Day 86 - Current Designs 'Extreme'

. Filling In The Gaps With Jerry Sparks

Yesterday our friend Jerry Sparks blew in to town with a tailwind of 110 degree air from the desert where he lives. Many may recall that Jerry is from the Rogue Otters kayak team that paddled most of the entire length of the California coast last summer. Plans were instantly hatched to do some sort of paddle this afternoon. It had been a while since I did a run around Point Loma and I knew that Jerry had never seen the section from Mission Bay to Point Loma so that became the plan. I knew that I'd need a boat that would keep up with Jerry in his Chatham 17 so I drew from the bag-o-boats until I came up with a suitable craft which ended up being the Current Designs 'Extreme'.

The Extreme is nearly 19 feet long and, as can be expected, is quite fast. As we launched off the dock at Aqua Adventures at 5:45 PM I knew speed would be important if we wanted to make the 14 mile run to Shelter Island inside San Diego Bay before it got too late. We made great time and made the point right at sunset stopping for a moment to take a couple pictures. From there it was another hour until we hit the sand among bonfires and partiers on the beach at Shelter Island.

Extreme Review

Manufacturer = Current Designs
Brand = Current Designs
Model = Extreme
Material = Fiberglass
Length = 18'-10"
Width = 21.5"
Weight = 60 lbs.

Location = Mission Bay to San Diego Bay coastal paddle
Time = 5:45 PM
Distance = Aprox 14 miles
Duration = 3:00
Avg Speed = Aprox. 5 mph
Conditions = Sunny with gentle breeze and almost glassy water