[CKF Info] Long Beach to Cabrillo, pics and TR

Jack Brisley macgrzly at pacbell.net
Mon Jun 9 20:34:10 PDT 2008 

Just an addition to what Mike said: the Harbor police are dying to find a way to conjure a rule prohibiting kayaks in the harbor. They are been not at all shy about saying we don’t belong there. We do of course and they cannot as of yet, discriminate against kayaks without also going after sailboats etc. They have said they intend to make Pier 400 a no go zone and they may well be able to do because there are no marinas back there. In addition to what Mike has said, any sort of confusion or ANY sort of disregard for what they perceive as REAL HARBOR traffic and they will be all over you. They are very predisposed to find something out of order with kayakers. Stay way off to the sides of the channels and when crossing the channel do it very decisively and crisply. The area between the LA Pilots station, at the end of the main channel and Angels Gate can be very messy. It’s a 5 way intersection about a mile wide of channels and marina outlets. High speed power boats mix with the Catalina ferries which are still going 30 to 40 knots, sail boats, pilot boats, also high speed, tug boats, container ships, jet skis, on and on..Timing and discretion here are essential. Any incident here with a kayak will be seen as the result of the kayak not being where it “belongs”. And not everyone belongs here. Even though all the aforementioned, except container ships, have the ability to see and avoid. They may not.  Add to all this the regular Cabrillo wind screaming at a right angle across the channel in the afternoon with its 3 foot whitecaps, well, you should see this area on a hot summer weekend. And anyone out of a kayak in the water here and it will most definitely be a major scene. In this area ya gotta know where the channel markers are and which channel, out of five intersecting, they refer to and stay off to the side or outside of the channels unless crossing. This place is a good urban paddle adventure but there IS MUCH more to it than meets the eye. Twice recreational sport fishing boats have intentionally came straight at Steve Brown and turned away at the last minute with look and glare of you don’t belong here and that wasn’t even in the main channel.  In at least 50% of the paddles in the harbor, I’ve been visited by either the Coast Guard or the Harbor Police. If someone wonders if they should be there, they probably don’t belong there. You’ll have to know what you’re doing and look it. The CG and harbor police have said that’s what they particularly key on. Any uncertainty of the rules of the road, seamanship, boat handling and they will be all over you for not belonging there. I’ve been paddling in the harbor off and on 

For 10 years and have had many interesting encounters with these guys but all ending well. The previous is an accumulation of these encounters for what it is, or isn’t worth.

JB  

 

From: info-bounces at list.ckf.org [mailto:info-bounces at list.ckf.org] On Behalf Of Mike Bode
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 7:25 AM
To: houser4 at earthlink.net
Cc: CKF at paddlewise.net
Subject: Re: [CKF Info] Long Beach to Cabrillo, pics and TR

 

Thanks for the great aerial view of the route, Dave!  For anybody planning on doing this paddle, be sure to observe the rules of the road in the harbor.  According to the harbor authorities, the two main rules are 1) Keep moving, and 2) Don't enter any berths.

Mike Bode




The Housers wrote: 

Paddling around Terminal Island is a real change of scenery.  Fun if you have not done it before.  You go under 4 bridges.

Dave

http://howsergoing.smugmug.com/photos/309801669_jXrrN-M.jpg

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: 

To: mikebodeusa at ca.rr.com;ckf at paddlewise.net

Sent: 6/3/2008 4:17:34 PM 

Subject: Re: [CKF Info] Long Beach to Cabrillo, pics and TR

 

Thanks, Mike for posting this. Paddles in and around Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbors offer some fascinating 
sightseeing!
Ann

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Bode  <mailto:mikebodeusa at ca.rr.com> <mikebodeusa at ca.rr.com>
To: ckf paddlewise  <mailto:ckf at paddlewise.net> <ckf at paddlewise.net>
Sent: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 1:30 pm
Subject: [CKF Info] Long Beach to Cabrillo, pics and TR

Hi Paddlers!

Patrick Martin and I paddled from Long Beach to Cabrillo (and back) yesterday.  Check out pics and trip report:  

Pics at:  http://gallery.ckf.org/thumbnails.php?album=275

Long Beach to Cabrillo Beach, June 1, 08

Neither Patrick Martin nor I could remember anybody having posted a trip report about a paddle from Long Beach to Cabrillo Beach.   We had started talking about another “connect-the-dots” paddle and this one would add another leg to our California coastline resume, which, after this weekend, now extends roughly from just south of Point Conception to Alamitos Bay.

Patrick opined that there was probably good reason why we’d never heard of anybody doing this particular trip before, and we both had some trepidation about it.  We expected foul, polluted water, the penetrating odor of oil, exhaust fumes, and guano, and heavy boat traffic that would make us constantly have to scurry out of the path of one oil tanker, car carrier, or garbage barge to another in an energy-sapping exercise of life-or-death escape maneuvers.  And the usual strong westerlies that would come up in the afternoon would certainly make this a grueling day paddle that we wouldn’t want to repeat.

But none of this turned out to be true.  Although the South Shore Launch Ramp where we put in required a little forbearance in terms of floating trash, water quality, and personal amenities, it served its purpose.  Patrick and I got there around 7:30, despite having gotten lost on the way a couple of times, paid the $10 parking fee, and, by 8:20 were on our way.  We passed the Queen Mary on our way out Long Beach Harbor and also paused to marvel at the immense cruise ship moored just next door.  

Our pace was leisurely and we stopped often to look at the sights the harbor had to offer.  We were both particularly intrigued by the flocks of red, white, and blue California Harbor Cranes all neatly lined up in rows, noisily feeding on the countless containers that were being moved in or out of wherever it was that they had to be moved into or out of.  Contrary to our expectations, everything we saw in this industrial landscape was surprisingly neat, clean, and orderly.  The whole horizon, as we paddled along, seemed to be a huge layout of some giant child’s brand new Tonka Toys.

Soon we came in sight of Angels Gate lighthouse and we headed out toward it.  We stopped, took some souvenir pictures of this beautiful, old structure, and then continued on to Cabrillo Beach where we finally landed shortly after 11:00am.  It had taken us about 2 ¾ hours, which was not bad considering our many stops to sightsee.

After a 45-minute break, we got back in our boats and headed back to Long Beach.  We had s ome help from a slight breeze from the west for most of the way and, just like the leg out, we encountered almost no harbor traffic at all.  It was about a 16 NM paddle, roundtrip, with all our detours and meanderings, a longish trip for us, since neither of us has managed yet to get back the good conditioning we had built up last year.

After loading up, we adjourned to a local eatery for burgers and shortly afterward, refreshed and strengthened, got back on the road for home.  We had car pooled, and, since Patrick was driving, I for one had a very relaxing trip home.

What a nice surprise this trip was.  Though not a “Beginner Paddle” because of the distance, potential winds and harbor traffic, it’s an entertaining change of pace with lots to see for folks with an eye for industrial art and an appreciation for the day-to-day workings of one of the world’s busiest seaports.

You can put this trip on your calendars!

Mike Bode< BR>



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