Kayaking Home

Marissa and I have many different interests and hobbies. Professionally, Marissa is a technical writer and I manage a group of database developers. After work Marissa does pottery, kickboxing, and has other exercise routines that I can hardly keep up with. I teach volleyball, some times teach evening technical classes at UC Berkeley, and dabble with wood.

Among the many activities we like to do together are rollerblading, hiking, and kayaking.

So what is this kayak thing, and why do we do it? Mainly because it's fun and allows us to get up-close-and-personal with a whole lot of things we would not be able to see otherwise.

The picturebelow was taken in Alaska in July 2000. We were in front of a small piece of iceberg -- a real iceberg. A teeny one compared to others we saw, of course. But what the picture doesn't show is just how close we were to the glacier where this piece came from.

We have been close enough to an otter that we could see and hear it crack shellfish with a stone on its chest while it floated on its back. We have been dive-bombed by pelicans as they flew right over our kayak in a V-formation. We have seen the tiny communities of sea life on a leaf of a kelp where the otters like to play. Kayaking has allowed us to see things from a different and wonderful perspective.

Several years ago, we spent seven days kayaking and camping in Baja California, Mexico. This year we spent another seven days kayaking in Alaska. Around the San Francisco Bay Area, our favorite kayaking spot is the Elkhorn Slough near Santa Cruz, California. And the trip from Sausalito to Angel Island is a lot of fun. It can get quite exciting as you cross the Raccoon Strait going back to Sausalito in the afternoon. A few years ago, we had ringside seats watching the Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team do their thing over San Francisco during Fleet Week.

We have introduced a number of our friends to this sport. Some loved it; some couldn't wait to get out of the kayak. It's not for everyone. But we have been lucky enough to meet many others who have the same interest in kayaking and they have become part of our circle of friends.

This picture shows us rafting together down Elkhorn Slough in singles. Notice there are rudders in the back of our kayaks. A rudder makes it easy to keep on a straight course. Sea kayaks are pretty stable. They are generally longer and have flatter bottoms than white water kayaks.

Some places to rent kayaks or learn how to use one

Marin based kayaking outfit name Sea Trek who guided our 1-week trip to Baja.
Moss Beach based kayaking outfit Kayak Connection where we rent kayaks to go to Elk Horn Slough
Monterey based kayaking outfit Monterey Bay Kayaks is another place to rent kayaks to see the kelp beds in Monterey Bay near the aquarium.

Boat Building!

Robert Moriss' Brewery Creek Small Boat Shop in Granville Island in Vancouver, Canada was one of the more interesting discoveries we made during a visit there for the wedding of our friend who now resides in Switzerland. One day, when I have a job again, we plan to take a week off and go build our own Baidarka skin-on-frame kayaks with Robert.

Corey Freedman's Skinboats Workshop in Anacortes, Washington. We just found out about a Baidarka Kayak building class right here in the Bay Area!. Corey Freedman runs a school in Anacortes, WA but comes to the Bay Area to teach several times a year. This year he will be teaching at the California Canoe and Kayak (CC&K) store in Jack London Square in Oakland. This is a much more viable alternative than going to Vancouver although we liked what we saw of Robert Moriss' workshop. Jack London Square in one of our favorite places to visit and it's only 30 minutes away. The tentative plan is to enroll in one of the Baidarka building classes in April 3, 2004. When that happens, I will chronicle the class and post it here.

April 9, 2004: It's actually happening! Here's a picture of Marissa's boat taking shape. Stay tuned!