I'm planning to take my boat to fleet week in San Fransicso this coming week. My plan was just to sail around during the Blue Angels show then head back to my home port in Richmond. I was going to sail on just the mainsail so I go slower and can see ahead of me since I'm sure it will be crazy with lots of boats. Any tips from anyone who has sailed around to watch the airshow or is it just to keep a good watch on the boats and not the Blue Angles?
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Go west young man
I hate to give up a good secret, like telling about a good empty anchorage and then showing up the next weekend with rafts of boats, but, here goes>>> Sail the boat, with both sails, don't just use your main, you will need max maneuverability. Go west and avoid the crowds at Alcatraz. Heave to and you'll enjoy the best show ever.
I hate to give up a good secret, like telling about a good empty anchorage and then showing up the next weekend with rafts of boats, but, here goes>>> Sail the boat, with both sails, don't just use your main, you will need max maneuverability. Go west and avoid the crowds at Alcatraz. Heave to and you'll enjoy the best show ever.
Voice of experience, just motor around
We go almost every year-- we've tried sailing, anchoring, motor sailing, and motoring. Hands down, it's just easier to motor basically because there are so/too many boats lined up between Alcatraz and Treasure Is. Many of these boaters simply don't know the rules of the road and, with everyone "watching" the show, it can make for some very quick manuevering to keep clear. So, we sail until just before the Blue Angels perform, then strike the sails, crank up the iron jenny and enjoy.
We go almost every year-- we've tried sailing, anchoring, motor sailing, and motoring. Hands down, it's just easier to motor basically because there are so/too many boats lined up between Alcatraz and Treasure Is. Many of these boaters simply don't know the rules of the road and, with everyone "watching" the show, it can make for some very quick manuevering to keep clear. So, we sail until just before the Blue Angels perform, then strike the sails, crank up the iron jenny and enjoy.
Ditto The Voice of Experience
Having been to Fleet Week the last few years, I'd agree with Jim. We'll leave out of Emery Cove and just motor to the west end of the controlled zone, but there are other places just as good all around the controlled zone. What we've done the last couple of years is make sure there are two sailors on each boat, and take 15 minute shifts. Once we get to a spot we like, we use the motor to hold our position which alleviates the problem of putting down an anchor. Some of the best parts of the show are watching the action on the water and you don't want to be part of that show. While there are a few people with their sails up, you'll find most of your fellow sailors will motor too. Have fun and enjoy the show, nothing brings out the patriotism like watching the Blue Angels.
Having been to Fleet Week the last few years, I'd agree with Jim. We'll leave out of Emery Cove and just motor to the west end of the controlled zone, but there are other places just as good all around the controlled zone. What we've done the last couple of years is make sure there are two sailors on each boat, and take 15 minute shifts. Once we get to a spot we like, we use the motor to hold our position which alleviates the problem of putting down an anchor. Some of the best parts of the show are watching the action on the water and you don't want to be part of that show. While there are a few people with their sails up, you'll find most of your fellow sailors will motor too. Have fun and enjoy the show, nothing brings out the patriotism like watching the Blue Angels.
a dissenting opinion
I've done fleet week half a dozen times, and will most probably be there next weekend if this low pressure front moves through in time. The problem with fleet week is that too many of the boats out there only manage to untie the dock lines once a year. Unfortunately, a great number of those boats are being skippered by people who don't realize that the rules of the road still apply when F-16s are stunting overhead. And the towboat guys get so busy it's sometimes four hours after the jets have landed until they get to all the pre-show breakdowns. If you see me out there next weekend--and I'm certainly not going to tell you where to look--it won't be motoring around with the yahoos who are gazing skyward rather than holding a proper watch for nearby vessels. My hook will be down. Do yourself a favor: if you haven't had your boat out all summer, stay home next weekend.
I've done fleet week half a dozen times, and will most probably be there next weekend if this low pressure front moves through in time. The problem with fleet week is that too many of the boats out there only manage to untie the dock lines once a year. Unfortunately, a great number of those boats are being skippered by people who don't realize that the rules of the road still apply when F-16s are stunting overhead. And the towboat guys get so busy it's sometimes four hours after the jets have landed until they get to all the pre-show breakdowns. If you see me out there next weekend--and I'm certainly not going to tell you where to look--it won't be motoring around with the yahoos who are gazing skyward rather than holding a proper watch for nearby vessels. My hook will be down. Do yourself a favor: if you haven't had your boat out all summer, stay home next weekend.
It's a Madhouse...a madhouse! 
I and 2 friends did Fleetweek this weekend, my first time ever out on the bay during fleet week, and in my own boat...what a treat...until we got out there. I knew going in that it would be nutty out on the bay, and did some online research and read some different opinions beforehand on how to aproach the day. A local sailing school's site suggested Not anchoring (probably aimed at their charter customers to save money on lost anchors) and I took that advice since my anchoring experience is less than my sailing experience...nor did I like the idea of being stuck fast in such a crowded area with so many novice boaters loose or loosely anchored. I kept both sails up for manueverability at the start of the show, and had all 6 eyes on board assigned to looking out for other vessles and calling out their clock positions (although I always had the vessels spotted before hand), while my eyes at the helm only occasionally glanced up at the airshow and then only when I was sure I was well into clear water. I found my biggest difficulty was traffic vectoring into me from both sides on several occasions which forced me way closer to the anchored boats than I was comfortable with...around 300 yards at our closest aproach. Hand signals were only marginally succesful at informing folks of our intentions, often backfiring as several boats turned into our path after trying to indicate that we wished to tack out of an area. One sailboat in particular really pissed us off. I don't know if they understood the rules of the road, if they didn't care, if they were drunk, or if they were just cocky regarding their helmsmanship, but this couple was motoring with sails down and covers on and they kept vectoring into us on a collision course(we were clearly sailing) till they got close enough that I could finally yell to them "WE ARE SAILING...YOU ARE MOTORING...VEER OFF!!!". They finally did but they passed behind us with only 3 feet to spare. We watched them do the same to another boat, that time passing 3 feet in front of another boat that was sailing. I would have given way myself far earlier, but the traffic on the other side, as I mentioned, was hemming us in at that time. After that one pass that forced us fairly close to the anchored fleet of spectators I kept us well into the middle of the main bay in a rough triangle between the gate, alcatraz island and the mouth of Richardson bay. Once out into that relatively clear patch, my stress level went way down since I only had to keep an eye out for 50 boats instead of what seemed like a gazzilion. Also once out in that clear patch I dropped the headsail to slow us down, ease our ride, and increase our visibitity forward. That worked well. I will Definitly do Fleet week again next year, but I am now forearmed with a strategy that worked well for me...just stay way the hell out of everyone's way out in the less congested areas...the difference in visibility of the airshow was negligible between the Nutty zone, and the Clear area, and out their I could actually look up often and enjoy the show. Fleet week: one of the best returns ever on my tax dollars IMHO.
I and 2 friends did Fleetweek this weekend, my first time ever out on the bay during fleet week, and in my own boat...what a treat...until we got out there. I knew going in that it would be nutty out on the bay, and did some online research and read some different opinions beforehand on how to aproach the day. A local sailing school's site suggested Not anchoring (probably aimed at their charter customers to save money on lost anchors) and I took that advice since my anchoring experience is less than my sailing experience...nor did I like the idea of being stuck fast in such a crowded area with so many novice boaters loose or loosely anchored. I kept both sails up for manueverability at the start of the show, and had all 6 eyes on board assigned to looking out for other vessles and calling out their clock positions (although I always had the vessels spotted before hand), while my eyes at the helm only occasionally glanced up at the airshow and then only when I was sure I was well into clear water. I found my biggest difficulty was traffic vectoring into me from both sides on several occasions which forced me way closer to the anchored boats than I was comfortable with...around 300 yards at our closest aproach. Hand signals were only marginally succesful at informing folks of our intentions, often backfiring as several boats turned into our path after trying to indicate that we wished to tack out of an area. One sailboat in particular really pissed us off. I don't know if they understood the rules of the road, if they didn't care, if they were drunk, or if they were just cocky regarding their helmsmanship, but this couple was motoring with sails down and covers on and they kept vectoring into us on a collision course(we were clearly sailing) till they got close enough that I could finally yell to them "WE ARE SAILING...YOU ARE MOTORING...VEER OFF!!!". They finally did but they passed behind us with only 3 feet to spare. We watched them do the same to another boat, that time passing 3 feet in front of another boat that was sailing. I would have given way myself far earlier, but the traffic on the other side, as I mentioned, was hemming us in at that time. After that one pass that forced us fairly close to the anchored fleet of spectators I kept us well into the middle of the main bay in a rough triangle between the gate, alcatraz island and the mouth of Richardson bay. Once out into that relatively clear patch, my stress level went way down since I only had to keep an eye out for 50 boats instead of what seemed like a gazzilion. Also once out in that clear patch I dropped the headsail to slow us down, ease our ride, and increase our visibitity forward. That worked well. I will Definitly do Fleet week again next year, but I am now forearmed with a strategy that worked well for me...just stay way the hell out of everyone's way out in the less congested areas...the difference in visibility of the airshow was negligible between the Nutty zone, and the Clear area, and out their I could actually look up often and enjoy the show. Fleet week: one of the best returns ever on my tax dollars IMHO.
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