Bay area boating destinations?

W

Waynepj4

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Oct 13, 2008
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30904
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I moved my boat to Oakland less than a year. So far I enjoy the new location. The bay water is definitely rougher than the delta, particularly over by Alcatraz but the bay destinations are nice and scenic.

So far this year I've been to Angel Island, Schoonmaker marina twice (I like their beach and wine bar), Bellena Isle marina in Alameda and boated over to McCovey cove a few times. Are there any other cool boating destinations I havent thought of yet?..Oh and Berkeley marina..played hookie from work..boated to Berkeley and at at the restaurant there.

Oh by the way. After paying a boatload to get the boat fully serviced in December the boat has worked GREAT. Its so nice to not have recurring problems. Carb'd engine isnt so bad if it works. I got the marine head fixed YESSS and installed an inverter. (need to connect three batts in parellel and see if performance improves)
 
http://www.boatingsf.com/catpage.php?category=marina
 
Don't know what your draft is but some of my favorite cruises of all time were up the Napa River to Napa, up the Suisuin Slough to the City of Suisuin and up the Petaluma River to Petaluma. Very scenic and lazy cruising with great destinations for food and drink. I have a 24 ft Trophy that had no trouble with the depth in the rivers at any time although we generally always travel on an incoming tide. I have heard that Napa no longer has public docks so you might want to check on that but the other two have nice guest docking facilities.

DBH
 
La Mar Restaurant (Pier 1 1/2) in SF has some guest docks. I've rarely seen them full.
You can eat in that restaurant (Peruvian and very good) or short walk to Ferry Building with a lot of places.
 
Pick your day (weather wise) and go out the Gate and head south to Pillar Point. Spend the night there and head back home the next day.

You can also easily head a little further south to Santa Cruz as well (again, depending on the weather).

I have "harbor hopped" down the coast at least two dozen times over the years in my own boats that ranged in size from 22' up to 37' and it is a blast!

I limit myself to Monterey, but I certainly could have traveled further south if I really wanted to,

Just make sure that your boat is setup with all of the basic safety gear and electronics.

And most of all, keep a weather eye out!
 
Wayne,
did you have any problems with corrosion on your stern drives in salt water? How often do you change the zincs? I'm thinking of moving my small boat from the Delta to the Bay but I'm concerned about corrosion in salt water.
 
WM has a SF cruising guide that describes the nice places up the Napa and Petaluma Rivers. Regarding the Petaluma turning basin, the city has to send one of their mechanics to raise the bridge for you. So, you need to call and make appointments to get in and out. We were embarrassed one time when we were late getting up there. Next time, I will get there early and wait at the marina just down from the bridge. Downtown Petaluma is more like SF than you would expect.

Benicia used to have a Farmer's market on Thurs. There are some nice breakfast and diinner clubs close to the marina. It pays to go up with the incoming tide and out with the outgo.

Angel Island is still one of my favorites. On our third hike around the island we were still seeing things that were new. There are some beaches on the South end of the Island that you could picnic on.

We have enjoyed staying at the South Beach marina when the Giants were having a home stand. Try to get a slip close to the harbor office. The guest slips out by the entry can be bouncy.

Clipper cove is a very nice anchorage. We hung out on the beach. It's my favorite for protected anchorages. The bottom is green clay, so set your anchor and pull on it for a few minutes to set it good. You need to learn how to anchor so you don't swing into other boats. All good things to practice here.

Marc, zinc will need replacing each year depending on how hot the slip is. If your zincs go fast, check your shore power for problems. Some boat owners move their boats around the marina til they find a place that has less electricity in the harbor. Many harbors are checking boat's shore power and are pressing owners to fix bad wiring. So, this may be less of a problem than before.

main.php
 
I would not recommend going out the Gate without an experienced skipper with you the first few times. And you should have a Coastal Navigation Course under your belt so you can properly read the charts.

I went out the Gate and to Pillar Pt---Half Moon Bay---in a 28 ft Bayliner a couple of times. The weather was gorgeous, clear and sunny all day. We made it to HMB with no problems at all and anchored out in the mooring field for the night. After the sun set, the sky was brilliant with stars and the water was so flat the stars were reflected off of it. A truly magical night!

In the morning we awoke to split pea soup fog. We could hardly see the channel markers. Thinking the fog would lessen out of the bay, we decided to haul anchor and leave for SF Bay. Well, the fog continued to be heavy and thick. We had to stumble along at idle speed, going into neutral every couple of minutes to listen for other boats. Fortunately, the other boaters had smartly stayed off the water!!!

We followed a fathom line, using the depth finder, along the coast between the Shipping Channel and the coastal rocks. Then suddenly a squall came up out of the fog! Rough windy chop which wanted to push our boat broadside into the surf and rocks! We took twenty minute stands at the helm fighting to maintain course. After two hours we finally made it to the Gate. Inside, the Bay was beautiful: flat waters and sunny. We dropped anchor near Crissy Field and both of us took a long, restful nap.

I was really thankful that I was with a Navy veteran who had many years experience in navigation. I would never dream of going out the Gate without someone like that onboard. This was my experience and that is my opinion.
 
I will add a +1 on Benecia, Petaluma and Napa as day or overnight cruises. For short hops like your trip to Berkeley or Ballena Bay, Richmond is nice with a good Italian restaurant right at the marina. Working clockwise further to the south is San Leandro, also with restaurants on site, though my direct experience there is over 7 years old. Then you have Redwood City (also old experience). Not much to do at Coyote Point, South San Francisco or Oyster Point without a cab ride.

For anchoring out, if weather is very good, Drakes Bay is a nice get away. Clipper Cove, by the way, is on the east side of Treasure Island by the bridge. We uses to like to anchor off China Camp (Marin County) for lunch, and if you have a dinghy can take it to the park beach there. Can add more, but that and the other posts will get keep you busy for awhile.

Have fun!
 
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