Tag: Bayfront Park

Dunphy Park to Bayfront Park

With the high tide many of the beaches we like to visit were under water, so we opted for a paddle from Dunphy Park to Bayfront Park, both locations work for high water. A high tide of 4.8 feet was predicted for 12:22.

Seven of us were on the water at 10:30 with three of us launching from the kayak dock just west of the Sausalito Cruising Club and four launching from the beach. I opted to launch from the kayak dock using the slipway with rollers. This worked fine for getting on the water. Simply climb in the boat and slide down into the water. It didn’t work so well getting the boat out of the water. I tried using the roller struts as handles to pull the boat up the ramp, but the rollers would pop out of their sockets, leaving nothing to give any purchase.

We paddled up Richardson Bay, under the Highway 101 bridge and then continued up Pickleweed Inlet as far as E Blithedale Avenue, as far as one could possibly paddle. Then it was back to Bayfront Park where we landed on the bank and pulled out our lunches. As is our tradition, an abundance of chocolate treats were passed around.

After lunch we were back on the water retracing our path back to Dunphy Park. We were back at the dock at 1:30 having logged 7.3 miles. We had flat calm for our paddle, with sightings of a few harbor seals, pelicans and cormorants.

I’ve inlcuded a few photos of the kayak ramp. One has David trying to pull me up the slip with rollers. That wasn’t working so I tried the slip without rollers and that worked. This slip has slots in which you can place the paddle to pull yourself up out of the water. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Paddling with Danny

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.