Last-minute holiday gift ideas for the kayaker

Holidays are a great time to kick back with a good book

Someone on your holiday gift list is a fanatical paddler…

 …and you haven't been able to figure out what to get for them. One of those $400 carbon fiber paddles would be nice, but they’re so hard to wrap, plus you had no idea they come in different lengths and blade styles. So consider something that's easy to order at the last minute and very practical, not to mention a lot less expensive - a kayak book.

In my opinion, there are two books that any Northern California kayaker should have on hand, for entirely different reasons - one a "where-to-how-to" and the other a "how-not-to". There’s a third text with few words and no narrative but it could help your fave paddler on big water. Here goes:   

Wonderfully reliable source of info 

The second edition of “Paddling Northern California” by Charlie Pike (Falcon Guides) is a 325-page guide that includes maps, photos and precise distances and directions to some of the best paddling water from sea to Sierra. It's a wonderfully reliable source of info. Several years ago, I paddled a stretch of the Delta with Charlie as he was researching this latest edition, and his maps and calculations were spot on. If your kayaker doesn’t have this guide, buy it. It’s easy to gift wrap, too.

My second choice is an entirely different type of book, recommended for its not-so-subtle message: Please avoid doing something stupid on the water, because it might kill you.

The essential guide for paddling Northern California

Charlie Pike explored Suisun Marsh for the second edtion of "Paddling California"

 If you are serious about exploring Northern California by kayak, there are four essential items: a kayak, a paddle, a PFD - and Charlie Pike’s guidebook. His new, revised edition of “Paddling Northern California” is now available, and it comes highly recommended.

 

Charlie, a Newcastle resident well-known in area paddling circles, published his first edition of the guide in 2001. The new edition updates and expands that work, has a nice layout and

Kayaker water bottle half empty or half full?

The 2011 paddling season really spoiled Northern California kayakers. Deep snowpack and extended runoff meant you could go almost anywhere and enjoy high water throughout the summer. The outlook for 2012? Not so good. Much of the state has experienced very dry, unseasonably warm weather all winter. 

Salmon Falls Bridge above Folsom Lake in February...

...and on the water near the same spot last August

At the same time, reservoir carry-over from last season will help keep many lakes and rivers up to paddle-worthy levels, at least early in the year. But you may need to plan on taking that trip a bit earlier, and consider other paddling options as well.

Some cold facts on kayaking safety

Cold season kayaking in Northern California is easy, compared to many other parts of the country. Midwestern paddlers have been known to hook their kayaks up to sled dog teams and mush across the frozen tundra. But make no mistake, cold can be a killer anywhere.

Tale of a whale, with video tips

Only a week or so after paddling Tomales Bay in November, I saw an online item from a kayaker who had just spotted a young gray whale there. Well, I thought, it was probably just a fluke. (Warning - bad puns ahead.)

But the whale stuck around and has been seen by a number of kayakers. It’s rare to find a gray so close to shore in Northern California. And it’s a lucky and skillful paddler who happens to be there with a camera at the ready. But enough spouting off. (You were warned.) Click on the title or double-click on the video screen to expand it....

Roll that kayak, and some video too

Earlier this month, at an introductory kayak rolling class, the instructor announced, “You’re going to find yourself dreaming about this tonight. Everyone does.” And until that moment, it never occurred to me that a pro kayak teacher might work on the side as a CIA counter-terrorism interrogator. I didn’t have intel to give up. Heck, I couldn’t even clearly explain why I had paid to spend a couple of hours blowing bubbles upside down in a chilly, saltwater pool.

Up the creek with a paddle and video cam

See this related commentary.

What’s the connection between extreme whitewater paddling and ice fishing? Having done both in the past, I’ve concluded that they’re early indicators of insanity. But hey, different paddle strokes for different folks. So while this site is aimed at “smooth water” paddlers, let’s share some exciting footage from Upper Cherry Creek in the Tuolumne watershed, up Yosemite way. whitewater kayaking

This is a class-5-plus-difficulty area, so even if you’ve had some whitewater experience, a virtual run via your monitor screen may be the best way to go. The site on which this video appears, “Kayak Videos,” features some good stuff. Also see the nice 2009 footage from the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival.

And on a more rational note, find a recent discussion of whitewater and sea kayaking at Paddle California, run by NorCal Yak friend Bryant Burkhardt. Earlier this year, Bryant released a DVD that features excellent segments on flat water and whitewater kayaking trips.

For more info, see “Armchair kayaking,” a new NorCal Yak index category devoted to kayaker resources....whitewater kayaking California video

Sharks, kayaks, and must-sea TV

(2012 update: The Discovery Channel celebrates its 25th anniversary "Shark Week" beginning Aug. 12 with a shark cam and more. NorCal Yak sinks its teeth into the topic with a post on how to look tasty to a shark.)

Whenever a conversation turns to kayaking, the first two questions people ask me are: (1) Have you ever been stuck upside down when your kayak flipped? (2) Have you ever seen a shark while kayaking? My answers: Not yet, but if it happens, with my luck I’ll be nose-to-nose with one.

Which brings us to the Discovery TV Channel’s annual "Shark Week." My guess is that this programming draws viewers the way that Jaws was attracted to New England beaches, which also explains why Discovery brings it back every summer. (Discovery promo photo below.)ea kayak, California coast, shark attacks, kayak paddling guide

Of course, Discovery is pretty good on facts, as TV goes. And this week, there will be lots of references to the fact that, statistically speaking, humans are rarely attacked by sharks. That disclaimer will be repeated during shows with titles like “Ultimate Air Jaws”, “Into the Shark Bite”, and “Shark Attack Survival Guide,” wherein people will tell harrowing stories of survival, if they’re lucky.

Links to help you plan great kayak trips

If coastal kayaking is part of your vacation plans, here’s a site to bookmark - www.saltwatertides.com. It’s a coast-to-coast tide calculator that offers more than 200 places in California, including Monterey Bay (below).

Simply check the coastal area of interest, scroll down to select the month and date and how many days you want to include around that date, and click to find high-low tide times, height of tides, and sunrise-sunset times. It’s very useful. On a semi-related note, check out my post on Dreamflows, another good water data resource. It's primarily for river  kayaking.

If you’re looking for kayak launch points in the Bay Area and beyond, try www.gotoes.org. The first thing you’ll probably notice is a link to sewing machine manuals. Huh? Never mind, just go on to “Kayak and Canoe Watertrails.” And note that this is a wiki site - information is submitted by anyone who cares to post, and accuracy can’t be assured. So before you go, always look for corroborating sources, such as “Paddling Northern California” and the “Guide to Sea Kayaking Central & Northern California." See my post on these fine, hard-copy guides. California sea kayaking, kayaker trips river paddling

© 2010 Glenn Brank

CC, kayaker trips, river paddling  

Take a look at California Kayaker

If you haven’t discovered it already, check out California Kayaker Magazine, available online and in hard copy at kayak outfitters and other outdoor recreation stores. This free publication has just launched its second issue. The mag covers a wide range of topics, from paddling techniques to personality profiles to kayaking trips (including an expanded version of NorCal Yak’s American River “bridge tour” in the summer issue).

Editor-Publisher Peter Donohue already has plans to expand the scope and coverage of his ambitious, San Francisco-based publication, with an eye toward Southern California and other Western states. It just underscores the fact that California has more dedicated kayakers, and more paddling opportunities, than anywhere in the country. If you don’t find copies of the mag at your local kayak shop, ask your dealer to start carrying it.
California kayaking river lake ocean paddling tips kayaking destinations

This data stream really floats your boat

With some of the best snowmelt rushing down from the Sierra in years, it’s time to grab that paddle. But what about the kayaking conditions on a particular lake or river? One you’ve never kayaked before? Say it’s a couple hours’ drive away. How to know if there’s enough water yet? Or perhaps a bit too much for your skills?

Northern California kayakers can find the answers at Dreamflows. It’s an online resource aimed primarily at the whitewater crowd, but it can also be useful for us “smooth water” paddlers. Dreamflows is packed with an amazing amount of useful information. It’s well worth checking out this site if you're a paddler or anyone  who just enjoys being near the water.

Kayaking from Sierra to sea on DVD

Looking for that dream kayak adventure this season? A previous post highlighted some guides to great paddling trips in Northern California. Now a new DVD puts you in the kayak cockpit for tours from the Sierra to the sea.

“Paddle California” is a 75-minute video produced by Bryant Burkhardt of Folsom, a veteran paddling instructor. His film offers ocean, flatwater, and whitewater trips - the Mendocino Coast, Kern River, the Channel Islands, Lake Tahoe, and Feather River, plus some kayak polo action - yup, polo. Kind of like bumper cars in the pool.

Kayak adventures in your easy chair

Buy this book

(Find more "armchair" links in the right-hand column of this blog.)

Maybe it’s that skim of ice at the shore. Or the bluish tinge on numb fingers and nose. Whatever, a winter day will finally arrive when it’s just too yucky to go kayaking. How to get a paddling fix? Just cozy up by the warm glow from your fireplace or computer monitor.

For the traditional fireside reader, I have two favorite books at the moment.

The first is Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike. This is an info-rich yet readable guide to 65 kayaking destinations. I’ve owned a copy for a year and I’m still discovering details missed in previous readings. The 280 pages of text includes maps, photos, appendices (tides and storms, river/park addresses and phone numbers, reading references, and paddling organizations), and a lot more. As a writer, I kept thinking, “Geez, how long did it take him to pull all this together?” The author's approach is straight-forward and he has a sharp eye for useful details. If you’re a Northern California kayaker, buy this book!