Antioch to Pittsburg

It was wonderful to get out on the water today and paddle with great friends! The weather forecast predicted winds from the northeast at less than 10 and high tide was at 8:52 a.m. in Antioch. Our original plan was to meet at the Antioch Marina at 9:00, drop our gear and get a shuttle going down to Pittsburg Marina where we would leave two of our vehicles. We ended up meeting an hour earlier so we could finish up sooner than planned.

When we arrived we found the San Joaquin River to be choppy and still moving towards the east. By the time we returned from dropping our trucks in Pittsburg the wind had picked up a little more and the current hadn't changed direction yet. We launched at about 9:20 and headed west against the current. Between the current and the headwind, which was blowing a steady 10 mph with gusts to 15 mph, we made pretty slow progress.

Once we reached the Dow Wetlands we decided to cross the river to paddle along the shore of Winter Island. We reached Winter Island and found a large dwelling with it's own mini harbor and docks. We continued westward and paddled past Middle Slough and then Browns Island. By the time we reached Browns Island the wind and waves were picking up quite a bit but the current was finally in our favor. We crossed New York Slough and landed safely at the Pittsburg Marina ramp.

I'm looking forward to returning to this area with my fishing pole and exploring middle slough and more of Browns Island!