking from Dick
K. and she's been rallying all of us to join in the
adventure ever
since.
