Backstory: In spring of 2021, Jeff Kay and Jason Montelongo offered an introductory two day clinic in Redding, CA, to prepare prospective participants for California River Quest. The first day was a basic intro to river dynamics and skills for paddlers. The second day was a paddle from Sundial Bridge in Redding to Rooster’s Landing, […]
History of the Tsunami Rangers Sea Kayak Race – Part 4
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final installment of our race articles for Race Month 2024. Later we’ll take up the story at Michael Powers’ home on Miramar Beach, where the race continued under various names and over various routes for almost 30 years. Since the racers in 1991 were too busy racing to take […]
History of the Tsunami Rangers Sea Kayak Race – Part 3
Editor’s Note: The story of the race continues with this write up by Commander Soares which appeared in the August, 1990 issue of Bay Currents. Some of the photos were pulled from 1989 and 1991 since we couldn’t find enough images from 1990. The Golden Gate Invitational by Eric Soares Five years ago we […]
History of the Tsunami Rangers Sea Kayak Race – Part 2
Editor’s Note: In 1989 the race did not take place at Rodeo Beach. TR John Lull, who was not present and did not race, wrote this summary of what did not happen in 1989 and published his report in the July issue of Bay Currents. This is the story of the race that never happened. […]
30 Years of Madness and Mayhem – The History of the Tsunami Rangers Sea Kayak Race
Editor’s Note: The Tsunami race wasn’t always held in May but over the years as the race got kicked out of venue after venue the first weekend in May became the annual date for the raucous event, and the standing venue became Michael Powers’ house at Miramar Beach in Half Moon Bay. Recently, Adm. Kuk […]
Zen and the Art of Kayak Rolling
Asked if he ever worries that he won’t come up when he rolls, one paddling friend said, “Every time.” But knowing that even experienced paddlers get the jitters doesn’t help when you’re upside down in an element that can drown you and the back brain is screaming, “Nooo!” In June of 2023 I was driving […]
Riders on the Storm – A Tsunami Retrospective
Everything changes Kaleidoscope turns, the world Is still so lovely -Nancy Soares Everything changes. Over the last 40 years the Tsunami Rangers have evolved, both as individuals and as a team. Eric Soares and Jim Kakuk got the idea for the team in the early 80’s while kayak camping. At that time the concept of […]
Tsunami Ranger Retreat 2023
by Steve King The Tsunami Rangers return to their roots! On a glorious warm and sunny weekend the Tsunami tribe gathered for a retreat on the San Mateo Coast and received a marine mammal welcome. As Captain Deb and Paula drove through the Devils Slide tunnel they emerged “as if through a worm hole” to […]
Mendo is a Feeling!
by Alan Marshall Editor’s Note: Though the Tsunami Rangers went their own wild way, the Bay Area Sea Kayakers and the Rangers have cross-pollenated. One of the founders of BASK, Penny Wells, is a friend, as is past BASK president Barbara Kossy, who is married to TR John Dixon. BASKers attended the Tsunami Sea Gypsy […]
Surf Sirens – Rocking the Waves in 2023
Surf Sirens 2023 blew the hatches off with the most students and the biggest instructional team to date. This was our 6th year, and while it’s always a great experience, this year was something special. It takes time to build a quality event like Surf Sirens, but I think we’ve found our stride. The structure […]
Brave the Wild River – A Review
Editor’s note: Recently Melissa Sevigny, science writer and winner in the 2019-20 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, announced the publication of her new book Brave the Wild River. The book sounded right up my alley, so I snabbed it out of the library and gave it a read. If you’re interested in whitewater, the Colorado River, […]
Paddling Humboldt Lagoons State Park
Editor’s note: last time I visited the Redwood Empire, friend Rebekah Kakuk gifted me a copy of Sea Kayaking the Redwood Coast (2011) by Explore North Coast, a local kayaking club in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The book contains many routes from protected flat-water paddles to exposed, inaccessible stretches of wild coastline, most of […]
Salish Sea Adventure – The Pleasant Isle
To be silent the whole day, see no newspaper, hear no radio, listen to no gossip, be thoroughly and completely lazy, thoroughly and completely indifferent to the fate of the world is the finest medicine a man can give himself. – Henry Miller Jones Island Marine State Park is located in the San Juan Island […]