Tag: Richardson Bay

Exploring Richardson Bay by Kayak

The plan was to launch from Dunphy Park in Sausalito and paddle around the Tiburon Peninsula. I like to arrive at the launch site an hour before the launch time to give me plenty of time to get my gear together. Traffic was much heavier than I had anticipated across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, so it was close to 9:30 when I arrived for a 10:00 launch. I was not the only one struggling with traffic though. I was the first to arrive.

The wind was a bit stronger than predicted, but committed to paddling, I took my boat off the car and put it on the wheels to roll it down the dock. Just then a strong gust of wind hit. It took my boat and wheels for a ride and it was then that we decided an alternative plan was in order. The prospect of a return paddle against a strong wind was a risk. We opted to paddle up Richardson Bay.

We used the non-motorized boat slips to launch. There has been some discussion in our club (BASK) as to the suitability of this launch. I’ve launched here several times without issue. Three of us were on the water at 10:20. We passed by a number of houseboats, and had an audience of harbor seals watching us from a dock. We continued up the bay passing under the the highway 101 bridge.

We made it as far as the pier at Bayfront Field. At that point we consulted the tide tables and decided to head back to avoid getting stranded with the ebbing tide. Richardson Bay is quite shallow. We found a little beach in the cove just west of the Highway 101 bridge where we stopped for lunch.

Note to self: don’t park your boat under trees with birds. My boat looked like it had been spattered with white paint when we got back on the water.

From our lunch spot it was a leisurely paddle back to our launch site.

We were back on the dock 1:30 having logged 7 3/4 miles. More photos are available in an online gallery.

A Day of Kayaking: High Tide at Richardson Bay

A high tide of 6.4 feet at 11:12 AM gave us an excuse to paddle up some of the creeks around the north end of Richardson Bay. Under a clear blue sky we assembled on the beach at Dunphy Park. After an orientation, safety talk and radio check we were on the water at 10:00.

We paddled across the bay to Harbor Point, then inside of Aramburu Island and along the shore of Strawberry. We looped back on the outside of the island. Once we were back around Harbor Point, we headed north, and up the creek to East Blithedale Avenue where the creek ended. On the way back down the creek we stopped at Bayfront Park for lunch.

Then it was back down the creek and up Aroyo Corte Madera passing under the bridge at Camino Alto. Then up Coyote Creek to the Flamingo Road Bridge before heading back to Dunphy Park.

I think I set a record for the number of bridges I paddled under on one day. We saw many shore birds and a few harbor seals. We logged 12.8 miles, which is about as far as I will typically paddle on a day. 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.