Tag: Mendo 2026

Mendo Madness: Van Damme

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.

Mendo Madness: Albion River

September 25. With conditions on the ocean predicted to be a bit spicy, we opted to paddle on the Albion River. Fourteen of us were on the boat ramp for a briefing and safety check before we slipped into the water at 8:45.

We paddled up the river about four and a half miles. The river narrows at this point and with brush and debris blocking further progress we turned around looking for a spot to land for lunch. We managed to find a grassy spot on the bank where we could haul our boats out of the water.

After lunch we continued back down the river. We rafted up in the lagoon, which is a couple of miles upstream near one of the houseboats. One of our club members wanted to capture some drone footage of kayakers, so we accommodated him. We followed directions relayed by radio.

We stopping to explore some of the houseboats. Tom managed to get his kayak inside to octagon house, which is pretty dilapidated. We were back at the boat ramp at 1:45 having logged 9.5 miles after a very pretty paddle. You can view more photos in an online gallery.

Mendo Madness: Big River

Wednesday. September 25. Today we paddled on the Big River. Quite a contrast to paddling on the coast. Flat calm water. Peaceful and Quiet. The Redwood Trees stand majestically on the steep banks of the river. We were a little slow getting on the water. A pod of about eight kayakers were launching as we were getting ready. Three of us were on the water at 9:40.

We paddled up the river until noon keeping an eye out for a good landing spot for lunch. The steep banks of the river do not provide many spots to land. At noon we found a shallow sandy spot among a few fallen logs and ate lunch sitting on a log with our feet dangling in the water. We didn’t dally long. With the water level dropping with the ebbing current, we were back on the water at 12:20 after a 20 minute lunch stop.

We had crossed over a fallen log going up the river and on the return trip the water level had dropped enough that getting our boats through the tangle of branches and over the log proved to be a bit of a challenge.

We saw quite a few cormorants and a couple of water ouzels on the river. Paddling back down the river with the current pushing us made for a fast trip. We were back at our launch site at 2:25 having logged 11.6 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.