Cabrillo at Night?

[Fiskadoro]

Be very careful when it comes to weather, more precisely wind. It's bad enough in the daytime but if the wind comes up hard at night you may have real trouble getting back in, and if you get blown into the channel in the dark... Honestly... you could get killed.

Visibility wise just plan on not being seen. People in lighted cabins in big boats just are not going to see you. It's your job to avoid boats not the other way around. Radar won't see you but it clearly marks the breakwater for the larger boats. Stay out of traffic areas, and hug the rocks as much as you can.

If I was going to do it I'd paddle to the breakwater stay close to it all the way down and then only cross the channel right at the entrance by the lighthouse. You want to paddle out only far enough into the opening to where you can see traffic both inside outside the harbor. Watch the boats and lights to figure who might be coming through. Be careful as it's hard to gauge speed and distance at night. Once your sure it's clear paddle directly across to the center wall but only when you have a long lull in traffic with large margin for error.

Once across hug the wall and paddle at least a hundred yards down before you start fishing. You will be safe at the center tight to the wall but at the ends of the wall you could be run over by a boat that's cutting the corner to close.

You might want to take a small folding grapple type anchor and rope. If the wind comes up and you can't make headway to get back just pull tight to the wall and anchor up and wait it out. Better to be cold and miserable tight to the rocks then getting blown out to sea or across the traffic lines in the dark.

I used to wallbang in skiffs. Trust me most large boats just don't see smallcraft out there at night. Big boats under power can not easily change course in the harbor. They are navigating by instruments not just by sight, and they can't slow down or quickly turn sharply to avoid you. The difference with a skiff is you have the speed to get out of their way, that means in a kayak you have to be just that much more careful.

I'm not saying it can't be done, Hell I've thought about doing it myself the deal is if you do it realize there is risk involved and think strategically to stay out of trouble.

One more thing. I don't know if you have a bunch of experience wall banging, but there are a lot of much safer places to do it then out there at the middle wall. I'd suggest you try some other more accessible areas first until you get used to it, then graduate to more advance areas like the middle wall when you know what's involved or what your up against.


Good luck, Jim