Tag: Dunphy 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.

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.

Around Angel Island

We gave a fitting send off to the year 2020 by putting our boats in the water and paddling around Angel Island on the last day of the year. The quality of light, the serene conditions and the reflections on the water prompted me to convert the images to black and white.

Four of us launched from Dunphy Park in Saualito, pushing off at 10:20, about the time for maximum flood. We paddled out to Point Knox and around the island counter-clockwise. We did feel a bit of the current as we approached Point Knox, with the current trying to push us up Racoon Strait. Once around the point though we had the current going with us and we made good time going around the island and landing at the Immigration Station.

We had a suitably social distance lunch while sitting on the ledges that were part of the historical display. You’ll note that one of our paddling buddies, Steve ended up half-way between “Acceptance” and “Rejection” in the “Realities” zone.

After lunch the current was beginning to ebb, so we had the current with us for an easy paddle down Racoon Strait. As we rounded Peninsula Point, back into Richardson Bay we hugged the shore admiring the expensive home on Belvedere Island. I was looking up at the homes on the cliff when with a crunch I found myself aground on a rock. Easy enough to get back on track, but a reminder to keep an eye on the water. Then it was across the bay back to our launch site, after some discussion about what landmark to aim for. Navigation from a low vantage point can be a challenge . We were back on the beach at 2:15, but only after breaking a paddle while landing. When getting out of the boat, I discovered that I was in a rocky hole, not a firm beach. I put my paddle down for balance, inadvertently wedging it between two rocks. Down I went and leaning on the paddle caused the shaft to snap.

So it goes. I’ve had a paddle on my shopping list for some time. Now I have an excuse to buy one. We logged 9.5 miles and I don’t recall ever having such an easy and pleasant paddle around the island. It was a very quiet day on the bay. Calm weather, and not much boat traffic. We did see a number of the usual bay residents including cormorants, gulls, pelicans and harbor seals. You can view more photos here, including both the black and white and color versions of the images above. Let me know what you think.