It's time to get out the charts and start thinking about some time on the water this summer. We have been sailing our Newport 30 for the last 10 years on the SF Bay and have had some grand adventures. I hope to inspire you to get out there and have some great times on the bay. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Plan a weekend trip to Sausalito. We usually stay at Schoonmaker Marina. Nice spot with a beach and close to town. Take your bikes and head to Tennessee Valley for a beautiful ride to the coast.
Head up the Napa or Petaluma River. Last year we had so much fun cruising up to the Napa Valley Yacht Club for the night and then back the next day to the Napa Valley Marina for tours at the local wineries by bike. We hope to do the Petaluma this summer. Here is the log from our Napa trip last year: http://h2uh0.blogspot.com/2009/09/cruising-napa- river.html
Take a five day (or more) trip up to the Delta. We usually spend the first night at the Antioch Marina and then head out fresh the next day for Potato Slough and beyond. Warm, fresh water for swimming and lots of friendly, helpful folks. We spend three days up in the sloughs and river and then head back to Antioch for the last night. We depart at daylight for the bay and it takes all day to get back. Be sure to go with the flow of the tides or it will be a very long trip! The 4th of July is a popular time with big fireworks shows and lots of boaters on the water. Here is the log from our trip in 2003: http://addiction30.tripod.com/id19.html
Be sure to have good charts and always stay in the channels, especially in the delta! If you do not know about kedging, look it up as you may need to take your anchor back to deep water should you run up on some mud.
We always try to meet up with friends along the way and that make the trips even more enjoyable. There is something special about a meal on a boat. Many times I have gotten the comment, "this is the best Thai chicken (or whatever we are eating) I have ever tasted". Maybe it is, but being on a boat and having a fine meal makes you appreciate it more than in a nice restaurant. Be sure to share your favorite trip on the bay in the comments section and get out there and have some fun!
2 comments:
Love it! What better way to announce your arrival than to put it on the main sail?
Wonderful fun. We're saving a lot of time to escape the desert and explore the Bay one of these days; so much to see and so much variety. So far I've only visited SF as a land tourist and only sailed in SoCal.
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