The Paddler ezine Issue 49 Late Summer 2019 | Page 140

ThePADDLER 140 and the wind waves will be breaking dangerously. I sail in under the Dumbarton Bridge at 14:10. I’m two hours and 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I have almost eight feet of water over the mudflats (high tide 14:44, eight feet, Dumbarton Bridge). I still have a strong flood. I text to let the others know I reached the Dumbarton Bridge. FINISHED Then I realize that the cold little beach I’m sitting on beneath the bridge on the north side where I’ve landed is fenced in. This spot under the bridge is a small dark cave, weeds and water to the north and a large fence to the south. The wind is freezing me. I wonder if I can get my boat through a small hole in the fence. Nope. I struggle hard to launch off into the flood so I can paddle around the fence to the south side of the bridge. Three failed attempts to launch into the current later, I finally make it, paddle several yards around the fence to the south side and am instantly grateful. The bridge is blocking the wind. There’s sun here and a tiny warm beach perfect to land on. I take everything out of my boat. I lay all of my gear on the rocks to dry. Matt texts back that he is reunited with his car and boat, about an hour away, heading to me. I’m grateful for the isolation, the sun, the fact that I’m done paddling for the day. My hatches are swamped. My boat is full of water. My dry bag has done its job and my warm clothes feel wonderful. I text my mom and sister to tell them I landed. I move everything up the slope to a series of cement steps as I wait for Matt. I go around the base of the bridge to the north side multiple times to look for Bert. Dumbarton Bridge landing at one-foot tide Each time the water is whiter, wind waves are breaking in sets at this point. I worry. A lot. I try to radio Bert. I know he will not be able to answer, cannot take his hands off his paddle in that mess without risking falling over. Matt arrives just as I haul the last of my gear to the cement steps. He tells me the story of why he decided to call it quits. We carry my gear to his car. It’s getting late. Past slack. The ebb is starting. No sign of Bert. We sit on a cement block and search the white and mud coloured water for him. We wish he had a spot or an inReach with him. We begin to ponder how to proceed and then at 15:36 a text comes in from him. He has landed just south of the San Mateo Bridge. We load my boat and drive to retrieve him. Bert relays his story of being hit hard and broadside by a wind wave, capsizing just north of the San Mateo Bridge. Thankfully he rolled up. He continued under the San Mateo Bridge but needed to stop to empty his boat and try to notify us of his status. Thus far, I’m the only one to have completed Sean Morley’s 7 Bridge Challenge. My time is 10 hours and 40 minutes. Approximately 61.5 miles. Strong westerly winds for the duration.