Bay boaters advise please.

D

dvan

Member
exMember
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
RO Number
30258
Messages
309
What advise would you have on where to say (over night birth or guest docks) in the Bay.
Lets say for 5 to 7 days. Were to go, what to see, and what to do.
Also would Sept. or Oct be good times?
Would be staying on our 28' Bayliner.
Also I would trailer it over for Stockton, so does anyone know of a marina that has a ramp, also somewhere to park the truck and trailer.
 
I found this site to be informative:
http://www.boatingsf.com/index.php

Sept and Oct are certainly the warmest weather days in SF. Winds will be uncertain.
Fleet week is in Oct. A great event with the Blue Angels, but the Bay is crazy with boats duing their show.
I'm not familiar with ramps, but I think the site I referenced has some info. I'm new at Pier 39 and they seem to have a lot of guest slips open now in the winter - not sure whtat it is like later. That said, the surge/current there is somewhat large.
 
If you do stay on the SF side of the bay,things to do off the boat (recommendations are mostly if you won't have kids with you):
Pier 23 Restaurant - one of those Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that has good food. Good lunch/brunch on Sat/Sun with lots of people sitting outside
Lar Mar Restaurant - Pier 1.5. Peruvian Tapas. They have a guest dock.
EPIC Roasthouse Restaurant - $$$, but good Brunch and you can sit outside. I've been there in Sept, and temp was 85 degrees. Waterbar is next door, same owner, same $$$, seafood not steak.

We just saw Teatro Zinzanni - it is close to Pier 23. You can search for their website. Must buy tickets in advance as they sell out. Way better than expected, but tickets are somewhat $$.

Mostly tourest type places in Pier 39 and espeically Fisherman's Wharf. However, Eagles Nest in Pier 39 is not bad and they open early (6:30) for breakfast.

South Beach Harbor is right next to the Giants Stadium and you could catch a Giants Game.
 
There is an upgraded launch ramp/parking are at Stockton's new Marina. I believe they have 24 hr security now. Give them a call for info. Making this trip in the fall is the ideal time IMHO. Hoping you do a trip report after your safe return!
 
San Francisco (South Beach Marina) Giants Baseball, Good rail/bus service to most everywhere and anything.

Sausalito: Good art town. Pretty location

Benicia: Good Thurs farmers market. Jazz clubs.

Jack London Square: Good Jazz clubs. Noisy trains til 11 PM

Petaluma Turning basin: Call ahead to have the city raise the bridge. Nice down town location. This is a pretty ride inland on the "River" actually, a tidal estuary.

Angel Island: Tie off to a mooring ball and hike the island. Take water and a lunch. If it's rough in the marina, don't hang tough, run across the raccoon straight to any number of protected harbors.(for the night)

The trick is the weather. It can get foggy down in the bay. Go inland and it can get hot. The transition area is around Benicia. So, people will boat in the spring and fall. These days, with the weather so odd, you might find good weather in February!

The folks at the deltabaylinerclub are quite knowledgeable about the delta spots. Generally, they tuck into a back water spot with a tall North/South running levee. The levee protects the boats from the afternoon winds. (which happen most everywhere in the afternoons)

I like Orwood for trailer launching. You have a few miles of narrow channel with slow speed areas to get out to the main channels.
 
Monterey10,
Thanks for the great info. I am thinking about doing this around Sept or Oct. Hoping to get some good weather.
 
September / October is the most consistent weather. Fleetweek is great and Thursday / Friday will have the same airshow experience with very few boats out. The weekend will be crowded. We keep our boat at PIER 39 and like it there. It does have some surge so be prepared for some. The guest docks are also on the same side as the Sealions but if you ask the Marina office they might have an open slip on the East side which is where the monthly berths are located and no sealions on that side. A few days might not be bad but they are noisy and if there are alot of them there can smell a bit. Lots to do around there. Angel Island and Jack London square both have guest docks and are easy to access from San Francisco. I also really like to spend the night at South Beach especially when the Giants are in town. You can reserve 60 days in advance and I have never had a problem getting a guest slip during a Giants game. Also alot to do around South Beach.

Kris
 
Kris - we moved our boat to Pier 39 a few weeks ago
We are on F dock. liking it so far even with the surge
 
Thanks Kris, I'm thinking of starting the weekend before Fleetweek. That way I can bum around SF and surrounding areas for 5 days and then enjoy Fleetweek on Thursday and Friday, then get out of there before the weekend madness.
 
From my experience, the Blue Angels do pretty much a full rehearsal on Friday, but Thursday is preliminary work setting their site points.
 
We have stayed at Clipper in Sausalito http://www.clipperyacht.com and found it a quite place to stay away from but an easy walk to downtown. Plenty of near by shops to pick-up fresh food and eat on the boat or 15 min walk to local places to dine in or outdoors. You can walk downtown and ride the ferry to SF and avoid using a car or taking your boat cause it tends to get a bit windy and rough in the afternoons that time of year. Currents are kinda fun also. Never had issues with fog or rain in Sept or Oct. For fleet week in 2010 the weather was perfect! In Sausalito you are tucked in and we did not even feel the boat rock at night. I think they might have a jazz or art thing that time of year. We are in Vallejo and it's a two hour run in calm weather.
 
Thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to the trip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top