We don’t always just paddle the bay. We try to paddle some nice lake water as shown in this trip led by Zoey Heyer-Gray.
We met Zoey at the Oak Shores Day Use Area of Lake Berryessa where she shared with us that with some many islands off of Oak Shores, there would be plenty of paddling options to choose on depending on conditions, our skill level and interest. Surprisingly, the wind can pick up quite easily but it is easy to find a bit of protected area to paddle, due to the numerous coves and islands that offer protection from wind.
The water temperature is significantly warmer in the spring and summer than other reservoir-fed lakes in the area (Natoma, Solano), so it’s a more welcoming body of water in which to practice pivot turns and footwork :). Zoey’s plan was for us to launch from Acorn Beach at Oak Shores Day Use Park and paddle counter-clockwise around both Big and Small Islands. She had us conduct some on-water navigation exercises along the way. We paddled approximately 6 miles (or less), and were on the water approximately 3 hours (including time to conduct the navigation exercises).
We had a great time chatting about our new navigation skills after the excursion over some tea Sophie brought along to share. If you are interested in joining us, check out our events calendar to see what paddle we have planned next!
Mahalo!
--chris
