Category: BASK

Last Paddle for the Year

At 9:50 nine of us had our boats on the beach ready to launch. After a short safety talk and a radio check we were on the water at 10:00. Our plan was to paddle out across the shipping channel and then head north towards Red Rock and then on to Point Molate. We would be riding the end of the flood with slack water about 11:00. Alan was appointed our navigator, having set some waypoint on his GPS to help us stay clear of the shipping channels. The instructions were to “follow Alan.”

That said, it seemed like Alan was following the rest of the pod. I seemed to be lagging behind preoccupied with poking at my cameras. I’m using an iPhone 14 in a dive case and my trusty Olympus TG-5, trying to figure out which arrangement I like better. More on that later.

We paddled out to Bouy #6 marking the starboard side of the Richmond shipping channel and turned north towards Red Rock, rounding another Bouy #6 marking the Southampton Shoal Channel. We crossed a couple of eddie lines with some confused water, paddling into a light wind and riding over the wake of a couple of ferries.

From Red Rock we made our way to Point Molate Park landing on the beach at 11:45. With the high tide we didn’t have much beach so we took pains to get our boats well above the waterline. During lunch Evelyn asked for photographic proof that we were enjoying a delicious persimmon bread with bourbon a friend of hers had provided. After lunch we were anxious to get back on the water, since it was a chilly day, despite the sun.

Our return course took us past Castro Rocks where we gave some space to the harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks. We then paddled past the Chevron wharf and back to our launch site. We were back on the beach at 1:45 having logged 8.4 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

After the Storm

Yesterday at 3:25 PM an email appeared in my inbox with the subject “Late notification: Paddle tomorrow…” Outside my window a heavy rain was pounding the house, and I was not of a mind to go outside. The weather prediction was for the weather to clear up, and looking at my calendar, paddling looked like a possibility. I decided to wait until morning to see if the weather, and my body, still in recovery from knee surgery were up for paddling.

I awoke to clearing clouds and a rainbow. I put my boat on top of the car and headed to Ferry Point. Part of my motivation was the possibility of some photo opportunities paddling on calm waters with blue sky and dramatic clouds. At 10:30 seven of us launched our boats and paddled out to the end of the breakwater and then made a turn to the south to paddle around Brooks Island.

At noon we landed at Barbara and Jay Vincent Park in Richmond where we broke out our lunches. After lunch we were back in the boats at 12:45 to continue our circumnavigation, staying close to the Richmond shore.

We were back at our launch site at 1:40, having logged a little over six miles on a glorious paddle. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Drakes Estero

14 of us, all BASK members, were ready to get on the water shortly before 10:00 am. With tide being low we dallied a bit, getting on the water at 10:20. You can see the muddy footprints in the photo. The tide prediction for Drakes Bay indicated 3.0 feet of water at 11:00, and we were hoping that by the time we reached the sand bars near the beach we would have enough water to paddle, assuming we could find the channel.

Our course took us south along the west edge of the estero until we ran aground. At that point we paddled east inside the sand bar and eventually found a channel that would take us to the beach. We landed just shy of the point at which the incoming current threatened to send us in the wrong direction. Along the way we saw a group of river otters, pelicans and bat rays.

After lunch we were back in our boats, paddling back along the eastern edge of the estero, and turning into Home Bay.

Paddling along the shore we found the airplane propeller, the remains of a It seems hard to imagine P-39 Airacobras. I wrote about this in a previous blog a few years ago. We also found a few Leopard Sharks and Bat Rays.

We logged 10.4 miles over the course of the day, paddling into a slight current and wind on the way to the beach and taking advantage of the same current and wind on the return. A perfect day to be on the water at Drakes Estero. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Emeryville to Pt Isabel

Seven of us assembled on the boat ramp at the Emeryville Marina for a 10:30 departure to paddle to Pt Isabel. This was a great turnout considering I had only announced the paddle 24 hours ahead. The plan was to paddle along the east side of the bay to avoid the current which would be flooding most of the day. Maximum flood at Emeryville was predicted to be 0.29 knots at 12:30 pm, negligible as far as our group is concerned. Weather predictions were for light winds in the morning (8 to 10 knots). I had a sense that it might be too warm for my drysuit, so I opted for my farmer john and a long sleeve rash guard. We were on the water at 10:35 and paddled out of the marina in calm water.

We paddled out past the defunct HS Lordships Restaurant, closed since June 2018, speculating on what the future holds for that facility. Then under the Berkeley Pier, past the Albany Bulb, and east towards Point Isabel, looking for the windsock that marks the landing. You can’t see the ramp from this approach since it’s hidden behind a short breakwater. Some care is required to land here when the tide is low since there are rocks that are not all that visible, and the wind tends to push boats into the rocks.

As we were eating lunch the wind started to freshen, and we were anxious to get back on the water before the wind increased. Needless to say, we had our work cut out for us powering into the wind and the chop with our boats bouncing over the waves and spray flying over our decks. I would occasionally pick up my camera to try to capture the action, and immediately lose all forward progress, having to paddle hard to get some speed back. Our group got spread out a bit, but we remained in radio contact. Again, using the radio meant I was not paddling and was pushed backward by the wind.

We gathered up once we were inside the breakwater at the Berkeley Marina. Two paddlers opted to bail out at this point. They paddled into the Berkeley Yacht Club dock. It seems their boats were not behaving well in the wind and chop. The remaining five of us paddled back to Emeryville. After passing HS Lordships, we turned eastward a bit and that eased the angle of wind. The wind also dropped, making for a leisurely paddle back to our launch side. It was 2:50 when we landed. We had a good workout and logged 9.27 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Ferry Pt to Pt Isabel

Today was a glorious day for a paddle on San Francisco Bay. We have had several days of stormy wet weather, so it was nice to have some relief from the rain. A low tide meant that some of our favorite launch sites would be muddy, so we opted to launch from Ferry Point. Google Maps refers to this spot as the Point Richmond Pier, part of the Miller Knox Regional Shoreline.

Seven of us were on the water at 10:30. We had flat calm as we paddled out to the end of the jetty, with a little wave action from the wake of passing boats. This was my first day paddling with a Greenland Paddle. You can see the paddle hanging out of the cockpit of my wooden boat.

Once we were out past the jetty we headed east, rounding Brooks Island and then making our way to Point Isabel. I couldn’t resist capturing photos. The blue sky and clouds were dramatic. Every time I take a photo though, I have to stop paddling, and if I’m not paddling, I’m not going anywhere. Meantime, my paddling buddies keep their cadence, so I’m always playing catch-up.

As we passed Bird Rock, we kept our distance, so as not to disturb the harbor seals that were basking on the rocks. We landed at Point Isabel one boat at a time. The tide and rocks didn’t afford us much beach, but it didn’t take much time to get all the boats off the water.

While we were eating lunch the wind picked up, kicking up some wind waves and making work for us as we slogged into the wind and towards Brooks Island. We paddled to the north of Brooks Island, using the island and the breakwater to cut the wind.

As we paddled up the Richmond Channel, we passed the ferry, and we had a bit of rain. Over the course of the day, we logged 8.28 miles. The Greenland Paddle served me well. It felt a bit awkward for the first 20 minutes, but by the end of the day I had grown accustomed to it. I’m also finding that my iPhone 14 in a dive case seems to provide excellent quality photos. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Loch Lomond to China Camp

Another glorious day to be kayaking. Nine of us, all BASK members, assembled at the boat ramp at Loch Lomond. We were on the water at 10:00. With a morning flood, slack water at noon and afternoon ebb our plan was to take advantage of the current to paddle to China Camp for lunch.

We paddled out past the Marin Islands, where we were able to pick up the tail end of the flood current to carry us up the bay. Making good time, we headed to the Sisters where we were able to thread Grendel’s Needle. You can see in the photo two boats heading through the slot, with rippled water on approaching side where the current was pushing us and flat water on the far side. An easy ride through the slot.

From The Sisters it was an easy paddle over to China Camp where we landed and pulled our boats up the beach to make sure they didn’t drift away on the rising tide.

After lunch we were back on the water taking advantage of the ebbing current to give us a push back to Loch Lomond. More photos are available in an online gallery. We logged 8.4 miles on a perfect day to be paddling.

Remembering Danny

I met Danny Forer on June 9, 2016. That was my first venture joining Danny’s regular Thursday paddle. I wrote about that adventure in a blog Kayaking for Sanity. Danny was an inspiration to many outdoor sports enthusiasts including many members of the Bay Area Sea Kayakers club (BASK).

Here’s a photo of Danny I captured on paddle in December 2019. Danny passed away in December and fellow BASK member Susan Snow organized a gathering to remember Danny hosting a lunch at the Sailing Goat.

A dozen or so of us put our kayaks in the water at Ferry Point at 10:00 and made our way to Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor. From the beach we paddled out across the shipping channel, then past Red Rock, under the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, between The Brothers Islands around the Point San Pablo and on into the Yacht Harbor landing on the beach. We had a bit of a push from the current riding the tail end of the flood.

There we joined a fellow BASK members for lunch. There were 25 of us in all.

After sharing lunch and many stories of Danny’s legendary exploits we were back in our boats for the return trip. We had a couple of paddlers that opted for one-way paddle, so there was some jockeying of boats and cars.

For the return leg we opted to paddle closer to shore, and with the growing ebb, we had a quick trip back to our launch site, covering the six miles in an hour and 20 minutes. We had a variety of conditions from mild chop and wind, a few eddy lines with some interesting water and mild conditions for the most part. We logged 11.91 miles. It was a fun day with lots of comradery, good food and great stories. You can see the track of our paddle above. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Geezers Go Paddling

At 73 years of age, I’m the youngster on today’s paddle. The five of us range in age from 73 to 81. Never mind that Alan tapes up his hands with duct tape before climbing in his boat. Our launch point is Jean & John Starkweather Shoreline Park near the west end of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. We were on the water at 10:30 launching on calm water under blue skies, a welcome change following several days of rain.

Our course took us out past the Marin Islands, padding by several barges and some dredging equipment. We paddled on to Point San Pedro. From there The Sisters looked quite inviting. Two paddlers decided to head to our designated lunch site at Loch Lomond. Three of us paddled out and around The Sisters, stopping to play in the slot in the rock called Grendel’s Needle. We had a high tide and very little current. Sometimes there can be some dynamic water here. Today it was quiet.

Then it was time to head for Loch Lomond Yacht Harbor for lunch, landing on the boat ramp and carrying our boats up the ramp and out of the way to keep the ramp clear for other boaters.

After lunch it was back on the water. Alan had acquired a unicorn figurehead for his boat. Then it was back across San Rafael Bay to our launch site.

We were back at our launch site at 2:15 pm having logged 9 miles. More photos available in an online gallery. I had to look up the definition of “Geezer,” Vocabulary.com says “A geezer is an old person. It might hurt your grandfather’s feelings if you refer to him as a geezer, since he thinks of himself as being youthful.” So, apologies to my paddling buddies; paddling keeps us young.

Up the Creek

Ten paddles and eight boats. More paddles than people since you wouldn’t want to be stuck up the creek without a paddle. Some of us carry spare paddles. I broke a paddle a couple of years ago so it’s nice to have a spare available.

Our day began with an early start, with a stop at the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station for breakfast. Their Morning Bun Coffee Cake is extraordinary. After our breakfast stop, we continued on to Miller Boat Launch. From there the plan was to paddle up Walker Creek until we could paddle no further. A king tide would afford us access to the upper reaches of the creek that are not normally accessible. Since this was mostly a flatwater paddle, I decided to take three cameras: my iPhone 14 in a waterproof dive case, my GoPro mounted on the deck and my trusty Olympus TG5 which is my camera of choice for kayaking. If I’m paddling in active water where managing a camera can be a challenge, I usually stick to my TG5 or my GoPro mounted on my helmet.

We were on the water shortly before 10:00 a.m., ahead of the posted OTW (on the water) of 10:00. When you are paddling with this group it’s best to be on time. Our navigation was a bit off. We missed the entrance to the creek and ended up dragging our boats over a bit of marsh. Once we were back on the main waterway it was smooth paddling.

We paddled up the creek and under the Highway 1 Bridge, continuing on as the waterway narrowed, keeping an eye out for snags and an occasional branch slapping us in the face. At the 5-mile mark we could paddle no further, so we turned around and paddled back to a little beach for lunch. 

After lunch we were back on the water, anxious to get back down the creek while we still had water. The current was now moving down the creek and it gave us a bit of a push. We saw a number of birds: egrets, herons and white pelicans. They evaded my photo attempts. More photos are available in an online gallery. You can also view more details about our track online. We were back at our launch point about 2 p.m. having logged 10 miles over the course of our paddle.

I was quite happy with the photos I got from the iPhone, although the shutter actuation on the dive case was a bit problematic. That’s something I need to work on.

Lunch at China Cove

Our paddle today took us from Dunphy Park in Sausalito to China Cove on Angel Island. There were 12 of us, a large group for a weekday paddle. We assembled on the beach for a safety talk and radio check, and then we were on the water at 11. Slack water in Raccoon Straight was 12:30, with a high tide of 6.4 feet at 11:15. We try to plan our paddles to take advantage of the current. Being on the water a little before slack means we might be pushing against a slight current, and after lunch we would have the current with us for our return trip. My boat for the day was my Pygmy Ronan which handles the wind and chop of the Bay with aplomb, although we had little to challenge us in that regard.

At China Cove we decided to carry our boats well above the tide line lest the rising tide should carry our boats away. Here’s a photo of our group having lunch, along with a map that shows our track and a photo of a pod of kayakers preparing to land at China Cove.

Weather conditions were quite favorable. My drysuit and my usual insulating layer felt a bit warm initially and I was thinking I might have overdressed, but in the end my layering proved to be a good choice. We had calm water on the route to the island. On our return we had a bit of lumpy water as we crossed Raccoon Straight. By now the ebb had started and we had the current assisting us on the return trip, logging up to 6 MPH. We were back at our launch site at 2:30.

It turned to out to be a beautiful day on the Bay, with a great group of friends. For wildlife we saw pelicans, cormorants, a great blue heron, and the requisite harbor seals. We logged 7.8 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.