Chipps Island

March 16. Today’s paddle takes us from Pittsburg, out around Chipps Island, with a lunch stop at McAvoy Yacht Harbor before returning to our launch point.

Six of us were on the boat ramp ready to launch at 11:00. Again, our paddle plan was to take advantage of the currents. We headed out across Suisun Bay with some discussion about a proper ferry angle to correct for the current that was carrying us west—the point being to set a course that would carry us directly to Spoonbill Creek rather than pointing the boat there and ending up downstream. The current was quite evident when we stopped mid-channel to chat with a fisherman. You can see on the map below that our actual track was an arc across the bay as we made adjustments to our course. The little blip in the arc marks our encounter with the fishing boat. Once in the creek we found a good current pushing us up the creek.

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We paddled past past various derelict structures. I always find these fascinating, and worthy subjects for photography. We also found a few sunken boats.

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Once around the island we paddled back across the bay. We opted for a point that carried us east of the entrance to McAvoy Yacht Harbor and poked around the shore until we found the the sign showing the way to the harbor. We were looking for the Bay Point Regional Shoreline which promised picnic tables. We didn’t find the park from the water, so we landed on the boat ramp and found a suitable spot for our socially distanced lunch.

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On our return trip after lunch we had a fast ride with the current passing the Pittsburg Power Plant. Off in the distance we could see the faint outline of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountains. Look closely over Alan’s shoulder in the photo above. We were back at the boat ramp at 4 PM.

We logged 14 miles over the course of our paddle. You can view a larger map and more details on my Gaiagps account here. I’ve posted a gallery that includes more photos here.