[Journal Entry for Tuesday, December 11, 2007]. I had made an on-line reservation to rent a boat from an outfitter, City Kayak, based at Pier 40 in San Franciso. However, their shop was closed when I arrived. This is one of the perils of automated reservation systems. One is never quite sure whether all arrangements have been properly made. I left a note asking for them to call me and resechedule. I then walk north along The Embarcadero to see the sights, the day being very sunny and with a bit of a breeze. I walked as far north as Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf. The numbering system of the San Francisco piers is obscure, for the two piers, though having sequential numbers, are actually about two and a half miles apart. I sat for a while on a bench at Pier 39, watching the California Sea Lions, for they have taken over a set of floating platforms adjacent to the Pier. A group of about thirty were sunning themselves there, some holding their flippers in the air to catch the rays. They jostled with one another for space and were quite noisy. Pier 39 commands a nice view northward across the Bay, towards Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the northern side of the Gate. I then walked back to Pier 40, hoping to catch someone at City Kayak, but without any luck.

[Journal Entry for Thursday, December 13, 2007]. Another sunny and crisp day, somewhat calmer than Tuesday. I managed to get hold of a guy, Ted, with City Kayak and reschedule my boat rental, after a bit of negotiating with him over times when we both were available. I had brought my wing paddle, PFD and dry suit, so all I needed was the boat itself. I chose a Necky Chadam 17 from among their large and very nice selection of boats. This kayak is sleek and rather narrow, and a rather tight fit for me, so I had to squeeze in. I had an abortive first start, for my camera bag was wedged forward of my feet and I could not manage to pry it out without physically getting out of the boat. But after a bit of futzing I departed the little embayment by Pier 40 and headed eastward, across San Francisco Bay towards Yerba Buena Island. I paralleled the weat span of the Bay Bridge. The view back towards downtown San Francisco, with its tall buildings, is quite impressive, The Bay had little boat traffic, but one large ship, blue in color, was just rounding the corner from the Gate, and was coming my way. I figured that I could cross the channel about six of seven minutes ahead of it, if I hurried, and this proved to be the case. The Chathan 17 handled well, though its to speed was not as fast as I had hoped. I could maintain a speed of 5.7 mph with vigorous paddling, and could sprint the boat up to about 6.3 (according to my GPS), but the boat is no where near as fast as my West Side EFT, in which I can easily break 8 mph.

I passed numerous birds as I paddled. Some I recognized: cormorants, gulls, and a great blue heron. But some others were new to me, A common but beautiful slender diving bird, grey with a white patch on its long neck, was particularly noteworthy. I passed by the light house on Yerba Buena Island, passed under the eastern span of the Bay Bridge and pulled into a bay between Yerba Buena and Treasure islands. I also passed the as-yet-unfinished Bay Bridge replacement. This is a much simpler design than the original structure: unlike the original, it has no towers or cabling, just an elevated roadway. I was amazed that the last, unfinsihed segment extended far out from the last vertical support. The roadway must be very strong and stiff. The trip, from Pier 40 to the north end of the little bay, took about 45 minutes. I circled the bay once, examining what appeared to be tilted sandstone strata on Yerba Buena Island, and then followed along the cliffs of the southern side of the Island. Here I spotted a sea lion - or more likely it first spotted me - playing in a turbulent spot just below the light house.

Ted has warned ne that this part of the Bay would experience a strong north-flowing current towrds the end of the afternoon, So I decided to paddle southward from the island, so that I would be well up-current from Pier 40 before crossing the channel. So I headed toward a distant bouy, which was in the general vicinity of some extremely large anchored ships (including the blue one that had passed me previously, and another closer one, the S/R Long Beach). A large wake, perhaps 3-4 feet high, appeared of nowhere, with no obvious source ship in sight. I drove the Chatham 17 straight up and over it, coming down on the far side with a considerable splash. There was indeed a strong current, for my speed dropped to about 3.5 mph on this leg of my journey. I spotted another sea lion as I neared the bouy, and several largish (6") pale blue jelly fish. The bouy was green, with the markings SC on it. I then headed back towards Pier 40. My GPS odometer read 9.8 miles as I reached the City Kayak dock, but since I was early I went on to paddle two loops of the little embayment by the Pier, bringing my total mileage up to 10.5. I chatted with Ted as I washed down the Chatham 17 and stowed away my gear. Two hours and forty-five minutes. My 118-th - and very probably last - paddle of Year 2007.