Petaluma Cruise

[deltabighat]

We would like to take a trip up the Petaluma River and spend the night in the marina up there. Other than some occasional difficulties with people tampering with your unattended boat up there, what are the problems I shuld expect to encounter on the trip up the river. I will be coming from the delta. I know San Pablo Bay is very shallow in lots of places so what would be the best direction to enter the river from and what kind of depth is found in the river this time of year. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Deltabighat

 

[kevfra]

First - consult your charts, otherwise you will not enjoy your long visit in the mud. Much of that bay is quite shallow.

Cross in the morning on a high tide for best safety and absolutely stay in the marked channels. Afternoon chop is brutal.

Make sure you register both for the marina and for the drawbridge (if you need it raised).

They have new security gates on the docks now, and new power monuments as well. Plus it was dredged this past summer and there are no bad spots to tie up. Generally the marina has a rule requiring stern tie so bring the appropriate fenders for that. When it is off season and only a few boats are there it is common for people to side tie.

The yaucht club is staffed on Friday and Saturday nights, and they are great folks, so drop in and have a drink - help support the club.

It's a very nice place to stay because of the immediate foot access to so much dining and enetertainment. You have a choice of well over twenty great places to eat, live music, great bars - you name it. Have fun and travel safe!

 

[Flutterby]

DBH---give us a report after your trip! That is one I'd to take someday.

 

[deltabighat]

Flutterby,

I sure will. Thanks to Kevfra for the information. San Pablo is very shallow and I was wondering if I should get to the Petaluma River by going west to the bridge and then north up to the north shore of the bay and east again to the river or going north at the beginning of the bay and then west to the river. I am coming form the delta area and I don't want to just attempt crossing the bay at any old place. I will definitey get a chart but I have always found excellant information here on this forum. If you don't hear from me in the next month or two, come looking for me in the mud somewhere up there. My boat is 24 ft long and will begin to stir up mud in 30 inches or so of depth.

DBH

 

[Flutterby]

LOL File a float plan so we will know where to look!!! Have a great trip!

 

[Monterey10]

Here's some pictures to give you an idea what we found. You want to stay in the channel on the San Pablo bay. It can be 5' of water in the channel and 3" outside the channel. Cross the bay on calm conditions. Incoming wind hitting an outgoing tide can be dangerous.

We were glued to our GPS, depth sounder and visual markers. The most shallow spot was out in the San Pablo bay. The river itself was approx 9' deep most of the way.

It's best to go up the Petaluma river on an incoming tide. If you run aground, you can wait for the tide to float you off.

Much of the way is no wake zones, especially near the little marinas. The river narrows near the town. You will come to the Petaluma Marina first. It is a nice little out of the way marina. From here you can take your dinghy up to the turning basin.

To enter the turning basin, you need to call the Petaluma visitors center to get hold of the bridge tender a day in advance. When he's done changing the oil on the city bus, he'll come down to raise the bridge for you. On the east side of the harbor is the commercial dock with various ancient fishing vessels. Above the commercial dock is the yellow house bar, which can be noisy.

On the West side of the turning basin is the downtown and Petaluma Yacht club. We enjoy being next to the city on this side. Above the dock is a decent coffee shop. Across the river is a decent brew pub eatery and excellent Italian restaurant.

North of the turning basin and slightly above the commercial dock is a food warehouse store. We stocked up on food at good prices there. I think last time we picked up French roast coffee for $3 a pound.

We would see an occasional tourist on the dock. Occasionally, the kids came down to the end of the dock to get high. They didn't seem interested in the boat at all. I saw one big boat move from the West side of the basin to the commercial dock to get away from the idlers. If security is a concern, then stay down at the marina and take the dinghy. I'm glad to read Kevfra's report that they have security gates now. We didn't have them when we were there.

Last year we got stuck at the city one night when the rains came in. We ended up taking the dinghy down the river to the marina in the rain. It wasn't that bad really.

All in all, it's a nice city to visit. The guides say to try Petaluma if the fog is thick on the SF bay. Petaluma is far enough inland to be warmer.

 

[jtybt15]

Refer to charts if you have any questions. You might be able to stop at the martinez marina and ask the harbor master to mark out a few 'landmarks' on your chart.

The Sisters are two small rocky islands at the S/western corner of SP bay and north of the main channel. The 'pumphouse' was an old water(?) pumping station on the western side of the bay and a good landmark. It sits about 2/3 of the way between the Sisters and the entrance to the Petaluma river. The Petaluma river enters SP bay at the N/ western corner of the bay. The channel to the Petaluma river pretty much runs just east of the Sisters and Pumphouse. Just stay away from the flats that surround the bay. At anything but low tide(and even then) you should be able to run from the opening of SP bay just past the Carquinez Bridge straight to the pumphouse. It's not nearly as bad as it sounds. I've been fishing it for a few decades but the last decade and a half I've been concentrating outside the gate. The bay gets boring.[:I]

 

[deltabighat]

Great information all, I knew this board would come thru. I guess what I have learned is that I should stay in the ship channel until I reaach the two small rock islands, hang a right and go north straight to the Petaluma river. Is there another marked chanel that crosses San Pablo Bay from the shipping channel to the north side of the bay? Also what is the clearance (roughly) on the bridge between the first marina and the basin by the town. Sorry for all the questions but the more I know, the more likely I will stay out of the mud for four hours.

DBH

 

[BayTrawlerGuy]

Note that the San Pablo Bay shipping channel is technically restricted to vessels drawing 20 feet or more. This is about the most ignored boating restriction in the Bay and Delta, but it is there. I don't think you need to go all the way to the Sisters from the Carquinez Strait, but use the charts wisely. (The sisters would be a good landmark if coming from SF.) There isn't a marked channel from the shipping channel to the Petaluma River, but the river entrance is marked well into San Pablo Bay, as is clearly reflected on the charts--the southern end of this channel is approx. 2 miles NW of the west end of the SP Bay shipping channel. I am unaware of any alternative to this marked Petaluma River channel.

BTG

 

[kevfra]

Another thing...
As you are approaching the mouth of the river, visable from perhaps a half mile out, you will note that it appears a straight course to the bridge makes sense. But you'll see a clearly marked channel off to your right that will make you deviate your course and add time. Take it! There is a reason they put that channel there, and unless you're in a little tin row boat you won't be happy taking the straight course.

 

[Monterey10]

If you look at the charts, the Petaluma channel is in the middle of the bay. About mid to 2/3 of the way across the bay when heading north. We could just make out the pole channel marker. I didn't see any "rock islands" when I passed through there. If you have a GPS chart plotter, you'll see the intersection of the ship channel and Petaluma channel. If the conditions were misty, I think you would have a hard time seeing the channel markers.

The only bridge that is low is the one at the entrance to the turning basin. You can get a dinghy under it, but not a boat.

I found a few pictures of the channel markers near the ship channel. I believe this first picture is of the first marker on the Petaluma channel. Further down they have right and left channel markers as seen on the second picture.

Take a look at the birds sitting on the mud outside the channel.

 

[Arnold]

We'll be cruising to Petaluma for the week-end for the first time.
Any recommendations on what to do and where to eat?