Thats what makes Baja great, people who think like you wont go.

So whats the current update on Dave...Seems to have stalled along the way, I only see tracking from 2 days ago.
Hpefully due to awsome fishing bite

I sure hope he in in conact with someone. Everything is probably fine but when you see no movement it gets me worried.

An update from Daves blog page

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Change of Plans


This is the first update I've been able to make. As you can see, I've changed course somewhat. This was due to high surf and an extremely heavy kayak. After several reductions in equipment and supplies, I was still very heavy. Much too heavy to deal with surf. Unfortunately, the Sea of Cortez side has some extreme heat and its own challenges. Currently catching lots of grouper in Punta Buffeo.
http://www.yaktackle.com/images/blog/pix/grouper.png

Well no reports again and now it seems, at least for me, nothing on the SPOT site. I certainly hope he is OK.

I think his SPOT died. He posted on his personal site that all was fine , so it leaves me to believe that all is fine . With the powers that be he is still doing well and moving forward and onward .For the Nay sayers.Mex is a journey for those with the heart ,soul ,and intestinal fortitude of a warrior. I feel that his personal strenght will allow him to complete the task at hand .Give your blessings gentlemen for faith will see him through these travels.

So it seems he spent a bit of time in the Bufeo area and the island. The thing I don't get and perhaps this is a SPOT thing. If I am looking at it right, he has traveled over 80 miles in 24 hours. From Isla San Luis to the North end of Bahia De Los Angeles. That is a long way in that amount of time.

That's some land yak..

SPOT miss by 80 miles? Seems unlikely.

I'm wondering what's up with Dave's SPOT. Mine is nearly 3 years old and the batteries (not alkalines - the recommended lithiums, something far more potent) are still full of juice. Its also spent plenty of time immersed in salt splash and dropped from time to time.

A SPOT with fresh batteries should handle dozens of check-ins a day over the course of several weeks, despite temperature extremes.

He was on the road again. Looks like he bailed on the Gulf Side, and has crossed back to the Pacific.

The current spot update shows him launched again on the Pacific at Bahia Asuncion. I have not heard a recent report but that is Yellowfin and Dorado territory this time of year.

I'd say that is a good move depending on the surf. I think I said it before but the Pacific side is a much better bet this time of year, as the Gulf side is just way to hot and dry. He may have to cut his days short with the afternoon winds but it beats the heat of the Gulf side, and he won't have to weight himself down with as much water.

Jim

Seems he is covering more miles by land than by sea, still what a great adventure. I wish him well. I can't wait to hear his stories.

Yeah I was thinking that as well, must be a blast to be down there, he's fishing some great locations.

Jim

kinda missed this thred tell now

hope he gets lots of picts during the trip
and the weather cooperates towards his success

sumthin alot of us iam sure
wish we could do
but just have to read about it insted

ive been considering a spot device
prob will get one when the text option version comes out

a sat phone woulda been a good idea for this trip

i woulda def brough my ceramic filter water purifier pump

coulnt immagine trying to launch and land a yak
let alone paddle it with any current and or wind
with an extra 300# on it

one tough crazy cool dude fur sure


paul

Heck yeah, a great trip any way you slice it.

Re a SPOT that texts. SPOT licensed their tech to Delorme, who cooked up a GPS / Sat Text gizmo. Dave had hoped to get one for this run, but it's in very short supply, too brand spanking new.

turned into a roadtrip....those paddling sponsors are bummed :)

"I'm moving by vehicles to choice spots in Baja to concentrate more on fishing than paddling."


Looking forward to the trip report when he gets back.

Back to the gulf?
 

Just saw that Dave is back in the gulf. Looks like he will have more land miles than water!

Unrelenting strong winds must of made him go back to the gulf and back to the frying pan . :egg:

Unreal jouney. Can't wait to hear about his trip!

Didn't take long to figure out what a dumb idea that was... Jumping in that truck probably saved his life, at least the guy knows when to quit...

he's headed back north and checked in 3 times on the 13th?

Right now he's at one of my favorite areas to fish in Baja, I'm not sure if he's headed back or just fishing a bite. He's working a prime monster Yellowtail area right now. I'd guess he's target big yellows, amberjack, or possibly grouper, but there are all kinds of fish in there this time of year.

The world is full of demarcations, but one of the most profound is the difference between those who do extraordinary things and those that sit on the sidelines and try to pretend they are fools for trying to do them, or that they do not know what they are doing.

There are few of the former, many, many, many of the latter.

No doubt when Columbus set out for the Indies there were plenty of guys loitering around the docks that said it was a dumb idea, or that he failed when he discovered the "New World" rather then a passage to India.

Einstein said it best:

"...Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to express the results of his thought in clear form..."

Albert Einstien, quoted in New York Times, March 19, 1940

This reminds me of an old debate.....

Years ago I was having a discussion about Jung's Collective unconcious with a Psychology Professor of mine. I have no issue with the theory as it was originally presented, as a biological reality, essentially instinct but my professor was of the Universal Mind, metaphysical reality, mindset. A school of thought that in my opinion wrongly interprets the original theory into a mystical thing. At any rate his idea was there was there is this field of mental energy that we all contribute to, that is around us at all times, and that all of us tap into it.

In response to this idea I said simply" "Imagine your average student. Think of how intelligent they are. Now realize that half the population on the planet is dumber then they are. If this metaphysical realm of thought exists: as you say it does, then what possible use could it be? It would be like a well of idiocy."

Too bad that was before the web (20 years ago), I could of just used the internet as an example. As they say opinions are like A-holes, everyone's got one, some are more attractive then others, and some you just don't want to see, but the bottom line is for good or bad everyone get's to display theirs on the web.

I don't know exactly what the guys up to, or where he's going next but I'll tell you honestly I've fished where he's at right now from small boats and it's an exceptional place to fish and I would love to take my kayak down there. You can sit here online and try to kick him when you perceive he's down, but I can almost guarantee you that he's probably having more fun then you are, probably the adventure of a lifetime.

I envy him, I wish I was there with him. He may not make it to Cabo this time, but obviously he has the courage, the will, the youth, and more importantly the spirit of adventure to try in the first place.

I'd say he's a lucky man on many levels :cheers1:

Jim

Jim,
Nicely chosen quote. Especially the part about expressing the results of thought in clear form. That's like what Dave is doing right now. Of course we could just sit in front of our computers as an expression of our thoughts afraid to even go outside but I'm with Dave's school. He gave the trip lots of thought and now...the fun part.

I wouldn,t exactly say that he quit either. More like he is improvising.

Exactly!!!:cheers1:

I'll play devil's advocate...

Columbus was well prepared and succeeded. Amelia Earhart was well prepared and failed. Point is that it is not important whether or not the people that try these types of things succeed, but that when they attempt these feats, the chances of success are substantially higher than with the average Joe. And I didn't really get that vibe with this one...

I've met Dave a few times on the water. I know who he is from his posts here and on other sites but I'm sure he wouldn't be able to single me out in a lineup. Always seems like a nice guy from our passing by on the water so nothing personal. He gave something that's really difficult a go and that's truly admirable. I think that poor planning is the only thing to blame when plans change so early in a long journey like this. Heavy boat, high seas in the pacific, hot weather in the gulf are all predictable factors that could have been accounted for. But really, who cares? He went for it. My guess, he'll go for it again with a better understanding than any of us who haven't even began such a journey. But I'll stick by my "sideline coaching, still scared of mexico, no time to do anything but work and fish on the internet" opinion that a little better planning and testing followed by more planning and testing could have at least gotten him a little further down the coast.

Only people that I think could be truly irked by this are people that gave him gear for the journey and watched it turn in to a road trip through baja pretty early on. Give me a few months of some free Stone and I'll paddle to Ensanada...or maybe just the coronados...how about the nw corner? Fuck it, I'm never getting sponsored.

Trust me....between this site and others, by the end of his adventure the sponsors are probably looking at about 20,000 views. I'm sure they got way more than they gave him.
Unless Stone Brewing gave him a life time supply of beer.....because if it was me they'd already be losing money:biggrinjester:
When it's all done I'm sure he's got a great tale to tell. Plus if he's a family man, not risking his life is always the wisest path to take.

Very well said. I too agree, he is a very lucky man on multiple levels. And I am extremely jealous/envious!

that's probably what most of us are thinking. could have adjusted for the weather before he left for the trip.

he's going to have some awesome pictures to show us when he gets back though.

Destination: Home
 

Well...I'm back and no I didn't make it to Cabo. For anyone
following my blog or this thread, you know that things
didn't go as planned.

I've read through all the posts and to the naysayers, all I can
say is this was MY trip, not yours. How I chose to go about
it was my decision. To supporters, thanks.

That being said, there were definitely some errors
in my planning. Kayak weight was a key factor.
Couple that with unfortunate timing and
things can come unraveled quickly.

Here's the gist of what went down:

From the start, I knew that I would have no ground
support. I knew that would be a crucial factor in this trip.
I spoke to several people who have done
similar type trips and they all advised against going
without ground support. The reasons are obvious (less
gear to carry, easily resupplied, medical emergencies, etc.).
I put the word out, but I couldn't find any
friends who were able to commit to the support
required for a trip like this. I'm not one to rely on others,
so I tried to figure out what I CAN do without a support team.
I knew that certain conditions would have to prevail if
I was going to succeed.

Additionally, I made a commitment to myself about what
I would do if things went wrong or if I found that I
was on a path to destruction. Being a pilot, I've been
taught that its not one thing that went wrong, but a
culmination of many mistakes that leads to most tragic
accidents. 99% of the time, its pilot error and can
be avoided. As Matt F. said in one post, I've proved
Darwin wrong many times...I did not want this trip
to be a Darwinian experiement.

The second problem was weight. My kayak was extremely
heavy, but well within the limits of the kayak.
Unfortunately, being so heavy, it was extremely
difficult for me to move on land. Each heave-ho would
only move the kayak a few inches. I'm estimated I
had about 300lbs of gear, food, and water.

Another major problem is where to land each night. The
first night was extremely difficult and I thought
about that for many months. I thought
about paddling to the Coronados and trying to hook up
with a boat, but figured that was too risky. I decided to
paddle straight to Rosarito, which I did, but since I
launched late (around noon), I didn't get there until
3:30am.

Each evening, I contemplated where I would land. Though
I did my research with maps and charts, I wasn't moving
as fast as I had hoped. My average speed was 2.2 mph.
Typically, its 3.5mph with all my fishing gear. As I
approached my initial landing candidate, I was met
with obstacles out of my control. Incorrect tides, surf,
and other factors made it so my first choice usually
didn't work out. In most cases, I searched for 3-4 hours
for a landing spot.

After arriving in La Bufadora (paddling around Punta Banda
was a trip), I realized that I was only covering half
the miles each day that I needed to in order to complete
this trip in the time I had alloted. Add to that reports
of even larger surf on the way and I began to realize
that I could end up in an uncomfortable situation.

A kayak guide (Eddy), told me that there were surf
warnings for the next several days. He is a certified
expedition kayak guide and knows the Baja coastline
very well. He and another certified guide suggested
that I wait for several days before moving on
from La Bufadora.

I knew that waiting 5 days would make my chances of
reaching Cabo even slimmer. He then suggested the Cortez
side and I thought about that. Unfortunately, though
I knew it would be warmer, I never anticipated the
heat that I experienced there. Temps were easily
over 100 degrees on the water.

Downside of posting on a social networking site- plenty of naysayers.

You went for it:cheers1:

TAKE THE ADVICE
 

Dave,

I'm sure you're tired. Rest and make sure you
don't fish Steve Moyer Memorial 2010 . Ok?

:you_rock:

The naysayers don't bother me, just wanted to point out
to them that I don't owe them anything.

It was an exciting trip and necessary training for
other trips I have in the works.

Why do you think I came back early. I wouldn't miss that
tourney for anything. I feel its a moral obligation for
anyone who fishes La Jolla. Give back to this community
and you will be richly rewarded.

Dave snapped some pics of my PB tail I caught in LJ a couple years back, the guy is a class act. Good on ya Dave for taking this journey and glad you made it back safely.

:cheers1:

Surfdad

You did it!
 

All I can say is ,you did it! You made the best attempt to complete your goal. You have done way more than most of us here on this board and that takes balls, So all of the naysayers can go :the_finger:. Your life is about what you endure, accomplishment, the people that cross your path, and the impact you have on their lives. Adventure! :you_rock:
You only live once, It's not practice!

OK. I'm entered in the 2010 Steve Moyer tourney.

The way the fishing's been going off in town, I think
this is going to be a fantastic tournament.

Jim: maybe you should consider opening up a Great White
category...

So glad you made it back safe Dave, I can't wait to hear the stories of your adventure. And thanks for supporting the Moyer tournament, can't wait to see you there

X10!

Very well said! Hats off to you, Dave.

post some pics dave! glad you made it back safe, that trip sounds brutal.

LOL this guy is no Einstein, and definitely no Columbus... How so many people can support this idea is beyond me. Do the math- 1,000 miles, 30 days, that's 33 miles per day, every day for 30 days. With no land support. And no water maker. Right. A real inspiration...

I thought this was a dumb idea from the start and I guarantee a lot of other people did too. I'm glad you didn't kill yourself wavster.

A lot of people also said we would never go to the moon either.

People once thought that if we broke the sound barrier that they would explode.

It was said that the world was flat and if you went to the end you would fall off.

Wavster, :you_rock: Dont let the naysayers stop you from posting more about your adventure.