Inflatable Kayak Blog

By Sam Wright

I was upset that my work had arranged a meeting for me on a Friday in California and another one on Monday. That meant I had two days in between with nothing to do. My beautiful wife reminded me to make lemonade out of my lemons. She mentioned my inflatable kayak and “Why didn’t I enjoy the weekend by myself?” I remember why I love that woman.

A few months back I had purchased an Innova Twist portable inflatable kayak which weighs in at sixteen pounds and fits into a space as small as 17 by 11 by 7. The kayak was the perfect size for traveling. I was saving it for a spring break weekend but instead, I would get to try it out in sunny Southern California. I found several possibilities for places that were each just a short drive from where I would be staying. I decided I would try out one on Saturday, another on Sunday, and take some of my new found knowledge to plan a summer vacation later in the summer with the family. Watching dolphins, seals and sea lions are not the type of kayaking trips that we get to do in Kentucky. I could just picture the awe in my boy’s eyes seeing sights like this up close.

There were tons of choices but I ruled out one place in particular. The Drakes Estero offered great views of Harbor seals, leopard sharks, bat rays and pelicans. I was ready to try this one but discovered that they close from March 1 to June 30 each year to protect the seals. My research led me to find Channel Islands National Park which offered the thrill of exploring such exciting places as: sea caves, crystal clear water, and the opportunity to check out various tunnels, arches, grottos and blow holes. This sounded like something this Kentucky boy needed to experience.

Channel Island is just off the coast of Santa Barbara and Ventura. This took care of Saturday, now picking what I would do Sunday was a tough call. Catalina Island offered a natural history tour as well as snorkeling and overall, seemed very family friendly with camping as part of their package. I really want to check this place out to see if it might offer a summer vacation spot for the family; however, the Sierra South kayaking school that offered a one day class in white water kayaking caught my eye. The Kern River, Sequoia National Forest, and real Hollywood instructors (they have worked with many television crews) were calling. Out of all my kayaking and water experience, I had never tried white water, so I thought, “What better time than this?” Maybe those Hollywood instructors would discover a raw new talent. I can just see it now, “A star is born,”. How’s that for making lemonade?

The author, Sam Wright is Kentucky born and bred. Sam lives with his wife and two sons and often enjoys the many lakes and rivers in his beautiful state. Sam occasionally writes about his adventures and enjoys sharing his journeys.

By Carole Ann Moleti

I hadn’t intended to do any kayaking on last summer’s road trip in California, but when we happened upon Morro Bay’s azure water glimmering under a bright blue sky, my plans changed.

The waterway was not crowded, offering kayakers a narrow channel which separates the bustling fishing village from a spot of sandy beach with an imposing rock formation. If you put your kayak in at the marina adjacent to the National Estuary, you can enjoy ogling sea lions basking on the rocks.

The vistas were magnificent along the roughly 100 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway known as Big Sur. Unfortunately, the pounding surf obscured marine mammals frolicking in the open ocean. Kayaking there requires skill, the proper gear and a guide.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was the perfect place for an East Coaster like me to learn more about the marine mammals and coral reefs of the Pacific Coast. This wildlife sanctuary extends about 30 miles from Monterey to Santa Cruz, offering great paddling opportunities.

Advised to go out early, I sipped coffee with fisherman on the wharf in Santa Cruz and wondered where to launch. Public Dock #1 had been taken over by a colony of adult males and juvenile sea lions left behind when the females migrated south to Big Sur to give birth and recover.

I joined a guided tour with Megan of Venture Quest and heeded her advice to paddle shallow through the kelp forests. This area would have been a perfect spot for paddling my inflatable kayak, which, of course was home on the East Coast. The inflatable rides higher in the water than the hard shell kayak I rented, with no moveable rudder to get tangled up, and less chance of getting wet, even in the light chop.

All vessels are required to stay far away from sea otters that are grooming as well as ones that are still asleep wrapped in kelp. This makes it so they don’t drift into open ocean and fall prey to sharks. We lingered near Seal Rock, which actually harbors sea lions. Harbor seals have a stationary flipper that hampers their ability to climb, and we spotted a few amongst the otters.

This can be a strenuous paddle if the wind picks up which was the cause for kayakers in my group to get seasick from the swells. Currents threatened to pull us into Steamer’s Lane, a surfer’s paradise just below the rocky cliffs.

The water is deep (about 15-25 feet) and cold (about 64 ºF in summer, in the 50s during winter months). For day long trips across Monterey Bay, wetsuits or other waterproof garments are in order, including watertight gear bags. Life vests create a handy chest pocket to tuck your camera into. Megan warned that in the fall and winter months, the water is rougher and colder. The rock formations are submerged and wildlife as well as marine mammal viewing may be limited or even nonexistent.

There are many sea birds in the Bay, including ibis, pelicans, and blue cormorants besides the usual gulls. Bird watchers, inexperienced paddlers, or poor swimmers might want to test their skills at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve which is in nearby Castroville, but heed advisories about tides, currents, wind conditions and low impact paddling.

On my next trip, paying the airline’s fee to check my Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak will save me money on rental fees, and give me the opportunity to sneak in more paddles along the way.

The Author, Carole Ann Moleti spends her winters sliding down steep, icy Northeastern slopes and summers on the lakes, rivers, beaches, and bays of Long Island Sound, upstate New York, and Cape Cod. With her inflatable Sea Eagle 370, there’s no limit to the places she can go. For a fictional account of paddling the salt marshes, check out an excerpt from Carole’s novel Unfinished Business which was posted on the InflatableKayakBlog on 4-27-10.

Some of the best videos of PakBoat folding kayaks in action have been posted online by a group of paddlers from Thailand. I fetaured one of the videos a few weeks ago that showed how to assemble a PakBoat Saco. This video shows three PakBoats (a Puffin Saranac, Puffin Saco and PakCanoe) traveling down one of Thailand’s most scenic rivers, the Mae Ngow river.

In an excerpt from the PakBoat Blog, one of the paddlers, Tatrawee, summarized the trip …

“Our Canoe trip started in the deep jungle of Northern Thailand. From a small village called Sobkhong, we paddled along Mae Ngow river (translate to river of reflection from its crystal clear water). There some rapids up to level 2-3 on the first day. We paddled for 3 days and camped along the river for 2 nights.”

“We had one PakCanoe 150T, 1 Puffin Saranac and 1 Puffin Saco carry 5 people, our gear and food. These boats performed extremely well both in rough water at the beginning and calm water toward the end of the journey. We are planning a few more trip in Thailand’s rivers with these boats very soon.”

The video features the music of Billy Joel and shows how well PakBoat folding kayaks perform. The scenery’s not bad either!

by Victoria L. Holt-Adams

I love to sail along the waves, taking in nature’s magnificent vistas and watching out for unique glimpses of wildlife. One particular creature, the Manatee, has been high on my personal “bucket list”. In a recent effort to see Manatees in their natural environment, I journeyed to Florida hoping to check that activity off my list. In the process of visiting some areas where Manatees were plentiful, I found that many of these were also excellent spots for sailing.

Crystal River/Kings Bay
This is a wonderful spot to just kick back and enjoy the scenery with all it has to offer. The river is tidally influenced because it is fed from Crystal Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. I honestly could not tell you how long the trip was as I spent a full day on the water and tried my hand at some diving. Sadly, I only saw one Manatee and it was rather far away from me, but still quite a majestic experience. I fully intend to go back again and maybe next time I will be lucky enough to see one up close.

Honeymoon Island State Park
This is a prime spot for a good sail. A good haul at 9 miles around the island, but it also offers a pet beach in case you are kayaking with a pet on board (though I do not recommend doing this unless your experienced with sea kayaking, and definitely not if you’re using a sail). The hiking trails on the Island offer opportunities to do a little bird watching and to take in some spectacular scenic views. You will also find a snack bar and gift shop on the Island, so you can enjoy lunch as well as your time on the water.

Weedon Island Preserve
This is a 1,046 acre park on the south west side of old Tampa Bay offering a decent spot to explore, but I don’t recommend sailing in this area because of the mangrove tunnels. Mangroves are made up of various kinds of trees growing up to medium height that are coupled with shrubs and grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics. Weedon Island also has an observation tower that is 45 feet above sea level offering breathtaking views of the surrounding area.

Anclote Key Preserve State Park
This Park is three miles off the west side of Florida and is North West of Tampa. The park is a very popular spot for boaters and sunbathers, so keep on the lookout for boat traffic and bikinis. Once you get going through the water traffic it is an opportune spot for marine life. Keep your eyes open as you may spot a Dolphin or two. Anclote Key also boasts a lighthouse. There is generally a ranger in this area, so if you’re interested in taking a tour of the lighthouse, check with the ranger on duty. Anclote is a great spot for photos and the sunset view is spectacular.

Key Largo
Key Largo is south of Florida and the most northern Key in the Florida Keys chain. It offers some of the most picturesque sites, in my humble opinion, as well as lovely cerulean waters teeming with ocean life. Coral reefs and white sandy beaches are begging for your adventures. It is home to Americas’ first undersea park, where you can Snorkel, Kayak, Fish, and Dive. An exciting treat for kayakers is that you will find a scuttled Navy ship off the coast, put there to encourage a coral reef to form, but ready and waiting to be explored.

I am predominantly a kayaker, however I often use my portable WindPaddle sail to turn my kayak into a mini sailboat. I found these Florida locations to be excellent for combining paddling and sailing. Florida is a stunning State to discover and revisit. So pack your bags, bring your sunscreen and bug repellent, but most importantly just enjoy Florida.

This article was originally published it’s author, Victoria Louise Adams in eZine Articles under the title “Five Of Florida’s Most Scenic Sailing Destinations“.

(Victoria L. Holt-Adams is the mother of two wonderful children, a stay at home mom, semi-professional photographer, and self taught graphic artist. She enjoys a myriad of other activities to stimulate her creative processes.)

I ran across a great Ezine article that shares some excellent tips for packing for kayaking trips. The essence of the article suggests that if you take a little time up front to think about where you’re going and how you are traveling there, whether it’s a car, plane or whatever, you’ll be able to come up with better ideas as to how to pack more efficiently.

The time of year you’re traveling makes a big difference, too. When you are going from one type of climate to another, there are items that can be left behind and others that must be taken. I know that sounds like common sense, but like I mentioned, you should take the time to think it through.

There are a few other good tips included explaining how she uses Ziploc bags and a waterproof bag called a Space Bag to break down the clutter and keep things organized.

Here’s a link to the kayak trip packing article. Now that I’m thinking “trips”, I just have to find a great place to go!