Van Damme Aug 30-Sept4

I'm going to Mendocino to camp and fish at the end of August, and we're bringing our kayaks even though they are not recommended for the ocean.  They are small ones - Lifetime Teton.  Local sea tours for "beginners" use similar kayaks, so these seem fine for the sea caves inside the cove at Van Damme and we want to check those out even if we can't go out further.

Is there anyone who's super familiar with the area that can have a more detailed conversation with me about other places that are safe to launch, and exactly what ocean conditions to look for to make wise decisions?  If there is a super calm day that it is safe to go further along the coast, I'd love to do that, but I don't want to get in a situation.  I know the weather patterns in the SF bay and expected deviation from the weather app precitions.  I go out to ARW often in the early mornings.  I don't have that knowledge for the Van Damme, Mendocino, Caspar area.

I'm looking for more information than "just don't go at all".  I'm fairly conservative with my risk-taking, knowing that I will need to paddle not pedal out of any situation, and that I could tip easier than a wider kayak.  Honestly, I'd rather tip my 10ft kayak that is barely loaded than a big Hobie full of expensive gear. 

All comments will be welcome and helpful!  If this is something you'd love to talk about at greater lengths, I'm available on zoom or any other video/screenshare program.

If you launch at van damn and stay close to shore while  heading  south  its pretty  shallow and well protected. than stay between  the giant rock and the shore  its not to bad at all.
Hardest  part will be launching  and landing

If you launch at van damn and stay close to shore while  heading  south  its pretty  shallow and well protected. than stay between  the giant rock and the shore  its not to bad at all.
Hardest  part will be launching  and landing

There is decent enough fishing inside the cove. You probably won’t catch any monsters but you will have a good time. Generally the swell is out of the NW and the cove stays very protected. The wind does the same. You have almost 1/2 mile of fishable area to go out of the cove that generally stays protected.

Magic seaweed and windy are decent apps for weather. MSW has forecasts for Caspar which is right up the road. If the swell was coming from the southwest I probably wouldn’t do it in the small kayak. If the wind is coming from the East you won’t be protected and could be blown offshore so I wouldn’t go then either.

Coastal weather is generally the same. If the fog is in the wind usually is down. When the dog starts to burn off or come in the wind comes up.

Watch for wash rocks when the tide is getting lower. There are a decent amount of rocks that are very shallow.

Nice! What app is this? I use Nautical for NOAA maps, and I’m always wishing it had a better overlay with Google Maps, especially satellite view.
I’ll definitely stick to places where any wind is in my favor, and I generally stay close enough to my launch point that I can still see it or it’s just around the corner. Do you think I can use the same advice for nearby places like Casper Cove and the entrance of the Noyo river?

Nice! What app is this? I use Nautical for NOAA maps, and I’m always wishing it had a better overlay with Google Maps, especially satellite view.
I’ll definitely stick to places where any wind is in my favor, and I generally stay close enough to my launch point that I can still see it or it’s just around the corner. Do you think I can use the same advice for nearby places like Casper Cove and the entrance of the Noyo river?

That is the navionics app for an iPhone. Caspar and Noyo are much less protected from the northwest wind and swell, but the same info applies. If you have a state parks pass or have paid for the state park stay at van damme you could check out Russian gulch just up the road and has a nice protected bay with a few fish in it.

I'm actually staying at a private campground nearby, across the street from Jug Handle, but I'm happy to pay entrance for any parks!

Good advice already for VD. Basically if the shore break is small enough for you to launch and land, you will be fine inside the cove. The kayak tours go along the north side, where there are really cool inlets and caves to explore, and you can find fish in holes and channels there. To the south as others have suggested, you can sneak around inside the big rock and explore quite a large area. Usually there are a number of other kayakers around and you can probably ask them for advice.

Caspar is considerably more exposed and has a surprisingly lively shore break - I wouldn't recommend it if there's a swell running. At that time of year you might hit a calm spell.

Russian Gulch is the most protected and easiest launch site around here. Really easy, no shore break to worry about most of the time. Beautiful spot, too.

Albion Cove is also easy if you time the tide right. If the tide is incoming (or the wind is blowing), you might as well just go upriver and enjoy the view, it's a beautiful paddle. Otherwise you can easily get out and fish the cove. Inside the big rock it stays pretty calm - past that it can get bumpy.

Just be hyper-aware of the weather and sea conditions. The forecasts from MSW, Willy, and Windy are usually pretty good. Swells can come up really quickly and if the wind comes up it gets nasty fast, especially if your kayaks don't track well. The VFD and Parks have to rescue a lot of kayakers every year, and fatalities aren't uncommon.

Thank you so much Tim!  I will definitely stay inside the more protected areas and I'll skip Caspar.  For Albion, I'll look for a small outgoing tide with low wind and be prepared to change my plans for any of these places if the weather doesn't match the forecast when I get there.  On the Albion River, can you paddle in and out, or is the current enough that you have to have a pick up point?

I generally add as little extra weight to my kayak as possible, but do you think it's worth it to add a skegg?  Tracking can definitely be a problem.

My #1 concern is to not impact anyone's otherwise relaxing day off with a water rescue!

There is no pick-up point on the Albion River, so you just have to ride the tide. The current is strong right at the mouth where the channel is narrow, but upstream from the marina the river widens and it's not so bad. Once you get around the first big bend, it feels like you've left the world behind. No roads, just a few funky old hippie-built houseboats.
If you time it so you can ride the last part of the incoming tide upstream and then let the outgoing tide carry you back, you can have a very enjoyable trip. You can get about four miles upstream or more. Just a beautiful paddle.

Going out in the cove is fun too, but not as much room to explore as at Van Damme. Some beautiful "rock gardens" on the north side though.

I don't have any advice about a skeg. My kayak tracks so well it's hard to turn.