Kitesurfing in La Ventana

It was windy here today.

Isla Espiritu Santo

Loading up for the crossing to the island (in background)

One of the many shallow bays

Rest stop on the west side of the island

The steep cliffs and reflected waves

The narrow channel between Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida

Looking west between the two islands

On Monday December 13 Kirk C. and I paddled around the island of Espiritu Santo which lies north of La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. The highlights of the trip were the whale sighting, no human sighting and a tail wind both directions on the 35 mile paddle.
I'd been wanting to do this trip for a couple of years but at 35 miles - not alone. It was Kirk who made it possible as I knew he was strong enough and of good character to either tow me back to camp or at least take good care of my possessions in case I didn't make it. We debated for three days whether to go clockwise or counter clockwise each changing our minds so many times we figured it was a toss up. We went clockwise. It was a 40 minute crossing through the shipping channel with our boats more unstable than usual with the water we were carrying on deck. Two hours of paddling (not including photo stops) got us to the top of the island where we crossed the narrow channel separating it from Isla Partida. The eastern side of the island had 3 foot ocean swell and reflected waves off the steep cliffs. By now the wind had changed direction and what was from south earlier in the morning was now blowing from the north. This is normal for this part of the Sea of Cortez and is what makes La Ventana a good kiteboarding location. After two hours of trying to catch the ocean swell down the east side and another 40 minute crossing we were back at our starting point. While crossing the channel we heard a slapping sound about 1/2 mile off. It was a whale which for 15 minutes continued to slap it's tail fin on the surface. We maintained the 1/2 mile distance. All we saw was the tail fin and it was bigger than our boats.
Thanks Kirk.

A flat day in La Ventana

Remount practice

Kim (Bellingham, WA.) and Alen (Vermont) doing wet exit practice at the end of a two hour paddle in the Sea of Cortez.

No more "V10 Sport"

I finally got rid of the "Sport". The decal that is. When I moved up from my first boat. a V10 Sport, to a V10 (used)  I had a vinyl sign maker fabricate a new decal as the old "V10" was faded and peeling off. She wanted a sample of the typeface so I showed her a photo of the sport. What I wanted was "V10". What I got was "V10 Sport". Not one to waste good vinyl I applied the new decal to the V10 and raced it for two years against a few who were impressed at how fast I could get the "Sport" to go. Apologies to all. I'll be in a V10 next season.

First paddle of the season with "new paddle"

First paddle of the season with Kim of Bellingham, Washington.

By "new paddle" I mean the new left as opposed to right feather. Over the past year I developed a severe case of tennis elbow in my right arm. Despite seeing physical therapists, icing, ibuprophen, and  acupuncture nothing worked. So this November I took the month off paddling and started up again in December with a change of control hand from right to left. It took only about 10 sessions to relearn how to paddle but I'm now comfortable withe the reverse feather and the pain has gone. 

up and running soon

I will be in La Ventana within the week (ETA November 15) and will have boats available and posting regularly to the blog...

Photos from the road

Camp for the night








Cabo Pulmo










The Catavina boulder fields

paddling / surfing video

BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.

Sunrise - Sea of Cortez

Getting ready for a 6:30 am sunrise paddle.

surfski remount Los Cabos, Mexico

Here's the You Tube version with music.
It was difficult getting this footage as the water was rough from all the passing boats and jet skis. Most of the boats were "glass bottom boat" tours so everyone was looking down instead of ahead. The jet skis are like mosquitoes with a wake. And driven by a gringo they are as dangerous on the water as a Mexican on the road.

How to remount a surfski

Here is another method of remounting your surfski. With tight footstraps I was unable to easily hold the paddle and the footstraps in one hand as shown in this post. Also, I didn't like the damage I was doing to the paddle shaft and cockpit rails by holding the shaft at 90 degrees to the boat (I fall out a lot).
I hold the paddle parallel to the boat with my back (far) hand. The video will explain the rest.


If video does not play go to Youtube

See Global Surfski for more videos.

Surfski rental in Baja

For the 2010 / 2011 winter season there will be surfskis available for rent in La Ventana. There will be an Epic V10, an Epic V10 Sport and a Think Evo or Legend. Email me for more info: wbruce55 (at sign) gmail.com
Warren

Self centering steering

Foam insert and paper template

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. I’ve been giving some thought on the recently discussed topic of steering line breakage and what to do in case of emergency. Rather than using the shock cord setup as shown in this youtube video ( which involves drilling a hole in the deck of your boat ) I tried using a foam insert in the rudder access compartment. Epic V10 shown.
Originally this was meant to be an emergency setup - ie inserting the foam after the breakage. On testing it though I found that I still have probably 75% steering left and right and the steering self centers when my feet are off the steering controls. I now leave it in place while training but will be removing it when any racing involves tight turns around marks.
I used a piece of roof rack foam. Resources are limited here in Baja but when I return to Vancouver I will be trying different types for resiliency.
Warren

Downwinder from Punta Arena

Did a magical thirteen mile downwinder from Punta Arena to the La Ventana campground yesterday. I put in where the fishermen were coming in and cleaning their catch of small sharks at the old hotel. In a light cross-onshore breeze I rounded the point at the lighthouse and began an eight mile downwind surf in a freshening breeze. About two miles from the lighthouse, two whale tails emerged at about forty meters, followed by two very large backs, headed directly for me. Not feeling too comfortable with this heading, I moved laterally, none too smoothly, but not to worry; I never saw a sign of them again. The surfing got better and better, with lots of connected runs as I approached the Bufidora. By this time I was tiring from sprinting onto waves, and proceeded to crash and burn, trying to find a point of paddling that was a little more stable on the beam sea return to the campground. A bit of ferrying across the swells and a few more surfs later, I got back to the campground, tired and happy.
Alan

Trip and daily expenses

The day starts with a Kijote Coffee

Following is a list of typical daily expenses here in La Ventana:
All prices in Mexican pesos (in January 2010 the exchange rate is 12.4 pesos to the US dollar)
Coffee at Kijote Coffee $20
Breakfast $50
Lunch $50
Dinner $100
Campsite $90
That's $310 pesos (or $25 US) per day

Extras... Beer $20
5 gal. water $13
Gas $7.41 per litre ($1.89 US per gallon)


The cost to drive the Xterra (which gets 23 miles to a gallon) was about $350 US - that's one way - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
If camping is not your style then click on accommodations on the Best of La Ventana page.
Warren

Cabo Pulmo

Cabo Pulmo, Charlie and the humpback whale

Met up with paddleboard Charlie yesterday at Cabo Pulmo about two hours drive south of La Ventana. He was out on the water half an hour before me so when I saw him from a distance he looked like he was walking on water and there was all this splashing going on around him. The mobulas (rays) were jumping at a rate of one or two per second.
As I didn't feel safe in the surfski with falling fish all around me we left the area and then Charlie pointed out the two whales in the distance. It was a mother humpback and her calf. The calf was breaching and when they saw us swam in our direction to check us out. They came within 20 feet and as they swam underneath us the water lifted and I was thankful for all the remount practice I've been doing.
Warren

Accomodations in La Ventana / El Sargento

The La Ventana main campground on the Sea of Cortez and Isla Cerralvo in background
The website " Best of La Ventana" has a complete list of accomodations in the area.



After a hard day of long slow distance training (or "establishing my minimum heart rate")

The Drive

Driving from the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver, BC)...

From the LA freeway





To the dusty streets of Baja
It takes four days of approximately 12 hours each to drive from the Pacific Northwest to southern Baja (La Paz area). Two days on the I5 to San Diego and two days on the Baja Transpeninsular from Tijuana to the La Paz area.
Leave North Vancouver on a Saturday morning (this avoids running into weekday rush hour traffic in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angles or San Diego. Night number one is spent in Redding, California area. Night number two is spent in San Diego area. The Oceanside rest area ( Alliso Creek ) is recommended as this is close to the Mexican border crossing and allows an early start for day three. I’ve entered Mexico at the Tijuana border crossing on two occasions and the Tecate crossing once. Border crossing details are found on the Baja Friends, Baja Insider, Baja Nomads ,Mexperience.or iKitesurf webpage. Mexican auto insurance is mandatory and can be bought online from Baja Bound. Night of day three is spent in Guerrero Negro and the Hotel Malarrima is recommended. The final day of travel gets you to La Paz or you can continue to La Ventana (another 40 minutes) if it’s not dark yet.
Things to remember when driving in Baja:
never drive at night
if the slow moving truck in front of you signals left it may mean he's saying it’s safe for you to pull out and pass or it may mean he’s turning left in which case it’s not safe for you to pull out and pass
the army road checks are nothing to stress about - just be polite
take the speed limit signs seriously
don’t drive at night.