Since I started paddling, I have wanted to paddle from Santa Cruz to Monterey, and I finally did it.
On a clear day, I can see Monterey from near my house, but it’s a long and committing paddle across Monterey Bay. It’s deep water out there, far from shore and exposed to the winds. I paddled solo, wanting to feel the adventure and self reliance, but I couldn’t have done it without Joy acting as land crew. She dropped me off at the water’s edge early in the morning, and picked me up on the other side.
Overall, I paddled around 27 miles in 6 hours, 22 minutes (4.2 mph). Setting off in the early morning fog, I was not at all confident that I’d make it; the first 7 miles or so were slow going into a headwind, and I didn’t feel fully committed to the crossing for a long time. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the wind eventually died, and gave me calm water for over 10 miles; then a tailwind came up for the final stretch into Monterey, just when I needed it.
With no sight of land and no consistent wind to orient me, I followed the compass. I used Gaia GPS on my phone for navigating, but the app froze and then my phone battery died while I was still out of sight of my landfall.
When I finally stepped out of the boat, I was deeply tired, but deeply satisfied.
