Refugio, Ocean SUP, Relaxation

<-- Vacation adventures 1 of 4

We arrived at Refugio, claimed a good spot with a distant ocean view and quickly turned around to hit up the Goleta Albertson’s and L&L (which has become our traditional first night dinner when camping). We spent the first night sleeping in the pop-up bed which was roomy enough and pretty comfortable. Afraid that he might wander off the edge in the middle of the night in a strange place, we left Harley to sleep on the downstairs bed with lots of blankets.

The next morning was beautiful and (relatively) warm so after breakfast (coffee, bacon, scrambled eggs – all made by Clarke) I suited up for my first open ocean paddle. With the exception of the point break (and stormy days), Refugio doesn’t see a lot of big waves so getting out was quick and painless. It was exhilarating and scary to be in the open ocean by myself; only the oil rigs in the far distance and Clarke and Harley walking along the beach.

We had brought the shorter of Uncle John’s Trueline SUP boards; a 10’6″ board I had used in the bay before. I knew it was squirrelier than the 12′ I usually borrow but I wasn’t worried since I had ridden it before with success. I hadn’t factored in the squirreliness with the swells though; the ocean seems very flat until you get on it. But I managed alright. I hit a current and zoomed along until I decided I needed to turn back around. Unfortunately I was still in the current and turning around meant that it was against me so I immediately fell in. The water was not terribly cold, which was good because I continued to fall in several more times. I sat on my knees and paddled for a while, trying several times to stand back up and immediately falling in. I knee paddled my way out of the current and promised myself that once I passed the buoy on the edge of the kelp bed I would stand up the rest of the way in. I found my footing and was able to paddle back towards the spot I had launched. Clarke directed me in like a taxiing airplane on the runway until my feet hit sandy ground. I was still shaking a bit but I think it was more from the adrenaline than the chill of the water. My first open ocean SUP paddle was a success, despite my dripping clothes.

We enjoyed the rest of our sunny day spending a good portion of it dozing in camp chairs in the sun with Pacifico and lime in hand (the lime was in the Pacifico, not in the hand). The sunset was spectacular as the clouds began to roll in with 100% chance of rain predicted for the night. We packed everything up in Hale Pua and slept on the downstairs bed which was quite warmer than the upstairs.

Here are more pictures from our vacation.

The next installment of our winter vacation…Birthday!