Surfski Knowledge Base

Long paddles
Dean Bumstead 07/04/05 #406

Morris and I left Washington Park in Anacortes shortly after 11:00 am, and headed south to go around Burrows Island - check out some of the San Juan Challenge course and to let the flood current build a bit. Morris can only count to four because thats the only rudder length he ever uses, so I removed my eight inch and put my four inch on also, which performed well through the whole trip.

Between Burrows and Allen Islands the current was running out into Rosario Straight and there was a medium size rip. I stayed on the edge doing 9+mph and Morris starts heading right for the center of this rip, four inches and all. I soon got a lesson in hydrodynamics as he slowed down his stroke and waited patiently for me to catch up. Rode the flood to Strawberry Island took a break - got cold - then negotiated a nasty rip right at the south end of the island which reduced me to arm paddling for a minute.

After we went past Tide Point on the west side of Cypress I stayed way out in the channel and Morris went in closer to shore. At first we stayed pretty even and he said he was doing in the 10s, but suddenly I was way ahead and he had got caught in a huge back eddy so it was my turn to wait under Eagle Cliff. Hit my fastest speed of the day in Rosario Straight riding a subtle swell and a lot of current - 12.4mph. From Cypress we went to the north side of Sinclair, which is very shallow and then cut across to the southern tip of Lummi Island. Once again we took different routes, I going a more northerly route hoping to catch back eddies along the wall of southern Lummi Island as I headed south towards Carter Point (there are none), and Morris went further south towards Viti Rocks and then towards Carter Point. He got there about a minute before I did. A quick butt break at Eliza and then we pointed them towards the barn. It got a little lumpy around the Post Point buoy but I got little rides surfing the southerly waves at a 45. Passed a couple sail boats, and headed in. Then Morris turned around and paddled back to Anacortes to get his van - just kidding. My gps said 28.3 miles and it took us somewhere around 3:50.

Dean