Rogue Otter Blog @ miahjohson.org

Day 13 : Brett Tanner

billyd — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:20:42 +0000

Today we launched from Marks secret beach. We are starting to get tired so we started the day out slow. We kept a good pace and headed straight for Dana Point. We ended up quite a ways from shore so we had to deal with a lot of boat traffic. The water was very rough and the waves were braking over our boats all day. It was enough to keep us on our toes but not enough to cause any problems. We didn’t see any dolphins today but the seals were everywhere. We swung out around the point to avoid the offshore rocks. We paddled over to Doheny and found a place to land. The beach was very steep so we had to time it right. We both landed without any issues then dragged our boats over the sand wall. We found someone to watch our gear while we went to register. The ranger at the kiosk was not friendly. I think his mom must have been hit by a kayak while pregnant with him. According to him you cannot land a kayak on any state beach. He also wouldn’t let us check in until 4. We went back and waited a couple hours. We finally got registered and were told we could only stay one night. We had a little bit of an issue because we need to stay until Saturday. We walked around the campground until we found someone that would let us stay a couple days with them. We could finally relax so we headed into town for pizza. While walking back into the campground we saw a police car dropping off a lady with her bike and camping gear. Apparently she has been ridding down the coast from Oregon. She was ridding through Laguna Beach and got hit by a car. We offered to carry her stuff to the hike and bike spot. She had two friends that were still ridding and they soon showed up. We enjoyed rum and cokes while sitting on the beach.

Day 12 : Brett Tanner

billyd — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:17:02 +0000

Today we paddled from Los Alimitos Bay to Newport Harbor. We launched at a beach that had a recent sewage spill. The water was gross so we launched with without touching the water. We headed out of the harbor and worked our way down the beach. This section was straight and long. There was a lot of dolphin activity. We found ourselves in the middle of a pod and the dolphins were jumping all around us. Some of them would come up to us and slap there tails on the water. It was a cool experience. We kept trucking along and soon found ourselves rounding the point and into the harbor. We landed at the Coast Guard beach and called for our ride. Mark Sands picked us up and treated us to some home cooked chicken tacos.

Day 10 : Brett Tanner

billyd — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:10:27 +0000

We left Kings Harbor at 7 am to allow enough time to get around Pacific Palisades. This was going to be a long day and we wanted the calmest weather possible. There was a lot of marine life out today. I got a nice picture of a dolphin and Jerry saw a whale spout. We were making good time and found ourselves at Cabrillo beach by 12:30pm. We decided to paddle on into Los Alimitos Bay so we could have an entire day to relax. We made some phone calls to get better directions to the Queen Mary. We also called our host for the night to make sure she could put us up for the extra day. Everything was a go so we soon found ourselves crossing the shipping lanes on our way. We found our way to the Queen Mary and took several pictures. We worked our way up long beach. The water was getting crazy and it was a long four mile stretch. We found our way into the harbor and called Emily. Soon we were tying our boats onto her car and on our way. Emily set us up at her house and headed over to her friends house for the night. I guess the thought of sharing her studio with two stinky kayakers didn’t do much for her. The next day she drove us around for supplies and we enjoyed a nice lunch at the local pub.

Day 9 : Brett Tanner

billyd — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:59:57 +0000

Today we were joined on our paddle by Billy. The day started with Billy making us a nice breakfast then we headed down to Mothers Beach for our launch. There were several rays in the water so we had to shuffle our feet to avoid an issue. Billy brought along his Greenland style paddle for us to try out. I am even more interested in getting one now. We paddled out of the harbor and were soon on our way. The weather was once again perfect. We worked our way down the coast while chatting with our new friend. Soon we could see the brake wall of Kings Harbor. The water was finally getting fun as we rounded the wall and entered the harbor. I called our contact for the night and she was caught a little off guard. I was supposed to give her a couple of days notice but I forgot. She scrambled around and found us a place to stay right in the harbor. There was a lot to do in the area so we showered up and headed out. Billy came back later that night to hang out with us and check out our accommodations for the night. After a bit of conservation it was time for bed.

Restock in Redondo!

billyd — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:01:10 +0000

Thanks to Brianna and Correne for the restock at Redondo Beach!

Day 6 : Brett Tanner

billyd — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:24:44 +0000

We left Channel Island harbor headed for Thornhill Broom Beach. The water was smooth but we could see large waves braking on the shore. Point Mugu was full of surfers taking advantage of the large sets. We continued on our way to Broom Beach. As we arrived we found 6′ dumping surf. We tried to time the sets but decided it wasn’t worth it. We continued on to Leo Carrillo hoping for an easier landing. Six miles later we were at our destination. The surf was much smaller and we landed with ease. We were now a day ahead of schedule so we decided to stay two nights. Jerry was scheduled to be picked for an appointment back home so I spent the last night alone. The local campers offered us some cold beverages to help pass the time. They even brought down some fresh carne asada burritos the second night. It gives me faith in society to see the outpouring of support people are showing us.

A Good Night Sleep

billyd — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:20:08 +0000

I meet up with my wife Sarah in Malibu and we stayed at the unique Malibu Hotel. It was great to sleep in a real bed.

A Quick Thanks!

billyd — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:50:11 +0000

Thank you to the crew at Leo Carillo for the beer and grub! It was greatly appreciated.

Paddling with the Rogueotters by Patrick Martin

Brett Tanner — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:58:46 +0000

Brett and Jerry,

It was an inspiration paddling with you guys yesterday. A lesson learned, next time bring more than 4 beers, you can never tell when you’re going to make new friends.

Here is a copy of the trip report that I just posted on the CKF mailing list.

I hope you have fair weather and meet many more new freinds along the way. I also hope we get a chance to meet again.

Patrick

TRIP REPORT:

Yesterday Mike Bode and I paddled from Mothers Beach in Ventura to Pitas Point and back. We planned to do a landing at Pitas Point and take a break, but just as we got there we got lucky and met Jerry Sparks and Brett Tanner, the two guys who are paddling the coast to raise awareness and funds to fight a disease. The disease is called Wagner’s Granulomatosis and it took the life of really good a friend of theirs named Jeremy “Miah” Johnson.

When we met Jerry and Brett it didn’t take long to strike up an interesting conversation which resulted in our decision to skip our landing and paddle back to Ventura with our new friends who were coincidentally heading to Mothers Beach. Although we didn’t see any whales, or experience any carnage, this was one of our most interesting paddles because Jerry and Bret are worth spending time with. Mike paired up with with Jerry and I paired up with Brett and our conversations never let up. Who would have imagined that these guys not have one hell of an adventure to share, we also found out that we had a lot in common professionally!

As best I can remember Brett and Jerry’s plans were to do landings in the following order:

Channel Islands Harbor

Thornhill Broom

Leo Carrillo

Malibu State Beach

They were looking forward to meeting Billy Kroll at some point. But I’m not sure when, where, and who was to follow.

If you want to get in touch with them, Brett’s email address is Brettatanner@msn.com. These guys have been on the water for quite a long time, they’ve been through a lot, and they deserve a little hospitality. Let them know if you could offer a place to spread their sleeping bags or if you have a good microbrewery you can share with them.

It isn’t often that you get a chance to spend some quality time with people who put their hearts into an adventure the way these guys are doing. Who knows, after meeting them you might just get inspired to follow one of your own dreams.

Life is short, so LIVE.

Patrick Martin

Day 3: From Brett

billyd — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:40:20 +0000

Launch from mothers beach headed to Channel Island Harbor. Wind made for and interesting day. We had a swell from one direction and wind waves coming from the other three. We only had a nine mile day but it took a lot out of us. We soon found ourselves rounding the jetty and heading into Kiddy Beach.

We called for our ride and were treated to a home cooked lunch. We decided to take a drive south and look at our options for the next day. We stopped at Sycamore Cove and talked to the rangers. We finally found a ranger that acknowledged the lower Tomal trail. They even had one brochure left. We were told where to camp at Broom Beach then drove back to our host’s house and were treated to the best pepper steak I have ever had. We checked the weather for the next day and headed to bed.