Tag: paddling

Low Tide Kayaking: Journey to Windsurfer Beach

Planning a paddle on a low tide can be a challenge. Many of the put-ins around the Bay are mud at low tide. For today’s paddle our leader, Alan, scoped out a paddle starting at the Loch Lomond boat ramp and paddling to Windsurfer Beach. Both locations are accessible on a low tide. Fourteen of us congregated on the grass next to the boat ramp, ready for a paddle on a glorious day. The plan was to follow the channel out towards the southeast corner of the Marin Islands. From there, once in deep enough water, we headed south under the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and then west to Windsurfer Beach.

Our assembly raised the eyebrows of the harbormaster. While he’s quite sympathetic to kayakers, he did express concern about such a large group of us launching from the boat ramp. He asked us to consider launching from the beach at the north end of the harbor in the future. We’re always careful to minimize our time on the boat ramp, but even so we’ll use the beach for future paddles.

We were on the water at 10:30 with a low tide of -0.55 feet at 11:18. Staying close to the edge of the boating channel we managed to stay out of the mud.

Clear skies and calm waters made for a glorious day. Arriving at Windsurfer we picked our way between rocks to find a few sandy and gravelly spots to land our boats.

After lunch we were back on the water for the return trip. The majority of the group opted to return by paddling around the Marin Islands.

Over the course of the day we logged 9.1 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

Joann’s First Paddle in Her NDK Pilgrim

Joann has a new boat. Today she had it on the water for the first time. This boat, an NDK Pilgrim, has been on her wish list for a couple of years. Seven of us launched our boats from Ferry Point, on the water at 10:30. Here’s a photo of Joann heading out. The plan was to paddle inside the breakwater and over to Shimada Friendship Park.

Our plans changed. As we paddled along the breakwater, we noticed that with the high tide, we might be able to paddle over the rocks at a break. Here’s a photo of Joann paddling through the break. If you look closely, you can see the rocks just in front of her boat. I was a bit surprised she was willing to take her new carbon-Kevlar boat close to the rocks.

Once we were through the breakwater we decided to continue around Brooks Island, landing for lunch at Barbara and Jay Vincent Park.

Back on the water, we hugged the Richmond waterfront and made our way back to our launch point. We found ourselves facing a moderate headwind on our way back. Over the course of the day, we had a variety of conditions from calm to a bit of chop and wind, with the wind on various points. Great conditions for trying out a new boat. Joann reports that she is quite happy with the boat. It’s nimble and handles well.

NDK boats are not easy to come by. They are made in North Wales, designed by Nigel Dennis. Joann snapped this boat up in October when the local distributor posted a special sale price. The downside was waiting for several months for the opportunity to have the boat transported across country. The Pilgrim is designed for a small paddler under 140 pounds. At 15.75 feet long and 20″ wide, it’s sleek and nimble. It’s also easy to get on the cartop carrier at 38 pounds. I’m experiencing boat envy; it’s time to think about what my next boat may be.

Tomales Bay: Marconi to Inverness

Having loaded the boats on the car the day before, we were ready for an early start to make the drive to our launch site. It’s a 50-mile drive to Marconi Cove. We were on the road at 8:05, arriving at 9:30. Traffic across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was normal for the morning rush hour. We seemed to have time to spare for a 10:30 launch, so in addition to the usual safety talk and radio check we took a few minutes to do some stretches. We launched on flat calm water under grey skies.

On the water I discovered that my skeg was jammed. I’m paddling a Dagger Stratos 14.5S. Attempts to free it were unsuccessful, so I was putting extra energy into boat control, trying to keep the boat on course. Good practice.

We paddled across the bay and followed the shore to Inverness. Our original plan was to have lunch near the wreck of the Reyes. I actually have a photo of this wreck taken when it was still an interesting photo subject. That photo is available in my art store. Now the wreck is looking rather dilapidated. You can see it over the back deck of the kayaks in one of the following photos.

It was too early for lunch when we reached the wreck, so we opted to paddle back across the bay to Millerton Point in Tomales Bay State Park. During a quick stop while scouting lunch locations Joann and Steve swapped boats, with Joann paddling the Romany. Once we landed for lunch, I was able to free the skeg. Some gravel had become jammed in the skeg well and the pull tab I had put on the skeg to assist in this process was missing.

Jellyfish were quite plentiful on the paddle, and I was tempted to stick my camera underwater (iPhone in a dive case) and snap randomly hoping I would capture them. To my surprise, I actually captured something. More photos are available in an online gallery. We were back at our launch site at 1:50 having logged 8 miles. On the drive home we stopped at the Tamale vendor at the Platform Bridge. Tamales for dinner. Yum!

Kayaking Adventure in Monterey Bay

In January our kayaking club, BASK, makes an annual pilgrimage to Monterey for a weekend of paddling. This year on Saturday, January 11, we congregated at Del Monte Beach just north of the Monterey Bay Kayaks for a safety talk and to organize into pods. There were about 30 of us. We broke up into three pods, the “long pod” that had a goal of paddling out to the buoy off of Point Pinos, a “fast pod” that intended to go as far as Lovers Point, and a “slow pod” that would follow the same route as the “fast pod.”

We opted to join the fast pod. We were on the water shortly after 10:00. There was a little bit of wave action getting off the beach. I felt like I got a bucket of water thrown in my face as I punched through a wave.

Once on the water we paddled out past the harbor, along the shore, and past the Monterey Bay Aquarium, keeping a distance from the white water surging around rocks. We saw what must have been hundreds of sea otters.

Off of Lovers Point Beach we stopped briefly to observe the surf, noting that conditions were not conducive to landing for lunch. We continued paddling out past Point Pinos. As we left the protection of the bay we started to feel the swell. These 8– to 10-foot waves would roll under us as we paddled. It felt like we were paddling up and down hills. Up one side and down the other, or as one paddler suggested, an elevator ride up and down. After getting a sense of ocean paddling, we turned around and headed back.

Track of the Monterey Bay paddle.

We stopped for a few minutes to break out our emergency snacks since we wouldn’t be landing on the beach for lunch. One paddler who felt more confident in the conditions ventured closer to shore and managed to surf a few of the waves. Then it was back to our launch point. You can see the track of our paddle above.

I had hoped to have a smooth landing, but my timing was off, and a wave caught me. As my boat broached, turning parallel to the waves, I was able to brace on the wave and side-surf into the beach without getting dumped. We were back on the beach at 1:00 having logged 7.4 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

New Year Paddle Adventure in Oakland

What better way is there to start the new year than paddling? One of our local outfitters, California Canoe and Kayak (CCK), has a tradition of hosting a New Year’s Day paddle followed by a potluck lunch where they provide a huge pot of Turkey Chili. I signed up to reserve a boat since renting would save me loading and unloading. We launched from the CCK dock at Jack London Square.

Kieth, the owner of CCK, put me in a P&H Virgo LV. I’ve been admiring this boat for some time so today I get to give it a spin. The folks at CCK were quite well organized. Boats were already on the dock with names on them when I arrived at 9:30. Actually, the boat that had my name on it was not the boat I paddled. I swapped with another paddler who didn’t fit in the Virgo.

Shortly after 10:00 we were on the water. We had three pods of paddlers, an ambitious group heading for Treasure Island, a less ambitious group headed to Tidewater Boating Center, and an easy group headed for Coast Guard Island. Paddling on the Oakland Estuary is always an interesting experience. I opted for the paddle to Tidewater. As we made our way up the Estuary our first encounter was with several rowing shells. We hugged the shore to let them pass. Heading into Brooklyn Basin, we were serenaded by a DJ playing music and calling out dance steps to a bevy of dancers on the wharf. All the drawbridges (Park Street, Fruitvale and High Street) gave us a show as several fleets of sailboats hailed them to give way.

We arrived at Tidewater Boating Center about 11:30, and after a short break we were back in our boats. One of my challenges on this paddle was wondering if I could climb in and out of my boat at the dock, since I’m still a bit stiff following knee replacement surgery. I’m happy to report that I managed just fine. More photos are available in an online gallery.

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.

Exploring the Beauty of Point Reyes by Kayak

Our adventure today starts at Miller Boat Launch. Nine of us were on the water at 10:30. Here’s a photo of Steve and Joann carrying my red Dagger Stratos down the boat ramp. Since I’m still a little gimpy following knee surgery I’m happy to have help. Once we were on the water, we paddled south across Tomales Bay, and then followed the shore along the Point Reyes Peninsula.

We encountered thousands of birds flying past us, most of them cormorants. We paddled past Tomales Beach and Marshall Beach and poked into a little inlet with a cabin, trying to recall the history of this location. Then with ample water from a high tide, we explored a little marsh at Long Cove Beach.

For lunch we found a little beach just south of Fruit Tree Beach. After lunch we paddled north back across the bay and followed the coast back to our launch site.

We were back on the beach at 2:00 having paddled a little over eight miles. It’s always an adventure to paddle on Tomales Bay, one of my favorite places to paddle.

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.

Back in the Boat

My last paddling venture was on August 24. I wrote about that in a previous post. On August 29 I underwent surgery for a knee replacement. Today marks my first time back in the boat, 77 days post-surgery. Joining my BASK paddling buddies, nine of us assembled on the beach at Eckley Pier and launched at 10:30.

Given the hiatus, I was anxious about getting to the launch with all of my gear, my ability to get in and out of the boat, and my stamina for the paddle. We managed to launch without missing any piece of gear, although my wife and I picked up the wrong paddles. We were both thinking something wasn’t quite right until I noticed I was using her paddle. My paddle is a little longer and has a little bigger shaft. Amazing how much this affected our sense of well-being.

My knee is still a bit stiff, but by sitting on the back deck and sliding into the cockpit I was able to get into the boat comfortably. From the beach we paddled towards the middle of Carquinez Strait to pick up the current. As we passed Benicia Shoals, we were riding a 2.5 knot current. Making quick time, we landed at the Martinez Marina boat ramp at 11:30.

Once we had all the boats off the boat ramp, we broke out our lunches. It seems to be a tradition in this group to share chocolate, and today there was no shortage: Ghirardelli, Baby Ruth, chocolate-covered caramel and more!

After lunch it was time to move the boats back down the boat ramp and onto the water. Our plan was to stay close to shore and eddy hop as needed until the current changed. It seems the current was with us on the return, so we made good time.

We didn’t get very far on the return leg before my camera battery died. (Note to self: change the battery during the lunch stop.) With the dramatic clouds and lighting, I didn’t want to miss the photo opportunities, so I made a quick dash to the little beach at Port Costa and changed the battery.

Staying close to shore gave us the opportunity to play in the pilings. Those of us that didn’t mind risking scratches on our boats made our way through the pilings, while a few with composite boats decided to stay outside and avoid the risk.

We were back at the beach at Eckley Pier at 2:05, having logged close to nine miles. After sitting in the boat for an hour, I found that I could hardly stand; my knee had stiffened up from sitting. With the help of friends, I got out of the boat, and we got the boats off the beach and back on the top of the car. I don’t quite have the range of motion I’d like to have to get in and out of the kayak easily, but that will come with time. It was great to be back on the water paddling with good friends. Here’s the track of our course.

More photos 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.