Paddling and More Paddling

I apologize for the lack of recent posts but it has been an amazing summer with lots of paddling!
Some highlights include:

Lots of paddling at Big Break, San leandro Bay & Brooks Island, guiding for East Bay Regional Park District.

Teaching Introduction to Kayaking classes:

Trips throughout the Delta including Delta Meadows, Mildred Island, Eucalyptus Island, the San Joaquin River, Sacramento River, Mokelumne River, Georgiana slough, Cosumnes River and much more.

Sunset and Moonlight paddles:

Trips to the coast:

With my favorite time of year for kayaking upon us, I have a lot more paddling yet to do. Contact us if you'd like to join us for one of our tours or would like a trip based on a specific location you want to explore.

I'll be posting more adventures soon. Until then, hope to see you on the water!

Coastal Cleanup 2016

CALLING ALL KAYAKERS AND CANOEISTS!

Last year we collected over 2,000 lbs of trash from the Delta over 2 days in both Antioch and Rio Vista!

Join us for Coastal Cleanup on September 16th in Antioch and September 17th in Rio Vista! We'll be doing water based cleanup at both sites and will provide kayaks for those who need them for $10 to assist in costs relating to transport and cleaning of equipment after events. Number of boats are limited and are available on first come basis. Sign up ASAP for this fun event and help us spruce up the Delta!

To sign up for Rio Vista cleanup you must register here: http://tinyurl.com/jtsx3tv 
For Antioch click here: https://www.facebook.com/EcoAntioch/posts/1069246419797917

If you pick up trash whenever you paddle be sure and download the Clean Swell app to track the trash and upload data to the Ocean Conservancy's global ocean trash database.

Memorial Weekend Paddling Opportunities!

We have a great weekend planned for the upcoming holiday at Holland Riverside Marina in Brentwood!

Kick the weekend off with a Sunset Paddle Friday May 27th
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Kayak & Paddleboard Rentals available Saturday, Sunday, Monday 10:00am-5:00 pm; all rentals must be returned by 5:30pm
Single Kayak rental $18 per hour or $40 for 4 hours
Tandem kayak rental $28 per hour
Paddleboards $23 per hour or $40 for 2 hours

Saturday, May28th
Introduction to Kayaking 8:30am-10:30am
Begin the summer paddling season by learning proper stroke technique, safety, boat control, tides and currents in the Delta

Sunday, May 29th
Kayak Fishing 6:30am-12:30pm
Grab your fishing pole, tackle and license and experience fishing from a kayak. We’ll give tips and techniques for targeting Delta bass. First 3 hours includes guide, additional 3 hours on your own.

Monday, May 30th
Old River 7:00am-9:30am
We’ll launch shortly after dawn and paddle Old River towards Rhode Island and Little Mandeville exploring sloughs and channels in search of critters that call the Delta home.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS & CLASSES
Reservations suggested but not required for rentals
Book online at Delta Kayak Adventures or
CALL 925-642-5764 TO BOOK OVER PHONE WITH CREDIT CARD
CONTACT DELTAKAYAKADVENTURES@GMAIL.COM FOR QUESTIONS

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3rd Annual Bay Parade

In support of a healthy San Francisco Bay I want to inform you of a fun and exciting event coming up May 22nd!

The Bay Area's Premier On-the-Water, Multi-Sport Event Celebrating a Clean and Healthy San Francisco Bay Swim  |  SUP  |  Kayak  |  Boat

The Bay Parade is an annual celebration of Baykeeper's successes in making San Francisco Bay safe and enjoyable to recreate in. Join hundreds of other participants on Sunday, May 22, 2016 for a fun and active day in San Francisco Bay. You'll make it to the big screen when the parade's finale is broadcast on the Jumbotron at the start of the Giants home game. New! The Golden Rivet Award recognizes the fastest solo swimmer, fastest swim team, and biggest parade fundraiser from each year's Bay Parade. Winners' names will be engraved below a Golden Gate Bridge rivet cast in solid gold. Winners will be invited to join the home plate ceremony opening the Giants evening home game on May 22. See the Golden Rivet.

COURSES Click here to view detailed course information and complete registration.

SWIM The Bay Parade swim is 6.5 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge to McCovey Cove. Participate as a timed solo swimmer, timed four-person relay team, or open relay team. $100 registration fee, plus $200 fundraising minimum. STAND UP PADDLEBOARD The Bay Parade stand up paddleboard course is an easy paddle from Pier 40 to McCovey Cove and back, ½ mile each way. $75 registration fee, plus $75 fundraising minimum. Includes board rental. KAYAK The Bay Parade kayak course is an easy run from Pier 40 to McCovey Cove and back, ½ mile each way. $75 registration fee, plus $75 fundraising minimum. Includes kayak rental. BOAT Sailboats and powerboats are needed as escorts for solo and relay team swimmers along the swim route. No registration fee or fundraising requirement. VIP SAIL Join us aboard the Bay Lady schooner to sail the Bay in style as we cheer on swimmers, kayakers, and paddlers in the Bay Parade. Tickets start at $275. Find out more about the VIP Sail.

AFTER PARTY

Join the Bay Parade party on shore after the finale, hosted by Anchor Brewing. Registration includes one free ticket per participant. Additional tickets will be available for $50 purchase or with $50 donation to a participant's fundraising page, until sold out. Registration opens soon.

SPONSORSHIP

For information on becoming a Bay Parade sponsor, click here. For information on sending a company team, click here. 20% discount for 5+ registrations. To explore either of these options, contact Eliet Henderson, Baykeeper Development Director, ateliet@baykeeper.org or (510) 735-9700 x101. All proceeds benefit San Francisco Baykeeper. For over 25 years, Baykeeper has worked tirelessly to stop pollution in San Francisco Bay using science, litigation, and advocacy.

Middle River to Mildred Island

I've been paddling quite a bit and haven't had a chance to do any write ups. I suppose that's a good problem to have. I'll start with one of my most recent new trips - paddling Middle River to Mildred Island.

This paddle was 9 miles round trip but could have been much longer with so many smaller islands and sloughs to explore. We launched from Cruiser Haven Marina and headed north with the outgoing tide and chose to turn right before going under the Orwood bridge owned by BNSF railroad. We made our way along the south side of the 7,000 plus foot bridge which protected us from the strong winds blowing from the north.




Once we reached Middle River we turned north and did our best to use the tule and marsh covered islands to keep us from paddling into the wind. We reached the Bacon Island bridge and we encountered hundreds if not thousands of swallows building their nests under the bridge. They were very busy as they darted back and forth with mud for their homes.

Mildred Island flooded and was abandoned in 1983 and is now home to many fish species. It's also a very popular anchorage for pleasure boaters throughout the summer months. There appears to be many beaches available for landing, at least at low tide. We only explored a sliver of this special island and were very pleased with what we found. There's definitely more to see here and I look forward to returning soon!

We'll help you design a custom tour for your group!

South Fork Mokelumne

We had great weather for today's paddle on the South Mokelumne River. Low tide was predicted for 12:59 at New Hope Bridge and wind was supposed to be 5-7 knots. We launched from Wimpy's Marina at 1:00 and cruised with the downstream current. Wimpy's charges $5 to launch or $10 if you have a trailer.

The Mokelumne is such a beautiful river to paddle and this stretch of the river doesn't disappoint. There was less than a 3 foot swing in tides but this part of the river is fairly narrow and the current can really get moving. We didn't work very hard as we made our way a little over 3 miles to Beaver Slough. There were many different species of hawks who accompanied us along with a number of coots. We spotted a mink and several turtles on our journey.







After a little over an hour of floating, we reached Beaver Slough and found a small island with a sliver of beach to get out and stretch. The tide was changing so we took advantage of the incoming tide to help us home. We ended up paddling against a stiff headwind with a bit of chop in a few places. This area is definitely worth exploring and I look forward to returning soon!

Book a tour!

Old River to Mountain House Creek

For the first time in many days, the sun broke through the clouds and bathed us in its' 55 degree warmth. We launched from Rivers End Marina at  12:15 and paddled south on Old River. High tide was predicted at 12:29 at Grant Line Canal. Rivers End charges $10 to launch but they do have very nice facilities, including a little store and clean restrooms.

There are multiple directions you can paddle from this starting point but we decided to head south on Old River. There is a discrepancy on Google maps about which river runs south. Google has labeled it Middle River but according to NOAA chart 18661 it's actually Old River. Caution must be observed shortly after launch because this is where the intakes are for water sent to So. Cal., and the currents can be extremely dangerous near the gates. We were told they were pumping 3500 CFS Friday. There is no need to pass directly in front of the gates as you can make your way around Hammer Island and proceed in any direction you wish.

I was concerned with flow direction because the pumps can reverse flows but on this day, paddling with what was left of the incoming tide worked in our favor. We made our way at a leisurely pace while checking out the numerous little islands. Once on Old River we observed lots of tule lining the banks of the levy interspersed with many trees. We reached Mountain House creek about an hour after launch. We spotted something moving in the distance and paddled slowly towards it only to discover a duck decoy with movable wings on a some sort of mount. We promptly announced our presence and were jovially greeted by a hunter camouflaged in his aluminum boat. We apologized for our intrusion and he said that he was just getting ready to leave and asked if he could take our picture with his decoys. We were happy to oblige and then continued our exploration of this small creek.


After dawdling around the creek for awhile we made our way back to Old River and began our paddle home. We were accompanied by dozens of buffleheads and coots. Three unidentifiable owls swooped beside us gliding inches above the water before ascending into nearby trees where they were quickly chased from by a couple of agitated hawks.

We decided to attempt to paddle around the north side of Hammer Island before heading back to the launch. We soon encountered immense pockets of hyacinth and then were alerted to a large danger sign warning us of fast water. We decided to go back the way we came and followed a small boat through the thick invasive weeds back to the put in.

This is a lovely area to paddle with many exploration possibilities. I look forward to returning soon!

Join us for an adventure on the California Delta!