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Discussion: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
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 h2onissa |
Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
May 11 2008, 6:20 PM EDT Is there anybody else up for this idea? I'm thinking some time this summer on a low wind and swell couple of days. And no fog unless you're a great navigator (I have zero compass skills outside of the desert). Paddle down, camp at Pt. Sal State Beach, paddle back the next morning. I'm going regardless, but company would be nice. Email me or post if you're interested or have questions. Tiffany Do you find this valuable? |
 rsutter |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
May 17 2008, 10:22 PM EDT Hello Tiffany, A paddle from Pismo to Pt Sal sounds like fun. Let me know when you had in mind. Ralph Sutter Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
May 19 2008, 9:21 PM EDT Hi Ralph! Sorry for the late reply. Plans are still evolving especially since I've heard that you can NOT camp down there. The paddle is still in the works, but it may end up being a day trip. Which may mean a launch farther south than Pismo. I think it's fantastic that you want to come, too! Let's stay in touch as the details get worked out and make it happen this summer. I'm excited about the whole prospect! Tiff Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 1 2008, 11:23 AM EDT After an email exchange with Jeff from Santa Barbara Co. Park and Rec, there is absolutely no camping in the Pt. Sal (PS) area (the closest is Jalama). I checked the distances and found that from Pismo to PS is 15 miles with an additional 2 miles around the point to a landable beach. Too far for a day trip for me. But, the distance from the Santa Maria River mouth to PS is only 5 miles with the additional 2 to the beach south of the point. This is way doable! The problem is that the beach there at Guadalupe has some nasty surf so it needs to be investigated as to when it's "launchable" from there. This is my next focus and I can spend more time on this when school gets out for summer. If anyone's ever down there when it's a relatively flat day, it would be great if you could back check on the swell direction and height, and the wind direction and strength and post here. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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rsutter |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 2 2008, 8:57 PM EDT Hello Tiffany, I'm game for a paddle from the Santa Maria River to two miles south of Point Sal. It will give me a chance to try out my new kayak. On Saturday, I drove down to Newport Beach to a paddle event. I ended up purchasing a fiberglass Current Designs Cypress. My semester ended last week. I'll be available for the Pt. Sal trip as early as Saturday, June 7th. I plan to be backpacking for the next week and won't be available. I should generally be available after that from June 16th to June 27th. On June 28th, I'm leaving for China. I'll be available again on or about July 19th. I'll investigate the conditions at the end of the Santa Maria River between now and Saturday. Ralph Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 2 2008, 10:03 PM EDT Sounds great, Ralph! All of it! Congratulations on your new boat--it never ends, does it?! I look forward to seeing it and you. Gosh a'mighty, you're a busy man. I will definitely keep your black out dates in mind when planning. For me, it's pretty open from 6/20 to 8/11. After that, it would definitely have to be a weekend, but I sure hope we can do it before we're back at our respective schools. Thank you for any investigating you can do between now and Saturday. My guess is, it's going to be ugly out there. The wind is forecast to be howling all week and the swell is up (http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/PZ/670.html). I'm also curious if the river has broken through to the sea after the last storm we had. Thank you so much! You're the 4th person I know who's off, or has already been, to China this year. Everybody has loved their trips there. Will you be seeing the Xian terra cotta soldiers and horses? They are on my life list of things to see one of these years . . . Tiffany Do you find this valuable? |
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rsutter |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 22 2008, 3:16 PM EDT Yesterday, I took Main Street, Santa Maria west through the town of Guadalupe to the ocean. The road was paved. During the last 2 miles, drifting sand had covered portions of the blacktop, but the pavement was solid. At the end of Main Street, there is a large parking lot with a restroom. It's perhaps a 150 yard portage from the edge of the parking lot to the water, much like Avila. However, the beach was not an inviting spot for launching. Well formed waves broke on the shore in quick succession. I've uploaded several pictures to my web site. See www.fullbean.com/photos/santamariariver/index.html. Ralph Sutter Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 22 2008, 6:23 PM EDT Hi Ralph, Thanks for checking it out and posting your pictures. I also posted some pics of it from a couple weekends back. It's an ugly place to launch, but the only option. The day I was there though, the surf wasn't too bad so it's a matter of carefully choosing an appropriate day--the swell has to be 4-6 ft. or less and the wind must be way, way down, I'm thinking like less than 10 knots. A very small window to shoot for. Yesterday, Kathy and I hiked to Pt. Sal Beach to check out the landing there. Not a problem if the swell is low. Those are the first pics you'll see on my flickr site. The Guadalupe ones are on the second page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21735874@N03/ We'll keep researching this thing and get it figured out. More details to come. Tiff Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 22 2008, 6:29 PM EDT Dang, I like your camera, Ralph! What great clarity in those shots. Hmmm, I missed the caution sign when I was out there. I really believe we can do it from there though in the right conditions. Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Jun 28 2008, 9:09 PM EDT So today I hiked over the dune at the end of Guadalupe Beach at Mussel Point to eyeball Paradise State Beach. This beach is just to the north of Pt. Sal. It actually looked like a less inviting place to land than Pt. Sal State Beach. I think that Pt. Sal must really block some of the waves, or at least more so than Mussel Pt. does for Paradise. I feel good about this paddle. I've looked first hand at most of the route from shore or dune top and, again, with the right conditions, this should be great. The wind did come up today about 2 p.m.. Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Aug 5 2008, 7:20 PM EDT It's a go! We're off tomorrow! It's going to be absolutely super! The swell is forecast 2 to 4 ft. from the NW and I'm not going to pay attention to the south swell. The winds are forecast 5 to 15 knots with possible gusts to 20 in the afternoon. Wind might be an issue, but I'm going to hope for the best. Wish us luck and good paddling! Do you find this valuable? |
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h2onissa |
RE: Pismo to Pt. Sal Paddle Plan
Aug 6 2008, 10:06 PM EDT We were on the beach at Guadalupe and made 2 efforts to launch, but the waves were majorly ugly. We aborted the trip, and it was a disappointment, but we made the right decision. We learned something though. Launch at a high tide on a low swell. When the tide's high, the waves aren't nearly as nasty. Tom made it out through the break and back again and made it look easy. I wish I had his skills. I thank Tom and Ralph for our almost paddle to Pt. Sal. We'll try it again guys! Do you find this valuable? |