Boatpost_002 - Paddling in a "real" location and dropping my phone in the bay

Not even The Bay, which would've made for a better story. More on that later.

So after a couple trips to Lake Merritt in my new boat, I decided I was ready to venture out into bigger waters. I did some research, and found a couple of public launches on Richardson Bay. A small bay off the capital B Bay that separates Tiburon from the rest of Marin.

I went out a week before and checked it out on foot; I didn't want to be wandering around Sausalito with the Very Large Green Backpack trying to figure out where everything was. Luckily I took a few photos that day, which I'm using for this post. Because the photos I took the day of my boat trip are at the bottom of Richardson Bay with my phone.

To get the full Worm Boat POV experience, first, simply flip each image in your mind and imagine water in the foreground instead of land. AND THEN, throw your phone in the nearest body of water. See? It's like you're really there!

Anyway,

First stop on my exploratory tour: the Sausalito public dock. Public boat launches like these are one of those things you never notice until you know to look for them, and then you find them everywhere. This one is right on the main drag in Sausalito, sandwiched between two busy waterfront restaurants. *foreshadowing* It seemed pretty popular, with several small boats tied up.

After that, I walked about an hour north along the waterfront to check out another public launch in Bayfront Park in Mill Valley. This end of the bay was peaceful, with the dock tucked away at the very end of the inlet, surrounded by the park. There was no one at this dock; apparently it's a bit of a hike from the nearest parking lot. However I have a Big Stupid Backpack, so I don't have this problem.

The "don't get stuck in the mud" sign caught me off guard, and the advice to stay in your boat if you got stuck conjured up a funny image of someone just sitting in their kayak for 3 hours in the middle of the mud. I'd never considered this as a thing to worry about before, and did some googling later when I got home. Apparently this is a real hazard, and at low tide you can end up stuck at the shallower ends of bays and other waterways, and getting out of your boat means immediately sinking waist-deep into the mud. *thankfully not foreshadowing*

Launching here would force me to finally "figure out how tides work", lest I become a permanent fixture in the shallows of Pickleweed Inlet. Paddling from here to the dock in Sausalito was about 3-4 miles, just about right for my wee arms.

So the next week I took a train-and-a-bus-and-a-bus to Mill Valley, making sure to be there an hour before high tide. The inlet was mostly mud when I arrived, so I hung out in the park and killed time while I waited for the tide to come in. An older woman walking with her husband came over to see what I was up to, asked a bunch of questions about my kayak, and told me about how she used to lead groups of kids on canoe trips. I told her about the fleet of tiny sailors I had seen my first day at the Lake Merritt Boating Center, and how much I respect to anyone who can wrangle a group of kids in any capacity let alone IN INDIVIDUAL BOATS.

Side note: I kind of love the thing older people do where they see a young person doing something interesting and go watch and ask questions. It feels like a cousin to the phenomenon of "umarells", old guys who stand outside construction sites, hands clasped behind their backs, peppering the workers with questions and advice. Honestly, older people in Marin are some of my all-time favorite people to talk to and I welcome this behavior.

My friend eventually left, and the mud had finally disappeared. I was ready to launch!

Paddling through the inlet and surrounding marsh was peaceful and very enjoyable. And I didn't get stuck! Although my paddle picked up a little mud and I had to paddle at a shallower angle through this section. When I got to the bridge there were some spooky hydrodynamics going on that pulled me through to the other side, faster than I'd ever gone in a kayak.

Beyond the bridge, the bay starts to widen, which means more wind and stronger waves. This part of the bay is home to the quasi famous Waldo Point Harbor, home to almost 300 of the quirkiest and most eclectic houseboats probably anywhere. It was fun to paddle around and see them up close. Next door to Waldo is the Clipper Yacht Harbor, which is a harbor full of yachts.

My cute little houseboat tour gave way to a Paddling Endurance Challenge. This was my first time experiencing this thing that happens when you're going with the current (especially when you're also going against the wind). It gets kind of squirrelly.

Finally, I paddled up to the dock, and almost immediately, 3 eight-year-old boys materialized. I legitimately didn't even see where they came from; they were already halfway down the dock by the time I noticed them. (I think they were probably sitting out on the deck of one of the restaurants with their families, and spotted me from there)

I wasn't even surprised by this. Every time I launch or pack up my kayak, 1 to 3 eight-year-old boys appear. They're just magnetically and/or spiritually drawn to inflatable kayaks, like English bulldogs and skateboards.

Lead Eight Year Old immediately had a lot of questions, sounding a lot like a dad talking to another dad about lawnmowers at a cookout. I'm always entertained by this type of kid, and did my best to answer all his questions.

I still hadn't had a chance to get out of my kayak yet, and was eager to pack up and head home (and get something to eat!). This was going to be a challenge, as the boys were standing in a tight semicircle just a few inches from the edge of the dock.

Me: "Hey, I'm gonna need a little space to get out, ok?"

Lead Eight Year Old, pointing at other 2 boys: "They might not understand you; they're French"

"Oh"

(ok, I guess I'm doing this with like 10" of space, in front of an audience.)

As I got out, I looked up to see French Boy #1 pointing at the water.

"Le téléfon!!"

Ah shit.

Lead Eight Year Old was eager to help with the retrieval mission but we both realized the phone was long gone.

"I'm sorry for your loss." he said, in a very grave and serious tone.

And then, in the same kind of way that people ask how old someone who died was, "What iPhone was it :((((("

I didn't know how to say "uhhh refurbished unlocked Pixel 5 from Amazon" so I think I said something like "uuuhhhh"

I should've been mad or frustrated or some form of upset, but I didn't want to lose my cool in front of these kids, and also the whole situation was just kind of hilarious anyway.

The eight year olds eventually disappeared into the aether, and I packed up my stuff and set off on the multi-part, multi-city trip back to Oakland without a phone.

I managed to catch a ferry, which meant I got to take my boat on a boat. This pleases me.

Anyway stay tuned for lots more boat because I love boat and Pixel 5s are only like $80 now.

Here's a commercial for the boat that I drew on the gay bar tablecloth in crayon: