Tag: Russian Gulch

Mendo Madness: Russian Gulch

On the afternoon of September 21 we parked our camper at site 67 in the Van Damme State Park campground. We were here for the annual kayaking club (BASK, Bay Area Sea Kayakers) event we refer to as Mendo Madness; a week of kayaking and comradery. Over the week we had over 70 people from the club come and go.

Our first paddle was Tuesday, September 22. We joined a pod of kayakers launching from Russian Gulch, a popular place to launch, particularly when conditions on the coast get a bit spicy. Eight of us were on the water shortly after 9:00 launching under overcast skies.

With the conditions what they were, we managed to paddle around some of the rocks to the north, and through the big arch.

After exploring to the north as far as the conditions would allow, we headed to the south end of the inlet where we practiced a few rescues.

We were back on the beach at 11:30 under sunny skies, You can see a map that shows our track. It’s quite exciting being in dynamic water, with the surge of the waves washing this way and that.

You can view more photos in an online gallery.

Mendocino Tunnel Vision

Seven of us gathered on the beach at Russian Gulch to explore the coast north to Point Cabrillo. When paddling around rocks we wear helmets and prefer plastic boats that are more forgiving when banging into rocks. We also wear wetsuits or drysuits should we end up going for a swim. We were on the water about 9 a.m. After a few days of rough water, we had calm conditions with little wind and wave action. This afforded us the opportunity to explore just about every cave and arch between Russian Gulch Beach and Point Cabrillo.

We did have one person go for a swim early in our paddle. A good opportunity to practice a T-rescue.

We paddled north along the coast noodling into every feature we could find. I had a GoPro camera attached to my helmet and was able to record much of our cave exploration.

We did find a couple of channels that offered some dynamic water. A few members of our pod opted to avoid the surging and sloshing water by paddling outside the rocks where conditions were calmer. Those of us that paddled inside the rocks had some fun bracing and practicing boat control.

We arrived at Point Cabrillo just before noon and found a very protected beach on which to land for lunch. After lunch we noodled our way back down the coast, once again taking advantage of the conditions to paddle in and out of the many caves and tunnels.

We were back on the beach a little after 3 p.m., having logged 7.7 miles. You can see the track of our paddle on the map. An excellent day on the water with some good paddling friends.

Mendo Madness

We were hardly back from Scotland when it was time to pack up the kayaks to head for Mendocino. On September 20 we pointed our rig to Van Damme State Park to join our kayaking club for our annual Mendo Madness. Each year our kayak club takes over a good part of the campground for a week of paddling and socializing. There were about 70 of us, which makes for plenty of paddling opportunities with skill levels ranging from novice to expert, a great opportunity to get on the water with friends and to advance our skills.

On Wednesday we paddled up the Albion River. It’s such a peaceful feeling paddling on the quiet river past the redwood trees, with a variety of wildlife to view. We saw plenty of birds, but no seals or river otters.

On Thursday conditions were perfect to paddle on the coast, so we joined a group of experienced paddlers, launched from Russian Gulch, and paddled south exploring caves, tunnels and other features on the Mendocino Headlands. I had a GoPro camera mounted on my helmet, so stay tuned for some video of our paddling through caves and tunnels.

Our club has occasionally been referred to an eating club with a kayaking disorder. True to form there was an abundance of food with two pizza ovens and charcoal grills going. We came prepared to cook our own meals, but who wants to cook when you can simply nosh while sharing stories with friends. Friday night was Bourbon and Brine, hosted by two club members who are very creative mixing drinks suitable for the occasion. They were assisted by a half-dozen bartenders.

On Sunday, September 25, we broke camp to head for home. Passing through Cloverdale at noon gave us a good reason to stop for burgers, fries, and shakes at Pick’s Drive in. Great burgers.

More photos are available in an online gallery.