Stories

I returned to Cape Cod this year to train SUP Instructors for Mike at Rideaway Adventures.  Rideaway is an awesome paddle sports outfitter in the Cape with multiple locations, serving paddlers and bikers with classes, tours and rentals. 

50 mile scout trip - complete!

On Tuesday May 14th, Peter Sawtell and myself parked our truck at Northwood Meadows State Park in Northwood, New Hampshire, unloaded gear and headed out with the intent of following the Lamprey River all the way to saltwater.

This spring is shaping up to be a busy season on the water and I'm really excited to be working with Peter Sawtell of Seven Rivers Padding.  Today we partnered up and led a canoeing skills & leadership workshop for students in the Tufts University adventure program.

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is a 92-mile stretch of lakes, ponds and rivers flowing North through the Maine woods.  It was established back in 1970 as one of the countries first Wild & Scenic Rivers and remains as Maine's only federally designated Wild & Scenic river today.

Recently I had the pleasure of working with Peter Sawtell of Seven Rivers Paddling to manage risk and safety on the paddling sections of Untamed New England, an iconic adventure race that took place on the New Hampshire Seacoast this year.

Portland Maine is a wonderful paddling destination.  This year I once again ran a Level 1-2 American Canoe Association SUP Instructor Certification Workshop in Portland.  Nine instructor candidates, myself and an assistant spent June 8-10 on Portland's East End completely geeking out on standup paddleboarding.

I've written blog posts about Black Canyon in the past.  I don't always say a lot, but the fact that I keep on returning to this incredible paddling destination pretty much says it all.

This group was no different and I've already spent time paddling with some of them.  We had a pretty intense session over three full days with some very skilled and knowledgeable personalities.  Group learning at its best! 

This is the 2nd year I've travelled up to Acadia SUP in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine to run an ACA SUP ICW with Chris Strout, owner of Acadia SUP.  He runs a great operation on the edge of Acadia National Park and is focused on quality instruction and safety. 

Hot Springs & Happy Hour is how we described the trip, but really it should’ve been called strong winds and stronger paddlers. Our team of 8 met up early on Friday, made our way to the river and were paddling off by 10:15am. Impressive start for an impressive crew.

At the end of October, Trish & I took some time off to paddle with Sea Kayak Baja Mexico on a 6-day relaxing tour of the Loreto Islands & Coast.  Ramon & Daniel guided our group of 8 from Loreto out to Danzante then down the coast a bit.  If you ever get a chance to paddle the Sea of Cortez, connect with SKBM for guide services or equipment rental.

Jewell Island is a 221 acre island named for George Jewell and sits on the outer edge of Casco Bay, an eight mile paddle from Portland, ME.  According to history, he traded a bottle of rum to the local indians for it in 1636 and used it a fishing base.

In June I moved to Maine, completed my work on the California 100 and joined the board of directors for Rivers for Change.  Shortly after I decided if I was going to work with an organization built upon a founding principle of source to sea literacy, I ought to see what a source to sea is all about.  After mentioning it to founding board member Danielle Katz, her immediate response went something like "yes, absolutely, yes lets do it!".

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

Heraclitus said it so certainly and believed strongly in change in the universe.  I experienced universal change very clearly on this trip.

I've been working on a system for SUP traveling for some years and at every step I've made changes to improve it.  My parameters are simple.  It needs to be 50 pounds or less, it needs to hold everything I need for a trip and it cannot include any unnecessary equipment.

On a recent canoe camping trip to a class I & II section of the St. Croix river in New Brunswick we brought along a Red Paddleboards 9'2" Surfstar for some added fun.  This was my first time traveling on water with an additional board, although it's the main reason I got this board in the first place.

I've been working hard in the paddle sports industry for 15 years.  In that time I've never considered it a career, although it has accounted for a large percentage of my income each year.  I've met many wonderful people through this sport including many of my best friends.

After a five-day cross-country drive listening to a Short History of Nearly Everything, sleeping in the backseat of my Subaru at truck stops with everything I own and toting 5 standup paddleboards and a bike on a trailer behind me I arrived in Maine only to find out I still had another hour and a half to go.

I'm leaving town soon so when I got the call from Gretchen to do one more paddle before I left, there was one particular paddle I had in mind.  Looking at currents and weather, everything appeared perfect for a trip going west and then east.

The California 100 is an important grass roots paddling race & fundraiser in Northern California. From Redding, CA to Chico, CA racers paddle their sups, surfskis, kayaks, canoes and outriggers downriver, touring the central valley of this gigantic state. In one day they cover 100 miles of class I & II river in the heat, taking between 10 and 20 hours to finish.

I haven't paddled this route since, I don't know, 2006 maybe? It's been awhile and I've been wanting to standup paddle it for a long time. It's a gorgeous stretch of coastline with beautiful waves & scenery. Since Federico recently finished restoring his classic thirteen foot prone paddleboard from the 70's/80's, it was the perfect time to partner up and make the trek.

Back in November last year Tim Chandler of TRY Standup and myself started talking about an ACA L3 Surf SUP Instructor Certification Course in California. California is known for surf and this course has never been delivered in this state. A few months of back and forth emails and Tim was at work organizing and hosting the course.

When three days disappear in a blink, you know it's fun. We had a solid group of eleven made up of eight candidates and three Instructors. The real kicker for this weekend is that every single person brought something to the course, most notably their fun personalities and willingness to learn and contribute.

Months ago I got an email from Jeff Burton that basically said "we should put on a downwind camp." Time passed and we brainstormed, put together a basic curriculum and eventually evolved the idea into a 3-day Tomales Bay Downwind Camp with friends who were interested in learning more, getting some focused practice, sharing ideas and having some fun.

What an awesome weekend. There was just so much good energy being passed around Steamer Lane this weekend that it would've been difficult to not have fun and feel refreshed. I had a blast spending time in and out of the water with friends, watching the pros compete and scoring some fun rides on well-formed Santa Cruz waves - a rare treat.

Paddling is so awesome. Today I co-lead the second California 100 Training Clinic of the season with Elaine Baden, a great paddling coach with a ton of experience and comfort on the river. Our styles meshed well with each other and the 14 students and 2 assistants we paddled with. 18 of us put in on the Sacramento River at Posse Grounds in Redding, CA and worked our way downriver, sharing technique and strategy along the way.

Fifteen years ago when I was in my first year of paddling I got some great advice from a mentor. "Don't worry about the certifications" he said, "focus on your paddling." From that point on I've never taken an assessment until I was absolutely, positively sure I was ready and able to pass.

Good gear is important. It lasts, it performs, it inspires. It facilitates adventure & experience. In most cases, it's worth every penny you spend on it. One of the greatest pieces of gear I've purchased in the last ten years is a base model Subaru Legacy wagon. I know, not everyone would consider a vehicle to be a piece of gear, but it is. I rely on it. It needs to function. It needs to be efficient.

I arrived in Oakland at 7am and we were to meet at 8. I was co-leading an intro to SUP touring trip around Alameda Island for California Canoe & Kayak. 8 participants, 2 leaders and 15.5 miles of paddling in absolutely ideal conditions. We hit the currents right, wind was next to nothing and the sun was shining warm.

It's 6am and I'm in the backseat of my station wagon, wrapped in a sleeping bag at a rest area in Weed, California. I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life. I'm on the road, traveling with paddling equipment with a very loose itinerary and it feels great. I love traveling by car and I love roadtrips and this one will bring me to Portland for a 3-day American Canoe Association whitewater SUP course put on by Next Adventure.

Sunday I joined up with Jason & Just Kayak More again for another day of Sacramento River Play. We launched as a smaller group of 5 for a downriver paddle stopping at three really fun play spots along the way. Sun was out, sky was blue and we were pumped. The first spot is just downriver from the California 100 startline and the Sundial Bridge.

I had to be in Red Bluff Saturday night to promote the California 100 at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Red Bluff is 175 miles from the Bay Area, so I felt I should take advantage of being up there and hit up the Sacramento River in Redding for some playtime. I loaded the car with paddling gear and planned to get at least two river sessions in with Jason from Just Kayak More.

Awesome course! A great venue, a great assistant and ten qualified, well experienced standup paddlers added up to one fun weekend. I think everyone walked away super stoked on standup paddling with a bunch of new friends and energy for our sport. For three solid days we worked on personal paddling skills, teaching skills, rescue skills, safety, judgement, leadership and ambassadorship for sup.

The Gulf of Maine experienced a King tide this past Thursday at 12:10pm with a height of 10.8ft in my Southern Maine coastal destination. To celebrate, my sister and I paddled the route around Gerrish and Cutts Islands, a trip I haven't done in almost ten years. The trip needed a high tide and offered a very short window to complete the circumnavigation as it relies on high water to fill-in an adjacent marsh in order to have the depth needed.

Now that summer is ending I decided to head East to spend some time re-connecting with family & friends. I haven't witnessed or enjoyed a New England Autumn in years. As summer holds on tighter than expected and fall begins to inch itself in, the leaves are turning, the air is cooling and I've found some time to breathe it in, look around and scout some potential paddling trips for summer 2015.

We had 26 teenagers out on Tomales Bay this week and were treated to four days of awesome weather with sun, warm temps and favorable tides. This was a really fun trip stacked with three other incredible guides and rounded out with four adult chaperones from the school we were guiding. For three nights and four days we explored the waters and trails around Point Reyes and Tomales Bay.

Paddling is one of the best things in my life so sharing that with friends and family in a beautiful location is the ultimate. My buddy from Boston messaged me about returning to a paddling destination we'd visited together six or seven years ago. I jumped on it and pretty soon we had the plan to rendezvous on the river. He flew in with his girlfriend a day before me.

Last week I had the chance to tour on the Focus Cali 14' for five self-supported days on class 1 river. To ready the board, all I did was fit a shorter, smaller flexi fin to deal with rocks (I never touched one) and add four tie-downs to the front deck. I've put miles on this board on flatwater, bumpy water & downwinding but hadn't yet paddled it loaded. Unloaded, it excels as a fast & stable all conditions board that is easy to maneuver and control.

12 kids aged 12-15 for 5 days of kayaking and camping on Tomales Bay. Yes, I have some funny memories of the week. That's what you get with full teenager immersion. I got a healthy dose of what it's like to be a kid these days and enjoyed almost every minute of it. Almost.

We discussed literature - have you read the new book by Flip Dover titled The Beginners Guide to Sea Kayaking

Four days before Eppie's Great Race, I got an email from Tom saying that he needed a last minute bow paddler for the last leg of the race, a 6.35 mile downriver paddle in a tandem open canoe. As luck would have it for me, his paddling partner had a change of plans and couldn't make it back to Sacramento in time for the race, so I was in.

I could list at least 30 advantages that standup paddleboards have over sea kayaks, but paddling in a beam wind is not one of them. Our 7 mile crossing back to the mainland from the Isles of Shoals lined up perfectly across the building wind and swell - not what we wanted. So badly I wanted to just turn and start running downwind, catching bumps.

On Friday morning I had a few hours to myself and decided to go paddle the loop around Newcastle, a classic route I often paddled years ago that mixes up river, coast and tidal backchannel. Conditions were near perfect with light wind, abundant sunshine, no boat traffic, very little swell and a flooding tide.

For this trip I packed full standup paddling kit into one bag consisting of 14' race inflatable, 3-piece paddle, leash, PFD, paddling clothing, VHF, water dromedary & drybag.

In my heart I'll always be an East Coaster no matter how long I stay away. The granite state was a great place to grow up, always will be, but just doesn't have everything I need these days. My family is still here, so I'll return to re-connect and spend time with them whenever possible. In early July, my little sister is getting married in southern Maine so I decided to make a good long visit home, celebrate her union, catch up with old friends and re-visit the area where I learned to paddle.

Tomales Bay is an incredibly beautiful Northern California paddling destination loaded with wildlife on land and in the water. It's a spectacular hiking and paddling destination with a diverse climate and weather conditions. Wind is usually on the menu after 11am and downwinding is one of the best activities on the bay. Jeff Burton paddles Tomales Bay a ton and runs a great paddling blog called Paddle Standing Up.

After wrapping up the California 100 on Tuesday morning the plan was to get the hell out of town and shut off my phone. I drove to San Diego on Wednesday, picked up my partner Thursday morning and we made our way towards the Nevada Arizona desert for a Colorado River trip. The trip began with a 3-hour full-moon upriver approach and a midnight landing to our campsite at the stroke of Friday the 13th. It only got better from there.

We got three nice runs in on Saturday on the latest Downwind SUP Safari with the Barbary Ghost. Good times with Marion, Craig, Jeff and I on boards and Drew at the helm. First run was a great warmup with decent glides and strong wind at our backs. Drew dropped us behind Pt. Blunt where it's super easy to enter the wind. Going from zero to twenty knot wind in 30 seconds is exciting!

This was my first real whitewater SUP experience and it's so, so much fun. I'm ready to pack my bags and move to the river so I can do it everyday. I felt like a kid again - not a care in the world, splashing around in the cold, clear, fresh water. It was great. We joked around and had a great time while paddling safe & smart. Kelly & Goose paddled whitewater kayaks while Mitch & I stood up on sweet WW boards we borrowed from California Canoe & Kayak in Coloma.

I'm still pumped from yesterday's downwind session on the Barbary Ghost. Captain Drew took us out for his first Downwind SUP Safari of the season, and true to his reputation, he hunted down and delivered some bumps for us.

I didn't race in the California 100 this year. Not for lack of desire, but rather because I took on the role of Race Director for Rivers for Change, the hosting non-profit group founded by Danielle Katz and John Dye. Although I didn't paddle the 100 mile stretch with 100+ others, I certainly had a weary weekend of my own with late nights, early mornings, highs, lows and everything in between.

One in, one out. Google that and you'll get a few versions of its meaning. It's an unofficial rule that some people follow, like minimalists and dispensaries. In an attempt to downsize and reduce the amount of gear and clutter I call my own, I've applied it to my paddle craft. If I get rid of a board, I have my own permission to get a new one, so that's what I did.

East Bay sup / CCK sup / BPC / TBD sup did awesome at the Russian River Race this weekend in Healdsburg. Organizers put on the Drought Edition this year due to low water on the river. The 15-mile course was cancelled, but the 5-mile was still on with almost 200 paddlers. Leading up to May 3rd, water levels slowly rose and presented a very runnable river leaving just a few areas of shallow water to portage or scrape over.

The 8pm start time turned out to be more like an 8:50pm start time, which threw our paddle off a bit. We fought a little more current than we should have, and picked up the flood a bit too late, but no worries, it was an awesome paddle anyhow. How can you not have a good time paddling with friends on a warm night with light wind and a full moon? Night paddling is always fun and last night was no exception.

Sea Otter Classic! One of the best events of the year loaded with long days, exciting competition and an incredible team of people. Camp fire sessions, radio chatter, stupid question of the day. Gator done!

If you've never attended, check it out next year. For a long weekend in Monterey, 60,000+ people celebrate cycling at Laguna Seca Raceway with a jam-packed schedule of road racing, dual-slalom, downhill, cross-country, coastal tours, dirt jumping, cyclocross and dozens of other bike events.

The Santa Cruz Paddlefest weekend came and went in a flash. I've attended this event as a spectator for the last 6 or 7 years, since before I even lived in California. This was the first year I've ever competed in the event and the first time I've ever surfed in a competition. It was super fun!

After a long week in Southern California and a full day of travel on Saturday, I woke on Sunday with the intentions of a rest day. But, the sun was shining warm & bright and I figured some paddling was in order. A quick text conversation led to a 11:45 meet in Oakland for a paddle out to Yerba Buena Island. We were both late and by the time we actually launched it was after 12:30. As the tide started to flood and the wind gained strength we paddled out the Oakland estuary.

On Wednesday we began a 3-day SUP Instructor Workshop in Newport Beach with 9 Instructor Candidates with a wide range of skill and educational background. Candidates came from all over California for three intensive days of paddling, teaching & learning.

These courses are designed for experienced standup paddlers with solid Level two skills. Over the course of the workshop we attempt to progress each candidates skills by breaking strokes & maneuvers down into pieces and reinforcing paddling concepts.

I turned my phone off at 9pm on Friday, tossed it in the drybag, launched my paddleboard and began my 40-hour vacation from email, phone, texts and work. We planned an hour to make the crossing to the campsite and with wind and current at our backs we met up with the rest of the BPC at 9:45pm. Dinner was made, the full moon was shining, the fire was burning and the relaxation could continue.

Last weekend I assisted an ACA Kayaking Instructor workshop in Redding, CA hosted by Headwaters Adventure Company. Joe & Terri opened Headwaters 4 years ago and have helped foster a wonderful community of paddlers in the area. Most participants in the course had really solid foundation skills to work from and were able to progress significantly in a short time.

Inflatable standup paddleboards get a bad rap from too many people. My first & second experience was on a borrowed POS (piece of shit) that I rolled up and took East - twice. Yes, it was great that I could travel with it, especially to an area where board rentals were mostly non-existent at the time. But the board was heavy, slow, unstable and way to flexible.

I measure the success of GGSKS by the amount of fun I have and I had a ton of fun this year. So I guess that makes the 2014 event very successful. At least by my standards.

GGSKS is a subset of the sea paddling community and a damn fine one. Sean Morley and I receive lots of feedback (positive and negative) and probably way too much praise. But, here's the reality. If you enjoy the event, you can't blame us.

Mission accomplished. I was paddling in Oakland Saturday with some friends and figured it was the perfect time to see if I could bike there with a SUP and all my paddling kit. I loaded the cargo bike with an inflatable Starboard 14'x30" Touring SUP with paddle, pump, clothing and the rest of my normal junk. Pedaled the 7 miles to the put-in, pumped her up with ease and paddled out.

In a whirlwind tour with a disparate crew of Bay Area paddlers I finished off 2013 and started up 2014 on a standup vacation! For four days we called the Black Canyon home and relaxed in it's beautiful surroundings. Warmed and cooled by the sun and the shade, we camped, we paddled, we laughed, we ate, we soaked, we relaxed. On top of all that, we paddled upriver - one of my favorite things.

What a fun weekend on San Francisco Bay! Cindy & Steve Scherrer came down from WA to help me run an American Canoe Association Level 1/2 SUP Instructors Certification Workshop for 6 potential candidates. We had a great team of paddlers with a ton of learning going on and super support from all. In the end, we certified four new Level 1 Instructors and two new Level 2 Instructors - success!

Sunshine and warm weather can sure help you have fun. I spent the weekend in Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast for the 5th annual Lumpy Waters Symposium hosted by Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe. That crew operates as a true team and does a fantastic job delivering a fun & safe event for all.

9 paddlers, one panga and 5 days of Sea Leader Training. While in Baja this week, I sat in on a BCU course run by Ginni Callahan and Santiago Burreuta of Sea Kayak Baja Mexico. As an observer, I had the best job - no responsibility, no stress. I helped when they asked, when they were set, I simply paddled.

As many trips do, this one had a goal. It wasn't clear, but it clearly involved spending time on myself & resetting for a major change. I recently left my job in search of something more meaningful and more fulfilling, and a trip to Baja seemed a good starting point. So far I'm feeling way more 'in touch' with myself and am taking the time to listen to my body.

For the last few months I've been paddling with locals on these weekly Meetups in the Oakland estuary and have seen a ton of growth in the paddling skills of the participants. It seemed appropriate that we all get together for an end-of-summer paddle that included a reasonable amount of mileage, current, wind, vessel traffic & chop.

My favorite summertime paddling workouts are upwind downwinds. We get such good wind in the San Francisco Bay Area that it's easy to forget the morning flatwater and save the workouts for the late afternoon when it's blowing... I paddle straight into the wind for a set amount of time or distance and then surf my way back to the start for another lap.

Here in the Bay Area we have a little tidal race called "yellow bluff" that creates a fun play spot during a strong ebb. I've seen it create some really beautiful standing waves at times, but normally it develops into a wave train with one or two clean waves at the front.

Today, I launched from Tidewater Boathouse in Oakland just before 11am for a lap around Alameda island. The course is 15.5 miles long and offers a balanced circuit of upwind & downwind. I caught the very end of the ebb and was able to ride that almost to the north tip of the island. Paddling against the very start of the flood, the wind threatened to pick up some, reaching maybe 10 kts at times.

On Saturday I participated in the inaugural California 100 paddling race from Redding to Chico on the Sacramento river. 100 miles of continuous paddling is a challenge for anyone in any discipline and I opted to do the course on a standup board. I anticipated a conservative, consistent pace down the river and was shooting for a time under 14 hours 24 minutes.

The Davenport race last saturday, put on by the Ghostryders Watermans Club, was one of my toughest days on water ever.. I've paddled sea kayaks in some very challenging conditions and this was right up there. 20-25 knot sustained winds created some good sized swells a bit mixed up. The route is a 14-mile downwind shot from Davenport Landing to the wharf in Santa Cruz.

Sean Morley & I got out recently for a nice downwind crossing of San Francisco Bay from Horseshoe Cove, beneath the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, to Berkeley. We had to get an early start in order to be back in time for other responsibilities, which meant we were a bit too early for the wind. But, no worries, the wind made an appearance halfway into the trip just as we were getting near Point Blunt.

I recently spent a few days dog sitting in South Lake and got a couple days of paddling in. Since the forecast called for warm temps and sunshine I went up armed with paddling & skiing gear. Instead of skiing uncrowded spring conditions I opted to hit the lake.

I recently assisted Steve Scherrer on an ACA Level 1/2 SUP ICW in Long Beach with ten SoCal instructor candidates. We spent the first 30 minutes of the course on the 2nd floor balcony at Bayshore Park, just a short paddle from Marine Stadium Park, rowing site of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In the foreground we watched locals enjoying the heat wave on the beach and in the water, in the background we stared at the snow-covered Mount San Antonio, tallest point in Los Angeles county standing at over 10k feet.

Three weeks have passed since the 2013 Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium in the San Francisco Bay Area. The vibe was right-on this year with a healthy mix of personality, positive attitudes, a relaxed atmosphere & abundant sunshine. It was a great place to make friends and do some paddling.

Powder skiing is my favorite thing in the world. A few days after xmas, Haley and I flew to Spokane, rented a pickup truck and drove into Canada. We arrived at the airfield in Nelson, British Columbia around 2pm, organized our gear, squeezed into the helicopter and ascended into the hills. Barely 10 minutes later we were scurrying across the helipad through a frigid downdraft surrounded by winter at Baldface Lodge.

Just before noontime on Thursday I got that stir-crazy kind of feeling like If I didn't get out of the house soon, I was gonna go nuts. The surf was reported to be small, but clean and ridable and a perfect day to surf longboats. Kayak surfing hasn't been on my mind though - the fourteen foot standup board has. At 14 feet it's pretty darn long for a surf outing but I figured if I can handle long kayaks surely I can handle this huge board.

Today I was looking for mellow and that's what I got. I paddled out of Emeryville and along the normally shallow, marshy shoreline from the 80/880/580 interchange to the Oakland Bay Bridge toll booths, affectionately referred to as "the maze". Like most residents of the greater Bay Area, I've passed this cove in a vehicle hundreds of times and never once paddled it.

Paul Kuthe and the crew at Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe go far out of their way to make sure everyone has a good time and I'm pretty sure that was the case. For me, it was 4 solid days of paddling this, paddling that. Talking about paddling, actually paddling, reconnecting with other paddlers & meeting new ones. There was a wonderful fresh energy this year dominated by first-time attendees, some of them having only gotten into kayaking this summer.

Yesterday morning I made the paddle from Berkeley out to Treasure Island, around it and back. The planning was perfect, as was the weather. What I was looking for, however, was the 15-25 kt wind from the west that was forecasted but never materialized. The idea was to get out to the far side of TI as the winds picked up and then ride the wind swell back home with some surfing excitement. Unbelievably, the wind was stronger at 9am when I launched than it was at noon on my return.

For the first time in years, I have a paddling-related blister. My arms feel heavy and my abdomen is sore but I'm in good spirits. I knocked off two of my summer paddling goals yesterday when I standup paddled 45 nautical miles in a day and completed the 56nm loop of Lake Tahoe. This was sort of a backyard expedition for me. I had 3 days completely free from any responsibility and the weather forecast was highly favorable.

Last weekend I ran an American Canoe Association Standup Paddleboarding Level One/Two Instructor Certification Workshop in Half Moon Bay, CA under the watchful eye of Roger Schumann. We had 7 candidates attend the 3-day workshop from all parts of California with various degrees of skill and experience from the kayaking and surfing worlds.

After a mid-morning low-tide surf at Sunset Cliffs with smooth small conditions and an uncrowded lineup, we packed up the truck, took our time enjoying a lunch and motored south of the border stopping just north of Ensenada. My companions had once before spent time at the The Motel California, a cute little place with five oceanfront rooms and a well manicured grassy yard leading down to the beach.

The fourth annual Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium ran from February 16-22 and was a success thanks to the mild, sunny weather and overall highly positive attitudes. While the format was largely the same as years past, with full-day courses and focused on instruction, it felt more refined compared to years past. As the event manager and co-founder, It was relieving to see that our hard work and feedback-inspired modifications paid off.

Last Saturday I had the day off and felt I deserved some time to myself. I decided to paddle a standup board around Alameda to challenge myself and do a route I've never done before. My goal was to make the complete loop in 5 hours. It's 15.5 miles around the island and I was hoping to ride the current around half of it. I launched at Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland just after 8am and headed north up the channel.

With the lack of snowfall in the West this holiday season, Haley and I decided to go to San Diego in lieu of a week in the mountains. Leaving Berkeley at 4am, lightly packed with clothing, surf gear, boards and a full bed in the back we quickly made time south, hoping to avoid any holiday traffic this Christmas eve Saturday morning. Without so much as touching the brakes on the way through Los Angeles, we cruised into Ocean Beach before noon to meet up with friends.

In the second week of December I spent three days paddling with some of Northern California's finest during an ACA L5 assessment. Some of us were present as an L4 update (myself included), while others were assessing at level 5. The course was largely unstructured by design to allow things to come together in a natural fashion. Without three full days of syllabus to follow we would be able to improvise and try things that may not normally happen on an assessment or formal course.

After an all night drive with canoe and SUP on the roof, I picked up some Dunkin Donuts in Vegas and met Haley & Gillian at the airport. Couple quick stops and we arrived at Willow Beach to launch for four days of paddling, hiking, soaking and holiday eating. Haley and I did this trip last Turkey day with friends and were really excited to return with family.

Machaca, Totopos, titanium silverware and Mr. Sandman. Mulege to Loreto is an awesome route with challenging conditions, beautiful scenery, plentiful wildlife and a great representation of what Baja has to offer. I spent ten days with a group of seven others on this route. All were skilled and experienced paddlers coming onto the trip with different reasons for participating and varied expectations.

This week I've had the pleasure of assisting Ginni Callahan with a 4-day sea paddler training at the Loreto Kayak Symposium in Loreto, BCS, Mexico. "Mi espanol es no bueno" was my go-to phrase on the journey down since my conversational spanish is horrible. After one flight and three bus rides I arrived in Loreto 24 hours after leaving Berkeley and was instantly greeted by Santiago Berrueta, Mexico's only BCU 4* paddler and lead guide at Sea Kayak Baja Mexico.

I recently travelled to Pacific City, Oregon with Bryant Burkhardt and Sean Morley, two other California Canoe & Kayak instructors. The three of us were coaching at Lumpy Waters, a terrific sea paddling event catering to different levels of boaters. Without a doubt, anyone who is passionate about sea kayaking and training should go to this event next year. No matter what drives you there - the class offerings, the coach lineup or just the overall experience - it's worth the trip.

I recently spent four days SUP paddling in southern Nevada/Arizona with my sister and a friend. Rather than sit here and write a detailed account of our trip, I've decided to write about my experience on the SUP. This was my first multi-day trip on a standup paddleboard and served somewhat as a test trip for me. I've completed this trip at least five other times using sea kayaks and canoes and had some basic guesses as to the paddleboards performance.