Get Out, Get Fit, and See the World From a Kayak in Half Moon Bay
by Heidi Trilling
Master sea kayakers Doug Connor (left) and Chris Manchester of Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. Photo: Heidi Trilling.
Imagine drifting past awesome coastal bluffs and sparkling waterfalls. Breathing fresh sea air, invigorating your mind, toning your body, and totally communing with nature. Sound like a dream? It’s not. It’s everyday fare at the Half Moon Bay Kayak Co.
Founded in 2004 by local residents and professional sea kayakers Chris Manchester and Doug Connor, HMB Kayak offers everyone — novice to seasoned pro — the chance to explore local or international coasts through a variety of classes and tour packages.
Local guided tours highlight coastal regions from San Francisco to Pescadero, and are packed with information on natural and local history.
Expeditions to exotic international destinations, such as Baja’s Sea of Cortez coast and Isla Guanaja, Honduras include camping in little-traveled coastal villages with Manchester and Connor, both Spanish-speakers.
Wilderness First Aid courses at HMB Kayak Co. are essential preparation for outdoor travel. Photo courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
“We have lots of options,” says Manchester. “Rentals, classes … programs for the general public, corporate programs, kids’ programs. … We offer a large spectrum of opportunity for people to learn sea kayaking, or to further skills they already have.”
Connor adds: “There’s nothing like kayaking for having fun and getting in shape. … We want people to come out, take a course and enjoy themselves.”
Check the Web site for classes, and for annual kids’ kayaking camps beginning the week of June 22. The popular Wilderness First Aid course, teaching vital skills for safe outdoor explorations, runs July 11-12. Spots fill quickly, so book in advance.
Speaking of the Web site, it’s an education in itself, offering real-time weather, tide and water quality conditions, and information on marine mammals and birds of the harbor. “I get more and more into birding every year,” Connor says. “It’s amazing out there!”
Manchester adds: “We want to promote this area because we love it. … We’re running a local business that’s completely customer-service oriented. … We want both locals and tourists to enjoy our harbor, relax at the beach … and have fun.”
The whole family can have fun here; gear is available to suit-up toddlers to adults. Even dogs are welcome, and can be outfitted in canine lifejackets! Then it’s all aboard the lightweight, stable, maneuverable Necky and Cobra kayaks. Try out new stand-up paddle boards, too.
Kids' camps at HMB Kayak Co. give kids hands-on experience of the ocean. Photo courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
Corporate groups are also having fun at HMB Kayak; The Ritz, Google, Genentech and Stanford rave about the team-building programs. HMB Kayak also hosts the NorCal Kayak Anglers’ Fishing Derby.
The media loves HMB Kayak, too. Tom Stienstra’s The Great Outdoors did a segment on the company, as did Bay Area Backroads on KRON-TV. Manchester’s Baja expedition was highlighted in Sea Kayaker Magazine; Connor’s Honduras expedition was featured in an SF Gate article by Paul McHugh.
Come see what the buzz is about. Whatever your skill level, you’ll be guided by masters with over 40 years combined sea kayaking experience.
Manchester kayaked the second longest barrier reef in the word, is a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor, teaches for the Wilderness Medicine Institute and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, and is certified as a K38 rescue boat operator.
Connor, a former operations manager at Sea Trek in Sausalito, was on the U.S. Wildwater Team and competed internationally. He tests local Coastside waters for the Surfrider Foundation, and also owns Caribbean Kayak Adventures in Honduras.
Both are hard-core environmentalists, and HMB Kayak is a member of the Ecotourism Committee of the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau. “We’re part of a group of merchants trying to make a difference,” Manchester says. “It’s one of the best things about our business … teaching people to appreciate nature.”
Connor adds: “My favorite thing about running the place is just how much it’s building community. We have new people trying out kayaking, and people who rent from us a lot — but other days, they’re just coming down, sitting on the picnic tables, and hanging out. We’ve created a little community here on the harbor, and that’s a lot of fun. I love it.”
A group of advanced students in class at HMB Kayak Co. Photo credit: Courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
So, how did they get into kayaking in the first place?
“I got involved with the outdoor industry and love it so much because it’s in my blood,” says Manchester. His great-grandfather, W.C. Coleman, founded the Coleman camping gear company in 1900, revolutionizing outdoor activity with his signature lantern design.
“Then, in college,” Manchester continues, “I learned about sea kayaking, took a course, and I was hooked. … It’s something I need to do. It comes from the soul. … Kayaking’s always where my heart’s going to be.”
Connor says: “I wanted to learn kayaking in 1972, when I saw the Munich Olympics. Whitewater kayaking. I was just enthralled, watching it. Going down the rapids, flipping over. … I said: ‘Mom! I want to do that!’ And she said: ‘No!’”
But Connor’s drive and athleticism led him out onto the water, anyway. “I’ve been in the industry over 25 years,” Connor says, “and I can still say that I love kayaking. That’s something.”
On the Web:
A corporate team-building group from Stanford at HMB Kayak Co. Photo credit: Courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
Kayaks on the beach in summertime. Photo courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
Dwarfed by the sea cliffs on the San Mateo coast. Photo credit: Courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
Taking it all in ... Photo credit: Courtesy of HMB Kayak Co.
