When close to San Fransisco ... ?

[Sven]

We've now moved from the MBARI dock in Moss Landing to the public docks. Not exactly luxury accommodations but we think we're on mud if the depth is less than our draft

In the next few days we'll try to get to Santa Cruz if we can find a slip for a couple of nights (limit of one night due to damaged docks ?).

The question is where we should head if we go to San Fransisco after Half Moon Bay ? Any suggestions ?

(Boy our engine runs nicely after the mishap and fixed flare fitting !!)



-Sven

 

[Loren Beach]

SF to Astoria is about 570 km.
Go for it!

We'll have dinner and bottle of wine waiting.......

LB

 

[Mark F]

Hey Sven,

Looking forward to seeing you guys in Santa Cruz. Please give me a call when you get a chance eight three one three four five six four four seven.

 

[Sven]

SF to Astoria is about 570 km.
Go for it!

We'll try

Thanks.



-Sven

 

[Sven]

Hey Sven,

Looking forward to seeing you guys in Santa Cruz. Please give me a call when you get a chance

Will do

Seems like we will be able to get a slip even if we have to move once per day !

We head over tomorrow and should be there on the afternoon.



-Sven

 

[Mark F]

Places to go in the SF Bay;

Sausalito is a beautiful town with lots of waterfront (slips). It's very touristy but nice none the less.

South Beach Marina just south of the Bay Bridge is a great new Marina that is well placed for exploring San Francisco.

I hope others from the Bay Area chime in - this should be a good thread for future visits "The Bay".

 

[ChrisS]

I second South Beach Marina in SF. Right on the streetcar line, so it's easy to get to other parts of the city. Plus its got great weather and very little surge. Angel Island has moorings at Ayala Cove, and it's easy to spend 4-5 days there.

If I were you I'd head up the Delta for 10 days to two weeks, although if you want to be active, this may not be your thing.

One thing is for sure: September weather is the best!

I'm over in Sausalito, PM me if you née help with anything.

 

[dwigle]

Anchor out or slip?

South Beach is in my opinion the best of the marinas in SF, we spend several weekends a year there, but at $1.25 a foot per night, not really budget cruising. For anchoring, I like Richardson Bay (Sausalito), easy anchoring and near everything you might need with some local knowledge and a little walking. Another option would be Clipper Cove between Yerba Buena and Treasure Island. Not too much on the island, but regular bus runs to SF, just don't go in at any sort of low tide without local knowledge.
Keep us posted when you get to the Bay.

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
E 38 #8
Point Richmond, CA

 

[Sven]

Thanks for the additional inputs.

$50/night would be a bit steep for more than a day or so. Might be worth it for just a short stop.



-Sven

 

[Matey]

The Bay (s)

Sven,

HMB .. Not sure if you're familiar with Half Moon Bay ? But here's some thoughts for you or others. I'd enter from sea NW of Southeast reef between #2 and #3 buoys (NOAA chart 18682) head toward beach past any breakers then north
into Pillar Point Harbor http://www.smharbor.com/pillarpoint/ . Harbormaster monitors vhf and will assign slips if you like. You might ask for a spot away from the party (fishing ) boats. Very noisy, very early.
The fuel dock (at the Texaco sign) often has good diesel prices, have to check. Anchorage inside the breakwater is good. I'd get over to the west of the Harbor toward the HMB Yacht Club. Great club and people. Very friendly and nice weekend dinners. They have a dock off the club where you can tie a dinghy and take their cable shuttle ashore. At Princeton Harbor Fish can be bought off the docks, there is a good fish market ashore and a small store walking distance across the Highway. The Safeway is in town about 5 miles back south.

HMB - SF .. About a 6 hr trip motoring. Last week I left at 1000 after fog let up a bit (and coffee and motor sailed to just above Colorado Reef buoy then sailed out on a course to #8 at the SF entrance across the bar. It can be uncomfortable across the bar, but this time of year not likely (check http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=PZZ545) it's a nice run or reach through the Gate from there.

SF Bay - .. Chris & Don nailed it. It's beautiful sailing and allot of fun stuff going on right now with the AC Series here and all. I second Ayala Cove for a few nights at Angel Island. You can check out the L'Hydroptere anchored off the Corinthian YC waiting to break the Trans-Pacific record. Sausalito and South Beach would be my choice too. AT&T Park is walking distance from So Beach, did I mention the Giants are leading the west ?)
I'm in Point Richmond, have time, tools and my Son is a rigger there if you need help with something before venturing north.

Regards, Greg

 

[ref_123]

Slightly north or slightly south...

Slightly north-east of Sausalito - Tiburon Peninsula - Corinthian YC... Great weather, nice people. Good food all around.

As for SF proper - Pier39 is rolly but price is the same as South Beach, it's in the middle of everything, and sea lions provide free entertainment .

 

[Rowan]

SF Aquatic Park

Hi Sven,We just recently (2 weeks ago) relocated to the SF Bay Area so I don't know a lot about the boating amenities but if you are interested in anchoring out I would recommend you check out the SF Aquatic Park. It is downtown, very close to Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, etc. Powerboats are not allowed but they do allow sailboats to use their auxiliary for getting in and out (keep a watch for swimmers). I have heard it can be rolly, we only spent one night and it seemed pretty calm to me but we were recovering from a tough passage and we probably wouldn't have noticed a freight train coming through! It is near the Golden Gate so it does tend to be windy. I don't remember if they allow the use of dinghy outboards but the park is small so rowing ashore shouldn't be an issue. A permit is required to anchor but it is pretty simple. Just email the park and they will send you a form, once approved you can anchor for 5 nights (google San Francisco Aquatic Park). There is no charge for the permit or for use of the park. We only stayed one night because it was chilly and we were needing some sunshine and warmth.We are currently staying at Marina Village on the estuary in Alameda. We are now in a permanent slip but the transient rate for our 31 was $20 per day. If you are interested in spending time near Oakland/Alameda I recommend Marina Village. It is quiet and the people are friendly, but best of all the bathrooms and showers are clean, well maintained, and free. We came down here a year ago and checked out a lot of marinas and the facilities here are the best of the marinas we looked at. Plus Alameda tends to be warmer than some of the surrounding areas. The Oakland Yacht Club is next door, you might want to check them out too, they offer guest mooring at a discount to Blue Water cruisers.Rowan

 

[dwigle]

What Matey said about the SF approach is the best, plan your trip for a flood tide for the approach, maybe 5 hours after leaving HMB. Buoy #8 is best, but I can usually get away with #4 and can sometimes cut that. If the water is FLAT you can cut it by quite a bit. The water gets shallow way out which can lead to sudden big square swells/waves. Once at the row of buoys follow near the edge of the shipping lane with care. Ship traffic is nearly as bad, sometimes worse than the Santa Barbara Channel.

I'm sure you'll notice, but watch for crab pots most of the way.

He was also right about Ayala Cove, a great stop on the Bay. Last time I was there, it was $20 per night for a mooring, check in at the dock. Minimal services, no real stores or showers, but great views of the Bay when you hike around.

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
Pt. Richmond, CA
E38 #8

 

[Sven]

Great inputs ... thanks !



-Sven

 

[Sven]

Arrived in Pillar Point Harbor last night (midnight).

In a few days we'll head up to Emery Cove Marina in the Bay where we might spend a week or so.

We probably won't make it to Astoria this time sorry Loren !



-Sven

 

[Rick R.]

October

Sven,My wife and I will be in San Fransisco in late October. If you're around, we can stop and say hello.Rick

 

[Sven]

Sven,My wife and I will be in San Fransisco in late October. If you're around, we can stop and say hello.Rick

We'll probably be gone by then but they will let us stay for a month they said



-Sven

 

[brianb00]

Emery Cove vs Pt Richmond

Hello Sven,

You might reconsider Emery cove for Richmond. The weather at Emery cove, being in what is known as the slot, can be a bit windy and foggy. Meanwhile just a few miles north, in the lee of Angel Island and Tiburon is Pt Richmond, also known locally as the Richmond Rivera, are 3 marinas that have very nice protection from the daily NW breeze the is funneled through the Golden Gate slot. YC = Richmond YC and they have guest space, I happen to be a member. Brickyard cove, next door, has really nice protection from the NW winds due to large homes on stilts that shelter the slips. Then there is a public marina a bit further down the commercial channel. The negative is Richmond, the city of, is an industrial area so you are a bit further from the City. Sailng out into the bay is not much different than Emeryville in terms of distances to city front locals.

Just a thought.

Regards,
Brian s/v redsky

 

[Sven]

Best time way to enter SF Bay ?

You might reconsider Emery cove for Richmond.

Thanks Brian, we'll consider moving once we get there. Our reservation at Emery Cove is open ended so we're not committed to staying.

Now we're trying to figure out the best time to enter. I'd assumed that going in with the flood tide was good enough but some folks down here in Half Moon Bay have said that we should time the bar crossing for the slack just before the flood to minimize turbulence ?

We're coming up through the south channel and Charlies Charts say to stay outside the 7 fathom line, but that's waaaay off shore right in the middle of the commercial convergence circle that he also tells you to avoid.

It will be interesting to see how the traffic compares to a busy day down around Los Angeles.



-Sven

 

[brianb00]

HEllo Sven,


I enter the gate about 15 times per year, almost always in races, and as you know that means under any and all conditions. I would agree, for least turbulence slack water on a emerging flood would be the calmest. You get similar conditions at the transition to ebb, but then you are fighting the ebb. The worst would be on a strong ebb with NW winds. Those conditions are fondly known as the toilet bowl as you get big tide induced swell off bottom deformations plus wind friction building up the swell. It isn't too hard to roll the boat 40/50 degrees in that slop (with a kite up). If your going out to the the light ship (SF Buoy) you are being really really conservative, especially this time of year when the swell is normally way down. Of course the swell could come up from a early gale way to the north, but you will know that from the bar report.

So, in races we often cut the south corner pretty close, as close as inside all the channel marks. But that is risky as I am sure you can see from the bottom contours (in flat swell not really). When I return from HMB on a summer day, or at night, I often round the channel mark nearest lands end on the south side, I believe this is about 4 miles out. Let the swell be your guide. Expect tidal turbulence on the way in. Play the south side to catch favorable flood as it starts. As far as shipping traffic, if you just stay along the buoy line along the south or north edge there are no issues.

Watch for a fishing boat going in, those guys have been out there a million times and know the quickest tidal solution for entering under all conditions.

Monitor channel 12 as Vessel traffic announces ship traffic every 15 min. Also, if you have any doubts just give them a call, they are great folks.

If at all rough teather up, freak swells and tide can sometimes really toss the boat.

Good luck getting in the Bay, it really isn't hard, but the wave action can be surprising in rougher conditions if you have not experienced it.

Thanks Brian, we'll consider moving once we get there. Our reservation at Emery Cove is open ended so we're not committed to staying.

Now we're trying to figure out the best time to enter. I'd assumed that going in with the flood tide was good enough but some folks down here in Half Moon Bay have said that we should time the bar crossing for the slack just before the flood to minimize turbulence ?

We're coming up through the south channel and Charlies Charts say to stay outside the 7 fathom line, but that's waaaay off shore right in the middle of the commercial convergence circle that he also tells you to avoid.

It will be interesting to see how the traffic compares to a busy day down around Los Angeles.



-Sven