PDX/Corvallis locals. Just heard from Jeff that Korbulic’s boats were stolen from the roof of Gabrielli’s car. That is on top of Amy and Shanes’ experience a couple of weeks ago, when their entire kit was stolen. Be on the lookout for a mega rocker, burn (x 2) and an H3. All were stolen off vehicle roofs…
…position (boat and body), timing and acceleration Ever since taking the ACA instructor certification I’ve been thinking about how to simplify my teaching and giving people just 3 things to remember when learning a new skill. For kayak surfing, (1) position is probably the most essential. You want to catch the green wave, so position yourself just outside the surf-zone and wait for a wave. (2) Timing is key. Knowing when to paddle towards shore to catch a wave comes from experience; over time you’ll learn whats worth paddling for and whats not. (3) Acceleration. Most of your acceleration come from the first 3 strokes you take when paddling for a wave. I usually tell people to take 5 strokes (with a forward, aggressive body position) to ensure they stay on the wave. But by far the best acceleration you’ll get is from good ‘ol gravity itself. The aim of surfing is to stay at the point on the breaking wave where you get the most acceleration. For kayak surfing, you’ll find that point by carving hard in the direction of the breaking with with a slightly forward body position, good torso rotation and a lean into the wave. I’m by no means an expert surfer, but i’ve spent a lot of time in breaking waves. Of course, this is not all the details you need to kayak surf- I have quite a few articles about it under the “articles” section on my homepage. Please educate yourself in ettiquette and find an uncrowded area to hone your wave-rippin skills, being mindful of board-surfers and other water users.
…was to call James, of course…I can’t believe i missed this trip. A friend of James’ came down to Corvallis to pick up a plane to take to AK and gave him a ride along the OR coast up to Astoria. I was invited too, but i had to work, :-). Sure beats checking the bouy data to work out what the surf’s up to. James sent some photos.
After the park and boof we paddled “Hobbit Gorge” which was a picturesque and fitting end to the day. Gorged in class II/III run and super close to Corvallis. James loved his new JK pink visor he got in the schwag raffle courtesy of Jackson Kayak. Sweet.
Photos: Lisa in a cave; the Gorge; Sandra and Tracey enjoying the waterfall; James stylin’ his JK hat
Nine ladies attended the “Park and Boof” class on Sunday that myself and James Bagley Jr organized in association with PDXgirlpadder and Worldkayak.com. We ran Beaver Falls on McDowell Creek, OR about 8 times. James provided us with great demonstrations, on water coaching and real time video analysis. All of the women learned a great deal from the instruction and we definitely improved our boofs. We subsequently paddled the South Santiam, which deserves a blogpost all of its own….stay tuned.
Photos by Amy Shipman and myself (Clockwise from top L): Kim boofing; Amy and James video analysis (paddler on falls); James and Lisa tandem boof; Lisa and Sandra
Last Saturday was the hottest day of the year in OR so far (85 F in the valley). When I heard the weather would co-inside with 5 ft NW swell at 10 seconds with an east wind , I raced to the coast and was rewarded with one great day of surf. Marisa, Vero and I headed out at South Beach. Closest to the Jetty gave a clean, 4 ft-ish wave, but further south there were some sizable sets coming through. Everyone could pick a place they felt comfortable with.
Photos (clockwise from topL): South Beach; my JK Allstar; surf; Marisa; Erin, me, Leslie; Vero
My JK Allstar performed so well. Bottom and top turns were made with ease. Slight forward position on the wave enabled me to stay on the green nearly 80 % of the time- thats impressive for a short play boat. Finally getting tonnes of air off my wave wheels and clean spins were easy. I love this boat.
And of course the best way to end the day was watching the sunset and staying warm with friends next to the beach fire we built. We all appreciated the random musicians that showed up jam at the fire for a while
Come out memorial day weekend for one of only three annual, west coast, kayak (only) surf competitions. It’ll be a fun event and a great place to compete, learn to surf, meet new friends and have a cool Memorial weekend. Contact Rob Casey. Click on the flyer below for more details.
Calling all butt-surfers, come and surf your butt off at Westport Beach on the weekend of May 16th-18th in aid of Surfrider Foundation, one of the worlds foremost organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. The CWC attracts some of the world highest calibre amateur and professional board surfers and world-class surf kayakers. Lets get out the and show the boardies we can pull all the moves they can! There will be two categories for kayakers- plastic and high performance. Last year, the raffle was amazing, with tonnes of boards, wetsuits, hoodies etc- I think 150 prizes in all; kudos to global surf industries!. Click on flyer below for registration/ volunteer information. Registration closes May 1, so hurry to reserve your place!
It’s been nearly 7 months since I’ve been in the surf. I had to pass up all the big, classic winter surf for fear of further aggrivating my vertebral disc herniations. This week the surf dropped to 4.5 feet at 13 seconds; near perfect conditions for my first time back in the Ocean.
Photos (L to R); Otter from parking lot; Vero waiting for waves; Devils Punchbowl
Otter Rock proved a good platform for a great session with friends; re-affirmation that salt water is indeed where this little fish belongs!
Photos: Sequence of paddle boarder local, Bill.
