No Crossings Memorial Day Weekend

I won't cross to any oil rigs this Memorial Day weekend so I can spend time with family and friends.

Another Blown Out Weekend

I was really looking forward to some more oil rig crossings this weekend, but the wind will be blowing up to 25 knots. This spring has been unusually windy. But I’m patient and will finish the oil rig crossings plenty soon.

4 Oil Rigs Off Oxnard/28 Nautical Miles/8 Hours/1 Whale

On Monday, May 17, 2010, I launched from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, California at 6:00AM. The weather was cloudy, drizzly and cool, but most importantly, calm, which is exactly what I needed for a 28 nautical mile day offshore, especially with the first 13 miles into the weather.

I was surprised it took me three hours of paddling to reach oil rig Gilda 10 nautical miles out. There must have been current working against me.

Oil rig Grace was another three nautical miles out and my turn around point for heading in the general direction back to the harbor. Best of all, any weather or current was now helping.

I’ve used oil rig Gail many times in the past as a navigational stepping stone between Santa Cruz Island and Oxnard.

Not long after I left oil rig Gail, I saw a splash so huge I knew it had to be from a whale breaching. It was about a quarter of a mile to my left. A minute later I saw the whale come up for a couple breaths and then raise its fluke to dive. Ten minutes later I saw it spout twice. It was too far for me to get any photos or identify the species, but I’m assuming it was a blue or humpback whale.

Only four nautical miles off the coast, oil rig Gina is probably the oil rig crossed to most often by kayakers.

Me 24 nautical miles into the paddle and at oil rig Gina.

I was happy to be back in Channel Islands Harbor and land at 2:00PM after eight hours of paddling. Lucky for me, today was one of those rare days when the afternoon winds didn’t pick up.

Weather Not Looking Good For Crossings This Weekend

I have Friday and Monday off from work, but the weather is not looking good for crossing to more oil rigs. Winds up to 25 knots are in the forecast. I’ll keep checking.

7 Oil Rigs Off Long Beach/26 Nautical Miles/8 Hours

Seven oil rigs off Long Beach, 26 nautical miles, eight hours of paddling, and as soon as I landed, a guy on the beach asked me if I take my kayak out on the ocean. It was the perfect opening to tell him about the seven oil rigs just off the coast.

I launched my kayak from Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, California this morning, May 3, 2010 at 7:20AM.

I paddled straight out to oil rig Edith 8 nautical miles off the coast. I have crossed to this oil rig many times before. In this photo you can also see three other rigs, Ellen and Elly (the pair), and Eureka, in the distance.




As I paddled from Edith to Elly and Ellen, a sea lion joined me for the crossing.


As I crossed from Elly and Ellen to Eureka, another sea lion was crossing the opposite way. In this photo you can see Elly and Ellen, and Edith in the distance.


Eureka is the southernmost oil rig in California.


I took a break for lunch on the water at Eureka.


It was a long paddle back closer to shore for Emmy, which is little over a mile off the coast.

I had to paddle straight upwind to get to Eva.


It was another 5 nautical miles upwind to get to Esther. With the distance and upwind battle, I was getting tired. I really had to focus on being patient and relaxed. Occasionally, I set up a natural range on the coast to monitor my progress.


Needless to say, it was long day of paddling and I was happy to be back in Alamitos Bay.

This completes the oil rigs in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, so next I’ll be venturing north to start crossing to the oil rigs off Santa Barbara. I’ll also start posting info on the oil rigs and past oil spills in Southern California.

I’m also happy to report that while I was on the water, our governor announced that because of the Louisiana oil rig disaster, he has changed his mind about possibly expanding offshore oil rig drilling in California. But that isn’t going to stop me from continuing to help people become more aware of the oil rigs we already have along our coast.

I Have a Cause!

I’ve never been a person with a cause. But the disaster at the oil rig offshore from Louisiana has made me realize the risk we face with oil rigs along the Southern California coast. As a sea kayaker who loves to cross to our Channel Islands, I’ve often paddled by our offshore oil rigs. I appreciated them as aids to navigation, often using them as a stepping stone in foggy weather. I also found a certain beauty in them, with their towering size, the hum of the machinery, and their lights shining bright at night. But since the Louisiana disaster, I see them in an entirely different light. Yet many Southern Californians don't even know we have oil rigs off our coast. I'm going to paddle my kayak to each and every oil rig to help people become aware of them.

I took the above photo of myself during a solo kayak crossing to oil rig Edith 8 nautical miles offshore from Long Beach, California, on April 19, 2010. The banana is a joke about the superstition that bananas are bad luck on a boat. Little did I know the Louisiana oil rig disaster would happen on the following day. I think the point now is that offshore oil rigs are bad luck, not bananas.