Elkhorn Slough via Kirby Park
I woke up super early. I put on my prepared clothes, grabbed my things, and jumped in my car. I drove 55 minutes and arrived at a deserted parking lot. It was drizzling. But I was ready. I put on my waterproof pants and jacket, pumped up my inflatable kayak, put her in the water, and I was off.
And this is when I remembered that I forgot to put on the skeg, so I was drifting everywhere. Damn it.
Wait, I also forgot my headphones. Bah-humbug!
No luck sighting the otters then? Elkhorn Slough is famous for it’s inhabitants, the ultra-cute otters. And, of course, no otters that I could see—at least at this end of the tidal slough.
Regardless of the otter sightings, headphones, or the skeg, today was a success. I was successful in familiarizing myself with a bunch of new and old equipment that I was unfamiliar or lost-familiarity with.
What I Learned:
I sold my SUP, so I was riding my ol’ reliable inflatable kayak, the Intex Challenger K2. I hadn’t ridden her in years, so it was good to get acclimated with her again.
I remembered the K2 being underinflated the last few times I rode her, so on top of the mattress inflator, I used a sup pump to top her up. It helped a lot with stability.
This was the first time using a high-back life jacket (Astral V-Eight), and it worked really well. I barely felt it there as I had full range of movement and the small pockets came in handy for storing my phone.
I forgot to put the skeg on the K2. It was the first time in forever I’d ridden a kayak w/out a skeg (maybe my first). I chalked it up to a packraft practice run and used it as a learning opportunity to see how the boat handled without a skeg. What I found out over a mile was that if I went too fast, the boat would become unstable (in tracking) and would spin out. But, if I kept to a nominal speed, I found that I could go relatively straight in the water.
My new waterproof pants worked perfectly and allowed me to keep warm and enjoy kayaking in 50 degree, drizzling weather.
I was surprised to see seals sun bathing near Kirby Park. Especially since Kirby Park is 4-5 miles away from the coast.
1 mile, 27 min, low tide, 5-6 mph NE (wind)
Slough Review:
The water is calm, there is wildlife, and it’s free. It literally can’t get much better.
On the negative side, the place looks run down and it could be cleaner.
There are tons of positives:
Again, it’s totally free with no required registration.
The water is calm and there is wildlife abound.
Instead of just a boat launch, there’s a dock, so you don’t have to get your feet wet.
There aren’t busy roads or construction around. Instead, it’s a serene environment.
There’s a portable toilet and trash cans at the parking lot.