surfski baja

Using a kitesurfing leash

2011-12-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

Since hearing the discussion lately about failing velcro on leashes I've started using my kitesurfing leash on my ski. It has carabiners on each end and a release. See the red handle with the arrow? That's the safety release which allows you to quickly unhook from the kite (or ski) and prevents "kitemares". The PFD I'm using is a Mustang inflatable with built in rings for a tether when sailing in rough weather.

Paddling Balandra (near La Paz)

2011-12-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Chris for putting this together...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osOaFpHr3cs

2011-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

BEST PADDLE OF MY LIFE... UNTIL WE DID THE SECOND RUN!

The wind had been blowing all night and when we awoke there was a nice swell producing breaking surf on the beach. We knew the wind was going continue to build so we headed north. Warren, Allan, Renée and myself (Chris) set off to the Hot Springs to do a 10km down wind run. Renée dropped us off and returned with the truck to La Ventana stopping at the market along the way.

After launching from the beach we headed north east to get into the bigger waves and to clear Punta Gorda. The waves were beautiful... swell with wind waves on top. The swell was moving fast and would normally be hard to catch, but the extra push from the wind waves sent you screaming down the waves.

When we got back there were hi-5s all around and I remember saying, "that was the best down wind I've ever done!" Renée was eager to paddle now so Allan volunteered to drive back up for another go round. The wind seemed to be a bit calmer (maybe 15knots), but the waves seemed larger. Once we were out off shore we realized that they were much bigger. It was hard to stay together because people kept disappearing in the 6 foot swell. Renée took a spill early on and we circled around. Paddling into these waves was very humbling. A few broke just as I was popping over and then I would crash back to the other side.

After flying down a few monstrous waves, I realized that this was definitely going to be even better than the first run. As we neared La Ventana the wind was picking up again and the Kite Surfers were out in strong numbers. Luckily they were all being blown down the beach giving us room to surf into the beach safely.

When we got back to Warren's camp I checked my GPS to see how fast we were going. I remember Warren posting that he clocked his fastest time a few weeks ago at 18.2km. My GPS was showing 18.3 so I now had the record... for a few minutes. Then Warren checked his and he had an unbelievable 20.7km. Warren exclaimed that it must have been the lighter boat... we were both in V-10s, but he had the Ultra. I think it was more to do with the Wardog's strength and fearlessness!

What an amazing day to cap off an amazing week. I have to return to the cold tomorrow, but we might try to break another record tomorrow morning. The forecast is for 30knot winds.

¡Adiós de La Ventana, Baja Sur!

Chris

2011-12-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is Chris half way through a four hour paddle. For more photos go to the Surfski Baja Facebook page.

2011-12-08T11:08:00.001-08:00

The four of us (myself, Alen, Kim and Rene) were finally able to get on the water today after 3 days of 25 knot winds and 7 foot seas. The remnants of the big waves helped me post a 18.2 kmph (11.3 mph) top speed.

2011-11-25T10:07:00.001-08:00

This morning's paddle was a 20 minute time time trial. Light ocean swell, no wind. Average speed 12.6 km/hr. (7.8 mi/hr.) Maximum speed 17.1 km/hr. (10.6 mi/hr.)

2011-11-15T07:19:00.001-08:00

To see what went down on the beach today go to Surfski Baja Facebook

2011-11-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

Photo from the road.
This year the daily updates will be on the Surfski Baja Facebook page. Remember to "Like" Surfski Baja

2011-10-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back in La Ventana for the winter. This year I'll be posting daily updates on the Surfski Baja facebook page but this blog will remain up to date with listings for accommodations, weather reports and archives for the last three years.

choice photos from the archives

2011-07-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

That's a wrap

2011-03-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well that ends another season of training in Baja and now it's off to Vancouver and Bellingham for the races. Back in October.

The perfect boat stand

2011-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

After probably half a dozen variations on the surfski stand I've finally attained perfection. Earlier versions were too tall and flexible, too narrow or too short to accommodate a variety of boats.
Here are the dimensions:
3/4 inch tubing
1 - 15" piece, 2 - 5" pieces, 6 - 7" pieces, 4 tee connectors, 6 end caps, and 36" webbing.

Resistance training in the surfski

2011-03-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

From multicoach.co.za : Another form of Strength training is Resistance training. In other words having some form of resistance on your boat, to create drag.

I've been using resistance training once a week to prepare for the upcoming race season. As the article above mentions bungee cords around the hull are ideal but I found the water noise generated where the cord meets the surface annoying. I use a short length of bungee for the underwater portion of the hull and smaller diameter line and a quick disconnect for the above water portion. The bungee keeps tension on the line and provides just enough resistance to remove boat glide thereby allowing you to feel the paddle blade pressure throughout the stroke. I hate this workout.

14 mile downwinder from John Wayne's house

2011-01-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today we did a 14 mile downwinder from Las Cruces (the crosses) a former movie star getaway. Las Cruces in it's prime catered to the likes of Bing Crosby, Desi Arnaz, and John Wayne. It's 14 miles north of La Ventana and not accessible by road unless you have connections. So we paddled there. 14 miles each way. Leaving at 8:30 am allowed for an easy flat water northerly trip and with the usual building wind in the late morning a downwind ride. We timed it perfectly as the waves built to about 2 feet in 20 knot winds. Good times.

Race report by Shaun of Bellingham, Wa.

2011-01-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

Isla Cerralvo is a desert island in the Sea of Cortez that is 10 miles east across the water from La Ventana, Baja. I have been coming to La Ventana off and on for 10 years to kiteboard and have always wanted to paddle across to this deserted island, populated only by herds of goats. Larry thought I was going just for the goats.

This race was our chance to do the crossing safely with boat support. Warren knew the race director, Tim Hatler, and had talked him into letting us compete. Warren was the first and only surfski competitor in the crossing race last year.

Every year there are 2 races starting on the island coming back to La Ventana across a beautiful blue stretch of water.

A light wind day is best for the SUP race, and a windy day for the kite race crossing.

Warren and I awoke early on Thursday morning, Jan 20, to do the race with the SUP's. The SUP's were to be transported over to the island by pangas (the local fishing boats) at 7 am. The race director told us our boats were too long so we would have to paddle over to Isla Cerralvo first to get there in time for the 930 am race started. We were on the road by 6 am to the put in north of La Ventana.

The morning was stunning. The moon had risen behind us to the east. The black water was calm and there was a slight tailwind coming

off the desert. The water felt fairly warm even though the air was cool. We set off about 630 am and paddled through several schools of

flying fish that skittered across the surface toward the thin orange line on the horizon where the sun was to rise in the next hour.

I paddled the V10 over and Warren the V10 Sport. We planned to trade boats once on the island so that Warren would have a fast shot at improving his record time from the year before in the V10 of 1:34min for 10.34 mi, an average pace of 6.6 mph.

The sunrise was welcome and warmed us up for the rest of the relaxed paddle over. Warren guided us perfectly to the launch site on the

18 mile long shoreline. We landed on the large sandy beach after an hour and a half of paddling just as the first panga full of SUP's and

paddlers arrived. We hung out on the beach for an hour or so as the race organized.

The race start was beautiful with 20 colorful SUP paddllers on calm water. Warren and I took off with them at the gun. I was hoping to

keep him in sight in my V10 sport and enjoy the paddle back to the mainland.

We took off fairly fast with Warren cruising up to 7.0 mph and holding the pace. I took a slightly higher line, as we couldn't see our destination

on the other side. We used various landmarks on the desert mountains to guide us. After the race, Warren's GPS showed a perfect straight line to Baja Joes,

a small resort hosting the race finish line.

I fell into line behind Warren and kept him in sight as he pulled steadily away. The water was beautiful with just occasional chop in the morning sun.

We quickly left the SUP's behind and shot straight across the Sea of Cortez.

We were greeted with a large crowd of kiteboarding and SUP spectators who didn't really know we were in the race. They were curious about what kind of SUPs these were. One person said she thought they would be hard to stand up in.

Warren had a great race. He paddled the 10.3 miles in 1:29, an average pace of 7.0mph. I didn't have a GPS but came in 6- 8 min or so behind Warren for a pace of about 6.4 mph, a nice cruise in the Sport. I have to thank Warren for going with me and making it a great day. La Ventana is a stunning destination for paddling, kiteboarding, and relaxation in the winter.

The La Ventana Classic

2011-01-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

The full moon is setting behind us. The sun is rising ahead. And we still have 10 miles to paddle to get to the race start.

Race start on Isla Cerralvo. It's a 10.3 mile sprint to the finish in background.

Race finish at Baja Joes. La Ventana.

The La Ventana Classic is the annually held kiteboarding, windsurfing, SUP and surfski race from Isla Cerralvo to La Ventana. This years running of the 10.3 mile surfski race had twice as many entrants as last year. There were two of us. Pretty much guarantees a top three placing if you get into a race in it's early years.
Shaun S. of Bellingham, Wa. and I were on the water before dawn under the full moon for the 10 mile paddle to the race start. Because the surfskis were too big to be loaded onto the pangas (local fishing boats) for transport to the island we got double the value for our race entry fee. All other racers were ferried over to the race start.
The transition from paddling under full moon light to sun rise was the highlight of the trip. Not as much sea life to distract you this year. No whales or manta rays jumping as was the case last year.
Hoping for another doubling of the entrants in 2012.

Kitesurfing in La Ventana

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

It was windy here today.

Isla Espiritu Santo

2010-12-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Remount practice

2010-12-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

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"

2010-12-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

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"

2010-11-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Camp for the night

Cabo Pulmo

The Catavina boulder fields

paddling / surfing video

2010-03-03T21:20:00.001-08:00

BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo.

Sunrise - Sea of Cortez

2010-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for a 6:30 am sunrise paddle.

surfski remount Los Cabos, Mexico

2010-03-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

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.