September 29, 2002

Tappi - On the Sea of Japan

28-29 Sep 2002

I was to follow the group heading up for their dive certifications to Tappi. Unfortunately I got caught at the first traffic light and I never saw the half of the group in front of me until we stopped for breakfast in Aomori. Luckily our sweep took over and did a good job of making sure the second half stayed together.

I couldn't help think the parallel to leading a kayak trip as to leading a convoy of 12 cars across the country. The sweep knew her job of keeping everyone together when she took over as the second group lead. The original lead would have been fired, but I was satisfied with listening to his wife yell at him when we caught up (she was our original sweep). :grin:

But we made it to Tappi. I had used the GPS to record my track to get there, so at least I knew I could get back unaided. I had the K1 and the Sirocco on the car. Debbie and Susan had ridden together. Susan's plan was to paddle after her dive certification. I would take Debbie out for a paddle while Susan had her dive class.

The weather was a little yucky when we got there. A little breezy, but not terribly so. Debbie and I carried the boats down some concrete steps to the edge of the water. We launched and turned left working our way outside the break wall. The water here is deep, but there are many large rocks just under the surface.

I spent a lot of time as I paddled looking for boomers. There were a few spots we had to look out for and I guided Debbie out away from these tricky spots. We paddled on about a mile, but I suddenly became aware the weather was changing and I asked Debbie to turn around.

The wind began to blow hard from shore. To ensure Debbie made good speed we headed closer to the shore to take advantage of a little wind shadow. There was one place I had noticed boomers quite frequently and we had to head back out into the wind at one point to avoid it. Just before we headed out I told Debbie we had to move back out from shore and she asked why. I pointed to where the boomers were happening every few minutes and told her to watch. I didn't need to explain any more once she saw a large wave rise up out of nowhere and then disappear again once over the hidden rocks.

We made it back to the launch with some effort and I pulled the boats back up on the steps and began to secure them. Maybe the weather would clear, or possibly we'd have a better day tomorrow. About 15 minutes after the boats were secured it began to rain horizontally. My guess is that the wind got up to about 30-35 mph, and as I carried clothes and cooking supplies to the cabin I actually had to lean into the wind to make progress.

The next morning wasn't much better, and after taking some pictures I decided to head home. It was a beautiful place, and I wish that I would have had the opportunity to paddle more of it. But the weather is like this here in northern Japan, and it is always a gamble any time you get in a kayak here. If we had been just a 1/4 mile off shore, it is unlikely Debbie would have had the strength to paddle against the fierce wind. When I paddle in a place like this, I hunt for every little pocket beach or possible landing spot I can find. If I were going to be here much longer, I would buy a drogue as an additional safety item to carry.

So, using my trusty GPS as a guide, I made my journey home. The pictures are here.

Woody