March, 2002: Kayak Festival at Steamer Lane

This is a story that goes waaaaay back. Tensions between kayakers and board riders come to the surface now and again in Santa Cruz, making the newz, and sometimes erupting into heated emotions, pointed wordz, or even fisticuffs. Each year, late in Winter, a kayak contest and festival is held at Steamer Lane. Butt surfers from across the USA and other nations descend upon our fair city to celebrate their wave riding vehicles, and prowess using them. During the mid 90's fights between kayakers and board surfers took place three years in a row.

In truth this is just another form of the friction that is evident between various groups of people pursuing their sports and hobbies in the ocean: Locals don't like Valleys. Long boarders and short boarders don't get along. Both of them don't like spongers. Woe to the body surfer, who gets grief from everyone else. Paddlers don't like tow-ins. Board riders and wind surfers don't get along.

It's a fact that different waves, breaks and conditions favor different wave riding vehicles. The slow small rollers at Cowells just don't lend themselves to shortboards and boogie boards. Fast slammin' beach breakers are best left to the spongers and the body surfers. Many folks do take their activities to the appropriate breaks, but some don't. It can be downright dangerous for a surfer on a modern pointy-nosed shortboard to surf in a beach break where bathers are in the water. But some conditions can accomodate a mixed crowd, and that's where a bit of cooperation and understanding can go a long way.

I myself have surfed in windy North coast conditions in the midst of wind surfers. While it's marginally blown out for me, it's marginally windy enough to propel a sail board. Sometimes I feel like a pylon in a slalom course as the windsurfers cut next to me at high speed, snagging all the waves before I can catch them. Other times the board sailors let me have a few, and we get along just fine.

These dayz, Santa Cruz is discussing restrictions on kayaks, which of course has stimulated an outcry from butt surfers across the USA.Ê It's curious that during a kayak festival and contest at the Lane you can see surfers mixed in the lineup, paddling and (sometimes) snaking the butt surfers. During surf contests at the Lane, all but contest participants are kept out of the surf zone. Can't imagine the grief a butt surfer would suffer were he to "invade" the waves during the Cold Water Classic!

My only suggestions for this general problem are empathy, and cooperation. We are all in the water trying to enjoy ourselves. And why not bar all surfers from the Lane during the kayak festival? It's one weekend out of the entire year. Surely there's many other breaks the surfers can ride for these few dayz.

In any event, these pix were taken this past March at Steamer Lane during the most recent Kayak Festival. It was a glorious sunny day with moderate waves, a mellow vibe, and lots of photo ops for the DogMan.

CU Out There,

DogMan