SF Bay Water Trail

[meuritt]

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_13507983

It was just a two-hour kayak paddle from McNears Beach in San Rafael to Richmond, but it was a big step forward for the San Francisco Bay Water Trail, a planned network of launching and camping spots for paddlers across the bay.

Bay Access home page
http://www.bayaccess.org/index.html

maybe water trial is more like it. Crossing from Marin to Richmond would not be for the faint of heart.

I've long been frustrated with what I perceive as 'nowhere to go' on the bay. With the water trail. if it happens with today's budget problems in Sacramento, it will make going somewhere possible before turning around and heading back. Even the leg these adventurers have taken in the story,

However, it would be a good calm day before i'd want to make that crossing in my little wooden boat.

Mike
San Rafael

[Thorne]

I think a major part of this is to get the rights to pull up on some beaches, and possibly camp overnight on others.

I've crossed that stretch a few times in small open sailboats, always a thrill except when it is like glass and you just go bob bob bobbin' along...

[Bob Triggs]

We have a similar site program- the Washington Water Trail - up here on Puget Sound, Admiralty Inlet and the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Hood Canal; a string of mostly primitive campsites for human powered beachable small craft, usually kayaks. You could spend an entire summer camping from one site to another. Im sure this will be a great addition to shoreleine access for small craft users there on SF Bay.

Here is a link to our regional program: www.wwta.org

[mick allen]

Looks to me as if the San Francisco Water Trail wants to get better and is looking for help to get better.

At the early stages of putting together a trail, the idea is the key, and gaps will logically exist that will require much attention, planning, and help to resolve.
If there are some sections of this trail that are of concern to you, maybe you could assist in getting some impetus or even just interest or ideas on how to close those gaps.

Here in BC, Canada - kayak and canoe clubs, but also just interested individuals are in the midst of putting a huge trails network together going from Washington up all the coastlines of BC (22.000 km plus some 800 sites and counting) to Alaska.
Ideas count, interests count and individuals count.

I'm sure the same is true for the idea in San Francisco. You obviously are interested, you are concerned . . . maybe just a quick note or contact . . .
-mick
http://www.bcmarinetrails.org/

[Bob Triggs]

So maybe the next logical step is to form a larger organization: The Pacific Coast National Marine Trail.

[mick allen]

It would actually be international, so simply leave the national off, heh heh.

Across BC, the idea is not just one linear trail, but a network of many paths that can be taken - ie we have a big huge island, so that makes 3 coastal trails, plus there the many smaller islands that allow all sorts of linear possibilities.
So the imaginary title would be 'Pacific Coast Marine Trails' or 'Pacific Coast Marine Trails Network'.

I could see such a loose affiliation happen - in mind if not in actuality. That overall idea is certainly a driving reason for making the BC section go from the Washington border to the Alaskan.

[Bob Triggs]

I see that they use the term "human powered" but then say "Kayaks and Canoes"...couldn't a rowboat or small oar and sail craft use the marine trail camps too???

[mick allen]

couldn't a rowboat or small oar and sail craft use the marine trail camps too???

Absolutely - the verbiage is a little paddlecentric because paddlers are the genesis to date, but the trails are for small beachable craft of any type.

Paddle, pedal, sail (a good portion of paddlers use sail anyway), row, scull, etc. are the main targets. I could even see small motor if the craft could be pulled up above the high tide line (anchorage is not part of this enterprise, but another group that has established anchorages already) - motor is not mentioned as the main idea is camping locations within human powered reach of each other for ready passage up and along the various coastlines.

I mostly paddle, but I anticipate rowing and sailing a handliner or salmon wherry or dory or whitehall or peapod or openwater rower, etc along the trails at various times in the future!