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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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Pacific Side Sea Kayaking
Intro...
I'm in the planing phase of sea kayaking the Pacific side of Baja from San Diego to Cabo. Trying to figure my trip window based on prevailing winds.
Late summer works for me, what direction would the winds be pushing?
On a side note, June of 08' I paddled from Crescent City, Ca; south to Mission Bay, San Diego. I covered 1321 miles of coastline, so I have some
experience in the surf, and with expedition planing.
Thanks for any input,
Jerry Sparks
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redhilltown
Super Nomad
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Registered: 1-24-2009
Location: Long Beach, CA
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PST
I have fished my fair share out of Punta Santo Tomas and it seems the winds usually kick up in the afternoon to some pretty nasty swells. Winds
usually from the north or northwest...the bay is protected to those winds so you have a safe harbor but if from the south, all bets are off and I
think the local pangeros even pull their boats out of the bay...you mentioned late summer which would be hurricane season further south. Once there,
Sam Saenz runs the Puerto Santo Tomas resort and you can camp at his place or rent a cabin. If you speak Spanish you can talk to the local urchin/sea
cucumber divers (or fishing guide Marcos) to get a good heads up on what awaits you further south. Have a blast!
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fishbuck
Banned
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Early mid summer to early mid fall.
The problem is getting to Cabo in peak hurrican season. Big swells. Starting in about September October.
So leave San Diego no later than July 15. Pull your boat out in Cabo no later than Oct. 1.
You can't do better.
How long will it take? What kind of kayak will you use.
I believe it is generally a "down hill" run the whole way as far as wind goes.
I think the conventional wisdom is that it's much easier to sail to Cabo from San Diego than it is to sail back.
Think Newport to Ensenada race.
[Edited on 5-27-2009 by fishbuck]
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8806
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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i always wonder when people say
it's "uphill" from ensenada to san diego...
isn't sea level actually "sea level"
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3882
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: La Chorera
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Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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It "feels" like it's uphill...
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Hi Jerry and welcome to Nomadlandia! We have a good pal who kayaked here to Bahia Asuncion from Rosarito and had a fantastic time. I lent him our
kayak sail and he used it alot and he highly recommended one for anyone kayaking down the west coast. He also paddled alot at night when the wind and
waves were at a minimum and the paddling was awesome under the stars. He put in at fish camps and had great experiences with them...they fed him, gave
him water etc. and good advice...he spoke elementary spanish.
What is most important is time...time to kill when the weather is bad...too windy or time to stay and enjoy your host village. If you do this and want
some contact names along the way...we have lots of relatives and amigos in various camps along this coast so email me for that. Make sure you take a
radio for emergencies...stop in and see us for a meal and shower!
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bajagrouper
Senior Nomad
Posts: 964
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit, Mexico
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Mood: happy and retired
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Great Book
Hola, In 1985 a 31 year old woman and a 60 year old man did a trip simular to what you want to do...They did a shakedown trip from Washington to San
Diego...Then continued not only to Cabo but all the way up the gulf side ending in Yuma AZ. In 1986 she wrote a book describing the trip, a good read
and it may be helpful for planning your adventure:
Keep it Moving, Baja by canoe
by Valerie Fons
published by The Mountaineers
306 2nd. Avenue West, Seattle,Washington 98119
Even though the title says "Baja by Canoe" they traveled by sea kayaks...Good luck and have a wonderful trip...
[Edited on 5-27-2009 by bajagrouper]
I hear the whales song
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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Man You guys are awesome, and thanks...
Based on what I've paddled in the past, I manage to average 22 miles per day through Northern California. However, I battled weeks of small craft
advisory, gale warnings, and hazardous seas. Through central and southern cal I did better at 25 to 30 miles per day.
As far as a time frame, I would like to leave at the end of June 2010, and hope that I can finish withing 6 weeks of my start. However, once underway
I'm committed; so I'll finish when I finish.
In the past I've paddle a Prijon Kodiak; 17ft high volume seakayak. But for the last year I've been paddling a Necky Chatham 17; 17ft (low volume
rough water). Based on some of the charts I'm looking at, I would like to select a craft that will hold enough supplies to keep me unsupported for at
least 4 weeks, but allow me to get supplies when they are available.
Lastly for the next 12 months I'll continue to research the route, condition physically, and wait for my window.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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| Quote: | Originally posted by redhilltown
I have fished my fair share out of Punta Santo Tomas and it seems the winds usually kick up in the afternoon to some pretty nasty swells. Winds
usually from the north or northwest...the bay is protected to those winds so you have a safe harbor but if from the south, all bets are off and I
think the local pangeros even pull their boats out of the bay...you mentioned late summer which would be hurricane season further south. Once there,
Sam Saenz runs the Puerto Santo Tomas resort and you can camp at his place or rent a cabin. If you speak Spanish you can talk to the local urchin/sea
cucumber divers (or fishing guide Marcos) to get a good heads up on what awaits you further south. Have a blast! |
Correct, prevailing north to northwest wind really howls in the PST/La Bocana area in late summer. Every once in a while you may get an easterly
blowing out of the Santo Tomas valley. Puerto Santo Tomas has a new boat ramp and is completely protected from everything but a large southerly swell
(rare in summer).
You may run into a sea kayak tour group in that area. They run a tour that puts out in the Punta Banda/La Bufadora area and paddles south past PST
and La Bocana. My guess is that they pull out in the Erendira area. I've also seen a group of university students use the beach La Bocana as a put
in and pickup spot, but it can get ugly there if the swell is up.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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I have a few books that I've read about Baja in reference to paddling. So far this is the list...
"Keep it moving"
"We Survived Yesterday"
"Enchanted Vagabonds"
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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hey yakster
over the next year you will find all of the information (and more) that you can ever hope for, right here. like shari said, u2u me for a list of names
of locals that will be stoked to share what they have when you haul out for the day.....
if you survived the central cali coast, even a large hurricane swell will seem like paradise, until you try to make the beach.
good on ya, brah!
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17336
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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You might get some tips from Abraham Levy. Met him in 2008 when he was kayaking solo entire coast of baja (part of his circumnavigation of entire
coast of Mexico by kayak). You can probably reach him thru his website at http://www.abrahamlevy.com/
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
You might get some tips from Abraham Levy. Met him in 2008 when he was kayaking solo entire coast of baja (part of his circumnavigation of entire
coast of Mexico by kayak). You can probably reach him thru his website at http://www.abrahamlevy.com/ |
Followed some of his trip, HUGE undertaking.
Thanks...
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woody in ob
hey yakster
over the next year you will find all of the information (and more) that you can ever hope for, right here. like shari said, u2u me for a list of names
of locals that will be stoked to share what they have when you haul out for the day.....
if you survived the central cali coast, even a large hurricane swell will seem like paradise, until you try to make the beach.
good on ya, brah! |
Thanks, I can't even think of how the California tour would have gone if I hadn't the support of random surfers and fishermen. The info on this board
just keeps getting better.
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jahImpala3
Junior Nomad
Posts: 80
Registered: 12-6-2007
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I knew you would get some good responses here Jerry
I'll start looking at various weather stations down the coast and check out the history for more data concerning winds.
-Eric
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jahImpala3
Junior Nomad
Posts: 80
Registered: 12-6-2007
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Try this link if it works for surf and wind forecasts.
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/boatandbeach/surf/...
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jahImpala3
I knew you would get some good responses here Jerry
I'll start looking at various weather stations down the coast and check out the history for more data concerning winds.
-Eric |
If you weren't on here already, I was going to have to get you to registrar. The amount of seat time in Baja on this board is astounding! The planing
is moving forward, so things are looking good.
Jerry
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seayak
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 5-26-2009
Location: Apple Valley
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Can anyone make a comparison of big surf breaks in Baja to Northern Cal? Surf landing is the most technical part of coastal tripping...
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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You will find many spots you can put in by looking for the fish camps...they always have a little area where they pull their pangas in sheltered by
rocks or a little point or something. They love to get visitors too.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 17336
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: | Originally posted by seayak
Can anyone make a comparison of big surf breaks in Baja to Northern Cal? Surf landing is the most technical part of coastal tripping...
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first time i did sea kayaking was vancouver island west coast. after one rough beach landing, i learned how to travel far to avoid bad beach landing.
generally speaking, on avarege the surf is smaller in baja relative to nor cal, but there are exceptions to that rule, such as hurricanes, southern
storms, etc
like nor cal, coastline varies a lot. seems to me that in baja if you have a big surf day you are usually not too far from a point or lagoon entrance
where you might find easier access on lee side or inside (fyi, the ebb/flood flow out of lagoon mouths can be quite severe and you will see some wild
sand bars and chaotic breaks in front of some of the big lagoons like san ignacio and mag bay. study google earth images and charts and you will see
the wide gaps where you wont find cover for reaching beach on a big surf day. if you know you need to traverse a wide gap with no easy beach access,
then plan that leg accordingly.
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