The Point Reyes is an abandoned fishing boat in Inverness, Marin County, California, (in Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco). It is located near Point Reyes National Seashore, and is a popular photographic subject. I was curious to learn the history behind this boat, but Internet searches uncovered surprisingly little information about it…
I wrote something similar to the text above, and posted it along with this photograph on my Tumblr blog some time ago. I was surprised and delighted to receive the following response to my post:
Luckily for you, I work at a local history museum in Marin County and ran into an Inverness historian who was doing some research in our archives. I asked him about the boat and this is what he told me:
The previous owner of the garage behind which the boat is grounded originally bought the boat and towed it to the sand bar with the intent to repair it. He never got around to it, however, so it mouldered there until the owner sold the land to a company specializing in wetlands restoration and preservation.
Though the rotting boat is exactly the kind of thing the current owners specialize in removing, they’ve left it because they don’t want to invoke the wrath of local photographers.
A big thank you to Kate Dollarhyde for clearing up a bit of this mystery. Given the popularity of the boat (when we visited there were not only other photographers present, but entire families and other people without cameras checking it out as well), I think the decision to leave well enough alone is a wise one, but perhaps that is simply my love for the old and abandoned speaking. What do you think…should the boat remain or be removed? Is it a beautiful reminder of the past, or an eyesore, interfering with the restoration of the local ecosystem?
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Priya Ghose Photography 
Fantastic!
Thank you so much! It is fun to play around with ultra wide lenses…
One of my favorite images from you! Great story too…
Thanks so much, Sharon!
I LOVE the scale, scope and multifaceted dimension of this photo. I love the story that it tells. I love the colors and the way the clouds make me look up!
Thanks again for the “way you see” the world. Blessings, Jennavieve
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
I love the image and think the boat should remain there:)
Thanks Janet! The Point Reyes really has great character, doesn’t it. 🙂
I love the lighting in this photo and the way the clouds look almost like a halo for what is old and abandoned but still holds much interest. Beautiful composition and colors! Your perspective-both how you see things and the composition itself- has much depth. And thank you sharing the history!
Thank you!
Quite a story!! Awesome!
Thanks so much! I was so excited to learn a bit more about the boat…
Beautiful take on it! I’ve photographed it too but I was new to photoshop and it didn’t come out as well.
Thank you, Laura! You can always go back…thankfully it looks like it’s staying put indefinitely.
haha true! You’re welcome 🙂
Reblogged this on B.E.S.T. Arts Gallery.
Thank you for sharing my post!
Reblogged this on Lianne's Picks – best of the blogs and commented:
I simply love both stories like this and artwork this lovely. Beautiful work Priya.
Thank you so much, Lianne! I loved finally learning a bit of the history, and it was both fun and unexpected to receive the response through a Tumblr post.
Magnificent capture Priya ~ truly amazing how that boat doesn’t fall over!
Thank you! It’s definitely in an intriguing position.
Reblogged this on Amazing Fine Art.
Thank you for sharing my work!
Reblogged this on Click And Color and commented:
The Point Reyes abandoned boat