Urban Seashore

One aspect of cruising in a big-city Bay is that a lot of the seashore is urban and not very appealing. But sometimes both Nature and the urban city front can resolve into something special, like the seashore of the Albany Bulb.

20 nautical miles from San Quentin Bay to Berkeley and back

On a cold and rainy winter's day, we set off on a 10 mile reach across the Bay to the Berkeley Marina, and then back along the shoreline to explore the Berkeley lagoon (behind Cesar Chavez Park), the ruins at Fleming Point, and the urban/natural wonderland of the Albany Bulb.

So my photo is not that inspiring - but it was wet and overcast.

This is shallow water cruising, but probably not as bad as many folks might think. It was dead low tide and their was still 3 feet of water all of the way around the shoreline and at the Bulb (see below).

It was nice and sheltered from the South in the little Bay on the North corner of the bulb (picture at top) where I anchored for lunch, and I plan on enjoying this spot again. Right behind the Bulb (to the East) was very sheltered, but we might be on the bottom close to the shoreline across the low tide.

Pic: Ed Puskas

The Bulb is entirely artificial and was part of past efforts to reclaim usable land from the Bay. For a period it was a place of self-expression by local artists, and there are still striking works to enjoy. The piece above is on the shoreline to the left in my photo at top. Today, it is a favorite place for dog walkers and people escaping to decompress from the big city.

An actual photographer's take on the Bulb (pic: Michael Layefsky)

A really nice day's sail, despite the rain, and Little Cat and I will be back soon. 21 nautical miles this trip.