My day at Tuba Mancha!

My day at Tuba Mancha!, May 22, 2011
by Alex

Have you heard of Tuba Mancha? It’s in Point Reyes National Park in Marin County, CA.

I finally got a chance to sail there on Sunday with south swell and northwest winds lined up. I met up with Kevin Kan and his crew from the Bay.

You park at Limantour State Beach and you have to sail or hike upwind 2 miles to the entrance of Drake’s Estero, a marine wildlife refuge. I chose to hike because if you break down in offshore winds the next stop is Bolinas/Stinson Beach which is 15 miles away….oh and this area is definitely pretty sharky.

The break is pretty mellow but the wind was howling 30 knots blowing side-offshore. Honestly my arms were so sore from carrying all my gear 2 miles that I could barely hang on to the boom while unhooked on the wave, fully overpowered on my 4.0. I had to take a break every couple tacks. Next time I will sail over. Others had pretty sweet setups that carried everything on a backpack frame.

Despite not having much luck on the water, the scenery was amazing. This is the prettiest spot I have ever sailed at. Pristine wildlife and no one around except 15 other sailors that made the drive out. Definitely want to go back to the spot, it would be nice for wavesailing on a 5.0 day, if that ever happens.

Alex Koutzoukis