Solo on Santa Cruz (Part 3)

There is time to think when you camp alone, arguably too much. On my third day on the island, I was worried about a medical procedure my little one was scheduled to undergo that day. The thought of her, scared and possibly terrified or hurt, kept butting into my thoughts. My wife told me to … Continue reading Solo on Santa Cruz (Part 3) →

Solo on Santa Cruz (Part 2)

Day 2 The morning was chillier than I expected, but the air was still, which was what I had hoped for. I prepared some oatmeal, ate some dried mango, and drank two cups of tea. I put on my board shorts and rash guard, hat and glasses, clipped a knife to my belt, checked that … Continue reading Solo on Santa Cruz (Part 2) →

Dudes’ Annual Paddle Adventure 2020 (Part 3/End)

I tripped out of the tent, cursing the tent flap for the surly bastard that it was, and walked over to our makeshift kitchen table to heat up some tea. A mug in hand, now feeling more sanguine, I took a seat in my camp chair, and looked around my feet. Beneath me were the … Continue reading Dudes’ Annual Paddle Adventure 2020 (Part 3/End) →

Finding Flow

When I paddle, I am rarely thinking about past failures. While paddling, I am rarely considering the checklist of tasks I have to accomplish, or that brief I still have to write. I don't think about the hurtful thing someone said to me, or the time I spoke too harshly to someone else. I don't … Continue reading Finding Flow →

What the Fog?

I had not been on the water for a few weeks and it felt good to put my body into the old familiar stretches. I leaned out with the paddle so far that it felt like I would fall forward, but then the blade hit the water and stabilized me. The stroke, which had been … Continue reading What the Fog? →

Marathon Paddle (Part Two/End)

I woke up feeling sticky on the floor of the boat. The outside of my sleeping bag was covered in dew, but I was hot and sweaty on the inside. I felt like a soggy ham sandwich in a Ziploc bag. I sat up and looked over the boat's railing at the water in the … Continue reading Marathon Paddle (Part Two/End) →

Making Memories

I love that Kate feels safe on the water. So many don’t. “Daddy, let’s look for spouts.” That’s what she said to me today, as we loitered at the end of the harbor’s jetty. The endless Pacific stared at us, and we bobbed, undecided. I observed the swell direction, boat traffic, wind, and the chop. … Continue reading Making Memories →

Dolphin Musings

When you consider large marine mammals, you see a highly evolved organism, supremely attuned to their environment. Dolphins, for example, are efficient and deadly hunters. They travel and live in complicated social and familial relationships. They have evolved for survival in harsh oceanic environments all over the world. In order to do so, dolphins have … Continue reading Dolphin Musings →

Enjoy the Journey – a paddle story from Laguna to San O

Five paddleboards laid on the grass at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, paying tribute to an ebullient morning sun. The sight of the boards themselves, pointing out to sea, and strewn with gear, made my heart swell. Morning walkers with their dogs seemed to linger with curiosity. They looked furtively at the boards, the paddles, … Continue reading Enjoy the Journey – a paddle story from Laguna to San O →

Dolphin Rescue

The sea had been flattened and becalmed, with only gentle undulations of mild swells on the surface. With virtually nothing to check my progress, the board paddled smooth and therefore fast across the water. A long straight-armed stretch, a twist of my torso, a long lean forward, and the plunge of the paddle’s blade made … Continue reading Dolphin Rescue →