California Coast sea kayaking

Cover Blown at Thunder Cove – Tsunami Retreat 2018

Editor’s Note: This poem The Autumn Wind was written by former NFL Films President and co-founder Steve Sabol. The poem was first used for the Oakland Raiders’ official team yearbook film in 1974, of the same title. It also epitomizes everything that happened on the Rangers’ annual retreat this year. You can read the full poem at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autumn_Wind Also, many thanks to Tsunami Rangers Jim Kakuk and Steve El Rey King as well as guest Jerry Albright for the great photos of this year’s retreat!

The Autumn Wind

The Autumn Wind is a Raider
Pillaging just for fun.
He’ll knock you ‘round and upside down,
And laugh when he’s conquered and won.

Conditions were not ideal. When Andy Taylor checked the NOAA forecast the morning of our departure it called for swells 7 feet at 7 seconds and high winds gusting up to 35 knots. On top of that, wind chop to 8’ was predicted. I launched with the First Wave: Captain Kuk, TR Scott Becklund, and me. We beat through the chop and the wind, keeping to the inside as much as possible, but we had big waves as well so care was needed. Nearly to our destination, we paused at a sheltered spot before threading the caves and rocks that guard our beach.

As we paddled into Thunder Cove, we noticed a stairway that had never been there before. Allowing access from the cliffs above down to the beach, it was reinforced with wooden treads and even had a railing. We found the recent footprints of a small person (a woman? a child?), and a very large dog. This caused some consternation. The Rangers have been coming to this hidden place for nearly 30 years because it’s so isolated. Civilization had finally found us.

We selected tent sites and unloaded boats while waiting for the rest of the team. Squinting into the brilliant sunlight reflecting off the wind patterns on the sea, we soon saw the Second Wave approaching through the rocks. Deb, Paula, and Lance had arrived! Lance is from New Zealand, part of the Rangers’ Kiwi connection.

But Lance, whre's your camo??? — But Lance, whre’s your camo???

Now we were waiting for Michael, Jon, Steve, Jeff, and Jerry. Since conditions had worsened throughout the day and they were coming in late there was some speculation that our companions might wait till morning, but after a long interval we saw them shimmering toward us over the waves. Our team was complete!

We discussed whether or not to remain at Thunder Cove given the presence of the stairway. The general consensus was that it was going to be fine, and if someone came down to challenge us we’d come up with a story. But no one came, and the wind and waves dropped somewhat as the evening lengthened. We had a great party. After a smoky summer in the Rogue Valley it was wonderful to see the brilliant stars and the Milky Way overhead.

We were moving leisurely the next morning. After breakfast a pod of kayakers took off to play in the caves and rock gardens, but quite a few of us decided to stay on the beach. Looking out at the whitecaps our general attitude was, “We already did that!” Those who launched were also going to check out other beaches to see if there was an alternative in case we decided to move.

This cougar walked right behind our tents... — This cougar walked right behind our tents…

It stayed windy as hell all day and the swells stayed up. Jerry found cougar tracks at the far end of the beach, so he and I took off on a little trek to do some tracking. We found quite a few tracks and determined they were recent. When we got back to camp, Jerry found another track up by a little spring trickling out of the cliff behind our tents. We found deer tracks there as well, and it looked like the cougar was stalking a fawn. We actually found a dead fawn, or what was left of it, on the sand. It’s a wild place.

That night we had another great meal and a party and mercifully the wind dropped again and the night was quiet. However, the rough conditions would continue and maybe even worsen so we decided to bolt the next morning. We’d been on the beach two nights, the wind was still whipping the surf and sand during the day, and the presence of the stairway was disconcerting. We launched first thing even before breakfast or coffee in order to beat that wind.

The launch was dramatic. Swells were coming in at 8 to 12 feet. The entrance to the cove had taken on the appearance of a boiling cauldron. Tall waves rolled briskly through the rocks, and once out of the protection of the rocks the sea was chaotic. As I started to cross the less protected area a wave dumped a long fat strand of bull kelp across my bow. It slid down the bow and smacked into my stomach where it remained, pressed uncomfortably into my belly. Acting like a sea anchor, it arrested my forward progression. Maintaining control of my paddle I grabbed the kelp with both hands and hoisted it over my head. It slithered back off my helmet and I dug in to the next wall of water rising up in front of me. Doing this stuff with a fully laden boat is just hard and I was glad to get through the mine field and into shelter around the point.

TR Scott Becklund found that the blow hole was really working this year

We made it out without incident, although Deb told me she submarined right into the kelp as well. Capt. Kuk, Michael Powers, Jon, Steve and I took off to find a new camp site. After one potential option was found to be washed out, we settled on another small beach we named Shaman Cove.

Well, it's pretty but if we stay here we're gonna get wet... — Well, it’s pretty but if we stay here we’re gonna get wet…

It turned out we loved our new beach! Good call, Captains! Our tents were huddled together close to the cliff but hey, we’re a team! We can get cozy! We had just enough room at high tide not to worry about getting wet that night, and everything turned out dandy. That day we broke a record. The Tsunami Rangers have never before left a beach at 8:30 in the morning especially sans coffee! The team can move!

TR Paula Renouf sticks the 'hawks — TR Paula Renouf sticks the ‘hawks

Shaman Cove was idyllic and completely sheltered. Some of us took off to explore, but others decided to have another beach day. We set up a target and tossed tomahawks and knives. Paula distinguished herself by being the only one to stick two tomahawks at once.

Our last night was pretty fab. Lobster tacos courtesy of Scott, Jim, and Steve, and the tequila flowed and the fire glowed as we mellowed. Once again, the wind and waves dropped to almost nothing as stars filled the sky. Don Miguel, aka Michael Powers, was promoted to Admiral and given a ceremonial paho (prayer stick) to commemorate the event. Interestingly, after the promotion several people went beach combing and Michael found something wonderful. A flawless makau, a Hawaiian fish hook carved from bone on a woven twine necklace.

It was totally dry. At first we thought it belonged to Deb or one of the Kiwis but no… it didn’t belong to any of us. My theory is that a wormhole opened in the universe and dropped it so Michael could find it, a gift from the Great Beyond. Since no one else had a better explanation, I’m sticking to my story. The strange thing is we had been all over that beach all day and no one had seen it till Michael picked it up. He decided to give it to his daughter Marika, an intrepid wilderness guide.

The next day we packed up and paddled back to the take out. Despite conditions, it was a great trip. A good team can flow and adapt to extreme situations. This was a hard trip in many ways, but I came home exhilarated. We have an awesome team. I was reminded again how much I love these guys. The support, the cooperation, the effort, and the skills and talents each of us brings to the experience all combine with deep love to make for the best camaraderie in the world.

Questions? Comments? Share with us by clicking below!

Whale Watching From a Kayak – Gray Whales in Trinidad Harbor

I borrowed this image by Konraad Wothe from the National Geographic website on gray whales — I borrowed this image by Konrad Wothe from the National Geographic website on gray whales. We didn’t get this close!

On May 8 I went kayaking with whales. Because it was a spur of the moment decision I didn’t go over to the coast and spend the night as I’ve done before so it was necessary to leave at about 3:30 am in order to get to Trinidad Harbor by 8. I love the drive though, going through the redwoods and down the coast. It’s stunningly beautiful and with a fat cup of coffee to keep me company it was no problem. I signed up for a commercial tour with Jason Self and Nick Gadouas of Kayak Trinidad and highly recommend the experience to everyone.

Jason and Nick provided the tour group with all the necessary equipment, including wetsuits, booties, PFDs and Werner paddles. They even have spare dry bags in case people need them. The kayaks they use are Venture Islay 14s, Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145s, and WS Polaris 180 tandems. They also have WS sit on tops for larger people. Our fearless leader, Jason Self, has been running tours in Trinidad for 5 years, but he has been guiding for 12 years and kayaking for 17. Jason thoroughly briefed the group on equipment, paddle technique, and what to do if you tip over and fall out of the boat. His instructions were clear and easy to follow. I brought my own stuff because it’s easy and that’s just how I am, but it was interesting to see how the tours are put together for other paddlers. Jason also cautioned us to stay close together both for our own safety and so we didn’t accidentally cut the whales off in their path.

In addition, Jason explained the 100-yard marine mammal rule. You must stay 100 yards away from all marine mammals, but they will often come to you in which case you just stay still and let them do their thing. Jason emphasized that at this time of year there are not only whale mamas and their babies but also harbor seals were giving birth to their pups and they were all over the rocks in the harbor. We were careful not to disturb them by getting too close.

There were some grays at the edge of the harbor right when we launched, but they had already done their feeding for the day and were swimming out around Trinidad Head. They have a pattern of coming in to Clam Beach to the south and then slowly moseying up the coast feeding close to shore before peeling off to the west and going around, although Jason told us that a few days previously his group had seen whales right in the harbor around the crab pots.

Jason with Trinidad Head in the background — Jason scouting for whales with Trinidad Head in the background.

The reason the whales come so close to shore is to avoid attack by orcas. Migrating grays can travel as far as 12,430 miles round-trip from their summer home in Alaskan waters to the warmer waters off Baja in Mexico where they winter. When the grays go south they’re usually miles out to sea, but on the return they have their calves with them and to protect them they hug the shoreline. Gray whales are often covered with parasites and other organisms that make their snouts and backs look like a crusty ocean rock. I saw the back of one whale surfacing just a few yards away, all pink and knobbly. More pink than gray to me, it reminded me of the pink you see in sea caves.

Sea life. Notice the pink color on the rocks, similar to what I saw on the back of the whale. — Sea stars. Notice the pink color on the rocks, similar to what I saw on the back of the whale. In fact, the whale back looked a lot like the humps on the rock!

With all his experience guiding whale watching tours at this spot, Jason had a plan. We paddled out past a big red buoy and paused to assess the situation. Looking south we saw spouts way down by Clam Beach, about 2.5 miles to the south, so we paddled slowly toward them hoping they’d come to us.

Right in the center of the photo you can see an almost perfect heart.coming up off the water — Right in the center of the photo you can see an almost perfect heart-shaped spout coming up off the water.

There must have been pretty good feeding down there because they didn’t come to us, so we began slowly paddling toward the beach keeping a sharp eye out to see if they would start heading our way. They stayed put, though, and we ended up going almost all the way to the beach where we found a big pod. We watched them feed and roll and blow for about 45 minutes. It was amazing! When they roll you can see their pectoral fins. A couple of times it looked like they were waving at us. One of the cool things I learned about gray whales is that they have two blow holes so that when they spout it comes up like a heart. I was lucky enough to get two shots of the heart-shaped blow with my camera. They look far away but you can still see the heart above the water.

Another heart. It's a little wispy, but you can see the whale too. — Another heart. It’s a little wispy, but you can see the whale too.

Finally the pod started to move. They came and visited us close up and then swam beside our group all the way back to the harbor for about an hour. Epic! While we paddled leisurely alongside the feeding pod Jason told us about grays and their habits. One thing I learned is that the moms and babies swim together so close they actually touch. We saw this many times. You’d see a big back and then a little bit behind and to the side you’d see a little back. There would be a big spout and then right afterwards a little spout. It was so cute!

It's incredible to think those giant animals get so close to the rocks and in such shallow water — It’s incredible to think these giant animals get so close to the rocks and in such shallow water.

The gray whale uses its snout to forage by dislodging tiny creatures from the seafloor. It then filters these morsels with its baleen—a comblike strainer of plates in the upper jaw. The whales will also rub their bodies on the rocks to remove stuff to eat which they then strain out of the water. We saw several grays get right up to the rocks, in one place in about 6 feet of water which is amazing when you realize how big they are. Gray whales get up to 40 to 50 feet long and weigh 30 to 40 tons when mature. Their size is relative to a bus.

Couldn't believe this guy let me get so close! — More wildlife. Couldn’t believe this pelican let me get so close!

The whole tour was three hours long, and we paddled about 6 miles round trip. As for weather, we had glassy water, sun, some light rain, and incredible cloud formations. The air temperature was warm but the water seemed quite cold and was incredibly clear that day. When we returned to the beach I packed my gear and headed back to Ashland, another 4 hour drive, but I was so stoked by the experience it seemed like nothing. That evening and all the next day as I put together this post I felt energized. It was good to be alive and to experience these amazing animals so close up. God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world.

The sea stacks alone make this a great place to paddle.

Thank you to Jason Self and Kayak Trinidad for a wonderful day. To sign up for a tour, contact https://kayaktrinidad.com/ They also do tours of Big Lagoon, handline kayak fishing, and sea kayak instruction and rolling, plus they have rentals. For more Tsunami Ranger adventures with whales, check out Steve King’s wild experience being chomped by a whale at https://tsunamirangers.com/2016/09/05/baleen-bruises-and-beer-or-the-whale-that-mistook-my-x-15-for-a-large-white-sardine/

Kayaking Angel Island – It’s All About the Blueschist

By Nancy Soares and John Lull

“The best way to study geology is by kayak” – Tsunami Ranger Capt. Tortuga

The Golden Gate Bridge as seen from just above Horseshoe Cove

You probably don’t know this, but Capt. Tortuga and Tsunami Ranger John Lull are geologists by trade. On Monday, April 9, John and I drove from his place in El Granada on the San Francisco Peninsula to Horseshoe Cove at the base of the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and put in for Angel Island. Our mission: study the geology of the island.

It was the first time I had ever paddled San Francisco Bay. We were blessed with some of the most halcyon weather possible: blue sky; bright, hot sun (it felt like it was about 85 degrees) flat water, and practically no current to speak of. We put in at the little marina there in the cove, paddled out past the jetty, and turned left toward Yellow Bluff. Hugging the shore for a short distance, we then set our course for a beach on the island where John wanted to examine sand samples.

It was a peaceful, easy crossing. John pointed out landmarks and watermarks and told me about eddies and currents a paddler can take advantage of to facilitate passage around the Bay. We saw birds and sea lions. The wind was so light there were few sailboats about and a couple of the ones we did see were underway using their motors. We saw some ferries and encountered small wakes but otherwise paddling both going and coming across Raccoon Straight was uneventful. Paradise!

Tiburon in the distance, and behind it Mt. Tamalpais

The views were spectacular in all directions: The Gate, the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and Angel Island, the little towns of Sausalito and Tiburon nestled on their hillsides looking more like towns on the Mediterranean than on the colder, grayer San Francisco Bay, and of course the stunning San Francisco skyline.

The first beach we landed on was at Camp Reynolds, an abandoned army base on the island. During the Civil War, with concern mounting over threats to the Bay Area from Confederate sympathizers and naval forces, the federal government established Camp Reynolds on Angel Island in 1863. Fears that the Confederates might slip into the Bay and attack naval installations at Mare Island and the Benicia Arsenal were never realized. After the Civil War, Camp Reynolds became an infantry camp, serving as a depot for recruits, and as a staging area for troops serving in campaigns against the Apache, Sioux, Modoc, and other Indian tribes. By 1876, this was a busy camp with over 2,000 soldiers and a chapel, bakery, blacksmith, shoemaker, laundry, barber, trading store, and photographer. Now Camp Reynolds is a quiet picnic spot where hikers and kayakers can relax and contemplate.

John examined rocks and sand while I checked out the abandoned camp. Then I came back to the beach and John explained the geology of the cliffs. There were some nice examples of rock pillows formed deep below the sea millions of years ago that have now been raised up and are part of the island.

Pillow rock — Pillow basalt. Looking closely, you can see a couple of round pillows in the center of the photo.

We launched again and paddled around to the next beach, a no name beach south of Alaya Cove. I’m calling it Blueschist Beach. While John was checking out the sand at this site, I wandered off in the opposite direction beachcombing.

The beach was quite clean but I picked up a few bits of plastic here and there. Then I saw something that looked like a rolled up ball of tin foil. Reaching down to pick it up I discovered it was a rock. A beautiful, shiny silver rock. “Hey John,” I called, “Look what I found!” I showed him the rock and it was instant recognition. Muscovite mica pelitic schist were some of the words that came out of his mouth, but I’ll let him explain it.

Treasure trove - blueschist, green schist, and some blue sea glass — Treasure trove – blueschist, green actinolite schist, and blue sea glass

John Lull: The rocks on Angel Island are part of the extensive Franciscan subduction complex that underlies much of the California coast range. They include far-traveled basalt and pillow basalt, erupted approximately 130 million years ago at a mid-ocean spreading center several thousand kilometers away in the Pacific Ocean, deep ocean chert beds deposited on the basalt during its long journey on the Farallon Plate away from the spreading center, and thick sequences of continent-derived sandstone and shale that were deposited on the oceanic crust in the subduction trench formed just off the continent. This oceanic crustal slab and overlying sediment were carried down beneath the North American continent where most of it was consumed in the underlying mantle.

Angel Island Blueschist — Angel Island blueschist

The subduction process continued for over 150 million years and periodically some of the oceanic crust and sediment was offscraped, underplated, and accreted to the continental margin. As the accreted material built up over time, it was subjected to intense pressure and localized shearing, resulting in zones of extreme deformation and numerous faults.

The rocks on Angel Island are a special case in that they were subjected to high pressure-relatively low temperature ‘blueschist facies’ metamorphism. This means they must have been carried deep into the subduction zone (20-30 km beneath the surface) and underplated beneath the over-riding continent. They were later exhumed due to continued tectonic movement and returned to the surface where they are today. Most of the basalt, chert, and sandstone on Angel Island retains its original texture and can be readily identified. Pillow structure can be seen in the basalt and although the sandstone is mildly schistose, sand grains are still apparent. The blueschist minerals in most of these rocks are only visible under the microscope in thin sections cut from the rock. However, in some cases the rocks were more strongly metamorphosed, forming completely recrystallized schist and obliterating the original texture and character of the rock.

Blueschist on Angel Island — Layered blueschist on Angel Island with rock hammer for scale

There are a few outcrops of these schists on Angel Island. The most prominent blueschist outcrop is exposed on the south side of the island, just east of Perle’s Beach. A prominent band of serpentine (derived from the mantle) is also present just east of the blueschist. There is a thin band of poorly-exposed schist on the slope above the northwest shore of the island between Point Ione and Stuart Point. Pebbles of silvery quartz-muscovite schist and dark green actinolite schist can be found on the beach below.

Green schist — Sparkly crystal green schist

Nancy: While looking for blueschist we also found green actinolite schist. This stuff is amazingly beautiful and has to be seen under a microscope to really be appreciated. Regardless, it’s lovely to look at.

After Ayala Cove we headed back to the put in. It was about a 45 minute paddle each way, although John told me that there is often an ebb tide you can ride back that makes the return quicker. Still, it was a great 6 mile round trip, just enough to make you feel like you got a good work out. Our return was uneventful, and after loading up our boats and gear we drove back to John’s house for a beer and a soak in the hot tub. The best of days!

Have you been to Angel Island? Whatcha know about blueschist? Share your story or any other comment you’d like by clicking below!

Tsunami Retreat 2017 Part 3 – Holy Shibooty! I Become a Tsunami Ranger

Capt. Kuk: It has been a long progression for Nancy over the last 22 years and even though she was always capable of gaining the skills to be a Ranger, she chose to keep some separation to give Eric space. Starting with her martial arts and fancy foot work playing hacky sack, Nancy has since added the necessary kayaking skills needed to be a full Ranger. Nancy is also the keeper of the Tsunami Ranger blog started by Eric, and it continues to keep the Rangers’ stories alive.

Nancy is the first new Ranger under Captain Tortuga and she bridges the generations. There have been many stories since her first retreat and becoming a Ranger is another one. After her test the party that night was like the old days. Congratulations Nancy, it has been a long and interesting time.

Nancy Soares LTJG: Over the years I taught myself to surf and went on a couple of Tsunami Retreats. I developed fair kayaking skills, but never trained very hard until 2004 when I decided to race in the upcoming Sea Gypsy Extreme Sea Kayaking Race. After eight months going out to Pillar Point once a week regardless of conditions (gak!) by the time the race rolled around I’d developed into a pretty strong paddler. But then Eric and I moved to Oregon and Eric died and I didn’t do much paddling after that.

Slippin' into darkness... cave exploration: check! — Slippin’ into darkness… cave exploration: check!

When Jim asked me to go on the Tsunami Retreat in 2016 I was incredibly grateful to be included. I love the Rangers; they are my Sea Tribe, and I missed the camaraderie. Plus these guys probably knew Eric best of anyone and it’s comforting to be around them. And I did well. I could tell that I was being eyeballed. Oh shit, I thought, they’re going to ask me to test.

Dandy Don works a pourover — Dandy Don works a pour over

Sure enough, next year Jim asked me to test. Of course I said yes, but 2017 was the worst year of my life health-wise. Early in the year I was hospitalized with two potentially fatal conditions. Yep. It took months to recover and then the smoke rolled into the valley and took me back down a few notches. When I headed off to the retreat for the test I felt diminished. Actually, whiny would be a good word!

Becklund works the zipper - am I up for this? — Becklund works the zipper

I went to see my friends Connie and Andy Taylor in Elk the day before we launched. I told Connie my tale of woe and she gave me the greatest pep talk. She told me to stand up. Then she tossed me an imaginary tennis ball and said, “Slow that down!” I went into tai chi mode, dropped my weight, and put out my hand. The imaginary tennis ball slowed down. “I know you know what I mean,” Connie said smiling. “Just slow everything down, the waves, everything. You can do it.”

All right, guys, here's what we're gonna do... — The test begins. All right, guys, here’s what we’re gonna do…

The first day when we embarked on the journey to our hidden spot I went into slow-mo. I don’t mean I was paddling slowly so much as focusing on my breath, my movements, the waves, my companions, willing everything to Just. Slow. Down. This helped, because when The Wave in the Cave happened I was calm, relaxed, and unafraid.

The rest of the time I continued in slow-mo. When everyone went paddling the next day I opted to stay on the beach and rest. I stayed on the beach the second day too. Jim gave me the job of setting up a target for our knife-throwing games and I slowly and thoughtfully put together a nice big target. It took a long time to find suitable boards and driftwood and construct the target but it was a fun project and when it was done someone said it was the best target they ever had. Mission accomplished!

The test wasn’t till day four of the retreat so I continued to conserve energy. When it came time to test I felt pretty good but I still slowed everything down. Jim wanted me to lead an expedition, so after clearing it with him I chose to make Cate my second-in-command. As I explained to the team, good leaders don’t lead alone – they gather the best people they can find to advise and assist. Since I didn’t really know the area and Cate knows it well, I intended to run my intentions by her before making final decisions. Jim wanted to check out pocket beaches for abalone shells, so I set our course and off we went. Michael had a minor incident with a reef, but as Jim said at the debriefing, it wasn’t my fault. It just added spice to the day and Deb got a great photo.

TR Michael Powers works the reef. Photo by Capt. Tortuga, captioned by Michael himself.

We landed on beaches, played with a blow hole and a pour over, messed around in some caves, and then returned to camp for lunch. I kept the group together, made sure everyone got on and off the beaches safely, and headed back when it was time. Cate was invaluable for her experience working with groups. It was probably the most boring test ever, but that’s how I wanted it. It’s not often things are that calm during a Tsunami Retreat and I was keeping Connie’s advice in mind.

After lunch it was time to perform a rescue. Jeff volunteered to be “victim”. Deb yelled, “Swimmer!” and there he was, swimming out to sea and scrambling onto a big offshore rock. I pulled my kayak down to the water, made a quick scan and launched. I paddled up to Jeff, who was doing a great imitation of a panicked paddler who’d lost his boat, and started trying to talk him off the rock. No dice. I paddled around the rock speaking calmly but he wouldn’t budge. I realized he was going to make me get drastic. We’d had a previous conversation about an incident back in the day when Eric had threatened to throw a stranded paddler off a rock and I knew Jeff was going to make me do that very thing.

I grabbed my paddle and hopped out of the boat, scrambled up onto the rock and one last time tried to talk Jeff into jumping into the water and swimming back to the beach. I even threatened him. Nope. So I punched him (lightly) in the jaw and body checked him and he fell into the water. I jumped in after him and started hauling him in to the beach. I had my arm over his chest so he started acting like I was choking him. Point taken. I grabbed onto his PFD instead and side stroked in, dragging the “unconscious” body and the paddle along.

Trigger! Rescue achieved - check! — Trigger! Rescue – check!

The coolest thing (aside from the fact I got to punch Jeff in the jaw) was that my kayak followed us in. Just like a little puppy dog, there she was, a few yards away, nose pointed toward the beach. I think it was Cate who said, “Just like Trigger!” Jeff finally “woke up” and went back to being his usual self and we swam over and corralled her. Now the Pacific Princess has a new name. Even cooler was the fact that in scrambling up the rock my dive knife had got scraped off my PFD. At first I thought I’d lost it for good, but there it was, lying right in the cockpit. Trigger had brought it home!

Hangin' with my buds... it doesn't get any better. — Fire with friends… it doesn’t get any better.

That night there was much rejoicing. Everyone said nice stuff and it felt so good. There’s nothing like being part of a team where everyone knows you, loves you, and forgives you for being a squirming hatch-blower. As Jim said, they know what I can do.

Thanks, guys, for including me and making me a Tsunami Ranger. It’s an honor and a privilege and I will be forever grateful! I love you all!

Tsunami Retreat 2017 Part One – The Wave in the Cave

Editor’s Note: So much happened during this retreat we’ve decide to make it a triplicity. This is Part One, The Wave in the Cave!

A Wave in a Cave – Commander Eric Soares in Trilogy Cave

From the Captain’s Log: The plan was to do about a 3 mile paddle in and set up camp before dark. Scott was in the lead; close behind came Don, Steve and Nancy. It was the first day and I was trying to keep up with the Rangers ahead of me; slower than the others I was in the sweep position. This was not by choice but due to my fodder wing, an old injury that slowed me down.

Capt. Kuk and a pouover. Doesn't look that fodder wing to me! — Capt. Kuk and a pouover. Doesn’t look that fodder wing to me!

Late in the day we had made a last minute decision to Go Now thanks to Steve, rather than launch the next day as we had planned. We left the beach quickly after packing our boats in speedy fashion and without a Plan B. It was late and we were stealth-fully getting off the beach so no Herberts would come and ask questions like, “Where you goin’?” To which we would have the standard reply, “Oh just going out for a paddle about and see what we can find”. But we knew where we were going… to our “Top Secret Spot” and we ain’t telling anybody. Paddling up the coast all seemed good for the first mile or so. We took a safe route around the whitewater fringed rock gardens along the exposed Mendocino coast. Heading towards the point, I could see a clear path around the outside of the rocky headlands. A safe and sunny route, but longer and less interesting than going through the tunnels.

We were cruising along well on the way when suddenly I saw Scott turn inside like something had possessed him. He took a direct line towards the dark wall in the Yosemite-like rock face. Damn, I thought, he’s going for the Black Hole. Then Don and Steve started to break course and follow Scott. Nancy hesitates for a while and looks back at me with an inquisitive eye but then turns toward the dark side. Well, alrighty then, I am going to have to follow. Solo paddlers always get separated especially when there is a glitch, which is common, so better stick with the pack. All the while I was thinking, “Shit, here we are again, paddling in late with fully laden boats headed towards the caves!” So began the start of the 32nd annual Tsunami Ranger retreat, not the plan within the plan I had in mind.

The wave models for that day showed varying conditions and it had been all over the map. In these conditions there is a lot of variation in the wave patterns and when the wave frequencies combine it can make a rogue wave or a larger set. Approaching the wall I could see Don disappear into the darkness of the worm hole and then Scott. Nancy followed nonchalantly, then Steve. I hung back. Better to wait and see I said to myself. Sure enough that larger-than-usual set came wrapping around the corner and I had to back paddle and reverse punch through the incoming waves. After that I lost sight of Nancy in the chaos and decided not to enter the dragon’s lair. Backing up I took the side passage through Tunnel B which was more protected. Arriving at the outlet on the other side of the headlands I could see Scott and then Steve. Soon Don and Nancy appeared from the cave and all looked cool. Hey no problem I thought. Then Steve came over and said there was a kerfunkle on the S turn inside the tube and he had hit the wall while avoiding Nancy who was in the water swimming. Looking at his bow I saw a crumpled eye loop which was bent over and looked like a ring hanging off the side of a broken nose.

El Rey's broken bow — El Rey’s broken bow healed with duct tape

After a few minutes surmising that all was good we paddled on casually to our destination. We made it to our secret spot in time to toast our victory in battle and set up on the beach before the sun set.

Don, Sr. Commanding Officer: After many hours on the road, we somehow arrived at usual spot – from north, northeast, and south – at nearly the same time. It wasn’t early, but it wasn’t late! After a long drive I’m always anxious to get on the water, but didn’t want to instigate. Fortunately, Steve was the instigator, and before long the decision was made to launch!

Getting launched is always a lot of work, but this particular spot is egregious. (If you survive the put-in, you’re good to go?!) Finally we were sweaty and ready, so I helped with some launches and prepared to follow as sweep. All get off the beach well and meander towards our destination. The sea was alive, but not angry. We were paddling well and fairly close together. Sensing a level of comfort, I moved up to the front with Scott. Approaching a rocky point, we angled towards some short cut tunnels. It seemed that the tunnels would be do-able. Scott and I arrived at a tunnel mouth and had a gander. I could just see the light at the other end, and didn’t sense any big waves. I paddled through and had to negotiate only some small bumps. Scott followed not too far behind. It was a few minutes before anybody else appeared.

I was being pushed about by some currents, and didn’t have a clear view into the tunnel, but sensed trouble. Backpaddling to line myself up for a view, I could see Nancy in the water with her boat. RuhRoh. Then I saw Steve careening down a wave behind her, and then BOOM! RUHROH!! Steve and Nancy are in the water, but Nancy is swimming strongly towards me, and Steve is re-mounting in the tunnel. I assist Nancy and realize she doesn’t have a paddle. Steve paddles out and looks no worse for wear, despite the scary cannon fire. Steve confirms that Jim has taken another route, so I figure it might be helpful to recover Nancy’s paddle. I paddle back into the tunnel, but no dice. Nearly all the way through, I turn back towards the group. There in the middle I see something dark in the water – the paddle!! Finding something is always fun, but a critical piece of gear is even better. We re-group, and with Jim now present, we continue just a short distance to our intended beach. From somewhere tequila appears, followed closely by an amazing sunset.

Scott, Leader of the Pack: I got lucky. I got to ride up the coast with both Jim and El Rey. Ha, to have a captive audience with two of my favorite people. And what a ride! All the way up we talked about plans to bivouac along the coast. Someplace to stage and meet up with the others planning on launching and paddling together the following day. From El Rey’s questions, observations and infectious energy, I knew it would be nearly impossible to keep him from blitzing the beach and launching that afternoon. Sure enough, as soon as we pulled to a stop and saw Don and Nancy, El Rey had me salivating to be underway. While Jim and others were barely past hugs of greetings, El Rey was looking beyond us to the sea. Things like, “We could launch now and…,” or “You know we can…,” and lots of “If we tell ’em…,” were too much for me. I was in!

Nancy arrived from Oregon recovering from an intense year and all the smoke from the fires. Concerned about her stamina she looked as though she would rather opt out of El Rey’s now late afternoon caper. But she is always a warrior and today would not be different. As soon as she said she was up there was no turning back. The paddle in was a bit bumpy but it was nice to be on the water. As we approached the point I felt alive. Off to my right was Don as he always is, smooth as butter and looking stronger than an ox. We all lined up outside the second set of caves at about the same moment. I don’t remember if we really spoke or just nodded but in he went. Nice! I thought as I followed several seconds behind him. He got through as I came to the narrow spot in the cave. Glancing back I saw the next wave was about to break and send me surfing out. It was small enough and I opted to back paddle and just ride the surge out. Paddling out of the opening I turned to get away and make room for the next paddler.

Nancy, Learning the Dark Arts of Sea Caves: This was the worst year of my life health-wise. Sick for weeks, hospitalized for five days, months of recovery, my stamina wasn’t good. Plus I’d been housebound for weeks during the post-apocalyptic nightmare that was August in the Rogue Valley. Health warnings were in place telling people to stay indoors because of the wildfire smoke. I don’t have AC so in the triple digit weather I was opening the windows at night, and the smoke was so bad I could taste it. I was weak, nauseated, and my lungs hurt when I took a deep breath. And here I was, testing to become a Tsunami Ranger. Great.

At the caves I hesitated. I wanted to follow Jim but Scott and Don were closer so I followed them. At the cave mouth I made sure to give the guys plenty of time to get through before I entered but I neglected to look behind me. It was dark in the cave because of the dog leg and because I was wearing sunglasses. As I approached the corner a wave rolled in picking up my stern. I had the interesting sensation of surfing a wave in a cave toward a wall without really being able to see. But it was kind of cool so I just rode on into the dark. I surfed smoothly around the corner and saw the light at the cave mouth and Don and Scott outside. “Hey, maybe I got this!” I thought. But just as I rounded the corner the wave swept me against the right hand cave wall. I drove my paddle blade into the rock face to right myself and get back in the middle of the tunnel. I don’t know what happened because I’ve done that move successfully a bunch of times, but the paddle shot through my hands like a rocket slicing my fingers with the blade and slamming my hand into the rocks. I think that because the cave narrows the wave became concentrated as I came around the corner and the opposing forces of the wave pushing into the wall and the paddle thrust pushing away combined to knock the paddle out of my hand.

So there I was, high-siding it along the right-hand cave wall without a paddle. The boat flipped over and I bailed out. As my head popped out of the water I heard a massive BOOM like an M-100 going off. Wondering what the hell that was, since I’d forgotten about Steve, I grabbed the rail on the boat and started swimming out of the cave, not knowing Steve had just deliberately driven his bow into the cave wall rather than spear the back of my head. It felt like the water was sucking out and pulling at my feet so I grabbed onto the rocks of the left hand cave wall with one hand and doing a grab-pull-hump-kick-repeat maneuver swam the loaded kayak out of the cave.

The Cave a few days later. The wall to the right is where I crashed.

Don was waiting outside, and like the gentleman he is he pulled the bow of my boat up onto his deck while I took a breather and told him what had happened. I actually thought my paddle might be broken because of the force with which it flew out of my hands. Don helped me flip my kayak over and while I paddled out of the way using my hands, which worked surprisingly well, he went back into the cave and found my paddle intact with only one blade a bit chewed up and the Kevlar frayed. Yay! Paddle restored, we regrouped and continued on to the camp site. My hand was bruised and bleeding, but not badly. First blood. Yeah!

Lessons learned:
1. When in doubt, follow Jim
2. Before entering a cave, look behind you
3. When in a cave, don’t forget about what’s behind you
4. It’s good to be part of a team
5. When the shit hit the fan I forgot all about how debilitated I was and just dealt

Well, at least I got THAT over with! Chillin' on the beach. — Well, at least I got THAT over with! Chillin’ on the beach.

Steve, Cave Romancer: After launching with fully loaded boats we headed to Thunder Cove. We had relatively strong winds, swells and an active ocean as we approached a series of caves and beautiful beaches. Don led the five of us toward the right cave mouth. I was wondering about that far right cave. I did not recall that it was passable as a few of these caves lead back into the rock and create loud booming percussion sounds but do not open up.

Don headed into the cave. Scott, Nancy and I were next in line behind him. Shortly after Don went in, Scott followed. There were swells and surf moving into the mouth. After Scott entered Nancy went in. I waited outside the cave for a bit before I entered. The cave had a dog leg turn to the right and after a few strokes I could see there was some light visible indicating an opening. Because of the dog leg the end of the cave was not visible. As I entered the tunnel I picked up a nice 2 to 3 foot wave that was concentrated by the cave shape. I was clear, well below the ceiling, and having a nice ride through the cave. As the mouth became visible I saw Nancy in the water in the middle of the cave, capsized holding on to her boat pretty close to the mouth. I was surfing toward her with a fair amount of momentum. She was still a good 25 yards away. Realizing I was on a collision course with the back of her head I immediately began steering away from her. I headed to her right, but with the heavily laden boat and the cave wave surge I over-corrected. My bow smashed into the cave wall with an extremely loud bammmmmm, similar in volume to a cherry bomb. The sound reverberated in the cave. Nancy did hear that! In somewhat slow motion my kayak capsized and I was swimming, still far away from Nancy and her boat.

Every year we seem to come up with some kjnd of mascot. This year it was a baby great white we found washed up and dried out on a rock. Fitting, somehow... — Every year we seem to come up with some kjnd of mascot. This year it was a baby great white we found washed up and dried out on a rock. Fitting, somehow…

I climbed back into the X-15 and paddled towards Nancy, who was swimming out of the cave with her boat but without her paddle. I steered around her and Scott examined my bow to assess damage. Then Don entered the cave again to search for Nancy’s paddle. He emerged a few minutes later with the paddle intact. About that time I looked over to the calmer cave system that we were familiar with and saw Capt. Kuk serenely paddling towards us.

We agreed we were ready to proceed and paddled on towards Thunder Cove, having had a bit more excitement than we had bargained for in the first 40 minutes of our retreat! A note on Tsunami X-15 integrity: even in a fully loaded boat with the bow slamming directly into a cave wall, due to the incredible strength of these vessels my bow had only a small piece of the tip scraped off and the boat was otherwise unscathed and fully operational after the impact! Thank you Capt. Kuk!

Have you ever surfed a wave in a cave? Tell us your story below! Also, if you’d like to see actual footage of waves in caves, check out the Tsunami Rangers’ Greatest Hits on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stm5OdpKess&feature=youtu.be