Drakes Estero and phoronids

On 26 November 2011, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a wonderful sail in Velella (our 13.5 ft. Melonseed) in Drakes Estero (Point Reyes, CA).  Here's a photo of Eric and my mom -- Eric's excited because a breeze has finally come our way.  Behind the sailboat you can see the cliffs near the entrance to Barries Bay in the background.  The next photo shows a close up that I took from a kayak.  

While sailing and paddling in this area of Drakes Estero, we observed very dense beds of phoronids on the seafloor (the water was extremely clear!).  I couldn't take any photos of them at the time, but here's another photo that I took of some phoronids (different species) on Bodega Head.  Look for the delicate U-shaped rings of tentacles (lophophores)...and how dense groups of many individuals look "fuzzy".  This is how the bottom of Drakes Estero looked as we cruised by on the surface.