On Saturday, February 20, we congregated with some friends to take our good friend Danny paddling. Danny, an avid paddler, suffered a stroke in January. A few friends decided it would be good to get Danny on the water. We scared up a a double kayak and took to the water. The plan was to launch from Schoonmaker Beach in Sausalito and paddle to Bayfront Park in Mill Valley for lunch. The weather prediction was for calm winds and flat water. As we were gathering at the beach, though, the wind was threatening to kick up.
Safety talk at Schoonmaker Beach 
Launching from Schoonmaker Beach 
Heading out into Richardson Bay
Richardson Bay is fairly protected and usually a flat water paddle. After some discussion we decided it was safe to launch.
Danny, Mark and Susan 
Paddling by Houseboats 
Lunch at Bayfront Park
Our course took us past marinas full of pleasure boats, and past houseboats, both high-end glamorous floating palaces and the less glamorous but intriguing low rent floating homes. Then it was under the Highway 101 bridge to our lunch stop a Bayfront Park in Mill Valley.
Muddy launch after lunch with the receding tide 
Under the Highway 101 Bridge 
Track of our paddle
After lunch we discovered that the receding tide had left us launching in the mud. With some maneuvering we managed to get back in our boats without getting stuck. We retraced our route back to Schoonmaker Beach, a round trip of 6.5 miles. Danny was all smiles and delighted to be back on the water. What better therapy is there than being on the water sharing the fun and fellowship of friends. You can view more photos here and see more information about the track log here.
How wonderful! What great friends to think outside the box and get a friend back on the water!!! This melts my heart for sure. If we can all be so lucky to have thoughtful friends the world would be a nicer place.
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes. I can’t imagine how we would manage without friends.