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

Tue Jun 10 05:33:31 PDT 2008

Hi All,

Just another two cents to add to Jack's comments for those who don't know: 
There is no legal requirement for human power craft to stay on the right side of the channel. Its desirable, but if wind, current, traffic, or just being at the outside of the turn make it impractical, you can move (crisply as Jack said) to the other side. Also, at night, lights do not have to be on, they just have to be within reach so they can be turned on to avoid collision.

"Those who don't know" include the harbor police.

By the way, the fishing boat that played chicken with us (twice) is the "Gale Force". If you encounter this boat in a place with no witnesses, get ready for evasive action.

Steve Brown

----- Original Message ----
From: Jack Brisley <macgrzly at pacbell.net>
To: Mike Bode <mikebodeusa at ca.rr.com>; houser4 at earthlink.net
Cc: CKF at paddlewise.net
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2008 8:34:10 PM
Subject: Re: [CKF Info] Long Beach to Cabrillo, pics and TR

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 <mikebodeusa at ca.rr.com>
To: ckf paddlewise <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 â€œconnect-the-dotsâ€ 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 weâ€™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 wouldnâ€™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 childâ€™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 Â¾ 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 â€œBeginner Paddleâ€
because of the distance, potential winds and harbor traffic, itâ€™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 worldâ€™s busiest
seaports.

You can put this trip on your calendars!

Mike Bode< BR>

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