I was told we paddled nine miles which is really a silver standard BUT if you throw in the goodly flood and the extra credit of passing between hog Island and piglet you probably could boast that you paddled gold.

Until next time friends, that is your trip report.
Ellen P

Off we headed for the bay. Marilyn and Allen were following me as we navigated the various obstacles along the Sausalito waterfront. Full credit required going under the Spinnaker resturaunt and Marilyn steered the big double through the maze no problemo.

We all made it out to the perfume factory and headed for Yellow Bluffs. There were big gusts coming from the South, but in between them it was calm. We decided to go back to the beach next to the PF and regroup. After a nice rest and various biology breaks we headed back towards Sausalito. We hugged the shore and waved to tourists. We learned how to go under the pedestrian bridge to avoid the Saus Ferry.

Joe suggested we stop at Dumphy Park for lunch. We had the usual great spread sitting on the lawn. Marilyn gave salsa lessons to Jessica from Ohio and we we living large. Joe and Sue walked over to the farmers market that was going on at Dumphy while the rest of us soaked up the Saus ambiance.

Off we went for the houseboat tour. We went in and out of every possible channel to see all the various floating homes.

After this tour we all headed back to Seatrek to debrief and chit-chat. We paddled ten miles and had a great day on our beautiful bay.

Ray

Happing Paddling,
John Boeschen

Hi All,
The campers met at the Park Headquarters at Lake Sonoma at 9:30 Friday morning. (Visitors Center and Fish Hatchery are closed for 6 months due to remodeling).
At the main boat ramp we loaded our kayaks in beautiful sunny 70 degree weather. There was almost no wind. Once loaded we started our adventure to Black Mountain. When we got near Madrone Point we saw 20 or so men in Orange sweatshirts weed eating and removing a tree. There was a fire truck at the top of the hill and a large boat with 2 porta potties at the bottom of the hill. The only thing we could read on the sweatshirt was crew. There was writing below that we were unable to read. We continued on to Black Mountain.
When we arrived at Black Mountain there were some campers still vacating from the night before. I asked them if there was any nocturnal animal activity. They said there were racoons that got in to their boat one night. While they were vacating we had lunch. After they were gone we set up camp. The afternoon was beautiful and sunny with very little wind. That afternoon we saw the orange shirt crew pass in their boat and head towards Sawmill. On their way back they had 2 of the older porta potties. Some camp past ours has 2 new ones. Black mountain has one.
Mid afternoon some birdwatchers stopped by with a spotting scope. I asked them about the Bald Eagles on the other side of the lake and they unfortunately told me that one of them had passed away last week. I do not know anything else about the Bald Eagle. Anyone have any info on this?
Dinner was a nice and all vegeterian. Friday evening was pleasant we sat by the fire and watched the almost full moon. At dusk we heard a Common Poorwill next to our camp.
After we went to bed the nocturnal activities began. First was the moving of a tent to flatter ground (not mine). Then I heard a racoon getting into the garbage can I scared it away. Also during the night the Pig hunters arrived in the next camp Bucks Pasture. This is a no hunting campground. They ran up and down the hill flashlights shining everywhere. I did not hear any gunshot. They finally left. At sunrise a boat of fishermen were nearby. That was the only boat I saw all morning.
When I got up I discovered the racoon tried to get into the cockpit of my kayak. It destroyed the back of the cockpit cover and scratched my seat. Cockpit cover has to be replaced seat is okay. Any one know of a good cockpit cover that racoons can not get thru?
Breakfast was my famous Boy Scout Vegeterian Omelettes. Yummy!!!
During the morning we could see the storm was coming in and we broke down camp. We decided to leave camp around noon and have lunch at the Marina on the way back. We had the wind at our backs all the way back to the Marina which made it a very easy pleasant paddle. We had a nice lunch on the deck of the marina. We ended our campout back at the Public Boat Ramp.

Over the 2 days the following birds and animals were spotted.

Swallows (eating insects at dusk)
Ospreys (saw alot on their own and saw 3 together circling)
Acorn woodpecker (heard them and saw them)
Western Bluebirds (male and female)
Great Blue Herron (flying and perched)
Merganzer ducks
Comerants (flying and perched)
Canada Geese (flying, swimming and on shore)
Common Porwill (heard did not see)

Racoon (saw in garbage can and saw evidence of)
Black-tailed deer (doe)
California Ground Squirrel (on shoreline and by Madrone point)

Any ideas for the next campout? I would like to explore some new areas.
Lori

Outrigger and Ski: http://www.paddletothesea.org/paddle/paddlecraft.asp

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We headed across a lumpy bay to try to find the sharks at Shell Beach. None were spotted so we proceeded to Heart’s Desire where we regrouped and made a new plan. We decided to head for Marshall Beach but about half way there we decided to go back to HD and have lunch.

JC got the Barby going and soon sausages and bait were cooking away. We also had Marilyn’s hot stew and some groovy salads. The chit-chat was flying and everyone was having a jovial time.

We kept eyeballing the bay and decided to cross before the current started ebbing. The paddle back across was a piece of cake, we even got in a little surfing when headed down wind. Everyone made it back in fine style and we had fun debriefing.

Ray

The flood current was moving briskly past the dock at the launch and
we opted to take the shorter route (Hudeman Slough > Second Napa
Slough > Third Napa Slough > unnamed “cut”> Sonoma Creek) to minimize
our time going against the current. It was only a mile or so from the
launch to where we turned up Third Napa Slough and then the current
was with us. Three more miles of easy paddling got us to Sonoma
Creek and the ghost town of Wingo. The dock was narrow and tippy but
it was adequate for our small group with some kayaks pulled up on the
bank after disembarking.

After some exploring we sat on the dock to enjoy a delicious picnic
lunch and the glorious Spring day. We paddled back the same way and
it was easy going until we turned onto Second Napa Slough and then we
had to go against the now ebbing current for the last mile.

Total distance paddled 8.71 miles

My back rehab has priority so I donated my beautiful Cypress kayak to ETCtrips.org, a group recommended by Gregg Berman.  I am so happy that one day my kayak will get to Angel Island on one of their overnights for special needs kids.  I had a great year and a half on the water, including the fabulous Elba Island kayak trip sponsored by CCK in Oakland (it is a must for your bucket list; you can register on CCK website).

I will keep reading the trip reports and be OTW with you, albeit vicariously.

Helen

We were off the water by about 12:30, without sharing food, so I’m not sure if this qualifies as a PP paddle if that is defined as an eating club with a paddling disorder.

There is a definite need for more LBB paddles for those who are scared off by the A team in their kevlar sea kayaks.

Tofu Larry

We got to the beach and it was then I remembered that I forgot to bring the grill. In true PPer style Bill and Geno grabbed that old crab trap that’s been there for a few years and used it for the purpose. Lunch was fabulous with meatloaf and spaghetti and sausages and chicken salad and Allan brought hard boiled eggs that were terrific.

After lunch, some hiked some snoozed and some chatted. The temp was very  pleasant, basically shirtsleeve, and the breeze was tiny. We hauled our stuff back to the boats and noticed the water had dropped and it was still ebbing.  Most of the way back we were doing 3.5 mph so we were fighting a 1mph ebb. We watched a couple of WT Kites chasing crows away from a tree we think they had a nest in.

Back at the launch the water had dropped maybe a little over a foot. The ocean had dropped about four feet in the same time. The distance was a little over 11 miles. We packed up and debriefed and headed home for Nascar and the Academy Awards.

Ray