I had to negotiate with Sea Trek to allow me to paddle a single boat. They usually put all of the paddlers going on their Drakes Estero trip in doubles. Although I am a big fan of doubles and love it when my boyfriend Gareth and I paddle our Necky Nootka, the idea of being in a double with a total stranger did not sound appealing to me at all. So, I was very insistent on getting a single boat. Sea Trek asked me all sorts of questions about my paddling experience. They also asked me what I would do if I were to capsize. Since I'm not confident I can roll back up, I responded that I would do a wet exit. If there were other kayakers around, I would do an assisted rescue. If I were by myself, I would do the paddle float rescue. The Sea Trek guide liked my response -- especially when I mentioned the words "paddle float". They agreed they would bring me a Looksha IV. Victory!
I woke up on Sunday morning around 6am so that I would have plenty of time to get ready and drive up to Drakes Estero from San Francisco, where I was staying, in time to meet the Sea Trek folks at 9:30am. The drive was beautiful! I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge as I headed north on the 101. I'm always in awe when I see that bridge. No matter how many times I see it, either in person or through images, each time is like the first time. I was not on the 101 for long before I had to take the San Anselmo exit. I drove for about an hour along Sir Francis Drake Blvd through the little towns of Fairfax, Lagunitas, Olema and Inverness. The sun came out around this time and I was really looking forward to getting out on the water.
I finally arrived at the site where we were to meet -- Johnson's Oyster Farm. I met Monica and Dan, our two guides, and the six other people who had signed up for the trip. We did the usual round of introductions and before long, we all got into our boats and headed out. Our route was to paddle to the mouth of the Estero, land on the white sands of Estero beach for lunch and then paddle back for a total of 8 miles.
It was a windy day. We had the wind at our backs on the way out, but had to paddle into the wind on the way back in. The paddle was very scenic. We saw bat rays and leopard sharks in the water hanging out in the sea grass. I personally didn't see a leopard shark, but I did see a ray. It was lifting its "wings" out of the water, which was a wonderful sight. We also saw hundreds of harbor seals sun-bathing on sand bars. I tried to take pictures of them, but they are super camera-shy. I think I succeeded in getting a shot of one head sticking out of the water. There were some birds as well -- Pelicans, Cormorants, and Coots.
The beach where we stopped for lunch was beautiful. The sand was abundant and very soft. It was nice and sunny during lunchtime, so it was very relaxing to have lunch and then take a quick nap on the sand. Many of us really did fall asleep for a short while. Sea Trek provided lunch for us. We had sandwiches, chips, dip, potato salad, fresh cut vegetables, fresh fruit and even Pepperidge Farm cookies for dessert (Milanos and Lidos for those of you interested in this important detail).
After lunch, we headed back to the oyster farm. The paddle back was a bit more challenging because we were paddling into the wind. But we all made it. I had a wonderful day! I would definitely recommend Drakes Estero to anyone who is interested in paddling up in the San Francisco Bay area.
Lessons learned (as there are always lessons to be learned on kayaking adventures):