Point Reyes Shipwreck
Generations of sailors and fishermen have feared the waters at the Point Reyes coastline. Before the construction of the lighthouse in 1870, the region was a burial ground for ships due to the strong currents, sharp cliffs, high winds, and dense fog. The coastline has claimed many ships, but the shipwreck at Tomales Bay is not part of that tragic history.
Not much information can be found on the fishing boat that is obviously called Point Reyes. The wood is rotten and riddled with holes, but it still bears the name in large readable letters. According to the Dixon Marine Services, the boat was built in 1944. First it served as launch boat in World War II to transport soldiers from aircraft carriers to the port. Then it was used to fish salmon for many years.
The ship mysteriously ended up in the small town of Inverness, when the property it was resting on was sold. The landowner dragged the vessel aground. He had intended to fix the fishing boat, but never actually repaired it. Every year the ship has become more and more embedded in the sand bank, and he finally left it to decay at the shore.
Last year, the boat caught fire, which destroyed its stern. You can still find the remains of the shipwreck, but it is structurally unsafe and might be removed, as people tend to climb on it.
