Saturday, September 26. This is our last full day in Mendocino, and many people hoping to get on the water at Van Damme Beach. I managed to join a group of six paddlers. There were several pods of paddlers, totaling about 30 club members launching from the beach. The seven of us were on the water about 9:45. We explored the north end of the inlet, poking around the rocks and going through some tunnels.
The we paddled across the inlet, staying clear of the breaking waves on the rocks. One wave nearly caught me by surprise. I looked to my right and saw a breaking wave coming my way. I used my paddle to brace on the wave and was surprised to say upright. We paddled to the Disney pour over. I decided to give it a try. Our group leader, Mark, suggested I follow him so he could demonstrate. His timing was off and he went over sideways, managing to keep his boat upright. My timing was off a bit too, although I managed to ride a wave over, before turning into a submarine and going for a swim.
After our Disney adventures we found a protected beach where we could land safely and have lunch.
After lunch we continued paddling south, through a pair of tunnels called The Nostrils. From there we headed out around Stillwell Point into some open water feeling the full effect of the six foot swell.
Then it was time to return and we followed the coast keeping an eye out for rocks and boomers. We were back on the beach at 2:45 having logged 5.6 miles. I had a blast being tossed about in the dynamic water and experiencing the power of the wind and waves. More photos are available in an online gallery.
