My Catalina Kayak Adventure

[Apex Predator]

Well, I have long wanted to combine my love of backpacking, Free-dive Spear-fishing and Kayak-fishing,… a couple of weekends ago I had an opportunity. The destination is the most remote beach in Catalina where I plan on meeting some friends of mine, where we plan on doing some free-dive spear-fishing and night lobster free-diving. I decide to do a 26mile solo crossing on my Hobie Kayak, from San Pedro directly to our campsite, while my friends take the ferry to two harbors(Via Avalon) and then backpack 8miles to, Parsons Landing.

I decide to leave in the early morning hours when the wind and wave swells are predicted to be the smallest. October tends to be a calm month in these waters but with El Nino upon us, who knows what nature will bring. The trip was not without its drama but I was able to get that out of the way during the first half of my trip. During the crossing over I narrowly missed getting ran over by a China bound container ship in and its subsequent wake nearly capsized me. Then after padding 6 hours I arrive at my GPS coordinates and beach my Kayak at Parsons Landing. I beat my friends by over 2hours, and find our campsite in a hurry because my kayak is not pulled up all the way on the beach. I am exhausted at this point and would like nothing more to fall face first in the sand and pass out like in the movies but when I turn to head back to my kayak I see a rouge wave break on the beach and sweep my kayak out to sea only to immediately be capsized by the next wave. I run out into the surf and right my kayak and pickup my floating yard sale before pulling my kayak ALL the way on the beach this time! After taking an inventory of everything I realize I have lost my Mirage Drive(my primary source of propulsion) I was now officially up sh#t creek w/o a paddle and my only hope now lies in my snorkel, mask and fins. After an hour and 15min of combing the surf in the murky visibility I finally found my Mirage Drive nearly completely buried. I thanked God for the better part of a half hour and then set-up camp and wait for my friends to get there.

The next day we go Spear Fishing(I saw a Sea Turtle..sweet) and also go Kayak fishing, we catch enough fish to eat for ourselves for the rest of the trip by 11am and still have enough to treat our camping neighbors to some delicious fish tacos and yellowtail sashimi, which are fresh as the sun is hot.

The trip back went as planned on the Kayak with the exception of the welcomed surprise of seeing a school of some rare Sunfish(see pics) and by the grace of God I arrive safely in San Pedro Harbor late in the afternoon Sunday. This trip was truly amazing and cant wait to do it again next year….Who’s with me?

[King Saba]

Sick first post! I'm glad that the trip ended in a safe manner and good on you for finding your drive.

[rossman]

Great post! Nice adventure. I totally expected the post to end with "then I loaded my kayak on my buddy's boat and headed back to the mainland" . Setting the bar high; twice.

[Harry Hill]

that is truly impressive. It's a good thing you got all your gear back and saved your weekend.

[katchfish]

Cool adventure!

I hope you had your beer leashed:D

[summers in kuwait]

You sir are a beast! Great post and amazing adventure.
Curious, was this all done on a revo with just the mirage drive, no sail?

[taggermike]

Looks like fun n Hard core trip. Maybe ditch the "grace of God" for your safety and find a partner or 2. Mike

[steveooo]

Another trip that is on my hit list... :luxhello:

Thats pretty hard core with the 6 hr crossing on the front end! :notworthy:

[Apex Predator]

Great post! Nice adventure. I totally expected the post to end with "then I loaded my kayak on my buddy's boat and headed back to the mainland" . Setting the bar high; twice. I had those visions about 30 minutes into snorkeling looking for my Mirage Drive.

[Apex Predator]

Looks like fun n Hard core trip. Maybe ditch the "grace of God" for your safety and find a partner or 2. Mike No sense in stubbing the Big Man but the more the merrier, can I count you in next year?

[Apex Predator]

You sir are a beast! Great post and amazing adventure.
Curious, was this all done on a revo with just the mirage drive, no sail?I do have a sail but as luck would have it I had off shore on the way theer and a Santa Ana on the way back....and they were direct headwinds except for about 2 hrs on the way back, I will say however that the Hobie sail really does give you an extra .5-2nMPH. I use my sail all the time and really like it.

[Apex Predator]

Cool adventure!

I hope you had your beer leashed:D we rationed what little beer we had and savored it like it was Gold.

[ful-rac]

It's a baby wheel Jay! A baby wheel!


Insane adventure...not the greatest idea to do it by yourself...but hey you made it! good for you! :luxhello:

[kurt]

You do carry a paddle with you, in case the mirage drive breaks?

[Old Man in the Sea]

:you_rock:
Great to meet you at the launch...
A PLB will be a great asset for you on your future solo runs just in case ...
Here is the one I use... and I take it on vacation extreme hikes and hunting trips into dark forest too.

http://www.thegpsstore.com/ACR-2881-ResQLink-PLB-Floating-Personal-Locator-Beacon-P2954.aspx?gclid=CLbDzKaf8sgCFRNrfgodRoQHzQ

[Iceman]

I will make this trip one day! I would never consider doing it alone, just my perspective. I'd put cargo ships as high on my list of hazards! Great adventure :luxhello:

[ctfphoto]

I do have a sail but as luck would have it I had off shore on the way theer and a Santa Ana on the way back....and they were direct headwinds except for about 2 hrs on the way back, I will say however that the Hobie sail really does give you an extra .5-2nMPH. I use my sail all the time and really like it.


Awesome report and great job doing the crossing.

I just started using my hobie sail, and I can say it is awesome.

[acorad]

Epic is an understatement! Something I probably would have done in my misspent youth, but definitely not now!

Great photo of the sunfish under the paddy.

How big were the YTs you got? Did you shoot them or catch them?

Andy

[Apex Predator]

You do carry a paddle with you, in case the mirage drive breaks? of course and a sail too!

[momo fish]

You are nuts!!! But wish I had the balls to make the crossing to anacapa island myself which is half the distance..

Great trip and like others said would never do it alone or without a buddy boat nearby..

[onetriphudson]

Count me in, I might need to rent a different kayak or maybe get the Hobie Island, but it sounds like a great time to me. Did you troll on the way there or back at all?

[cabojohn]

Another trip that is on my hit list... :luxhello:

Thats pretty hard core with the 6 hr crossing on the front end! :notworthy:

x2

You made great time doing the crossing in 6 hours.
Double props going solo. :cool:

[Deamon]

Big time right there...:paddleersmilie:

[2-Stix]

brutal action. eff ya.

[Apex Predator]

:you_rock:
Great to meet you at the launch...
A PLB will be a great asset for you on your future solo runs just in case ...
Here is the one I use... and I take it on vacation extreme hikes and hunting trips into dark forest too.

http://www.thegpsstore.com/ACR-2881-ResQLink-PLB-Floating-Personal-Locator-Beacon-P2954.aspx?gclid=CLbDzKaf8sgCFRNrfgodRoQHzQ
Those are cool my friend has one. I decided however on the Horizon HX870 VHFRadio and GPS that can also make Digital DSC Calls.

[Apex Predator]

Epic is an understatement! Something I probably would have done in my misspent youth, but definitely not now!

Great photo of the sunfish under the paddy.

How big were the YTs you got? Did you shoot them or catch them?

Andy
We speared the Yellow(12lb or so) and a 26" Calico. I caught a couple more legal calico's fishing and would have continued to fish if we had a way to keep the catch on Ice for the whole trip.

[Apex Predator]

Count me in, I might need to rent a different kayak or maybe get the Hobie Island, but it sounds like a great time to me. Did you troll on the way there or back at all?
I really wanted to on the way back but I had a hard time making bait the morning of my crossing back so I just headed back.

[pierreyaldo]

holy fuck dude

[Apex Predator]

Thanks to all of you for all your kind words.

Next I'm thinking about circumnavigating the entire island camping at Parsons, Catalina Harbor, Little Harbor, Descanso and then Two Harbors before making the trip back. .....Or using Catalina as the halfway point to Santa Barbara Island. Any potential partners out there? Lets start our training now!!!

[RJClark]

Looks like fun n Hard core trip. Maybe ditch the "grace of God" for your safety and find a partner or 2. Mike

Definitely do not ditch the grace of God! Sounds like a great trip.

[onthewater]

I am thoroughly impressed!! :you_rock:

Very few take that channel crossing in a kayak, let alone solo. Thank God the weather was decent for you, that is a long haul and if leg fatigue sets in, that could be tough!

Santa Barbara Island?! Wow that would be crazy! I guess it would be like runners training for a marathon, except you have the wind / swells / waves / current to contend with!

Congrats on a successful trip and thanks for sharing!

[battleborn]

Nothing ventured nothing gained. Generally waiting on someone to do something ends up on people not going. Looks like you did your risk assessment and were within your comfort level. Sounds like an awesome trip. Way to go.

[MITCHELL]

Wow...go for it while your young me at 56 would run out of energy and I'm sure you had a VFH radio ...

[John Doe]

Crazy trip, you got some big cojones.

In case you, or others, do not know. There are shipping lanes for those large freighters. Corridors where the freighters are designated to travel in. It would be a good idea to keep track of them so you can know what's coming, or know when you are entering their area. Personally I would get to the edge lane, look for an opening & peddle like hell to get across.