Palo Alto to Alviso in the "Cheap Canoe"

8-29-2009












Palo Alto, Byxbee Park to the Alviso Slough via the South San Francisco Bay.


I woke up earlier than needed for this. I wanted to be in the water, moving before the sun actually came up. I loaded the coordinates into my gps the previous evening after using Google earth to get all the points selected. Up at 6 a.m. and headed up the peninsula to the old Palo Alto Harbor area. I had checked it out on another day and found there was a dock, a luxury!



















However, had not counted on the park being closed when I got there, gate is supposed to open at 8 a.m. Have to say I resented this interruption of my plans. The restricting of beaches and bays etc. to business hours drives me crazy. I know the arguments both ways, but it still chafes me something royal. I took the time to look into the Charleston Slough over by San Antonio rd. Looks like there is a reasonable area to put in there. Doubt a ranger/security guard would be happy about it, but there were no signs saying it wasn't OK, maybe next time. I decided that since I had the trip planned for Byxbee, that i would wait it out by the gate. I was concerned about the tide, last thing i wanted was to be on the bay when the tide started going out.



















The full distance looked to be just under 9 miles and my initial thinking was to stay near the shoreline and take a look at the various sloughs and creeks as they enter the bay. I expected to do about 2 mph maybe faster as an average. Turned out to be between 3 and 4 mph and with no wind and no waves, I opted to head out across the bay proper to cut off some distance. It was very hot and the sun was in my face from the start as this is an almost due east course. There were a lot of birds, most i don't know the names, but lots of "shore" birds as well as seagulls and pelicans. I got to see a few flocks of birds that made solid "clouds" that moved along the far shore. i remember the midwest when birds would migrate and there would be great rivers of birds moving north or south. We don't' seem to have that here, i wonder if there are enough birds for that to happen anywhere these days. There were also a couple of harbor seals that were very curious about what i was and followed me for a while. They would look at me with there eyes just clearing the water before raising up a good two feet to get a proper look at me. They were great and I wish they had come a little closer. Also got to see a small ray about a foot below the surface, just cruising along. Compared to FLA., the water life here is so less abundant or at least so more reclusive. I get excited when i get to see something other than the everyday.

a shrimp boat out of Alviso made a couple of turns out in the channel, I assumed they were dragging a net and since they were a good ways off, I opted not to take a closer look. I was feeling pressed for time as i had gotten into the water and moving a little before 8 a.m. and knew the tide was to go slack at about 11 a.m. By the time I made the bottom of the bay and was into the slough my arms and shoulder were feeling it and I was only half way. The Slough present another 3-4 miles of paddling and its not especially interesting once the reeds begin close in. Initially there are lots of birds visible with long hooked beaks and beautiful, if plaintive, cries. Once you get into the reeds, then there are lots of small birds, but they remain mostly hidden. i think it might be cool to head up or down the slough at dark with lights to see if there are any mammals to be seen. The draft on the pirogue canoe is very shallow and I would often notice my shore side oar touching bottom.




On schedule I made the "public shore" of Alviso around 11 a.m. The tide was high and I was trying to decide where to pull out when some nice guys and the sailing school / yacht club let me pull out on the private dock. It was nice to get to speak with them as i wanted to know what sailing south of the Dumbarton bridge was. One guy had an old Cal 20 (like there are new ones) and the other , a little bigger, of unknown make. Both were fixed keels and I wondered how they dealt with the water depth or lack of it. They basically motor north of the bridge.

Later I was picked up and went back north to get the truck. this was a worthwhile trip though I don't know if I could recommend it for most folks. I think hanging out in the sloughs of Palo Alto would give more nature bang for the buck. The pirogue is certainly not the craft for this. It is a little too wide at the rub rails meaning you hit the paddle on either side with every stroke. The one time I went through a substantive wake I noted that water came over the bow. So, either a higher bow or an enclosed foredeck is a modification I might make. But this was the, "Cheap canoe" from plans that are free from Bateau.com and cost about $100 in materials and 6-7 hours time to build.

Other notes, well safety is a concern on the bay. The southern bay is much warmer than up north but it would be unwise to spend any real time wet. I wore a PFD the whole time, though I was sorely tempted to take it off as the day went past warm into hot. I had a cell phone that I kept in a ziplock inside my small cooler. The cooler is basically waterproof and floats. Later I thought i should have brought an air horn and maybe the handheld vhf. I am a strong swimmer and felt comfortable with my distance from shore that if anything occurred to the boat that a swim to shore was possible (taking serious care to not get stuck in the horrible mud). i had a good idea of the course and the GPS and a paper chart to back it up. All of which is likely overkill for a 9 mile paddle on dead flat water, but not super familiar. I have a healthy respect for the Bay and have seen it, been out on it when it is ugly and not to be taken lightly.