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Sea Kayak Trips Bulletin Board
Re: yet another shared post ...
Posted By: Don Beale In Response To: yet another shared post ... (Brian T. Cunnningham)
Date: Thursday, 8 April 1999, at 7:34 p.m.
It will be interesting to hear about Swiftwood...
Yup here's another one for yuh...
> Posted by James Lofton [n5yyx@etsc.net]
> Title: white knuckles/yellow eyes(trip report)
> Report follows.....................Ft. Sumner lake, New Mexico
> Parked at the same place and water was still high. Wind out of the SE and
> light. Paddled for a few minents then put up the sail and was rewarded in
> just enough wind to push me along at a clip faster than I was paddling. I
> didn't realize how fast I was going until I passed a bouy at close range.
> Whow! That thing fairly flew by.> Explored the north side of the lake and even got out acouple of times to
> hike.(lots of extra time with the sail) Lots of white pelicans, ducks,
> cormerants, and great blue herons.> Set up camp in rock canyon. It is the last major cove before you enter the
> pecos river. Nice spot, but the wind seems to blow there all night. It
> didn't disappoint me.> Picked the perfect spot to sleep. Really compfortable all night. Awoke a
> million times during the night and was seranaded by great horned owls and
> coyotes. Each time I opened my eyes, I could look toward my feet and look
> straight at the north star. I just watched the big dipper do a half circle
> in the sky. Morning was really foggy. Everything was dripping wet, but the
> wind was quite and the sun burnt the fog off with the first rays.> I forgot to mention that I watched a mule deer feed while I climbed the
> ridge to talk to Roxie.(HAM radio) I also scared up a "poor
> will". Only the second one I've ever seen. They were special to the
> indians.> As I walked a short distance from camp this morning, to "do my
> thing", imagine my surprise, when there in the clay and sand, was the
> fresh tracks of a mountain lion. Yep, while I lay there looking north,
> just to the south of my head was something watching me! I lay my knife
> beside the tracks and took a few pictures. As I paddled out of the cove
> this morning, in almost no wind, I noticed the color to the west change.
> The wind was going to come early. I had planned on heading up the river
> some, but the wind changed all that. I raised the sail and started out
> across, and down lake.> Amazing how fast a placid looking lake can change! In no time the waves
> got higher than my boat and the tops were blowing off them. I was in the
> middle now and the only thing to do was to hold to a course that would
> hopefully take me upwind slightly of the pickup. The spray skirt was on
> the forward half and I was trying to decide on what to do about getting it
> back the rest of the way. Also the sail was full size and I would have
> reefed it, if I would have known it was going to do this. As I thought on
> this, I just zoomed along and noticed that I was staying dry. Every now
> and then I would catch a wave just right and start to surf it. Then I
> would fall in its valley and wallow abit. The waves were coming at my
> starboard side with just a tad of rear quarter.> About ¾ home, and just getting the hang of steering with a combination of
> the sail and rudder, here come a jet ski. It is blasting across the waves
> like a mad man, jumping like crazy and heading straight for me! I was
> thinking, "now what could this idiot want?"> Pulling up just short of a collasion(I wasn't going to alter my course), I
> saw it was the "ranger". He was coming to "save me"!!
> I told him I was fine and didn't realize that it was bad out. He said they
> didn't like small crafts out in a blow like this. I thanked him and said
> I'd be alright.(I had just barely luffed the sail)> By now the wind(apparent?)was coming more from the north than the nw., and
> I was almost running with it. I decided to blast by the pickup and pull
> into the shadow of the island to take the sail down.(besides, there was
> this chick on shore watching me) :>)> To my supprise, on the lee of the island was a , a, yes, it was a bright
> red coleman canoe!! It looked like a viper or one of those white water
> canoes, from a distance. I believe they called it a something
> "X"??? They were from CO and this was their first canoe and the
> first day on the water. They had got caught in the wind and almost lost it
> on the rocks trying to get around to the lee side.> I got my sail down and they followed me back to shore. Nice folks! The
> canoe had some really nasty gouches sp? in the bottom, but he didn't seem
> too worried. "said it was really strong stuff" I took picture of
> him and his canoe and he did the same with mine. He had never seen a
> folbot and said he never even heard of them. "his wife said she knew
> of one, and that the people had sunk it after tearing out the bottom on
> barnacles" These people must not realize that ANYKIND of hull likes
> water better than rocks and stuff! :>)> Well, that's about it. I now know that the darn thing will go much faster
> than I can paddle. 18 mins across, from the extreme north west end of lake
> to the camp. Would have taken me 40+ mins, and that would have been
> constant pumping. Need lee boards, so I can play in all directions.(and
> hold a course better) Need to finish unloading.> Aleut gets to go next.
> James, really, really, content
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