| Author | Post |
|---|
loveourcottage
Charter Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 10 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 13th, 2007 01:31 pm |
|
Buenos Dias,
Back to Culebra in Feb. and was wondering if a trip to Luis Pena is worth it. Is the snorkeling as good as melones, carlos rosario etc? Also, thinking about kyacking over is it a long trip and is it safe to do that?
Gracias,
Patricia
|
admin
Administrator
| Joined: | Sat Dec 23rd, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2342 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 13th, 2007 01:38 pm |
|
| Luis Pena is definately worth a visit -- and kayaking over from Tamarindo or Melones is an easy short trip. Contact Ocean Safaris (Jim and Barbara own Barbara Rosa's) to rent kayaks.
____________________
Life is short. Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile!
|
Abe Ross
Member
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 01:43 am |
|
| Is the current an issue? I remember reading about that guy who tried to row to Loius Pena in an inflatable and ended up in Farjardo a day or two later (sorry, didn't store details in my memory bank which is filling up with other trivia).
____________________
It is all too common for caterpillars to become butterflies and then to maintain that in their youth they had been little butterflies. (Vaillant, 1997)
|
Diving Debbie
Forum Expert
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 01:52 am |
|
Abe - that's exactly what I was thinking of!
Patricia - check out The February issue of The Culebra Calendar before you decide to kayak across.
http://www.theculebracalendaronline.com/Feb%202007/mediafiles/l7.jpg
http://www.theculebracalendaronline.com/Feb%202007/mediafiles/l8.jpg
http://www.theculebracalendaronline.com/Feb%202007/mediafiles/l10.jpg
http://www.theculebracalendaronline.com/Feb%202007/mediafiles/l11.jpg
____________________
Click here for Adventures of Deb and Lew
|
loveourcottage
Charter Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 10 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 12:35 pm |
|
Thanks Abe,
Do you know what time of year he attempted this? I know the article was in the Feb. issue so my guess is that is might have been anywhere from Nov. to early Feb. Also, sounds like he left a little late in the day.
In any event I will reconsider my kyack trip and perhaps get a water taxi.
Tricia
|
Doug
Charter Member
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 02:15 pm |
|
| We need Jim to weigh in on this. I believe there is a safe passage route.
____________________
"Let him who has a free hand cast the first stone."
Dennis Miller, on the Pee Wee Herman public outcry.
|
Abe Ross
Member
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 03:35 pm |
|
| Ii don't think it's the "route". I think it's the timing so that the currents are pushing you in the right direction. Doug iss right, Jim will know the answers (but not knowing the facts has never stopped me from having an opinion.)
____________________
It is all too common for caterpillars to become butterflies and then to maintain that in their youth they had been little butterflies. (Vaillant, 1997)
|
admin
Administrator
| Joined: | Sat Dec 23rd, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2342 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 03:49 pm |
|
where is our fearless Kayak Expert????
I have done this trip many times -- but the current can be strong in here (and is stronger in the winter months). If you are an experienced Kayaker, you shouldn't have problems, but Jim is the expert, and I'm sure will weigh in whenever he wakes up.
____________________
Life is short. Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile!
|
Jim
Forum Expert
| Joined: | Fri Dec 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 398 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 04:36 pm |
|
I refuse to weigh in for obvious reasons, but I'll comment instead.
This has been amusing to say the least. But from the view of a diver I
can see why one would be cautious. Diving the channel can be quite
risky depending on the current and running (changing) tide. I dove
the Luis Peña channel several times with Bob Perkins (dive instructor
here for years) we were looking for a 40hp Evinrude that I had
dumped during a salvage attempt (at North Beach) during a storm.
We took turns diving, sector by sector, always leaving one of us on
board and a lengthy floating drift/tide line to boot! On one of my
watches I lost sight of his bubbles just for a few minutes, and in the
course of 5-10 minutes (it's been a long time) he had drifted halfway
to Cayo Agua (Las Hermanas). I did my thing - started the boat and
picked him up.
Kayaks however are different, for the same reason as they don't
track well, soft chine, no keel, they also slip through the water
and are much less subject to the prevailing current - within reason.
Because our tides fluctuate less than 12-14 inches I don't pay
attention to the tide, It would only become relevant when combined
with windy conditions. Usually wind in excess of 10mph
(15-16k) gets my attention. at 15 I'm evaluating the person going,
at 20mph you'd have to look like a gorilla and threaten to beat
the shit out of me before I would put you into my kayak.
I never launch early, I learned long ago that The bvi/usvi
islands have a tremendous affect on their ability to excite or
affect wearther. A few hours of daylight, the sun is more influential
on ocean swells than the moon, and I have a pretty good idea
of what's going to happen (after checking radar too!)
In the skies I'm looking at cloud patterns, one that I look for, that
Gene Thomas taught me, looks like a freight train of clouds
heading toward Puerto Rico. That's classic caribbean trade-wind
configuration, occasional showers maybe, winds die at 3-4PM.
NOT GUARANTEED! I teach all this to my kayakers, how to plan
your crossing, "the point" etc. Now you know why I charge $60
for two, the first time. In the early 90's there was only one person
on the water more than me...Gene Thomas.
If your a local or a regular vacationer, stop by BarbaraRosa's, I'm
always glad to share what I know and what I've learned. I also
know what to do in emergencies like a swamped kayak, etc. Some
of it I learned the hard way, some from pros from the Adventure
Club in P.R.
Signed, FearlessAttachment: Kayakjim.jpg (Downloaded 48 times) Last edited on Wed Nov 14th, 2007 05:12 pm by Jim
____________________
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
|
Jim
Forum Expert
| Joined: | Fri Dec 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 398 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 04:44 pm |
|
For those of you who only know me from my "grey" years
here's what Kayak Jim looked like in '91 or 92Last edited on Thu Nov 15th, 2007 11:22 pm by Jim
____________________
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
|
Island Woman MJ
Island Expert
| Joined: | Mon Dec 25th, 2006 |
| Location: | Culebra |
| Posts: | 2171 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 08:56 pm |
|
My god! And people paid to go someplace with the pirate that was you! Gotta say Jim, I hardly knew ye!
Funny how from land something looks like it's *just right THERE* and from the water...it can be a lot farther away. But saying that, if I were a kayaker (which I am not but I know some, gosh, some of my best friends are kayakers, really!), I think doing the Culebra shore to Luis Pena trip would be a lot of fun, and it's really pretty over there, making it worth the time to learn how to do it safely.
We could do t-shirts...I kayaked to Luis Pena and he was glad!
____________________
Salva lo que queda! Save What's Left!
|
Doug
Charter Member
|
Posted: Wed Nov 14th, 2007 09:15 pm |
|
I'm a kayaker, in a totally different sense. We put it in the river and use the paddle to steer. The current is our friend...
At it's narrowest, Luis Pena sound is, what, a mile? If the current/wind is against you, that'd be some huffing and puffing - if it is going across your bow, you'd need to do some serious vector calculations.
____________________
"Let him who has a free hand cast the first stone."
Dennis Miller, on the Pee Wee Herman public outcry.
|
Diving Debbie
Forum Expert
|
Posted: Thu Nov 15th, 2007 12:33 am |
|
| Good info here! Having dived the channel (and not for a motor), the current is concerning to me. One day, we'll have to take a Jim-Tour to get the perspective from topside.
____________________
Click here for Adventures of Deb and Lew
|
Jim
Forum Expert
| Joined: | Fri Dec 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 398 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 15th, 2007 05:12 am |
|
Doug's point was interesting and revealing. The experience of a
river kayaker and an ocean kayaker are worlds apart. As Doug
said, " We put it in the river and use the paddle to steer. The
current is our friend." They are going with the flow, we have to
paddle everywhere, sometimes we get lucky and the current/wind
is with us.
One day at the old BarbaraRosa's I rented a Kayak to an athletic
25yr old woman who told me she was a kayak guide in the Adirondacks.
I told her my basic trip was to flotsam beach (front bay to Lana's Cove)
portage through etc. and a few options. I also told her my training
run was to circumnavigate clockwise and do the N.E. point to Dewey
on a dead run. She came back several hours later and seemed a little
aggravated and said "You didn't tell me it was that far and it would take
that long" I was nonplussed and said "But I thought you told me you
were a kayak guide in the Adirondacks?" she said " Yes, but we
go with the flow, we start at the high camp and are picked up at
the low camp"
So now when people tell me they own kayaks, paddle all over the
world, won trophies, blah blah blah, I say "Then I'm sure
you'll want to pay attention and get my tips for these waters" If
they are the cocky types I neutralize with "Means absolutely nothing
to me, now grab this paddle and show me you know how to paddle
feathered"
After 18 yrs of answering question after question on the phone
I say "Look instead of wasting a lot of time, why don't I tell you what
I do? It includes this carefully crafted line that takes care of a lot
of bullshit, "....at the beach I will teach you how to kayak or you can
try to convince me you know how, then I'll tell you about water
conditions and the layout of the Peña channel."
Once again if I can share what I know with my friends, I'm glad to
do it, I have always rented to locals at 1/2 price and if your going to
use someone elses kayak (Guest House, loaner, etc) I have no
problem sharing what I've learned free. I learned how to paddle
from Carlos Cordero, who used to paddle to St.Thomas, and I've
paddled with some of the best, like Paul Julian, Ocean Kayak rep and
Greg Barton, Olympic Champ. If you want to know how pros can
paddle all day long, there's a trick and your not going to accidently
discover it, but I'm happy to pass it along.
here's a hot link to the Nautical Charts"
http://www.theculebracalendaronline.com/NauticalCharts.html
____________________
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
|
admin
Administrator
| Joined: | Sat Dec 23rd, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2342 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 15th, 2007 12:28 pm |
|
Thanks for the great tips and info Jim!!! Please, however, refrain from posting self portraits -- they are a little much before my coffee in the morning. oh, where do the years go......
However, I did love seeing the one of you in the kayak......I remember seeing this picture, somewhere!
____________________
Life is short. Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,
and never regret anything that made you smile!
|
Current time is 03:50 pm | |
|
