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Always Free						inside:Eppie’s Tips
Baja Surf Condo
Paddle Ergonomics
Swimming for Kayakers
and more…

Summer 20116

2www.calkayakermag.com

Summer 2011

Summer 2011

Issue 6

Contents

Publisher/EditorPeter Donohue
Assistant Editor
Sylvia Wu
Design & Layout
Laura Ramos
www.portalcm.com
Contributing Writers
Dan Crandall, Mary Ann Furda, Scotto
Galbreath, Steven Malone, Marna Powell, Eric Soares, and California Kayaker
Magazine
Contributing Photographers
Delta Kayaks, Eppie’s Great Race,
Dominick Lemarie, John Lull, Marlene
Malone, Mark Sanders, Eric Soares,
Kayak Zak, and California Kayaker
Magazine
Legal Support
Karen A. Lapinski, Attorney
www.LapinskiLaw.com
Find Us
P.O. Box 282004
San Francisco, CA 94128
Phone: 650-868-8653
Fax: 650-560-2783
Email: editor@calkayakermag.com
www.calkayakermag.com
Copyright © 2011 by California Kayaker
Magazine. All rights reserved. Duplicationor copying of any portion of this magazine
in any form is strictly prohibited. Letters to
the editor should be sent to the editor at theaddress listed above. The opinions found in
California Kayaker Magazine are those of
its writers and do not necessarily reflect theopinion of management or advertisers.
California Kayaker Magazine is an independent magazine available for free at paddlingshops, sports retailers, outdoor stores, fitness
clubs, marinas, and events, available free on
the web, or individual copies can be mailed
for a nominal charge to cover postage andhandling.

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18

Features

In Every Issue

6 Skills: Swimming for
Kayakers

4 Editor’s Note

9 Paddle Ergonomics

5 News, Results,
and Calendar

12 Dos and Don’ts ofEppie’s Great Race

16 Center Hatch

18 Baja Surf Condo

30 Intellectual Section:
Wet Exit

22 Buying a Rec Boat

30 List of Advertisers

26 Camera Review
29 Yoga for Kayaking
DVD Review

Cover Photo - kayakers enjoying theprotected waters and wildlife of La Jolla
Photo by California Kayaker
Camera: Nikon D5000

Kayaking can be a dangerous sport. Dressappropriately, always wear your PFD, andpaddle within your skill level.

California Kayaker Magazine

3

Editor’s Note
Break even! I know, you are reading this for the kayaking content, but the magazine is also
supposed to be a business. And this issue is the first where the magazine’s ad revenue iscovering the cost of printing, distributing, and paying for the articles and photos. Couldn’t havedone it without the advertisers who have shown their belief in the magazine.
The downside to more ads is less room for content, so some articles I hoped to run had to getpushed to the next issue... but this gives you something to look forward to! I try to find a balance between the number of ads with total pages, and it won’t take too many more ads before
I will increase the magazine page count—which will then allow for more content for you to
read.
The added revenue has allowed me to increase the print quantity for this issue to over 11,000
copies. And we added some distribution locations, so we are now in over 200 outlets! And I
hope to continue to grow the magazine even more.
Happy Paddling!
Peter Donohue
Editoreditor@calkayakermag.com

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Summer 2011

w

w

w

AquanFestSan Mateo, CA
June 11-12
www.aquansports.com

Raising Money for Charities While
You Paddle
There are many events where you
can tie in exercising and raisingmoney for charities–Support Strokes,
California Canoe & Kayak Paddlefest Eppie’s Great Race, Sea Trek Regatta, etc. You can have great fun while
Racho Cordova, CA
raising money for good causes. One
June 18
caveat is that they all require you towww.calkayak.com
hit up your friends for donations, pony
See ad on page 23
up cash of your own, or both. That’s
how the charity makes money.
Eppies Great Race
Rancho Cordova & Sacramento, CA Now, an online service has started
where just exercising alone can raise
July 23
money for charities, without any
www.thegreatrace.org
cost to you. Plus 3 Network (www.
plus3network.com) brings together
US Surf Ski Nationals
corporate sponsors, charities, and
San Francisco, CA
exercisers.
Aug 12-14
Here is how it works. You select a
www.ussurfski.com
sponsor-charity pair, and then startlogging your miles or time. Based on
American River Festival
the type and amount of exercising,Coloma, CA
the sponsor donates money to theSep 9-11
paired charity. For example, when I
www.americanriverfestival.com
do a 10-mile paddle, shoe company
Sidi will donate $0.75 to Surfrider
Foundation Monterey chapter. And if
Feather River Festival
I used a GPS and directly transferred
Tobin, CA
the data to Plus 3, they currently will
Sep 23-25
double the amount donated to $1.50,
www.chicopaddleheads.org
as they consider this verified information.
Traditional Arctic Kayak
Symposium (TAKS)San Simeon, CA
Oct 14-16
www.shamankayaks.com/shaman/taks/
Wavechaser Paddle Series
Various NorCal locations
Various dates
www.wavechaser.com

To submit news or an event forconsideration to California Kayaker
Magazine, please send basic
information to
editor@calkayakermag.com.

And to make it more user-friendly tothe people exercising, Plus 3 Network
has added social networking aspects
to the site. You can connect withfriends and see what activities they
are doing, and even see GPS tracksof their activities mapped out. If you
join, feel free to connect with “Peter
CalKayakerMag”.
And they have apps for iPhone andPalm smartphones (Android is supposed to be coming soon) that maketracking your activities easier.
The money may seem like smallchange–one paddle won’t makehunger go away, but a regular exercise routine does add up. California
Continued on Page 24

Santa Cruz Paddlefest
The 2011 Santa Cruz Paddlefest(formerly Santa Cruz Surf Kayak
Festival) was held on Steamer Lanein Santa Cruz on March 18-20. Kayak
surfers were scored based on theirbest 2 or 3 waves in each heat. Full
results can be found at www.jmh.
com/kayak/scsc11.htm.
High Performance Men’s
1 Galen Licht
2 Stephen Farthing
3 Dave Johnston
High Performance Women’s
1 Kate Duncan
2 Devon Barker
3 Rachel Krugman
Masters Open
1 Dan Crandall
2 Ken King
3 Dave Johnston
International, Men’s
1 Jim Grossman
2 Stefano Bellotti
3 Dan Crandall
International, Women’s
1 Rachel Krugman
2 Devon Barker
3 Morlee Griswold
Wave Ski Open
1 Ken King
2 Blair Moore
3 Tyler Lausten
High Performance Intermediate Open
1 Doug Hudson
2 Gabriele Dellacasa
3 Barry Hughes
Production Plastic Intermediate Open
1 Gregory Lee
2 Steve McConnell
3 Shane Way
Sit-on-Top Intermediate Open
1 Dave Romeike
2 Sam Narens
3 Jim LohrContinued on Page 15
California Kayaker Magazine

5

Swim First,
Kayak LaterY

by Eric Soares

ou are kayaking down the rapids in theupper Sacramento River south of Castle
Crags and crash into a rock, capsize, andfail to roll. The cold water makes you gasp
for breath. Your boat gets away from you and heads
downstream. Your friends are a hundred yards or sodownriver, waiting for you. What do you do?

If you are a good swimmer, this is no big deal. Whilein the shallows, you turn on to your back, put your feetup, and look downstream for obstacles. You are ensuring that your feet do not get trapped in rocks. Once youreach a deep pool, you breast stroke over to the easiest
side of the river and scramble up the bank. You then walkon shore down the river and join your friends, who haveretrieved your boat. A happy ending.
But here’s another scenario. You and your friends havekayaked from Princeton Harbor near Half Moon Bay,have easily made it around Pillar Point in three-footwaves and are heading north at Ross’ Cove. You are all

Swimming in a cool creek on a hot summer day
Photo by Eric Soares
enjoying the view just close to the surf zone. Suddenly,
a seven-foot wave forms up outside. One person yells
and everyone turns seaward to get to safety before thewave breaks. Everyone makes it through but you. The
wave dumps on top of you. You know how to brace andstay with the wave as it bounces you all over the place.
Then it flips you over and you fail to roll up. Next thing
you know, your boat is sitting serenely on the beach ahundred yards away while you bob around inside the surfzone. What do you do?
If you are a good swimmer, this is no big deal. You signal
to your friends that you are okay and, clutching your paddle, smoothly swim sidestroke to the shore and retrieve
your boat. You wait for another small set and then paddle
out and rejoin your friends. All’s well that ends well.
I’ve been canoeing and kayaking for 50 years. This does
not make me an expert, but I have learned valuable lessons over the years. One essential lesson I have learnedis that swimming skills are more important than kayaking
skills. Let’s see why.
Back in 1972, the movie Deliverance sparked the river
running craze. Every yahoo I knew crunched their canoes
in their local rivers. We all wore cotton, no lifejackets,and many of us could not swim. A week after I capsizedand destroyed my canoe, one of my high school buddies
drowned in the cold water of the upper Sacramento River,near where I wrecked my boat. He could swim in a pool,but not in a raging river.
A dozen years later I taught myself how to kayak in thesurf in lovely Santa Barbara. When I moved to Half Moon
Bay, I played in all the local waters. I was amazed tolearn that many boaters were not proficient swimmers in
swells at sea or in surf. A few years ago, two hours after
I left the surf, a kayaker died at Pillar Point in three-footwaves, with occasional seven footers coming in. Nobody
saw him die, so we don’t know for sure what happened.
The author practices swimming with his paddle. He
doesn’t just carry the paddle, but uses it to help him movethrough the water.
Photo by John Lull

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Summer 2011

But his lungs were filled with salt
water. I thought to myself, why did he
not just swim in a hundred yards? Myquestion will never be answered.
Over the decades, dozens of kayakers have told me they don’t plan on
capsizing when they go kayaking(who does?), which they use as an
excuse to not dress for immersion.
Another excuse is that they havefaith that their nominal or even nonexistent swimming skills are enough.
Then you read the kayaking accident
reports: time and time again the kayaking victims got cold and could notswim, often with fatal results.
Learn to Swim Well
If you are not a competent swimmer (i.e. cannot swim 500 metersin rough water), right now is a goodtime to hone your swimming skills.
If you already know how to do thecrawl, breast stroke, side stroke,and back stroke, then just work on
improving your form while increasing
your swimming stamina (which keeps
you in kayaking shape). That’s what
I do. Each stroke has its strengths.
Use the crawl for speed, breast
stroke in deep rivers or a following
sea, back stroke against waves, andside stroke with your face away fromthe spray when moving perpendicular to wind.
If you have trouble with one or moreof those four strokes, then go to aheated pool and have an instructor
teach you. Community colleges, the
Red Cross, and YMCA offer inexpensive classes, or you can find anunderemployed swim team member
to coach you. In a few weeks you
should have the basics down and be
ready to practice in rougher water.
In summer, when the air and water
are warmer, practice distance swimming in a local lake and engage
in adventure swimming in nearby
creeks and rivers. And don’t forgetto swim in the sea (if you want warm
seas, go to Hawaii or the Caribbean).
Get used to swimming in current,
rapids, surf zones, and in big swells.
Learn in increments in controlled
conditions. For example, learn tobody surf at Waikiki and swim acrossrelatively safe creeks and rivers,
such as the American River in Sacramento. Then graduate up to Los
Angeles beaches and more challenging rivers. In time, your swimmingskill and confidence will increase.
Be sure to practice swimming withyour paddle. Should you tip over andlose your boat in the wind, current, or
surf (it can happen!), you don’t want
to be up the creek without a paddle.
Dress for Immersion
River and sea kayaking attire is apersonal thing. One cannot tell akayaker what to wear while paddling.
So let me just say this: dress for thewater, not the air. “But what if I get
too hot?” someone always asks. Rolla couple of times, and you will cooloff. What? Can’t roll? Ah, anotherskill to master. But until then, you canjust splash yourself.
The main thing is to suss out theconditions you will paddle in, andthen dress appropriately. In the photo
above, taken last winter at Pillar
Point where the infamous Mavericks

The author dressed for immersion
Photo by John Lull
wave resides, I’m wearing the gear I
will need to paddle in 50F water andair, 15-knot winds, 5-foot waves, andsharp rocks. I’m wearing a full, custom-made wetsuit; two thin neoprenescull caps, one with a visor; helmet;
PFD; neoprene divers’ booties with ahard gripping sole to protect my feetfrom urchins and sharp rocks; andthin neoprene gloves.
Note that I do not depend upon my
PFD to “keep me afloat” until help
arrives should I capsize and lose
my boat (a real possibility in these
conditions). A PFD is an accessory
that will assist you in floating, but will
not keep your face out of the water if
you are unconscious or numb (either
from impact, hypothermia, injury orillness) in rough water.
Test Clothing, Accessories, andSwimming Skill in the Water
It is good to evaluate yourself andgear in the water without your boat.
If you will be paddling in calm coolwater on a pleasant summer day,
California Kayaker Magazine

7

I’m swimming in the surf and rocks
where I plan to paddle. It turned outthat after five minutes of body surfing on the reef, I was still warm andmy gear worked. I played with mykayak in the rocks behind me in the
picture. I was confident that I would
stay warm and could swim in thoseconditions.
As I said before, swimming skills
are more important than kayaking
skills. So be sure to work on both
equally. I leave you with these wordsof wisdom, spoken by the late storm
sea kayaking king, Steve Sinclair:“Kayaking is an in-water sport!” v
don’t trust the illusion that it’s “mildoutside” so you don’t need to test
the waters. Just wade out and swimaround for about three minutes orso, no big deal. Does your paddlingjacket fill up with water and impede
your mobility? Uh oh—better put
on your dry suit. Does your dry suitleak? Better make sure the zippers
are fully closed. Your head is cold?

Put on the neoprene hood stuffed at
the bottom of your gear bag. Yourrubber boots fill up with water andmake it almost impossible to treadwater? Swap the boots for those
extra thick divers’ booties. PFD hikeup around your face? Readjust it or
try out the spare.

Eric Soares is a member of the Tsunami
Rangers, an ocean adventure kayak
team. Eric has written two kayaking
books and produced three kayaking
DVDs. To find out more, go to his website
www.tsunamirangers.com.

In the photo to the left, taken at Pillar
Point in Half Moon Bay, California,

THE ORIGINAL BRITISH SEA KAYAK

Visit one of our California Dealers:
San Diego:
Aqua Adventures
Oakland & Sacramento:
California Canoe & Kayak
Livermore:*Sunrise Mountain Sports*
Sunrise is a Valley Sea Kayak Demo Center

www.valleyseakayaks.com

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Summer 2011

Avoiding Paddling Pain in Your Upper Body
by Marna Powell

Proper paddling form will allow
you to paddle longer distances
while avoiding injuries
Photo by California KayakerOnce upon a time, I accidentally camehome with a kayak. Three feet from shore
the angels sang, the Earth shook, and mylife changed forever. Having no experience or instruction, and not even knowing anotherkayaker had me clueless about everything. I finished my paddle excited and happy and so darned
sore I could not lift my arms. Luckily it had a cockpit
I could drag my paddle across for leverage because
I seriously could not lift my arms. Fast forward to
today and my quest to teach ergonomics to anyone
who will listen. Avoiding injury, paddling efficiently
and ergonomically are subjects about which a very
thick book could be written.

This article will address one piece of paddling ergonomics—paddleshaft and feather angles using the “Euro”
paddle. Now would be a good time to brush up on all thatforward stroke technique stuff about rotating your torso
and using your lower body for leverage and strength.
The Myth: For years paddle manufacturers have “feathered” the paddle blades at various angles supposedly toallow the paddler to cut through the wind and waves withthe blade in the air while the blade in the water does its
job pulling the boat to the blade. Okay, what happens if
the wind is from the side? Do you never turn?
The long sea kayak paddles are made for that low in yourlap “touring stroke” which is (supposedly) easier to maintain over distance for long periods of time, while the shortwhitewater paddles are meant to be used with a highshaft angle “power stroke” which is (again supposedly)
more difficult to maintain over time and causes morestrain on the wrist, arm, and shoulders due to the bigger
bite it takes with each stroke.
The Truth: Any paddle will hurt you, perhaps causing
permanent injury if you repeatedly use it without proper

ergonomics |ərgə-nämiks|plural noun [treated as sing. ]the study of people’s efficiency in their working
environment.
ergonomics. More Truth: Any paddle can be used ergonomically for your body. This is about your body!
So what do the “experts” say about paddle length andfeather angle? Cascade Canoe and Kayak Center’sfounder and former USA Canoe/Kayak National Development Coach, Dan Henderson, conducted biomechanics(physics applied to human movement) research whileworking on a Masters’ thesis. Henderson found that for
racing efficiency a feather angle of 55° to 75° (with 60°
being the most common) and a very high shaft angle is
the way to go. Henderson used science, data, paddlingexpertise, and ergonomics on his research, and for racing
I would hang on every word he has to say.
Are you doing “Park & Play” whitewater? Freestylewhitewater experts say to use an unfeathered paddle forbow stalls and such. Surf kayaking experts say that anextremely feathered paddle will act as a super bracing
tool plus allow the non-driving blade to cut through when
you punch through waves to get to the outside.
But for most paddlers, it depends on your personal position of comfort. We all have different bodies with different
histories and it also depends on what you want to do inyour kayak. I am not racing anyone and I began this sport
after experiencing injuries to most of the joints in mybody. For me to have a nice time paddling, my positionof comfort, even in a sea kayak, is a short, fat whitewater
paddle with a 45° feather and a high-shaft angle. Thisis the combination for my body (5’6” all legs, no torso
length) that does not hurt. Adding good forward stroke
technique to the combination of feather angle, shaft
California Kayaker Magazine

9Setting up for “catch” with the left blade. Good shows straight wrists and relaxed grip. Bad shows cranked right wristand bent left wrist.

End of the power phase with left blade. Good shows the relaxed grip of the right hand pushing while rotating torso andleveraging by pushing with left foot. Bad shows pulling with left hand and arms doing all the work.
angle and shaft length means I canpaddle comfortably for long periodsof time.
So what does all this actually mean?
Whether you are racing, day-tripping
or in an expedition, you need to pay
attention to your body mechanics andnot get hurt! Here are some places
to start:
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Straight wrists: Your hands on thepaddle should be a little farther apartthan your shoulders. Look at yourhands. Your wrists should not bebent inward or outward. If your grip
is too tight this will cock your wrists
inward. A death grip will also give
you sore arms no matter what else
you do! Try it without a paddle: put

your arm straight out in front of you
and make a tight fist. Do you feel themuscle tension in your wrist, in thetendon bundle above your elbow, up
the back of your arm and into yourshoulder? Do you think maybe this
could be bad for you? Now relax
your grip in the air. Feel better? If you
have a bent-shaft paddle then put all
Summer 2011

Terms:Feather Angle: The angle of difference between thetwo blades.
Shaft Angle: The angle between the water and paddle shaft. 0 degree paddle angle is parallel to the water(extremely low shaft angle). 90 degree paddle angle isvertical paddle shaft (extremely high paddle angle).
High Shaft Angle: Shaft is more perpendicular to thewater, blade is high in air.
Low Shaft Angle: Shaft is sort of across my lap, moreparallel to the water.
Control Hand: The hand that controls the rotation of
the paddle. Right-handed paddlers use a right-handcontrol feather angle.
of your fingers on the paddle, if you use a straight-shaft
try letting up on the pinkies (sort of like holding a teacup).
Unless you are punching through surf or upside-down ina gnarly class IV hole, relax that grip. In fact, unless it is
too windy, you can open the hand that is in the air andjust push forward with every stroke.
Keep em’ straight: If you feather your paddle, your“control hand” is most likely your dominant hand. The
large knuckles of this hand will be aligned with the topof the paddle blade next to this hand. When your control
hand takes a stroke do you now have to cock that wrist
to take a stroke on the other side? If you must continually cock your wrist up and down then your shaft angle iswrong. The right combination of paddle feather angle withshaft high/low angle and paddle length should allow you
to rotate your torso, take a stroke on your control handside, and be set up to take a stroke on the other side
without cocking your wrist. Try it in the air (not putting thelades into the water) and then adjust how high or low thepaddle shaft angle should be. If your blades are feathered more than 30° you will need a higher shaft angle to
avoid repetitive wrist cocking. A smaller feather angle will
dictate a lower shaft angle. For example, when the wind
picks up I lower my paddle into a low-angle stroke andchange to a 15° feather angle from my normal high shaft,
45° feather. This allows me to just alternate raising eacharm as I rotate my torso. I am never cocking my wrists.
You should figure out which combination of shaft andfeather angle is most comfortable for your body.

mechanical advantage. Do not pull that left arm back (theone near the blade in the water). Stop it! I know you wantto, but DON’T! Lift the paddle out of the water at your hip
for a “neutral” exit that will slice out of the water, and also
set you up to do this pattern again on the opposite side.
Feel’s a bit robotic but if you push, rather than pull the
paddle you will use larger muscles to move the kayak,
avoid injury and not be sore. Another benefit is that thistechnique tightens up the stomach and butt muscles!
When possible, try a lot of different paddles with different
lengths and play with the feather angles to see what suits
your body. Wait to buy that $400 carbon graphite paddle
until you know intimately what your body is comfortableusing. Have a friend videotape while you paddle away,
toward, and back and forth so you can see what you
are doing to your upper body. Checklist: Wrists straight?
Wrists not cocking? Hands a little farther apart than yourshoulders? Hands in front of your body? Pushing, notpulling? Relaxed grip? Clean entry and exit? Abductor
muscles sore? Feel those “buns of steel” developing?
Congratulations, you are on your way to a comfortablepaddling experience! v
Marna Powell is an ACA Open Water Instructor with the Adaptive Paddling Endorsement and the owner of Kayak Zak’s(www.kayakzak.com), an instruction, tour, and rental company
based just north of Arcata.
Photos not otherwise attributed are by Kayak Zak.

Stop all that pulling!: If your car dies do you sit on yourbutt and pull it or do you plant your feet and push it?
The theory is the same in your kayak. Your body is a big
crowbar of leverage. Use it! Hold your arms out awayfrom you. Keep them out there. Turn your torso to theright, raise your right arm to put the left paddle blade into
the water (keep those hands out in front of you) and as
you unwind your torso PUSH the right hand (the one in
the air) forward and PUSH against your left foot brace.
Your body has just turned into a big crowbar with great
California Kayaker Magazine

11

Dos and Don’ts ofEppie’s Great Race
By Dan CrandallThere it is! I can see the footbridge that marks
the finish line! I’ve made it this far throughthe rapids and currents and now, with ¼ mileleft to go I can hear friends and family yellingat me from shore. Time to pick up the pace. At 200
yards I can hear people screaming from the bridge
and the finish—time to pick it up a little more. “Don’t
screw up NOW” is repeating itself loudly in my headas I put the pedal to the metal for the last 100 yards.
I’m at max rpm now, paddling with everything left in
the tank and nobody is going to pass me! I drive myboat right at and through some of the hundreds ofunselfish and friendly folks who volunteer their timeto help make this annual event happen. I feel a little
bad (but only a little) as they scurry out of my path
once they realize I am not stopping in knee deep
water for them to take possession of my boat andpaddle. I drive my boat at full speed right up onto
About Eppie’s Great Race
The Eppie’s Great Race is the “World’s Oldest Triathlon” and the country’s largest kayaking event. It
includes a 5.82 mile run, 12.5 mile bike and 6.35 mileriver kayaking elements. This event has categories formale and female individuals in multiple age grouped“Ironperson” categories as well as many different team
options, including open, family, corporate, adaptive,
tandem kayak, sit-on top kayak and many, many more.
Kids can join the fun with the US Bank Kids Duathlon, a 2-mile run and 5.75-mile cycle for kids 17 andyounger.

the beach as I jump out to navigate the ten yards up
to the actual finish line and the spectator and media
lined finishers chute. I stumble as I hit the sand andrealize that my legs are not working! I’ve been driving the kayak so hard with my legs that the transition to running erect is just not happening. After allof this, will someone now run past me from behind?
I will my legs to carry me the last few steps andsuddenly—it’s done. I made it all the way throughwithout screwing up and in the process, gave it allthat I had.
This scenario, or something like it, is repeated every
July in the minds and bodies of over 2000 athletes. They
are all a part of the popular Sacramento tradition that is
Eppie’s Great Race! Known far and wide simply as “Eppie’s”, this event has inspired thousands of folks over theyears to get out and run, ride, and paddle their way tosome form of fitness so they could participate in this race.
You can see them every year as spring turns to summer, the days get hotter and the Great Race draws evercloser. They are on the residential streets around Sacramento and on the bike and running trails or the Ameri-

According to founder Eppie Johnson, last year’s race
had 2070 entries with over 1200 kayaks or canoes in
the race! This year’s race is on Saturday, July 23rd andEppie is expecting and hoping for over 2200 entries.
All proceeds from this event go to Sacramento County
Therapeutic Recreation Services to help those withphysical and mental disabilities.
Information can be found at
www.TheGreatRace.org
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Summer 2011

can River itself as it winds its way
through the fabulous 26 mile long
American River Parkway. The Countyof Sacramento manages this urban
parkway on a paper thin budget,and it is only fitting that the proceedsfrom The Great Race go to support
the County’s Therapeutic Recreation
Services.
The triathlon’s kayaking founder,
Eppie Johnson, began this race 38
years ago with a couple of his buddies. The course has changed, andthe participant pool keeps growing,
the boats and bikes changing withthe times, but the basic idea is still
there: get out with some of yourfriends and have a great time physically challenging yourself, perhaps
hoping to win something. But basically it’s “the doing of the thing” thatreally makes it so addictive andfulfilling.
If you are looking for paddling fun
and are interested in getting up to
speed for the kayaking portion of
Eppie’s Great Race, as either part ofa team or an iron person competitor,a few things to point your paddling in
the right direction might be in order.
• Have a boat that is appropriate foryour skill level. It may be true that
longer and narrower boats are faster, but they are only faster if you
can stay upright in the traffic andswirling currents and the few rapids

that exist on the course. One swim
in a fast boat is a lot slower than noswims in a slower boat!
• If you need to rent a kayak for thisrace—get it reserved early! Check
the Eppie’s website (www.thegreatrace.org) for options.
• Get some appropriate training fromexperienced providers. Even if you
only get one good session on theriver course with an Eppie’s veteran instructor, it will be well worth
the cost and time.
• Practice on the actual race course.
My first year, having discovered
the event and entered just the day
before, I participated never having
been on the course and not evenknowing how far I had to go at any
point! Knowing where the fastest water lines are and what youroptions in the rapids are going tobe (especially with a few hundred
other folks on the same path asyou) is huge in terms of having a
successful race.
• Be in shape for a 6.35 mile paddle,
but also know how to pace yourself
under the influence of adrenaline.
Many folks go out too fast andhit the wall just as they get to themore crowded and squirrely partsof the course. Also be aware thatdrafting is an appropriate option inthis event.

California Kayaker Magazine13• Know the logistics of the transition parts of the race.
Many racers, both as individuals and on teams, havelost incredible amounts of time, or have even been
unable to complete the race, because they did not doa little work in advance to determine the technical elements of getting their bike or kayak set up early on racemorning or know how to find equipment or team-matesamong all the other competitors at the transition points.
Participate in other races in the area prior to The GreatRace. These include races through River City Paddlers
and Current Adventures. The Eppie’s website featuresother nearby options as well as race information.
• Bring a fun attitude! This event is highly competitive forsome, but it’s also all about camaraderie and is lots offun for everyone—just like when Eppie and his buddies
did it the first time. v

14

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Dan Crandall is owner of Current Adventure Kayak School andTrips in Lotus, CA and has raced in the last 22 Eppie’s GreatRaces, including winning the overall race and open team title
four years in a row at one point, and placing in the top fiveanother 15+ times. Along with offering whitewater and sea
kayak trips, classes, and rentals, Current Adventures also offers
on-water training specific to the needs of participants of Eppie’s
Great Race. www.CurrentAdventures.com
Current Adventures also partners with Eppie’s Great Race andlocal kayak race club the River City Paddlers to host the Eppie’s
Pre-Race clinic the Saturday before the event and then the
Eppie’s Pre-Race on the Sunday before the Great Race. The
Pre-Race is the largest local paddling-only race each year, andlike the clinic the day before it covers the actual Eppie’s Racecourse and offers a chance for paddlers to learn the course.
Photos provided by Eppie’s Great Race.

Summer 2011

Results - continued from page 5

Kern River Festival
The 2011 Kern River Festival washeld in Kernville on the weekend of
April 18-20. It is a series of races
down the Kern River, and is run as abenefit for the non-profit Kern Valley
River Council. More information canbe found at www.kvrc.org/festival.htm.
K1 Mens Expert Elite
1. Eric Giddens
2. Eric McKee
3. Andy Wagner
K1 Mens Expert Other
1. David Curran
2. Tom Schiller
3. Brett Duxbury
K1 Womens Expert Elite
1. Svetlana Platonova
2. Rebecca Gidden
3. Lynne Siodmak
K1 Womens Expert Other
1. Kim Johnson
2. Liz Brackbill
K1 Masters
1. Bob McConachie
2. Alex Izmailov
3. Tom Cormack
K1 Seniors
1. Gilbert Siegel
2. Gary Valle
3. Darrel Lang
K1 Mens Intermediate
1. Peter Hargreaves
2. David Christie
3. Andrew Walters
K1 Womens Intermediate
1. Nancy Dagle
2. Nancy Murbach
K1 Mens Novice
1. Daniel Welborn
2. Andrew Webberly
3. Steve Tete
K1-Cadet Girls
1. Sage Donnelly
2. Kara Campbell
K-2
1. Izmailov/Platnova
2. Hargreaves/Muczynski
C-1
1. Matt Robertson

Reno River Festival, May 6-8
The 2011 Reno River Festival washeld in downtown Reno on the weekend of May 6-8. It is a series of races
and events on the Truckee River.
More information can be found atwww.renoriverfestival.com.
Juniors Freestyle
1. Hannah Kertez
2. Sage Donnelly
3. Emery Tillman / Daniel Wellbourn / Jeffrey Steehler
Women’s Freestyle
1. Ruth Ebens
2. Emily Jackson
3. Erin Clancy
Men’s Freestyle
1. Stephen Wright
2. Eric Jackson
3. Dustin Urban
Women’s Slalom
1. Svetlana Platonova
2. Jessica Subido
3. Sage Donnelly
Men’s Slalom
1. Eric Jackon
2. Bob McConahee
3. Andrew Peterman
Women’s Boatercross
1. Amanda Marusich
2. Emily Jackson
3. Elaine Campbell
Men’s Boatercross
1. Colin Kemp
2. Dave Fusilli
3. Michael TavaresStand Up Paddle Board
1. Dan Gavere
2. Taylor Robertson
3. Michael Tavares
Run Amuck
1. Team #154: Bi-Winning: Russell
Smithson, Brandon Nied
2. Team #161: Jupiterscac: Justin
Martin, Joshua Martin
3. Team #59: Super Friends: Kraig
Kimlar, Kathryn Baltierr
Biggest Little Homebrew Challenge
1. Alan Goldman: Goldman’s
Chocolate Coffee Stout
2. Jave Patterson: TangerineDream
3. Andy VanNostrand: Kickin’
Amber IPA
California Kayaker Magazine15

At the 2011 Santa Cruz Paddlefest, these competitors were waiting for their round to startwhen the sea otter decided to come over and join them. Top 3 finishers for each category
are listed in Results starting on page 5 (and no, the sea otter did not make it into the top 3).
Photo by Dominick Lemarie
Camera: Canon EOS 1D

Have a photo that shows the beauty of kayaking or otherwise makes people think?
We’d love to see it. Send submissions to editor@calkayakermag.com.
Include the background story and what camera was used.
16

www.calkayakermag.com

Summer 2011

Jack Brisley at Chute Rock, off of Newport Beach. He got stuck in thechute when the wave he rode in wasn’t enough to get him through, so
he had to wait for another wave with enough water to let him out.
But sometimes you get more than you ask for...
Photo by Mark Sanders
Camera: Pentax Optio W10

California Kayaker Magazine

17Surf Kayaking from a Baja Condo
by Steven Malone

Practicing rolls in the condo’s poolThe surf was fierce that November morning. Paddling into the surf, I had expectedmoderate-force waves, but this wave hit
hard. And, preparing only for the main wave,
I had ignored the other wave refracting off the cliff.
Capsizing, my helmet slammed the sandy bottom.
Humbling me more, hours later when showering, I
found my ear canal filled with sand.
It was much easier to treat my ear staying in an oceanfront condo than if I were tenting. Over the next two days
I poured dishwashing liquid and vinegar into the ear,letting streams of water from the showerhead hit the ear
canal, and laid down on the couch on my side. All while
listening to ocean waves. After frightening thoughts ofa ruptured eardrum, I saw a local physician. For $6 heexamined my ear and said the eardrum was fine.
My wife and I are campers. We tent in national forests toavoid the high-density campgrounds. Hotels and condominiums had been alien worlds. Others stay in condos
but outdoor people like us stay in tents, we thought.
Sunny winters were also foreign. Tenting and rainy wintermonths may only be tolerable sometimes, but that discomfort was good for the soul. Wasn’t it?
Over time, our interests drifted to new arenas. Sea
kayaking competency demands surf kayaking skills, then18

www.calkayakermag.com

surf kayaking became a pleasure unto itself. Two-week
Mexican vacations while working led to retiring in Mexico.
Renting out our Oregon home led to wintering in Mexico.
Kayaking was no longer sandwiched between work shifts,
but became a daily option. It may seem odd to bring asurf kayak up and down a high-rise condo elevator, but itworks!
Oceanfront condos have advantages for surf kayakers,
and not just for nursing sand-filled ears. It’s nice to havea gym for strength building. The biggest advantage is using the swimming pool for perfecting rolls. Many condos
have no rules against kayaks in swimming pools. Once abuilding’s units are sold and a homeowner’s association
is formed, it’s hard to institute new restrictive rules. Whowould think of writing that rule anyway?
I can build skills essential for the ocean in the safety of
the condo pool. After each surf session, I do daily homework of 20 onside and 20 offside rolls. And if I found while
surfing that I need confidence for a second roll after afailed first attempt, I would add practicing failing my firstroll, and making my second roll. If on my last combat roll I
had difficulty getting into the set-up position, in the pool I
roll over in unusual positions, and practice getting into the
set-up position underwater.
Beyond the rolls, I practice a version of the paddle-float
Summer 2011

re-entry, where paddle floats are
put on each blade, and the paddle
is parallel to the kayak; and practice
pumping water out of the cockpit. I
practice putting on swim fins, getting out smoke and sky flares, using
the sea anchor, and using neoprene
hand paddles. The point of the practice session, as the ocean waves arepounding, is clear and gripping. Pool
practice makes surf kayaking safeenough for an average guy like me.
Make no mistake, the ocean can bea dangerous place. I may want tolove the ocean and have it love me,but some days it could kill me without
a second thought. Every contingency
must be mentally rehearsed, even
if it requires a morbid imagination!
All self-rescue procedures must be
defined and refined. Surfing alone						
Baja surf!
without community support means
self-rescue techniques must be flawWhen I close my eyes at night, I
Skill building is an eternal pursuit.
less.
more typically see myself surfing.
For example, one skill is to spin the
Still I keep being drawn to the sea.
Sometimes it’s an image of successkayak from forward to reverse on the
Paddling along the coastline, thefully catching a wave after a messy
wave, but my off-side spin currently
built-up Northern Baja coastline looks
start; I particularly like having toneeds improvement. Once on thepeaceful. Nature still has a voice; mithrow my torso back to the stern ofwave, my ability to cut towards thegrating pelagic birds are surprised to
the kayak to avert a head-over-heels. ocean and get off the wave before it
see me on their turf. Local dolphins
Mostly the image is of catching thecrests also varies by side. I see mycheck me out. I sit on the water, rockwave, and turning to skim along thestronger side as the teacher, moding with each swell.
length of the wave. When I watch
eling for my weaker side on how toSometimes at night I dream of rockthe green wave build, in both mental
make moves: then my off-side picks
ing with the swell.
images and in real-life, it’s always inup the skill.
slow motion.

The paddle of choice ofprofessional sea
kayaker, Helen Wilson

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California Kayaker Magazine

19

It helps to be here awhile, as not alldays are good for surfing. Five footwaves at 11 seconds are ideal: I
can get through the soup zone, andhandle whatever the cresting wave
does. Eight feet 10 seconds is tops.
These numbers don’t do waves justice, as wintertime waves have moreforce than summertime waves withidentical numbers. Also, tidal stage
matters; waves dump the most at low
tide. Whether the sun is out is also
important; it may be an illusion, but
on sunny days the ocean feels safer
and I have more fun.

the States used to impede my ability
to identify the best spots to wait forwaves. With few surfers here, there
are more rides and a clearer focus
on reading waves.

Which beach to go to depends
partly on season and wave direction.
Since winter waves pull the sands
off-shore, many good summertime
beaches have dumping waves in
winter, although one unique sandy
beach has more spilling waves in
winter. Wave direction is a surprisingly important factor in post-capsize
analyses. Fortunately, choice ofbeach is not affected by surfer popularity. Jockeying with other surfers in

Watching surfers’ maneuverability,
accomplished solely through body
positioning on the board, is inspiring. Kayakers should be able to domuch of what they do, even without
paddles. Shouldn’t the addition of apaddle, in theory, increase our abilities exponentially? Butt-surfers cancertainly catch waves farther out thanboard surfers can, but I suspect wekayakers have a surfing potential not
yet realized.

‘Intermediate’ best describes myskill level. Static descriptions are
deceptive, however, as my abilities
vary greatly on a given day. Maybebecause I am 55, some days rolling
leaves me woozy, or my reflexes feeldelayed, and it is better to pursue
other interests. Other days I feelstrong, athletic, and eager to be on
the ocean.

Paddlers: Help Stop Aquatic Invaders
CLEAN

DRAIN

DRY

Become a Tahoe Keeper to help protect Lake Tahoe’s
pristine water.
TAHOE KEEPERS

TahoeBoatInspections.com

20

www.calkayakermag.com

Watching waves from the condo isalso inspiring. Sometimes I am likeour cat. He will look through thewindow at the birdfeeder, with his jaw
twitching as he envisions catching abird. When watching waves, I typically picture myself riding them. The
comfort of the condo often leads toa romanticized and playful vision ofwhat could be.
Friends say I have romanticized
Mexico as well, and I’m not attuned
to the violence. Perhaps they areright, as violent news reports are
unsettling. But hard-nosed analyses
say the murder base-rate per thousand residents in Tijuana is belowthat of some California cities andequal to that of Richmond, California
and Washington, D.C.

photo: peterspain.com

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Kayak transport Baja-style

Mexico looks peaceful in our smallcity of Rosarito Beach, just southof Tijuana. Locals smile, especiallywhen we ride our bicycles. Perhaps
they miss tourists, so we get special
treatment. Even if I were invisible, I’dnotice how people stroll together asfamilies, and dogs don’t bark much.
People are friendly and relaxed. Welove street markets where averagepeople buy food. We love how fruits
come from local sources, and chicken taste like chicken without broth
Summer 2011

and hormones added. Society is not
as car-oriented, small businesses
thrive, and the world makes sense.
My wife was right about how nice itwould be to see the sun in the wintertime. In what was once a foreignland, we are now at home. Even
when carrying a kayak in a high-riseelevator. v
Steve Malone is a retied psychologist
who is enjoying the surf kayak life in Mexico. He has completed a dozen two-week
sea kayaking trips in British Columbia,
six in Alaska, two in Baja, and three in
Belize.
Photos by Marlene Malone.

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California Kayaker Magazine

21

Basics of Buying a Recreational Kayak
a.k.a the Rec Boat

Photo courtesy of Delta KayaksAs a retailer, I’ve seen a whole spectrum ofbuyers. At one end was the guy who wanted a green kayak. Within fifteen minutes oftelling me his one and only parameter forbuying a boat, he drove out on his way to the Russian River with a new green kayak on his minivan.
At the other end was the couple who came backto the store every four months mostly complainingthat they hadn’t bought a boat for her the last timethey were in. Then we would pull all the boats off
the racks so they both could sit in them again. Long
after my lunch had cooled (buying a hot lunch is
my hugely successful technique to get people into
the store) they would ask for a fresh set of catalogs
and go have lunch on the river watching the happy
people paddle by in the water below. When theymissed their next four-month appointment I soon
forgot about them. Then one day after I had justpicked up a nice hot slice of pizza, they wanderedback into the store, bragging about the great deal
they got on Craigslist. The boat was short. The boat
was light. The boat was inexpensive. And unfortunately for her, the boat was built specifically for achild of no more that a hundred or so pounds. There
was no point in me saying anything but congratulations. She’d find out soon enough without me. And
besides, I had cold pizza waiting.

Buying a recreational kayak is one the easiest purchases
you can make. Why? Because with few exceptions, you
can’t go wrong. A rec boat is by definition nothing more
22

www.calkayakermag.com

than a way to get on the water and have some fun. Someare lighter. Some are faster. Some track better. Some are
more comfortable. But unless you have a really specificuse (like taking your dog) that requires a really specificfeature (like an extra large cockpit), don’t stress it, almost
any rec boat is going to give you years of paddling fun.
Things to think about: cost, weight, comfort, tracking andsafety.
COST:
If you use it, it doesn’t really matter what it costs, it’s agreat deal. If you don’t use it, it doesn’t matter what it
costs, it’s a bad deal. That is to say, a thousand dollar
kayak that gets on the water once a month is a great investment while a two hundred dollar kayak that becomesa permanent fixture in the garage is not.
WEIGHT:
If you can’t put the kayak on top of your car, you’re probably not going to go kayaking very often. You’re goingto pay more for less weight. There’s simply no two ways
about it.
COMFORT:
Just like paying more for less weight, a more comfortableseat is going to cost money also. Why? Because they
cost more to make. And unfortunately you can’t just put
a better seat into a cheaper boat. Kayak manufacturers
with über comfy seats usually build their kayaks aroundthe seat. The seat is really the selling point of the boat.
Summer 2011

After all, if your plan for the weekend begins with a few
hours kayaking Tomales Bay on Saturday morning, youprobably don’t want to spend the rest of the weekend
massaging your aching back because of it. A comfy
kayak is one you’re more excited about using. People
come back to the shop all the time raving about how
great the seat is. Never once has somebody come backin the shop wishing they had saved a few bucks on a lesscomfortable boat.
TRACKING:
My favorite comment I hear about a kayak is that it
doesn’t turn very quickly. Congratulations. Unless you’rea whitewater kayaker, you don’t want a boat that turns
quickly. It’s not like you’re out there dodging dolphins at
50mph. What you want is a boat that tracks easily in astraight line. Rec boats have been notorious over theyears for not tracking very well, mostly because they’reso short. But today’s recreational kayaks are considerably better. They’re better thought out, with sharper entry
and exit lines on the hull. The materials are more rigid
so the boats don’t flex as much in the water. What thismeans is simply you’ll work less and enjoy your time on
the water more.
SAFETY:
Here’s the deal: recreational kayaks are for general
recreation. They’re not meant for surfing Bolinas. They’re
not meant for making the Inside Passage to Alaska.
They’re designed for even the first time kayaker to sit flaton the water comfortably on relatively pleasant days. Rec
boats are wide and stable. Most people don’t wear sprayskirts. A lot of people bring their dog. As a result, the vast
majority of these kayaks have the very bare minimumof emergency flotation, which makes it difficult at best
to get the water out of a swamped boat. A flooded boat
won’t sink, but it also won’t float high enough to get backin. Manufacturers build boats like this for three reasons:keep the price low, keep the weight down, and also
because the chances are very small that you would ever
tip the boat over (if you paddle in the conditions the boat
was built for).
For added safety, at an added price, you can get a recboat with watertight bulkheads and hatches in the sternor (better yet) both bow and stern. The additional flotation
provided would make getting back in to a flooded boat
from the water easier (with proper training of course).
Another option that adds more safety but has the recboat’s ease-of-use is the slightly wetter ride of a sit-ontop kayak.v
This column is based on a blog post by Scotto Galbreath, fromClavey Paddlesports, a kayak retailer and outfitter in Petaluma.
You can read their blog at www.clavey.com.

California Kayaker Magazine

23

News - continued from page 5

Kayaker alone has logged enough todonate over $250 to charities.
I am sure we all agree that exercising
is good for us. And perhaps knowing that your exercising will also help
others may motivate you to exercise
just a little bit more.
And for kayak and gear manufacturers, signing up with Plus 3 Networks
will help stretch your donation dollars
further by not just helping a charity,
but also helping keep people active.
Rules for Paddlers to Protect Lake
Tahoe from Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are
spreading in waterways throughout
the West. Non-native species, suchas zebra mussels, quagga mussels,
and New Zealand mud snails, threaten the ecological balance of Lake
Tahoe and its famous clarity. AIS canbe easily transported through waterin the bottom of kayaks or water in
hand pumps. Aquatic weeds, suchas Eurasian watermilfoil, can cling

to a rudder and are also part of the
problem.
Tahoe Resource Conservation
District has set up a program called“Tahoe Keeper” to help compliance with Tahoe Regional Planning
Agency and the state’s requirementsthat address this serious threat while
continuing to allow paddlers the
freedom to launch at informal sitesaround Lake Tahoe.
A Tahoe Keeper is a paddler who istrained and certified to inspect anddecontaminate their own boat andgear. Paddlers will be required todecontaminate their watercraft prior
to launching in rivers or lakes in theLake Tahoe Basin. Decontamination is accomplished by cleaning,draining, and drying watercraft andgear.
A 10 to 15 minute training programthat demonstrates the “Clean, Drain,
and Dry” self-inspection and decontamination techniques is available
at inspection stations around Lake
Tahoe and online. Boaters who

successfully complete the program
receive a Proof of Training card valid
for one year and become a memberof the Tahoe Keepers stewardshipcommunity. Paddlers will be required
to carry the Proof of Training card
while boating in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Staff at developed launch sites
such as Baldwin Beach in South
Lake Tahoe, and roving inspectors at
informal launch sites will be checking
for certifications and helping paddlers
to comply.
Non-motorized watercraft registrationand inspections are free during 2011.
Paddlers play an integral role in helping to protect our regional waterways
and preserving our non-motorized
culture. This training is required forpaddling on Lake Tahoe, but is also
good for paddlers of other areas tolearn, as the AIS issue is relevant
throughout the State.
Learn how to become a Tahoe Keeper at www.TahoeBoatInspections.
com or www.TahoeKeepers.org.

MOUNTAIN SPORTS

KAYAKS • RAFTS • SUPSCANOES • ACCESSORIESKayak Center
Lake Del Valle
Regional Park

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Livermore, CA 94550

Classes•Tours•Sales•Rentals
WWW.CLAVEY.COM

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Petaluma, CA 94952
707-766-8070“on your way to Tomales Bay”
24

www.calkayakermag.com• More than 100 kayaks for rent
• Valley Sea Kayaks Regional Demo Center• Hobie Mirage kayaks, all models for rent
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Summer 2011

New Guidelines for Eating Fish Caught in San
Francisco Bay
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment(OEHHA) has released an updated health advisory andsafe eating guidelines for fish and shellfish from San
Francisco Bay. “OEHHA’s guidelines and advisory should
help anglers choose the safest kinds of fish for their families to eat and the safest ways to prepare fish they catchin the San Francisco Bay,” said Dr. George Alexeeff,
Acting OEHHA Director. OEHHA is part of the California
Environmental Protection Agency.
The advisory and guidelines replace an earlier 1994
advisory, and draw on over a decade of more recent data
showing San Francisco Bay fish contain mercury andpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). They also incorporate
nutrition science showing that fish provide dietary protein
and essential nutrients, including Omega-3 fatty acids
that promote heart health.

Qajaq Japan Sticker Sales Supporting Japan
Qajaq Japan, a traditional kayak club in Japan, is sellinga very interesting sticker to raise funds for the victims of
the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastatedJapan. The sticker is about 4” in diameter and shows aSamurai with a Greenland paddle, instead of the more
traditional Samurai sword, standing in front of the Japanese rising sun. Words of support for Japan are printed aroundthe outside.
Each sticker costs $9, which includes shipping. Of this,about $8 goes to charities. Most likely, someone within
Qajaq Japan is subsidizing this effort, as printing andmailing is likely more than $1 per sticker.
Information can be found at www.qajaq.jp.
Potential State Park Closures
California has released a list of 70 parks that are slated
to be closed due to the state’s budget deficit. This list is
preliminary, as it has not yet been signed by Governor
Brown, so it will likely change. But the parks still on thelist when the bill is signed will be closed on July 1, 2012.

Some kinds of fish have more mercury and PCBs thanothers: sharks had the highest levels of mercury, andshiner perch had the most PCBs. High exposures tomethylmercury (the form of mercury prevalent in fish)
can affect the nervous system and harm learning ability,
language skills and memory. PCBs are common contaminants known to build up in fish. They have been found tocause cancer in animals and also cause health problems
in children and adults.
OEHHA recommends avoiding shiner perch and othersurfperch species from San Francisco Bay. Women ofchildbearing age and children, who are most sensitive
to mercury, should also avoid eating San Francisco Bay
sharks, striped bass, or white sturgeon. In addition, because of heavy contamination by PCBs and the pesticide
dieldrin, OEHHA recommends that no one eat any fish or
shellfish from the Lauritzen Channel in Richmond Inner
Harbor.
The complete guidelines, a fact sheet, and the fish advisory report may be viewed at www.oehha.ca.gov v

The list includes a few that are popular with kayakers,
including:• Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
• China Camp State Park
• Mono Lake Tufa State Recreation Area
• Moss Landing Beach State Recreation Area
• Russian Gulch State Park• Salton Sea State Recreation Area
• South Yuba River State Park
• Tomales Bay State ParkThe news announcement and list of parks can be seen atwww.parks.ca.gov/pages/712/files/2011ParkClosures_attachments20110513.pdf
California Kayaker Magazine

25

Head to Head:Pentax Optio WG-1 vs. Olympus Tough TG-610

H

ave you ever been out paddling and had adolphin surface right in front of you? Thatwould be something great to get a pictureof. Probably you think water and cameras
don’t mix, so you didn’t bring one. Or if you did, youhave it safely locked away in a dry box or bag and
not accessible in time to get the shot.
For a few years now there have been “waterproof” cameras. At first, they weren’t always waterproof enough for
kayaking needs or they did not take good enough photos
to make us happy. But over the years, waterproof cameras have improved to the point where they are viable foruse on (and off) the water. With that in mind, California
Kayaker contacted a few camera manufacturers to get“kayak ready” cameras to test and report the results backto our readers.
Our focus of this review is cameras that you would use
holding in your hand (we will be doing a review of “mountable” cameras, like the HD GoPro and Oregon Scientific
ATC9K, in our next issue). We wanted cameras that werereasonably priced, would fit in a PFD pocket (so always
accessible), and waterproof enough to withstand what
we may dish out in more aggressive kayaking situations(such as surf or whitewater). And we focused on thefeatures and attributes of these cameras that would be
important to kayakers.

This review covers the Pentax Optio WG-1 and the Olympus Tough TG-610. To help you decide which of thesecameras you may prefer, we have posted on our blog
(calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2011/05/camera1.html) raw
images and video files taken under a variety of conditions
that would challenge any camera. We set up the cameras
side-by-side with similar settings and tried to press the
shutter buttons at the same time. We then posted thefiles exactly as they came out of the cameras, unedited,
so you can see exactly how they would look (and also
read Exif information, if you know what that means andhow to access it).
OK, on to how the cameras did…
Picture Quality: both were good, but the Olympus
pictures were a little better. In addition to being visibly
able to tell when you look closely at the photos, we hada hint that this would be the case when we saw that the
Olympus file sizes were larger. The Pentax photos seemto generally have a little too much green in the picture,
where the Olympus was on the edge of being washed out(overexposed, so too bright). Both the extra green andthe washing out are easily adjusted with software, if you
find the need to do so.
Kayak photography tip—California Kayaker Magazine isalways looking for good photos, and we prefer that thephotos be taken in the highest resolution possible. To do

Blow up of an action photo of Lucy O’Brien going over a pour-over off the Sonoma Coast taken with each camera(Pentax on left, Olympus on right) at the same time. These pictures show both how the Olympus has better quality,
and the Pentax faster shutter speed (having caught Lucy earlier on the wave).

26

www.calkayakermag.com

Summer 2011

Specifications

Pentax Optio WG-1

Olympus Tough TG-610

4.6” wide x 1.1” deep x 2.3” tall3.9” wide x 1” deep x 2.6” tall

Weight5 ounces

6.7 ounces

Waterproof Rating

33 feet16 feetShockproof Rating

5 feet

6 feetDimensions

Max Photo Resolution

14 megapixel

14 megapixel

5x optical zoom + 6.7x digital zoom

5x optical zoom + 4x digital zoom

720p (1280 x 720 30fps)

720p (1280 x 720 30fps)

Video File Format

AVI

MP4

Video File Size

~68 megabytes per minute (720p, 30 fps)

~68 megabytes per minute (720p, 30 fps)

2 gigabytes

4 gigabytes

GPS model (WG-1 GPS), remote control

33 foot rated waterproof model (TG-810)

$349

$299

www.pentaximaging.com

www.olympusamerica.com

Zoom
Max Video Resolution

Max Video File Size
Options
MSRP (as tested)
URL

this, choose the highest megapixel
option the camera allows and alsochoose the finest detail (least compression—which for both of thesecameras was a choice between 1
star, 2 stars, and 3 stars, with 3 stars
being highest resolution). This is what
we did for the photo tests.
Shutter Lag: digital cameras are
known for having shutter lag, andthis can make the difference between
whether you capture the picture of
the dolphin surfacing, or just thesplash of its tail. Shutter lag is thetime it takes from when you press
the shutter button until the camera
figures out what settings too use(focus, shutter speed, flash or not,etc.) and then takes the picture. In
full auto mode (where the camera
figures everything out, which would
be the mode with the longest shutter lag), the Pentax was significantly
faster (shutter lag of about a halfsecond versus almost a full second
for the Olympus). Other modes also
revealed the Pentax to be faster.

Kayak photography tip—with point
and shoot cameras, you can reduce
the shutter lag by turning off the
flash and pre-setting various settings(shutter speed, aperture, etc.), if you
know what would work best for theconditions. Or try taking the picture inan Action/Sport mode setting, if yourcamera has one.

though both are rated at 720p (a highdefinition rating), the Pentax video
resolution was better. The Olympus
benefited from being able to takelonger continuous videos, given its
max file size of 4 gigabytes (versus
Pentax’s 2 gigabytes) and that its
files were about 1/3 the size perminute.

Video: the Olympus has a very nice
one touch video button to start/stop
recording, greatly speeding up thetime it takes to change between taking still photos and videos. But even

Shape and Form: We liked the larger LCD screen on the Olympus, but
saw good and bad about its automatic lens cover. The cover did protect
the lens from water drops when the

California Kayaker Magazine

27

Pair of photos of Gregg Helton at a pool roll practice session (Pentax on left, Olympus on right). The Olympus chose
to use a flash and shorter exposure time, where the Pentax opted for no flash and longer exposure.
camera is powered off (and cover closed), but we were
worried that it would jam if exposed to dirt or sand, which
are likely in kayaking environments. We did not have any
problems with this during our test.
The Pentax wouldn’t have a risk of jamming because it
doesn’t have a lens cover. Instead the lens is coated witha vapor-deposition fluorine compound meant to repel
dust, water and grease, but we still did have issues ofwater droplets forming on the lens.
Kayak photography tip—water droplets on lenses arecommon problems with waterproof cameras. The bestsolution we have seen is to check for droplets before taking
a picture, and if so, to dunk the camera underwater andthen hold it so the lens is vertical (and drops can roll off).
We preferred the Pentax’s battery/memory card compartment cover, as it had an auto lock on it. If the compartment opens by accident in a wet environment, thecamera would be ruined, so having the compartment
automatically lock when shut provides added security.
Neither camera had a viewfinder, instead opting to use
the LCD screen. But the LCD screens can be hard toread in the sunlight. The best suggestion to get aroundthis is to take multiple pictures, each aimed slightly differently or with slightly different settings, and then delete theones where you did not have aimed or set correctly.
Both cameras use removable, proprietary lithium-ion batteries. The Pentax comes with an external charger, whereas the Olympus has to be connected to a USB to charge
the battery. For long trips, many prefer cameras that use
standard batteries (like AAs, which could be bought inexpensively anywhere), which neither of these two use. Butof the two, the Pentax was slightly better in that you could28

www.calkayakermag.com

use the camera while recharging a spare battery (theOlympus could not be used while it is charging).
Kayak photography tip—tie a 2 to 3 foot long line to thecamera’s wrist strap and connect that to one of the key
attachment points built into most PFDs. These cameras
don’t float, so a leash will prevent you from losing it.
Software: Both cameras use proprietary software to help
you transfer files from the camera to your computer, andto perform minor edits. Neither stood out as anything
very powerful or user-friendly, so we instead went back totransferring files using a memory card reader and using
Google Picassa for our minor edits and file management.
Final thoughts: We did not review these cameras
against a non-waterproof point and shoot camera, but
the general agreement amongst photo buffs is that the
non-waterproof versions take better pictures. But they
can only take pictures in dry conditions, and that isn’t thenorm when kayaking. Putting one of these non-waterproof cameras into a specially made dry bag would be an
option that may work. Or in some cases, specially madedry boxes can be obtained, but usually at a significant price.
Also, we have heard from California Kayaker Magazine
readers that cameras, along with many other electronic
items, seem to have a significant number of issues that
require warranty returns. This seems especially true ofelectronics with waterproof ratings. It may be worth purchasing your electronics from a vendor that has a good
return policy, just in case you get one of these lemons.
Both were good cameras, and the differences weren’t
enough for us to say to buy one and not the other. But we
do recommend buying one so you have a camera on you
during your paddles.v
Summer 2011

Yoga for Kayaking DVDW

hen you talk to advanced paddlers
about how to improve at kayaking,something that often comes up is toincrease flexibility through practicing
yoga. So much so that yoga almost seems a requirement for anyone who does Greenland rolls.

I am an on-and-off (more off than on) practitioner of yoga.
I see others who get a spiritual benefit out of it, but I
mostly do it for the flexibility benefits that comes from thestretching.
I know that yoga is beneficial for me and wanted to get
motivated to do it more. So when I heard about the Yoga
for Kayaking DVD, I immediately picked up a copy to use
as an impetus to practice more—and it worked. I started
doing one or the other of the two routines in the DVD fouror five days a week for a month.
What is yoga? Wikipedia says “In the West, the term‘yoga’ is typically associated with Hatha Yoga and its
asanas (postures) or as a form of exercise.” Practition-

ers run through a series of poses that involve pulling withsome muscles while stretching other areas of your body.
The DVD focuses on working on areas that become tightin kayakers—your hips and shoulders. Anne Levesque isa long-time white water kayaker and yoga instructor. JoeTaft, also a white water kayaker, started yoga as a way
to relieve some back issues he was having. He liked it somuch he also became an instructor.
The DVD contains two major routines, and a couple ofshort side-bars (5 minute meditation, details on how to
open your hips, and out-takes). The first routine is led byAnne, is about 30 minutes long, and focuses on seatedpostures. Anne says that it is “designed for beginners andit allows people to stretch and strengthen at a pace thatis not intimidating.”
The second routine, which is lead by Joe, is about 45
minutes and contains standing postures. Anne describes
this routine as being “for those who want a more vigorous
workout. It also gives paddlers with more experience inyoga an opportunity to grow their practice.”So, do the routines work? I own a boat that has neverbeen very comfortable for me to sit in. In just a shortwhile of sitting in it, my legs would fall asleep. But after
two weeks of doing the routines, this sleepy-leg syndrome was greatly reduced. Of course, these routines
won’t make up for bad outfitting (see articles in Winter2010 and Spring 2011 issues of California Kayaker
Magazine on boat outfitting for tips), but they do seem tohelp with reducing problems due to tight muscles.
Truthfully, I suspected that the routines would work, asthey use a variety of poses that are the same as my chiropractor had recommended to strengthen my lower backto help alleviate some issues I was having.
Overall, the film work, the locations, the soothing “yogalike” background music, and the editing are all excellent.
But, I am not an expert, and figured it would be good to
get the opinion of one. So I passed the video on to MaryAnn Furda, yoga instructor and owner of High HealthStudio in Palo Alto, CA. She reviewed the video andreported:“I found the physical environment on-camera
to be lovely, particularly with Anna’s sequence,
where the gentle lapping of the waves and thesoftness of the sand support her in guiding
her audience into a sense of ease and releasing, creating space in the body. Her voice adds
yet another layer of gentling into opening, with
instructions that are clear and concise, so that
California Kayaker Magazine

29

one could actually do the poses without looking
at the screen. Her precautions, such as how tosafely practice if the viewer is hypermobile, areexcellent. Her choice of reclining poses are agood, rich blend of hip, thorax, and flank openers, excellent for kayakers after paddling to easepost-paddling stiffness, as well as to provide theopening over time that will allow for greater freedom in range of motions that can prevent injury
and allow for better, more efficient paddling. Thissection of the tape could easily be done by anyone who’d never had a yoga class.
Joe’s section presents more challenging poses
and more challenges overall. He builds naturally
on Anna’s recommendation to pay attention to
the breath, and to move with it, and his analogy to kayakers and their boats moving with thewater I found most satisfying and apt.
I did find that even as the pose are more complex, the verbal directions are less clear, so thatthe viewer needs to look to the screen often tounderstand what to do, which can be problematicwhen in a pose. Generally, the specifics of lower
body positioning and action were presented ingood detail. But little mention was made about
positioning of head and neck, or spinal alignment and rotation in the standing poses. For asport that so heavily relies on torso rotation it
would have seemed natural to add such detail inthe verbal directives for the poses. Fortunately,
Anna’s modeling of the poses fills in the blanks.”
So, who would this DVD be good for? I agree with Mary
Ann that the video would be good for both a beginnerand also those who have practiced yoga for a while. For
someone entirely new to yoga, this video may be good
to work with in conjunction with classes or to take a few
classes with a trained instructor first to get the basics.
The Yoga for Kayaking DVD has a suggested retail priceof $24.95 and can be purchased from www.yogaforkayaking.com or at many kayak retailers. v

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Summer 2011

A Kayak For

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