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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Add to all this good information: epic El Niņo predicted
You've received a lot of good information and suggestions from knowledgeable people here. I would add that the large El Niņo being predicted could
also impact your trip.
The aforementioned winds and currents will be influenced by El Niņo. Also, with heavy rains, flooding is likely this year, and there are places along
the highway that may be impassable, possibly for days. The arroyos fill quickly and stop all traffic on the single highway that connects Baja Sur to
the north.
So to be safe, add those possibilities to your agenda. High winds, heavy rains and flooding could delay land transportation, impact communications,
etc.
On the bright side: rains mean more freshwater in some places!
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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jaymtb
Junior Nomad
Posts: 92
Registered: 3-30-2004
Member Is Offline
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Hi,
Have kayaked LA Bay to Sta Rosalia 3 times, two of them in Jan Feb, one of those Jan Feb trips was from San Felipe to Loreto.
Yes, the weather can be rough, a more serious trip than say- November. You will have big eyes at times, as they say.
Immersion gear should be worn for the colder water. You should be good at paddle dexterity- ie being able to flow from any paddle stroke to a low
and/or high brace. Obviously better to stay up than get up. Landing/launching in swells take more skill and timing.
It will also be hard to position for a partner rescue in the rough water.
A roll is good, but rolling a loaded kayak is different from an empty one, due to the rotational inertia. You have to hang longer while you start
the boat rotating with your hips- try it. Water bags should be packed on the bottom, with lighter stuff on top. Then the hull will be somewhat
unstable when inverted.
It helps a lot to be able to know the trend of Northers, ie-when a high is going to be parked over the Great Basin. I have done this with a small
SSB shortwave receiver, listening to the cruising nets. This allows you to try to get into a better position before/after a blow. Some nets,
especially evening nets, are fading away in efectiveness. Sonrisanet is still going - about 1330 UTC ?-check schedules, note freq variation with
interference.
sonrisanet.org
With the Delorme sat units someone could send you text wx info from net sources.
More Mexican panga fishermen have VHF radios, with 4 cycles and batteries- as well a more shore stations. However, in bad WX they may not be out, and
of course they speak very little English. Sailboats have high VHF whips, and may be listening when at anchor. A VHF will get better coverage if you
can climb a hill.
For shuttle, we have either moved the truck to Sta Rosalia before leaving, or left it in LA Bay, versus Pta San Fran. LA Bay has good transport
access.
The north-facing part of Bahia San Rafael can be a bad place to land if northers are blowing- dumping swells. There are other points to position
oneself strategically in order to pass early in the morning. There are also some go/no go points where landings are not possible for some
distance.
The cooler weather is better for hiking or fishing if wind keeps you on the beach.
Cheers,
Jay
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3779
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
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"if you decide to postpone this trip till the spring or fall. and you are looking for another able bodied kayaker, let me know. I am an experienced
sea kayak guide and would love to paddle this route. but i will be gone working in Chile all winter"
If you decide to postpone the trip, and the sea kayak guide goes along, and you don't mind an experienced (but rusty and slower) paddler along, I'd
sure like to go.
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jaymtb
Junior Nomad
Posts: 92
Registered: 3-30-2004
Member Is Offline
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Pls check U2U for more
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