Travels

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Kayaking to Yerba Buena

by Larry Lynch

Note: This was written in the fall of 2000, a year before I bought a used Necky Looksha IV from California Canoe and Kayak in Oakland.

Well I had an adventure today. I just sent a description of it to brother Brian, but thought maybe you would all like to hear about it. As you know, I've been trying out kayaks but have never really taken one anywhere. So today was the day.

I had intended to drive up to Sausalito and kayak to Angel Island, which is about 2 miles each way. But they were having a regatta up there and when I called Sea Trek Outfitters in Sausalito this morning they said they weren't renting kayaks. So I called California Canoe and Kayak in Jack London Square on Oakland's Inner Harbor and got down there a bit before noon. I rented my favorite Necky Looksha IV for $15 per hour. At first they said because it was so windy they weren't going to rent any, but I pleaded with them and they finally said okay. They were predicting 50 mph winds in the hills, but it didn't seem very windy at the marina.

My guy at the dock, Jamie (Dave wasn't there today) suggested I go left (southeast) toward Coast Guard Island in the channel between Alameda Island and Oakland. I fully intended to but decided I needed to check out the big freighter across the channel and a bit to the right. Got there, paddled around it, passed it, saw the Oakland docks ahead and just kept going. I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just see some of the docks." Passed a couple more freighters, some sailboats went by, some speed boats, a ferry the M.V. Jelinsky with everybody waving at me. Then all of a sudden I looked ahead and there was San Francisco looming ahead and the Bay Bridge with sparkling cars going across the span, and damn! there was the Golden Gate behind it, and straight ahead what looked like another island. I thought, could that be Yerba Buena looking so close? The Bay Bridge touches down on Yerba Buena on the way to San Fran. Sure enough, as I got closer I sat the eastern span of the bridge touching down on the island.

At 1:00, one hour into my jaunt, I found myself at the mouth of the Oakland Inner Harbor. I was already in choppy water and it didn't look any worse out in the Bay, so I ventured forth gingerly. The waves and wind did pick up, with two-to-three-foot seas, but I was amazed to discover my kayak just rose up over them and rolled with them like a cork. It felt very stable and my confidence increased. And it was so beautiful out there! The Bay spread out left and right, the city clear as could be with the bridge arcing up and then down into it. And I could clearly see several buildings on my side of the island. Soon I could see that there was a coast guard boat, Reliance, docked ahead of me. It took a half hour to cross the Bay to Yerba Buena. I circled around the Reliance to the right and put in at a small marina. There was some sort of training going on with what looked like junior high kids, some in the water in wetsuits and others on the dock doing fire extinguishing routines. I climbed up on the dock and since I had no tether, I kept the kayak from drifting away by dangling my feet in the cockpit. I got some nuts and a water bottle out of the rear hatch and had a nice lunch.

Ten minutes later at 1:40 I was back on the water. The wind had died down considerably and the Bay was pretty calm. There were currents, however, and enough wind that the boat was "weathercocking," which means the bow wants to turn into the wind, coming from the northwest. I had been concluding rudders weren't necessary, but I experimented with it and discovered even though it contributes some drag, it allows you to steer with the foot pedals and not expend extra energy constantly trying to correct your course. So I think I'm now a rudder-believer.

I was pretty tired by now, over two hours into my escapade. It turns out it is 4.8 miles each way to Yerba Buena, so I went a total of 9.6 miles on my first outing. I guess I deserved to be a little tired. I got back to the dock right at 3:00.

I found the Looksha IV to be very speedy, to track into the wind extremely well,and to be quite maneuverable. The thought struck me at one point that just as my new Canon is at long last an automatic camera, this kayak was sort of like an automatic canoe. It seems much faster than a canoe and so responsive. Even though it is tippier, I found it only took a bit more attention to avoid any trouble. At no time did it feel unsafe or threatening.

After changing clothes, I wandered down the dock to the Il Pescatore restaurant where Brian, Stella, and I had gone after our kayak testing. I had a hankering for some more clam chowder with bread dipped in olive oil. I'd love to take y'all there--it is so pleasant to sit out in the sun next to the yachts and eat their delectible chowder.

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow morning Brian and I are taking a hike in the Coyote Hills down in his area of the South Bay. We're going on an organized hike with a leader this time. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!