Escape to Alcatraz

I finally accomplished it. It has been a bucket list item to circumnavigate Alcatraz Island launching from the Richardson Bay in Tiburon, CA. Alcatraz is just a mile away from the San Francisco shoreline but taking that route always seemed like an unfair challenge. The destination is about the journey, and my appreciation was tenfold what it might have been had I taken the simpler path to this extraordinary landmark. That’s just my perspective as it is Alcatraz after all!

With that said, it wasn’t straightforward or easy. I took several scouting trips in order to experience the tidal shifts and the roundtrip experience I might be up against. The Bay Area is known for micro-climates throughout the region and the same holds true for the various systems within the mercurial San Francisco Bay. The roundtrip distance was a total of 10 miles and little of that would be in tame waters. My assumption was the trip would have this arc: placid beginning, more severe middle / approach, even more severe rounding Alcatraz, more extreme conditions on the return (higher winds later in the day), with another placid finish to bookend the adventure.

That was not how it transpired. The beginning leg was placid as expected. It was smooth for a half hour through the Richardson Bay. The tempestuous current between downtown Tiburon and Angel Island was avoided and conditions shifted radically in the San Francisco Bay. Here I met a stronger current, playful swells, and dozens of fishing boats that were out and about during low tide. It was also Memorial Day weekend so it was bound to be bustling. I got off to a 6a.m. launch but I wasn’t certain that was early enough to carve my way to the target.

Fisherman out and about

Low Tide

Conditions continued to kick up and they were harsh by the time I approached the penultimate buoy to the island. It wasn’t for the faint of heart and if I were just out for a joy ride, I would have turned back an hour into the trip. Bound and determined, I plowed through San Francisco Bay and upon the approach to Alcatraz 2 hours post-launch, conditions were tame. This was unexpected and allowed me to comfortably circle the island about 300 feet away. That is the guidance posted since several bird species nest / mate there and they are not to be disrupted. Examples include cormorants, gulls, pigeon guillemots, night herons and egrets.

I have taken a ferry to the island and toured it 4 times over the years, but this was a unique experience. Everything seems so much larger than life from my paddleboard and since it was during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order, it was eerily quiet with no visitors or inhabitants. Aside from the birds, every square inch of the 22 acre rock was still. The video adequately covers the visuals but it was an incredible opportunity to experience the island in a more connected and immersive way. This led to noticing details and features I had not noticed on previous visits.

The juxtaposition of the harshness of the northwest and east side of the island compared to the lush western facing side is stark. The rugged and sometimes controversial nature of the island (e.g. military prison, federal prison, Native American protests, battle to make it a National Park, etc.) is well documented but the sheer beauty of the warden and administrative side was lesser known to me. With sweeping views of gardens, the Bay, and downtown San Francisco, it’s hard to imagine a more unique or iconic location to commute to and/or punch the clock every day.

Warden house, gardens, guard tower & administrative building.

West Side

It only took 30 minutes to circle the island while photographing it at a leisurely pace. Compared to nearby Angel Island, this bite sized experience was a welcomed surprise. As I rounded the more prominent east side with most of the structures, I saw smoke coming from the shoreline of downtown San Francisco. Since I launched early, I hadn’t listened to any news and was unaware a fire had broken out at a warehouse at Pier 45.

USS Jeremiah O’Brien (WWII Liberty Ship) in Front of Smoldering Warehouse @ Pier 45

Fireboats Dousing The Blaze. The ship was saved.

I heard about the fire later that afternoon once I landed and settled into my day. I knew my mom had toured this ship as her father served on liberty ships during his time serving. She let me know this was only one of two liberty ships left and it heartened her, and I’m sure thousands of others, that this ship was saved. Nothing a new paint job couldn’t remedy at least.

One never knows what a day will bring. We might plan them out as best we can but conditions can shift within seconds. The return trip home was markedly rougher than the trip out but this was somewhat expected. The winds always picks up in the afternoon on the San Francisco Bay but the swells were more intense than I expected and the return home was spirited and kept my attention. The current was strong and wanted to push me to downtown Tiburon & Richmond versus my launch point on the other side of Belvedere island. As the map shows, I adjusted and managed to sneak around the island’s tip after some fierce digging. A boat stopped and asked if I needed assistance. I kindly declined and both of us enjoyed the view of the Golden Gate bridge after rounding the corner.