As much as I love the North Coast, a change of scene is always intriguing. With that thought in mind, I added a few days to a mid-September Bay Area family reunion to ply some different waters.
My first destination was Tomales Bay, the long, narrow inlet that almost cleaves the Point Reyes Peninsula from the Marin County mainland. Since the San Andreas Fault runs up the middle of the bay, someday the two landforms might actually separate. Indeed, during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the peninsula moved 20 feet to the northwest.
I drove the winding back roads from Petaluma to Miller County Park, a few miles north of Marshall on Highway 1 on the bay’s eastern shore. The park is a popular launch site for local boaters, so it pays to arrive before 10 a.m. on weekends. After paying the $5 parking fee, I launched next to the concrete boat ramp and paddled north past Hog Island toward the bay’s mouth.
Tomales Bay is 12 miles long, one mile wide and shallow. For the first hour to two into a flood tide boaters might scoop mud and eelgrass with their paddle strokes until the water level rises. Like Humboldt Bay, shellfish companies grow oysters in mesh sacks in the bay’s shallows. The Olympia oyster, the only oyster native to California, has been almost entirely decimated by the invasive whelk snail, which drills into the oyster and sucks out its flesh. The bay is hemmed by rolling oak woodlands and the open grasslands of dairy and beef ranches. The lands on all sides of the bay are under the protection of federal, state or county agencies.
The Point Reyes shoreline from Tomales Bay.
The day was sunny and illuminated scores of lions mane jellyfish the size of dinner plates and smaller, translucent moon jellyfish drifting in the tide. I decided to postpone rolling, even though I was starting to get warm. I stopped at a pocket beach on the Point Reyes shore, marked with prints of racoon and shore birds and lazed on the white sand, enjoying the heat after our cool gray summer in Humboldt. Occasionally, boaters might see some of the tule elk herd that was reintroduced to the Point Reyes National Seashore in 1978.
I continued toward the mouth of the bay but did not venture out since I was alone and sans helmet. During the Explore North Coast trip to Tomales Bay in July, a few of us played in the surf off Sand Point. Sand bars there create nice waves in the right conditions, but the seas can also turn ugly. The day before we arrived, three sport fishermen drowned at the mouth.
Other than the entrance, Tomales Bay is generally a safe paddle for all skill levels. The main hazards are getting stranded in the shallows of the southern portion of the bay and strong afternoon winds that can whip up whitecaps and wind waves. The water temperature averages 65 degrees, so immersion wear is recommended. Several local kayak companies offer tours and rentals, including Blue Waters, which has locations on both sides of the bay at Marshall and Inverness, and Point Reyes Outdoor, with an office in Point Reyes Station.
After a quick ride back to Miller County Park on the flood tide, I did a few rolls (after checking for jellies) and loaded up. By then it was early afternoon and the weekend parade of hikers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, tourists, locals, foodies and others from the population centers of Marin County and San Francisco was in full swing. Weekday excursions are always quieter in this locale.
The next day I followed Highway 1 through San Francisco on my way to Elkhorn Slough, near Moss Landing. Elkhorn Slough is reminiscent of Humboldt County sloughs, but features wildlife that we don’t have: namely, white pelicans and sea otters. The entrance to the slough is on the west side of Highway 1 25 miles south of Santa Cruz. Look for the smokestacks of the PG&E power plant as Moss Landing approaches. A large pottery business and a yacht club mark the entrance to the public parking for Elkhorn Slough. A parking fee machine is next to the restrooms and the launch is a few steps away. Monterey Bay Kayaks has a small store and rental business nearby. Launch in the harbor, paddle south briefly and then east under the highway bridge to enter the slough.
Almost immediately the furry heads of otters appear in the tide as they lie on their backs and use rocks to hammer away at various crustaceans. Otters eat 25 percent of their body weight every day and favor clams, crabs, abalone and other small marine creatures. Farther in, white and brown pelicans congregate on the shore. White pelicans are larger than their brown cousins and don’t dive for fish, but dip their bills while floating. More than 340 other bird species live or visit the slough, so birders have much to observe. Since Elkhorn Slough is a fragile ecosystem, boaters are not allowed on the mudflats or marsh.
A sea otter enjoys its lunch.
An anomaly of Elkhorn Slough is a gun club situated next to the highway and the peaceful wildlife refuge. Even though shooters can’t fire over the water, I found it hard to enjoy the scenery with dozens of high-powered rounds going off. Once the barrage started, I headed back to the launch site. Again, a weekday would probably make for a quieter trip. Elkhorn Slough is suitable for most paddlers but afternoon winds can make the return trip difficult. There is an alternate launch site at Kirby Park, five miles east of the highway on Elkhorn Rd. (off Dolan Rd., south of the power plant). From there, boaters can travel west to enjoy the wildlife, and then, with proper timing, return with the wind and tide. Like Tomales Bay, the water is cold so immersion wear is recommended. Ebb tides can sometimes create standing waves and rough water under the Highway 1 bridge. Fishing boats and pleasure craft are numerous at the harbor entrance.
The next day I continued south to Monterey Bay. Earlier in the summer there were numerous sightings of blue and humpback whales in the bay, a rare occurrence. I was hoping some had lingered. To launch, follow the signs toward the waterfront and turn right at Monterey Bay Kayaks (693 Del Monte Ave.). The city owns the lot outside the store and there’s a fee for parking, but the folks at MBK will let you launch, use the restroom and wash your gear at their facility for no charge. There’s a short carry to the beach, or you can use MBK’s boat trailers.
The launch is a sheltered beach nestled behind the breakwater. During the summer it can be crowded with swimmers. There is always a raucous crowd of sea lions on the breakwater and in the sea around it. Generally, they ignore boaters but it’s wise to keep some distance.
Sea lions romp and rest on the Monterey Bay breakwater.
The waters of Monterey Bay are clearer than our home waters and allow great views of kelp, jellyfish, starfish, anemones and other sea life. Otters can be seen preening in the kelp beds. I saw several Caspian terns standing on the kelp, all in a row, looking like a queue at a movie. The kelp, while essential to the local wildlife, can make for slow going for paddlers. Once past the waterfront hotels, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, there are several small beaches that make convenient rest or lunch stops. I continued to the end of the peninsula, hoping to find some surf and the elusive whales. Alas, what I found were 15 or 20 fishing boats trawling just off the point making further progress dicey.
I returned to the beach, washed my gear at MBK and headed for an afternoon at the aquarium. Since it was a weekday after Labor Day, it wasn’t as crowded as other times I’ve visited and I was soon completely absorbed by the incredible diversity of life that exists below our hulls.
Damon Maguire
