Sunday, October 21, 2012

Martinez Marina - 10/15/12

Last Monday my son and I went for a quick paddle to check out the Martinez Marina. There was a small craft advisory for that afternoon but when we arrived at 11:00 the wind was blowing at least 15 knots and there were white caps sprinkling the Carquinez Straits. The Martinez Marina is a nice place to launch if you want to explore the Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline. There is no fee to launch for kayaks if you carry your boat to the launch, otherwise it's $10. We didn't have a lot of time to explore but it piqued my interest enough to want to return. The winds and current here can be very strong so check tides and weather before you head out.



It was beautiful inside the harbor as we paddled out. Once we exited the harbor we were hit with a strong head wind and broaching waves. The current was also against us and we decided to stick close to the pier and head towards a small beach we saw in the distance. There were many fisherman fishing from the pier so we needed to be very careful as to not paddle too close to their lines. We reached the beach and talked about whether we should continue and watched a couple of tugs push and pull a large tanker. We decided it was best if we saved this paddle for another day. Our return was speedy with the wind at our backs and current in our favor. Waves were breaking over our boat so it wasn't a dry ride but it was fun. I'll update this post the next time I visit but my first impression was very good.

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