Bay/Delta destinations, beaches and waterfront res

W

Waynepj4

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
RO Number
30904
Messages
398
Hello there,
I just purchased a beautiful, 2001 28 foot Bayliner in August. Now all I need are some great destinations. Are there any sandy beaches in the Bay/Delta that are good to anchor and dinghy to shore? How about waterfront restaurants. Which are the best ones?

Next season I plan on going to Angel Island and Tiburon from Martinez..maybe Moores River Boat.Any other suggestions?

Boat2.jpg
 
Wayne,

Nice looking boat! There are a lot of wonderful spots to go in the Delta, but sandy beaches are tough to come by. At high tide they disappear and at low tide they tend to be a mix of mud and sand. The Riverboat is a good destination as well as Spindrift, Giusti's, Garlic Brothers, and a lot more. Hopefully we'll see you a lot more here and others will make suggestions as well. A good way to learn about the Delta is to join a boat or yacht club so that you can learn about the spots while with others who already know the areas.

Welcome to the Delta and our forum here.
 
Wayne,

Welcome! You will find that you can explore the delta for years and never see it all - thats one of it's biggest attractions. There are so many places to go and see - it really depends on how much time you have. One of the nicest multi-day trips is a slow cruise from the lower, even Bay end, all the way up to Sacramento. There are so many things along the way. Like Dave said, join a club, and hang out here where you will hear dicsussions on almost every destination. A great club might be the Delta Bayliner Club - low key, great people, and they have an outing every month so it "forces" a destination, and they will always be there to help.

Pick a general area, and the folks here can give you some good advice. Also, are you trailering it, or is it kept at a marina -home base?

Nice looking boat - I am a big Bayliner fan - you will have a ton of fun in that baby!

Welcome aboard,

Jim
 
Hi again Wayne. Last year I joined my yacht club's annual visit to the Ebony Boat Club which is located in Antioch. A great bunch of really nice, fun-loving folks who really know their boating! There are several who also belong to the CG Auxiliary which is another way to improve your boating knowledge and skills. http://www.ebonyboatclub.com/index.htm

A cruise to Bethel Island is a nice way to spend a weekend. There are three restaurants which have plenty of dock space. You can stay for dinner or overnight, usually at no extra charge. All three are on Piper Slu: Rusty Porthole, Sugar Barge, and Lundborg Landing. Each offers a different ambiance; choose the one you prefer or try all three!
http://www.rustyporthole.com/
http://www.sugarbarge.com/
http://lundborglanding.com/
 
Wayne, it would be helpful to us to know your boating experience/knowledge. That way we will not "assume" something which is not accurate. You know what happens when one assumes!!!!! LOL
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

Hi again Wayne. Last year I joined my yacht club's annual visit to the Ebony Boat Club which is located in Antioch. A great bunch of really nice, fun-loving folks who really know their boating! There are several who also belong to the CG Auxiliary which is another way to improve your boating knowledge and skills. http://www.ebonyboatclub.com/index.htm

A cruise to Bethel Island is a nice way to spend a weekend. There are three restaurants which have plenty of dock space. You can stay for dinner or overnight, usually at no extra charge. All three are on Piper Slu: Rusty Porthole, Sugar Barge, and Lundborg Landing. Each offers a different ambiance; choose the one you prefer or try all three!
http://www.rustyporthole.com/
http://www.sugarbarge.com/
http://lundborglanding.com/

Click to expand...


Thanks. My Mother and Father belong to Ebony boat club. They have a 34 foot trawler. I went to a lot of raft ups with them as a kid. Thanks for the info. Im definitely going to check these places out over time.
 
quote:
Originally posted by UpperDecker

Is your boat in a Marina or do you trailer it? Seems pretty big to trailer. I think the first thing you should do is get the actual NOAA charts as these will prove invaluable. Especially if you're not familiar with the areas. Lots of places to get in trouble if you don't know what to look for. Especially in Suisun Bay near where you are located.

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18656.shtml

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18661.shtml

Click to expand...


I have a Garmin 440s on my boat complete with charts, depth and all that. I also have charts downloaded on my iPhone.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

Wayne, it would be helpful to us to know your boating experience/knowledge. That way we will not "assume" something which is not accurate. You know what happens when one assumes!!!!! LOL

Click to expand...

I have a lot of second hand boating experience. I guess you could say Ive been boating my whole life. My parents owned a 26 foot houseboat when we lived in Atlanta. I was still in diapers at the time. We moved to California and they upgraded to a 28 foot houseboat. A few years later they found that that boat was not adequate for their type of boating and growing family so they finally bought a 34 foot trawler which is a beauty. Teak wood throughout, queen size bed in the aft cabin, two full bathrooms, duel helm station..800 to 1000 mile range etc.

So second hand, I have a lot of experience. First hand experience is another story. I bought my first boat in August of this year. Ive taken it out about 4 times. Ive had boat instruction driving the boat from Martinez to Benecia and back, Ive gotten a lot better at docking and can dock the boat single handedly now, Ive taken friends and family out to Glen Cove and most recently we had a nice trip to Vallejo marina, ate lunch at the Sardine can and back..total distance was 18 miles..all deep water in the Carquinez straight. I have yet to go into the delta where sticking to the GPS course is going to be more important due to shallow water.

So that is the extent of my boating experience. I look forward to taking the PowerSquadron course and next summer I plan on taking at least two trips to the SF Bay, Angel island and Tiburon come to mind.
 
OK, sounds like you're prepared. If you go up towards the Delta, one nice restaurant you will want to check out is Humphrey's in Antioch. It's right on the water and has a great view. It's not that far from you so if you want to go someplace nice that is nearby, I would highly recommend it.

Also, since you're up that way you can fill your tank at the Pittsburg Marina. Best prices in the Delta.
 
Wayne, you will be amazed at how much knowledge you have absorbed by growing up on boats! Even if you never took the helm, it is in your DNA! LOL Good that you are taking it in "baby steps"; that is the best way to learn w/o making any major aw$hit!s. Be sure to report back with your experiences and questions.

Are your folks still EBC members? If so, I may know them!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

Wayne, you will be amazed at how much knowledge you have absorbed by growing up on boats! Even if you never took the helm, it is in your DNA! LOL Good that you are taking it in "baby steps"; that is the best way to learn w/o making any major aw$hit!s. Be sure to report back with your experiences and questions.

Are your folks still EBC members? If so, I may know them!

Click to expand...

Yes. Wayne and Patsy Phillips. They are still members of EBC.
 
Wow....!
Nice boat wayne. I bet you just can't wait to add more toys to it...!
I also have a 27 ft express cruiser. If you come to the Discovery Bay/Whiskey Slough area. Let's hook up for lunch and talk about boats. I keep my boat indoors/dry storage, stays real clean that way.
my e-mail....... hugodasilva_ia at msn dot com

Hugo "Another Toy"
27 ft express
 
Hey Hugo, Charlie [jtybt15 on this website] and I are heading over to Spindrift for lumch on the afternoon of Sat, Oct 24th. Join us if you can!

In fact, anyone on the forum who would like to join us is welcome! I'll be monitoring Ch 16. Vessel name is "Flutterby" pronounced flut-ter-bye
 
I would go, but I'm going to Scotland for a week and leave the day before. Edinburgh here I come!
 
Have a GREAT trip Phil........ Is Jerry going to be in charge while you're gone?
 
Thanks for all the great info and advice. My wife and I spent the night at Suisun Marina. What a great destination. The Athenian grill is dockside and has great food and service. I had the steak sandwich.

I took my time going through Suisun Slough..quite a few winding turns.
 
Wayne, if you're looking for sandy beaches in the Bay, you may well be disappointed as well. Much of the bay shoreline is very steep, and what isn't steep is often shallow well out into the Bay. There is a county swimming beach on the east side of the Tiburon peninsula, but they don't like boats around the swimmers. Angel Island has a beach or two, but the ones on the SW side are very exposed. Some folks anchor off the E side and dingy in. Of course, if you use the moorings in Ayala Cove, there is a beach there--but those are the only ones that come to mind. (If you're just looking to swim for the day, I'd say use the day-use docks on Angel Island and stroll over to the beach.....)

BTG
 
There are lots of beaches at low tide in the delta. Often during the summer, these are crowded with water skiers and wakeboarders; but this time of year the water is still warm and the beaches are fairly deserted. However after this coming storm, the waters will cool down substantially!
 
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