Destination Collinsville

Delta Kayak Adventures has begun offering "Wednesday Wanderings" again. It's a chance to explore and paddle areas in the Delta we don't normally offer. Today's destination was Collinsville which is located north of Pittsburg and Antioch across where the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers converge.

Scene upon arrival

We arrived at the Pittsburg Marina at 9:30 and the water looked like glass. High tide was predicted for 10:08 so we would have some help heading northeast. Wind was forecast below 10 mph the entire day. We were on the water by 9:40 and glided across New York slough with some foreboding clouds to the west of us. Within 10 minutes the water changed from flat to choppy 2 ft rollers with wind above 10 mph coming from the northwest.

Planned trip

 We paddled along the north shore of Brown's Island and made our way across Middle slough. Unfortunately the wind grabbed my map from my deck and I was surprised at how fast the laminated chart sank. The wind seemed to be picking up so we found shelter behind a small island where I pulled out a similar map from my cockpit and reevaluated our situation. While we were rafted up a nice bass fisherman pulled along side us and asked where we were headed. When we told him Collinsville, he strongly suggested we save that trip for another day. With the tide turning and the wind blowing against the current it would create 3-4 ft rollers and breaking wind waves. We heeded his warning and headed east towards Broad slough where we would paddle the lee of Winter Island.

Actual trip

The water was indeed much calmer on the east side of Winter Island so we paddled leisurely south taking in the beautiful scenery. We spotted a couple of otters, Blue Heron and lots of Egrets. We kept an eye open for potential landing spots but found none. After 20 minutes or so we were surprised when the wind suddenly changed direction. Now the wind was blowing from the Northeast and hitting us broadside again. Fortunately we were near New York Slough so we ducked into a cove for lunch and we rafted up near the Winter Island Duck Club.

After refueling, we headed west on New York Slough where the wind changed yet again and we found ourselves paddling into a fairly strong headwind. Soon after crossing Middle Slough the wind suddenly disappeared and we made our way safely back to the launch ramp.

Though we didn't reach our original destination it was quite the adventure and gives us another reason to plan another paddle to Collinsville!