11 August 2007

Chasing the Ana-Days 8- 9-10

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Chasing The Ana Team Post Day Eight

foto: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Almestica called
http://www.guajataka.com/ at aprox 1:30pm, they have reached Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla. What a fast paddle that must have been! Carrie Medina and Nydia Kein are on their way to meet them. Carrie will post tonight.
Marine forcast :
Carib Waters From Punta Viento To Punta Melones And The WatersOutside 12 Nm From Punta Melones To Punta Cadena W To 68w AndS To 17n-This AfternoonSoutheast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 5 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.TonightEast southeast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.ThursdayEast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.Thursday NightEast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.FridayEast southeast winds 11 to 16 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning. Scattered showers.Friday NightEast southeast winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 3 to 4 feet. Isolated showers.


San Sebastián, Puerto Rico August 9, 20071 pmTeam Post - Day Nine

This is Carrie from
http://www.kayakscuba.com/ checking in. I met up with Almestica and Mayoleth late last night at Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla. Mayoleth says his bruised ribs from a fall down the staircase made paddling difficult, but the miles they paddled were impressive enough. The men hope to paddle to Rincon in the morning then on to Mayagüez by the afternoon. I am heading out to that side of the island with Almestica's recharged communications gear. The good time they are making on the west end will be needed time, as the south side of the island, heading east, is anticipated to be a bigger challenge.
While out on the beach we met up with ''Roberto'' who promises to email us. 2 years ago Roberto circumnavigated Puerto Rico on a long board. The 3 man expedition took a year and a half to complete.
UPDATE: MAYOLETH EMAILED, THEY HAVE MADE IT TO RINCON AND WILL LAND IN MAYAGüEZ BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

Marine forcast from:
http://www.wunderground.com/
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORYCarib Waters From Punta Viento To Punta Melones And The WatersOutside 12 Nm From Punta Melones To Punta Cadena W To 68w AndS To 17n-This AfternoonEast winds 16 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.TonightEast southeast winds 16 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 6 feet. Scattered showers.FridayEast southeast winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.Friday NightEast southeast winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Isolated thunderstorms in the evening...then isolated showers after midnight.SaturdayEast southeast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Isolated showers.Saturday NightEast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 5 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.SundayEast northeast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 2 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.MondayEast winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 2 to 6 feet. Isolated showers.
Carib Waters From Punta Viento To Cabo San Juan S To 17n And E To64w Including The Carib Waters Of Culebra Vieques And The U.S.Virgin Islands-This AfternoonEast winds 16 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Isolated showers.TonightEast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms after midnight.FridayEast southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 4 to 6 feet. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning. Scattered showers.Friday NightEast southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 5 to 6 feet. Scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms after midnight.SaturdayEast southeast winds 16 to 21 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Isolated thunderstorms in the morning. Scattered showers.Saturday NightEast winds 14 to 19 knots. Seas 4 to 5 feet. Scattered showers.SundayEast northeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 5 feet. Scattered showers...then isolated showers.MondayEast winds 13 to 18 knots. Seas 2 to 6 feet. Isolated showers...then scattered showers.
posted by Kayak-QP at

Friday, August 10, 2007
Automatic Weapons Fire at CTA Kayakers
Automatic Weapons Fire at Chasing The Ana KayakersAt aprox 3pm today, August 10,

Chasing the Ana Kayakers Derrick Mayleth and Taino Almestica reported having bullets coming at them and their kayaks just off shore in the Mona Passage.Both men are ok, and
http://www.kayakscuba.com/ owner Carrie Medina has contacted the US Coast Guard in Puerto Rico. Officer Balcac has forwarded an email to let the Coast Guard know that the men can be tracked by map at www.guajataka.com/bloghttp://www.kayakscuba.com/ is investigating other possible locations of private firing ranges to avoid any further incidents. Both local police and the Navigation Comisioner will also be contacted Monday morning.Kevlar PFD anyone?
Labels:
CTA

Chasing The Ana Team Post Day 10

foto: Almestica y los niños de la isla Borinquen. ''When I grow up I wanna be a kayaker!''

Puerto Real, Puerto RicoAugust 10, 20076 pmTeam Post - Day Ten
Quick check in at
http://www.guajataka.com/ by Taino. Problems on the water, but the men are at Puerto Real. Carrie will be checking in with Taino in one hour to find out what the difficulty was. The men are doing well. Special thanks to Mary Mayoleth (Wisconsin USA) and Kumiko Niimi (Ney York USA), the packages have been delivered to the shop and will be delivered to the men Saturday morning.

2007/08/chasing-ana-team-post-day-10.
Certainly we are being challenged. Of course at times like today we were lucky enough to land at the ultra posh
Rincon Beach Resort in Anasco just south of Rincon. We have been welcomed in by these guys and enjoy a nice outdoor bar, swimming pools, and or course Wifi in a modern Spanish style open air plaza. Yeah, I could never afford a place like this in real life! My ribs have been more than a bit of a problem. I can tell I bruised them pretty well, but of course I don't have an opportunity to rest. After an hour or so on the water the pain eases away (the 3 tylenol help) and I'm good for paddling for the day. However pulling my kayak up the steep beaches can at times be almost unbearable. Sleeping is not comfortable. Luckily I think I'm building up my left side to compensate. Of course what I need is rest, but we have miles to go. I'm looking forward to a 3 day stop on the south coast and hope to spend much of that time healing before the last leg of the trip.My hard rock landing a couple days ago bent two clips on my Rockpools tail section. At first this looked like a major disaster until I realized I could swap them out with on top clip on the fore and aft sections. Mike had told me the tops only needed on clip, but luckily I asked for the older 2 clip tops. So with that taken care of and the help of a friendly octopus fisherman we were able to seal launch off the rocks and get out through the surf. The north coast of PR is NOT for the weak of heart.This is a good time to note that my second Optio has now died. Yeah, I can't say much good about the camera at the moment. Especially when after talking to Pentax and explaining our situation they refused to do anything to replace it in a timely manor. They basically just wanted us to buy a new one that they would ship from the Philippines in 7 or more days. Their customer service was, frankly, rude. Not for their camera, but for their rude customer service, I will never buy another Pentax or recommend on to you.Yesterday we rounded the western tip where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean ocean. There the sky is moody and the water was dark. I walked the ruins of an old Spanish style building. Only the two story walls were left standing. While walking out again through the grand doorway a boarder patrol truck passed. He waved. We are now in an area under constant guard against people coming in from the Dominican Republic looking for a gateway the US.The West Coast although beautiful is full-on hot. Through the intense heat and thick humidity we paddle south in what often seems like thick green syrup. Of course it's not the water, but the heat making my arms feel weak with each stroke. I stop on occasion to scoop salty water just slightly cooler than the air with my hat to pour over my body. It helps, but only for a moment. Then I look back out into the green/blue sea and slip my paddle again into the water and slide forward a few more feet. In many ways I miss the stormy Atlantic. She my be rough, but I know her moods. This hot Caribbean is new to me. So far she seems to want to lull you into a deep desert dream, where the mirage is land in the distance where you imagine a cold pina colada to be waiting. Thank God, on occasion. . . It is.My super buddy Yvonne Le Guillou, has been kind enough to post some more pictures from my camera here. More to come. Notice Maria doing her headstand in the Alaw Bach without a paddle to stabilize!

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