4/26 East Beach Santa B CA 15m Cruiser Pro

[ChrisPSherwin]

Ok - so today I scared the crap out of two (sleeping?) sea lions who in turn scared the crap out of me. I almost ran over them while kiting off the coast of east beach. Good times.

ZERO wind in the forecast today, but the Ledbetter / Harbor wind meter said 13 mph. What else was I going to do? In between fog banks there was a sunny spot and just enough wind to kite, but not stay upwind unless you WORKED.

So I come back to shore and Dave "The Secret Agent" introduces himself to me and tells me to go waaaaaay the hell out there, about .5 to .75 miles where the wind is better. Start at the pier, body drag for a bit to get more up wind, and then get after it. Not much wave/swell action so I can swim in if needed. OK, so I go. And he's totally right. I held my ground out there for about 40 minutes and then came back in through the boats to shore. Rode some small waves and walked the beach a few more times.

East beach in Santa Barbara is a big ol beach, 400 feet wide? a little less than a mile long. With a lot of people, learning here would be tricky, but I have seen lessons in the past. Today, almost nobody was on the actual beach. EZ parking, grass to set up on, and then boom - you're there.