January 7. Our intent was to enjoy a quiet paddle from Barbara and Jay Vincent Park in Richmond to Emeryville and back. We were on the water at 10:20 with an ebbing tide. It was a calm day with very little wind and no wave action. As we approached Emeryville, though, we could see waves breaking on Ashby Shoal.
We decided to go check it out. Once we got there we decided to play in the surf. I didn’t have much luck riding the waves. I just couldn’t get the momentum to get a good ride, but I did get in some bracing practice as the boat broached. One of our gang ended up out of his boat, and we proved that the T-rescue is an efficient way to get somebody back in the boat.
Part of our group stayed out of the surf zone, and we had a lesson in radio communication. Susan called Steve to find out what was going on. Steve was with me, standing by while I assisted Alan. Steve’s radio was off. He heard the call coming on my radio and tried to respond thinking his radio was on. I was busy helping Alan get back in his boat. Susan’s radio went dead before we were able to respond. The lesson here is to keep your radio charged and remember to turn it on if you want to communicate. After we got Alan back in his boat, it was a quick paddle into the Emeryville boat ramp where we found a little park for a socially distanced lunch.
After lunch it was back on the water for our paddle back to Richmond, with a short stop while Sharon pulled out her bird guide to identify birds. We logged 11.4 miles over the course of the paddle. More photos are available here.
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