I used to live on a sailboat.  I’ve sailed over 7000 nautical miles, and 4000 of those were totally alone, up and down the Mexican coastline.  I’ve encountered storms, thought pirates were going to come after me, close calls with tankers, and collided with a whale at over 5 knots.  And then one day I sold my boat and left for the heart of Japan where there are no oceans, to swim in a field of powder for a few years.  Now I am back along the coast, with some of the best sailing around, but I’ve managed to make it out on someone else’s boat a handful of times.

But I learned something all those years ago.  You don’t need to sail around the world to have a real adventure.  It’s actually right outside your door.  So I loaded up my canoe to rendezvous with a friend who had just finished his home built kayak at the shores of the Pt. Reyes Peninsula along Tomales Bay.  Before heading out for a quick paddle and overnighter, we loaded up on about 30 oysters each at Hog Island Oyster Co.  With the B Vitamins pumping though my blood, we were ready to paddle.  I was concerned about the wind and my big old canoe, especially since I would be solo paddling, but our weather window was descent, and Greg and I made short work of the mile and a half paddle.

What waited for us across the way was something totally unexpected: White sand beaches, clear water, lush forest, and some wild creatures that said hello in the morning whilst drinking a very strong cup of coffee.  If you have the means to get up this way and are feeling like Tom Sawyer, I suggest you head out past the water’s edge.  An adventure awaits indeed!

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