Kayak Fun

It was time to get back out on my kayak again and see if I could manage to get everything set up by myself.  Actually that wasn't as important as what I learned.  I arrived at Dana Point Kayak Center at 6:45 am to set up my kayak.  Tim was already there with the gate open.  I pulled my kayak off the rack and rolled it to my truck to load gear.

First up was the seat.  After fumbling a couple tries, Jim (another kayaker) showed me a foolproof way to get the seat secured.  Next, the fish finder and battery.  I successfully (for the first time) secured the connectors to the fish finder.  The battery was another story.  Never had problems with it before.  Black connector easy; red connector too tight for me to connect.  Tim did it for me. The rest the gear (paddle, rods, tackle, etc.) was loaded without problem.

I locked my truck and rolled my fully loaded kayak to the ramp and did a double take.  New ramp and new slips all occupied with big boats.  To the right was a stack of kayaks.  No kayak launch ramp visible.  I turned around and Tim was heading my way and noticed my look of bewilderment.  Tim grabbed my kayak and took it down the ramp and next to the stack of kayaks was about a 6 foot wide strip of dock available to slide kayaks into the water.  Tim slid my kayak off the dock enough to put the peddles in.  Since I had trouble removing them previously, Tim showed me the simple procedure for removal plus I learned that if you put the peddles in backward, you can actually travel backwards!  This was turning out to be a great learning day.

Five of us left dock around 7:45 am including Tim (who stopped at the receiver to get a scoop of big sardines now costing $20 a scoop), Jack and 3 new guys with new kayaks.  We headed around the point on up to Salt Creek Beach - a journey of 5 miles.  I looked back and realized the new guys stopped at the point.  It can be frightening the first time you leave the harbor.

Jack and I fished squid and plastics.  I had several short bites but never caught a fish.  Jack had the same luck.  Tim caught one sheepshead all day.  The sun came out around 9:30 and the water was a warm 70.9 degrees and calm.   It was a beautiful day on the water.

We headed back around 12:30 and I noticed the trail on my fish finder showing my morning path out - making it easy to follow the path to get back to the harbor.  I also figured out how to get my GPS coordinates at any time.  By the time we returned to dock, it was 1:30 pm. I had traveled 10.2 miles, learned how to easily remove my peddles and that they can propel me in reverse; how to install my seat, connect my fish finder and battery and use the fish finder navigation features; plus find and launch from the now mini kayak dock.

Definitely a good day even without catching fish.