Tag: BASK

Gray Day on the Bay

Thursday paddle from China Camp to Brickyard and back.
Treve at our lunch stop
Danny at our lunch stop
Thursday paddle from China Camp to Brickyard and back.
Rock art on China Camp beach.

There were just two of us today, Danny and myself, for the BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle.  We launched from China Camp State Park Beach in a light rain with little wind, and headed south around Point San Pedro, past the quarry, paddling inside the pilings to avoid the stronger incoming current  further out.  We ended up at a little beach just off of San Pedro Road near the brick kilns. There we found a couple chairs and a table and broke our our lunches. A cool breeze and the overcast created a bit of a chill, so we were happy to get back in our boats to paddle back to our launch point. Back on the beach we were intrigued by a couple of guys that were arranging pebbles in various locations and taking photographs of them; reminiscent of an Andy Goldsworthy installation.  You can follow a track of our paddle here and more photos here.

Wind in the Rigging

Ready to launch from Ferry Point. BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle March 30, 2017.
Radio check. BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle March 30, 2017.
On the water. BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle March 30, 2017.
Admining the iew od San Francisco and the Golden Gate after roudning Brooks Island. BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle March 30, 2017.
Old tug.

Being a sea kayak, my boat doesn’t have much rigging, just a few deck lines. And today as we rounded Brooks Island a gust of wind hit, creating a howling sound as it raced over the deck. Earlier, at our appointed time of 10:30 the five of us were contemplating the weather. Small craft warnings (isn’t a kayak a small craft?), steady wind of 17 knots with gusts to 25. We decided we’d launch at Ferry Point and paddle along the Richmond waterfront, protected from the northwest wind. With the wind at our backs we paddled up the shipping channel, and across to Brooks Island where we followed the shore. We rounded brooks Island, and it became clear that we had two options, paddle back to the Richmond waterfront against a strong wind, or paddle along the south side of Brooks Island and the breakwater hoping to find a little protection from the wind. Paddling along Brooks Island was a chore, but not too intimidating. We eyed several beaches hoping for a place to stop for lunch, but Brooks Island being a nature reserve, is off limits to visitors, so we continued paddling. After rounding the jetty we headed for fellow kayaker’s house in Brickyard cove, having lunch on Gordon’s new deck, overlooking the yacht harbor.  As we were finishing lunch we noticed that one of our boats had taken off on adventure of it’s own, so we promptly jumped back in our boats, rounded up the rogue boat and paddled back to our launch point. Overall we paddled seven miles, starting out with a wind which eased up a bit as the day went on. More photos here and you can view a track of our paddle here.

Gone Paddling

BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle 3/16/17
BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle 3/16/17
BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle 3/16/17

A welcome opportunity to get away today. The last three weeks have been quite intense with clients working hard to meet a deadline for a local design competition, but with the deadline come and gone I strapped my boat on the top of the car and joined a few fellow BASK members (Bay Area Sea Kayakers), and headed for the Coast Guard Station at Horseshoe Bay, just inside the Golden Gate. Paddling out the gate is not something you do without paying attention to the wind, the tides and the current. We had good conditions with light winds and a slack tide in late morning and an incoming current in the afternoon. We paddled out past Point Diablo and then returned to Kirby Cove for lunch. Back on the water after lunch we had a fast ride with the current and wind with us for our return. I returned feeling refreshed and restored from the trials of the past few weeks. Nothing seems to charge my batteries, so to speak, more than getting out in nature. You can view more photos here and view a track of our trip here.

Grendel’s Needle

Threading Grindel’s Needle and the Sister’s Islands. San Francisco Bay.
Paddling along the waterfront near Point San Pablo.
Kayakers on San Francisco Bay.
Landing for lunch.

On Thursday, January 5, I managed to join my BASK friends for another Thursday BASK Lunch Paddle.  We were a group of eight,  launching from China Camp and paddling across the bay on calm water. Our route took us out to two rocks called The Sisters,  where we found a strong ebb current that helped carry us towards Richmond. We landed at a beach just south of Point San Pablo where we had lunch. The paddle back  was a bit more work since we were paddling against the current. As we approached The Sisters on the return route, one of the gang suggested we “thread Grendel’s Needle,” which turns out to be a slot in the rock. Not something I would want to attempt on a windy, choppy day, but fun with the calm water. Our paddle covered 7.3 miles. You can view the track of our route here, and see additional pictures here.

 

 

BASK Rescue Clinic

BASK Rescue Clinic. December 4, 2016
BASK Rescue Clinic. December 4, 2016
BASK Rescue Clinic. December 4, 2016
BASK Rescue Clinic. December 4, 2016
BASK Rescue Clinic. December 4, 2016

“There is nothing–absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

So two dozen of us or so found ourselves in the South Sailing Basin at the Berkeley Marina practicing rescue techniques. Calm day, and the water was a bit chilly, but with dry suits and the proper layers underneath, we had a fun day. Some of the techniques we practiced include the cowboy scramble, T-rescues, paddle floats and a variety of others. Put on by BASK, the Bay Area Sea Kayakers, we had plenty of volunteer instructors and those eager to learn.

Paddling Paradise

BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle. December 1, 2016.

Thursday, December 1 turned out to be a perfect day for paddling. There were two of us on the BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle, Danny and myself. Seemed like we had the entire bay to ourselves with nary another boat in site. We launched from Loch Lomond Yacht Harbor, paddled out around the Marin Islands in perfect paddling conditions, nearly flat calm, and then headed to China Camp where we stopped for lunch.  Our paddle covered 8.5 miles. You can view more photos here. And view the track log here.

Another Thursday on the Water

Thursday BASK Lunch Paddle. November 17, 2016.
Thursday BASK Lunch Paddle. November 17, 2016.
Thursday BASK Lunch Paddle. November 17, 2016.
Thursday BASK Lunch Paddle. November 17, 2016.

Amidst a very busy month I managed to join my BASK friends for another Thursday Lunch Paddle. We launched from Gas House Cove near Fort Mason and paddled to Yerba Buena Island where we landed on a little beach for lunch. A perfect day, calm weather, clear skies, and the only waves we had were from the wakes of ferry boats passing by. On our return trip we paddled along the San Francisco waterfront, ducking into Pier 39 to gawk and Forbes Island, and then into the Aquatic Park to look at the Balacutha and the San Francisco Maritime Historic Park. A total of 8.3 miles. Here’s a link to some additional photos and a link to the track of our paddle.

Reset!

BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle. 11/10/16
BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle. 11/10/16
BASK Thursday Lunch Paddle. 11/10/16
San Francisco Bay Bridge Eastern Span

Thursday, November 11 found me back on the water with a group of fellow BASK members. For me, amidst a variety of stressful events and a monumental backlog of client work, getting on the water is like pressing the “Reset” button. Once I’ve returned from a day’s paddling, the work load doesn’t seem so daunting, and the fears and anxieties that stress me out seem distant. The wind blows, the tide goes in and out, the sun shines. This has gone on for millions of years, and it will continue.

Thee were nine of us in eight boats, launching from the Emeryville Marina, paddling out towards Clipper Cove on the East side of Yerba Buana and Treasure Island, then around the south side of Yerba Buena to a little beach on the southwest side. Flat calm on the way out, with glassy water, and a light breeze on the way back. I managed to capture a few images with my iPhone, which along with the Lifeproof case seems to be a good option for capturing photos on the water. You can find more photos from the trip here, and a GPS tracklog of the trip here.

Rain or Shine

Richmond Waterfront
Thursday Paddle. Under the Craneway Pavilion.
Thursday Paddle
Thursday Paddle
Kayaking on the Bay

I managed to get back on the water today with some of my BASK kayaking friends. We launched from Ferry Point in Richmond, paddled around Brooks Island, stopped at Barbara and Jay Vincent Park for lunch. After lunch we got back in our boats, paddled through the pilings under the Craneway Pavilion and along the waterfront, slipping into Brickyard cove to say hello to a fellow paddler, and back to our launch point. The weather was quite calm with overcast which created some interesting photo opportunities with reflections on the water, soft light and the urban aspect of the Richmond waterfront. You can view a track of our paddle here and you can view more photos of our adventure here.

Log of the Shearwater July 21, 2016

Lunch paddle on Tomales Bay
Lunch paddle on Tomales Bay
Lunch paddle on Tomales Bay

This past Thursday, July 21, found me once again, taking the day off of work and joining several BASK friends for the “Thursday Lunch Paddle.” We launched from Nick’s Cove. When I arrived at 10:45 the weather was looking grey, chilly and windy. I opted to wear my dry suit for a little added protection. Once we were on the water though, the wind seemed to let up a bit, and paddling across the bay put us in more protected waters. We paddled past Hog Island over to White Gulch,  where paddling along some of the cliffs felt like we were in an exotic garden. Plenty of white pelicans and cormorants on Hog Island, and plenty of harbor seals in the water. From White Gulch we headed to Pelican Point where we landed for lunch, enjoying some fleeting sun light. The return paddle found us battling the wind back up the bay Hog Island, with the skies darkening a bit. Finally returning to our launch point.  You can view additional photos here and a track of our paddle here.