I am contemplating a 5-day cruise on San Francisco Bay next April. I am wondering how safe it is to take my H-26 on the bay. I am pretty experienced, and have handled the boat in wind speeds in excess of 25 kts. Have any of you had experience with your H-26 or 260 on the Bay? I know that the combination of winds and currents can create quite a ride out there. What are your recommendations? Thanks, Don S/V Third Degree
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Bill
DO it!
Go for it.. luff the main and reef early.. your no different then anyone else out there .. use your common sense.
Go for it.. luff the main and reef early.. your no different then anyone else out there .. use your common sense.
D
Daniel Jonas
San Francisco Bay
Don, I see no reason why sailing your H26 on San Francisco Bay should be a problem as long as you use some good judgement. You apparently already know about the currents and wind. Watch getting to close to the Golden Gate during a big ebb tide and you won't get sucked out to sea. Also, be aware of small craft warnings (they don't need to keep you off the water, just more aware of wind direction versus current direction) and respect that waves inside the gate and often in San Pablo Bay can get pretty interesting. As we get into October that should be settling down more. There is a wide variety of sailing here and you can find very different conditions existing within a few short miles. Be careful if you anchor out. There are a few good places that are well protected, and others where conditions can change dramatically over night or just due to a passing ship. Plenty of variety for a week of sailing. We keep our 290 in Sausalito and although we are a tad larger than an H26 we see many boats on the bay that are smaller than you. The advice given by the earlier post is appropriate, and we would further suggest that you not shake out a reef until you get a good feel for how the wind varies over different parts of the bay. Watch the water, it will tell you a lot, as will looking at the boats towards which you might be sailing. Where are you parking the boat? Anchoring out every night? Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
Don, I see no reason why sailing your H26 on San Francisco Bay should be a problem as long as you use some good judgement. You apparently already know about the currents and wind. Watch getting to close to the Golden Gate during a big ebb tide and you won't get sucked out to sea. Also, be aware of small craft warnings (they don't need to keep you off the water, just more aware of wind direction versus current direction) and respect that waves inside the gate and often in San Pablo Bay can get pretty interesting. As we get into October that should be settling down more. There is a wide variety of sailing here and you can find very different conditions existing within a few short miles. Be careful if you anchor out. There are a few good places that are well protected, and others where conditions can change dramatically over night or just due to a passing ship. Plenty of variety for a week of sailing. We keep our 290 in Sausalito and although we are a tad larger than an H26 we see many boats on the bay that are smaller than you. The advice given by the earlier post is appropriate, and we would further suggest that you not shake out a reef until you get a good feel for how the wind varies over different parts of the bay. Watch the water, it will tell you a lot, as will looking at the boats towards which you might be sailing. Where are you parking the boat? Anchoring out every night? Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
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Don Barber
Thanks for the advice
Thanks for the information, Dan and Bill. I am planning on either anchoring out or tying up at marinas' guest docks when possible. I have shore power, and it would be nice to plug in my heater and recharge the batteries. I will likely put in at Vallejo and tour the bay as far south as San Leandro. It would be nice to tie up for one night in Sausalito, if it doesn't cost too much. Would I be dreaming to think that I could tie up at a guest dock at South Beach harbor in San Francisco? Thanks again, guys. Don S/V Third Degree
Thanks for the information, Dan and Bill. I am planning on either anchoring out or tying up at marinas' guest docks when possible. I have shore power, and it would be nice to plug in my heater and recharge the batteries. I will likely put in at Vallejo and tour the bay as far south as San Leandro. It would be nice to tie up for one night in Sausalito, if it doesn't cost too much. Would I be dreaming to think that I could tie up at a guest dock at South Beach harbor in San Francisco? Thanks again, guys. Don S/V Third Degree
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Daniel Jonas
San Francisco Visit
Don, We live just 30 minutes or so north of the Vallejo Marina area (in Napa Valley) but we keep our 290 in Sausalito. Vallejo would be a good place to put in. You might want to talk to the Harbor Master there about storing your trailer for the week. You will not have any trouble getting a guest berth there or nearby in Benicia for each end of your stay. Be thoughtful about the trip across San Pablo Bay. This is a big body of water and on windy days the waves can build and if against the current, get pretty steep and close together. People get surprised out there sometimes. An early start on or just ahead of the ebb tide can be usefull (avoid the wind..maybe.. and get a few knots help towards the destination). On the other hand, the fog can sometimes make you wait until a little later in the morning. If you don't have tide and current information already, you might want to start looking at how that will govern your travels around the bay. I'm not sure that there are any guest docks available in Sausalito. When I occasionally take one of the larger boats out for some offshore fun, I usually anchor out at Sausalito to get an early start. There is room to anchor out there, but that does not get you ashore. I would get a guide to the bay area marinas and start calling around to see what the guest dock situation is. I know that you can dock in several marinas during the day along San Francisco, but I don't know what the overnight issues are. Angel Island (Ayala Cove)is a great place to spend a night, but at night you have to be on one of the mooring balls. You can pull into the guest docks for day-time activities on the island. Get a mooring ball early and easiest time is during the week. Once Friday comes it is unlikely that you will get in there, except at the guest dock for a day adventure. Another good place to anchor out (at least I like it) is in the cove at Treasure Island. This would be a good intermediate stop on the way down towards Alameda. Just need to watch the entry to the cove there, as there are some shallows that fool people now and again. You also might try starting this thread over with "San Francisco Bay Guest Dock Info" as the subject. There are quite a number of local sailors that follow this forum closely. I am pretty sure that some of them are much more familiar with the guest dock situation than I am. We spent a week up in the Delta this summer and I started my information gathering here. I received much help and good advice (thanks again Steve Dion). You will too. Finally, let us know when you to be in the area. We can at least share a drink and point at a few charts with you. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
Don, We live just 30 minutes or so north of the Vallejo Marina area (in Napa Valley) but we keep our 290 in Sausalito. Vallejo would be a good place to put in. You might want to talk to the Harbor Master there about storing your trailer for the week. You will not have any trouble getting a guest berth there or nearby in Benicia for each end of your stay. Be thoughtful about the trip across San Pablo Bay. This is a big body of water and on windy days the waves can build and if against the current, get pretty steep and close together. People get surprised out there sometimes. An early start on or just ahead of the ebb tide can be usefull (avoid the wind..maybe.. and get a few knots help towards the destination). On the other hand, the fog can sometimes make you wait until a little later in the morning. If you don't have tide and current information already, you might want to start looking at how that will govern your travels around the bay. I'm not sure that there are any guest docks available in Sausalito. When I occasionally take one of the larger boats out for some offshore fun, I usually anchor out at Sausalito to get an early start. There is room to anchor out there, but that does not get you ashore. I would get a guide to the bay area marinas and start calling around to see what the guest dock situation is. I know that you can dock in several marinas during the day along San Francisco, but I don't know what the overnight issues are. Angel Island (Ayala Cove)is a great place to spend a night, but at night you have to be on one of the mooring balls. You can pull into the guest docks for day-time activities on the island. Get a mooring ball early and easiest time is during the week. Once Friday comes it is unlikely that you will get in there, except at the guest dock for a day adventure. Another good place to anchor out (at least I like it) is in the cove at Treasure Island. This would be a good intermediate stop on the way down towards Alameda. Just need to watch the entry to the cove there, as there are some shallows that fool people now and again. You also might try starting this thread over with "San Francisco Bay Guest Dock Info" as the subject. There are quite a number of local sailors that follow this forum closely. I am pretty sure that some of them are much more familiar with the guest dock situation than I am. We spent a week up in the Delta this summer and I started my information gathering here. I received much help and good advice (thanks again Steve Dion). You will too. Finally, let us know when you to be in the area. We can at least share a drink and point at a few charts with you. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
J
Janel Chrestenson
Great Idea! Go for it!!!
I have a 1977 H-25 and she loves SF Bay any time. Other than a shower, she's pretty self-contained. Most marinas can offer at least clean bathrooms and shower facilities. I've taken many 4 to 5 day trips on SF Bay and never regretted a one. I just blew off my last trip because of the cancellation of Fleet Week. I generally start out in Redwood City on a Thursday or Friday and head up the Bay to SF and points beyond. I'm a yacht club member so cruising in is pretty easy, but that shouldn't matter much. Yacht Clubs love to welcome visitors. If the weather and water is ugly, do your cruising earlier in the day. After 1:00 the chop gets bad and the winds heighten. If you don't care, go anytime! There are some great places to go on the Peninsula, San Francisco is awesome, Oakland Estuary has some very fine points, as well as the Sausalito/Tiburon area. I have made a Half Moon Bay run but it did get a bit ugly. Sort of need to really time those trips out the Gate. If you want to head north, you might want to visit Petaluma Yacht Club. Good people and fun place. There are just so many places to go! You may want to check out PICYA.ORG and look at all of the Yacht Club listings. They have phone numbers and some marina info. Most are free or very moderately priced for a night. Even South Beach in SF. It is generally very easy to get a slip for a boat under 30'. I've been up into the Delta, but with a smaller boat it seemed to take forever to get there. You really need to watch your tides, currents and charts pretty carefully -- and early in the year you really need to watch out for floating objects and snags. There's nothing better than waking up in Sausalito on your boat and looking at the breathtaking view. Same with Tiburon or the back side of TI or Angel Island. Not far or hard to get to, but very pleasant. No matter what you decide, you'll have a blast! You'll meet some good people who will give you some good ideas along the way. There are always many little local cafes within walking distance to be enjoyed. Following the WTC incident, please look at the PICYA.ORG notices to skippers. There are some restrictions on SF Bay that you should be aware of right now. Enjoy! Janel s/v Ms. Toad's Wild Ride
I have a 1977 H-25 and she loves SF Bay any time. Other than a shower, she's pretty self-contained. Most marinas can offer at least clean bathrooms and shower facilities. I've taken many 4 to 5 day trips on SF Bay and never regretted a one. I just blew off my last trip because of the cancellation of Fleet Week. I generally start out in Redwood City on a Thursday or Friday and head up the Bay to SF and points beyond. I'm a yacht club member so cruising in is pretty easy, but that shouldn't matter much. Yacht Clubs love to welcome visitors. If the weather and water is ugly, do your cruising earlier in the day. After 1:00 the chop gets bad and the winds heighten. If you don't care, go anytime! There are some great places to go on the Peninsula, San Francisco is awesome, Oakland Estuary has some very fine points, as well as the Sausalito/Tiburon area. I have made a Half Moon Bay run but it did get a bit ugly. Sort of need to really time those trips out the Gate. If you want to head north, you might want to visit Petaluma Yacht Club. Good people and fun place. There are just so many places to go! You may want to check out PICYA.ORG and look at all of the Yacht Club listings. They have phone numbers and some marina info. Most are free or very moderately priced for a night. Even South Beach in SF. It is generally very easy to get a slip for a boat under 30'. I've been up into the Delta, but with a smaller boat it seemed to take forever to get there. You really need to watch your tides, currents and charts pretty carefully -- and early in the year you really need to watch out for floating objects and snags. There's nothing better than waking up in Sausalito on your boat and looking at the breathtaking view. Same with Tiburon or the back side of TI or Angel Island. Not far or hard to get to, but very pleasant. No matter what you decide, you'll have a blast! You'll meet some good people who will give you some good ideas along the way. There are always many little local cafes within walking distance to be enjoyed. Following the WTC incident, please look at the PICYA.ORG notices to skippers. There are some restrictions on SF Bay that you should be aware of right now. Enjoy! Janel s/v Ms. Toad's Wild Ride
Where are you going to put in?
Don: Where are you planning on putting in? I think that there is a good launch ramp in the Richardson Bay. This is protected waters too. The worst place in the bay is "usually" in the slot (the area thru the Golden Gate over to Oakland). Once you are north or south of this area, the bay is not that bad of a place to sail. There are some good anchorages such as Angel Island, Treasure Island (a little noisy from the Bay Bridge) and a lot of nice harbors. You can pull into the public dock at Richmond Bay Marina for a free overnite. This area is protected by Angel Island. Also in this area is the Brick Yard Cove Marina (sometimes they have spots for a couple of days tie up). I would just recommend that you reef early and deep if you have any question. You will have a blast. We usually try to make one or two trips to the bay each year from the Delta area.
Don: Where are you planning on putting in? I think that there is a good launch ramp in the Richardson Bay. This is protected waters too. The worst place in the bay is "usually" in the slot (the area thru the Golden Gate over to Oakland). Once you are north or south of this area, the bay is not that bad of a place to sail. There are some good anchorages such as Angel Island, Treasure Island (a little noisy from the Bay Bridge) and a lot of nice harbors. You can pull into the public dock at Richmond Bay Marina for a free overnite. This area is protected by Angel Island. Also in this area is the Brick Yard Cove Marina (sometimes they have spots for a couple of days tie up). I would just recommend that you reef early and deep if you have any question. You will have a blast. We usually try to make one or two trips to the bay each year from the Delta area.
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