Moonlight Paddle

Last Saturday was nearly a full moon which meant the kayak shop was offering the always phenomenal moonlight paddle. This is the third time I've done the evening paddle and as I know the trip leader I can join the group gratis in exchange for helping with the boats etc. Last weekend an unusually large group of 16 people from Urban Diversions signed up so it took a while to get started. Many of these people had never kayaked before, the novices are put in stable kayaks while those with some experience can paddle a single. We got out on the water around 8:00pm and paddled up toward the cranes and container ships as the sunset over the bay. The looming cranes with the sunsetting behind them is one of my favorite sights in Oakland and from the water the view is even better. As the sky darkened we crossed the estuary to paddle back along the Alameda shoreline toward Coast Guard Island. The moon came out clear, bright and high in the sky, and combined with lights from the shore provide plenty of light to paddle by. Oakland is quite a sight at night; the colorful tribune tower downtown, the Mormon Temple high on the hill, red taillights of the cars on the freeway, and no where is the view better than from the water. I like paddling at night, the water is calm, there are few boats about and everything is quiet or at least as quiet as it gets in a city. After about an hour and a half we rafted up (quite a challenge with so many boats) for a juice and cookies break. One thing about the moonlight paddle, they always have very good cookies. We paddled down the estuary a bit farther, then cut across to a channel marker near Coast Guard Island, several people commenting on the large Coast Guard cutters in the darkness. On the way we passed a sailboat filled with very drunken sailors, who were couldn't remember whether they were putting the sail up or down and when they finally found the key to their boat headed back out into the bay. Sometimes one wonders why there aren't more serious boating accidents. After reaching the channel marker the group headed for home. Since it's a straight shot back to the dock everyone can paddle their own pace, which also spreads the boats out a bit for landing. By 10:30 everyone made it back safe and dry. I'm always impressed by the people who have never been in a kayak before able to get in and out of the boat and keep up during the trip. Since I enjoy kayaking so much it's also great to hear people talk about how much fun they had and a few are even inspired to take a class. It's always a long, cold process afterwards getting all the boats and gear put away but a change of clothes, a hot shower, a cup of tea and I fall asleep fast and happy!