Go With The Flow: Kayak Tomales Bay With Bioluminescence™

Tomales Bay is one of the best kayak destinations in Northern California for a number of reasons not least of which is how beautiful it is, especially this time of year when it's lush and green. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia page about it:

"Tomales Bay is a long, narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County in northern California in the United States. It is approximately 15 mi (24 km) long and averages nearly 1.0 mi (1.6 km) wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Marin County. It is located approximately 30 mi (48 km) northwest of San Francisco. The bay is formed along a submerged portion of the San Andreas Fault."

Since it is actually a flooded segment of an earthquake fault it's like a needle shaped tidal estuary and about as subject to tidal currents as any body of water I've ever been in. All you have to do is pay attention to the tide tables and look for a well timed "King Tide". My idea of well timed would be from 11am-6pm on a Saturday and that's exactly what we have this weekend. It goes from +7' to almost -2' in that time, a massive amount of water needs to get out the mouth of the bay and if you're going with it, well...let's just say it's a lot easier to get around. The current is strongest in the deeper channels, there will be places where it's flowing at four or five knots, it's like moving at jogging speed without having to work for it. It's fun😀 We will pretty much have free run of the place, it's so narrow in places that we'll be able to bounce back and forth across it as we please.

This will be a one way ride. We will meet at the boat ramp that will be the takeout point, leave at least one vehicle there and then drive south to a launch point, probably Whitehouse Pool, near Point Reyes Station. The winds are predicted to be calm all week, as always I'll keep an eye on the forecast. Darkness comes so early now that it would be easy to stay late enough to catch some bioluminescence, if you're into that sort of thing. Moon phase is at its nadir the night before so it will be plenty dark enough. Come check out the other bay in the Bay Area on a crisp, clear, calm late fall day.

Plans for these kayak trips are never carved in stone and it's actual pretty common to make adjustments to the plan on the day of the event if conditions dictate a change. My "No Drowning" policy is strictly enforced and not negotiable.