Tomales Bay

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Tomales Bay is a long narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County in northern California in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles (25 km) long and averages nearly 1.0 miles (1.6 km) wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Marin County. It is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of San Francisco. The bay forms the eastern boundary of Point Reyes National Seashore. On its northern end it opens out onto Bodega Bay, which shelters it from the direct current of the Pacific. The bay is formed by a submerged portion of the San Andreas Fault. The sand bar at the mouth of Tomales Bay is notoriously dangerous, with a long history of small boat accidents.

The area was originally settled by the Coast Miwok Indian tribes. Tomales Bay State Park was formed to preserve some of it. Immediately to the east of the bay, much of the land is grazed by cows belonging to small dairies.

The bay sees significant amounts of water sports including sailing and motorboating. Watercraft may be launched on Tomales Bay from the public boat ramp at Nick's Cove, north of Marshall. There is a $5 fee.

The Tomales Bay region was allegedly visited by Francis Drake.

Tomales Bay is one of the refuges listed in the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971.

1 Nearby towns
2 Marconi conference center
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Nearby towns

Towns bordering Tomales Bay include Inverness, Inverness Park, Point Reyes Station, and Marshall. Additional hamlets include Spengers, Duck Cove, Shallow Beach, and Vilicichs. Dillon Beach lies just to the north of the mouth of the bay, and Tomales just to the east.

[edit] Marconi conference center

The Marconi Conference Center SHP preserves a small hotel built by Guglielmo Marconi in 1913 to house a ship-to-shore radio station. Ownership of the facility passed to RCA in 1920. The station was closed in 1939, though other nearby radio stations on the Point Reyes Peninsula still operate today. Synanon, a drug rehabilitation cult, owned it from the early 1960s until 1980, when it was purchased by a private foundation and given to the state to operate as a conference center.