A Selection of Books About
sailing san francisco bay
We've enjoyed San Francisco Bay on every type of vessel imaginable (with the exception of Cigarette boats and jet skis, which we think should be banned from all waters as they serve no useful purpose, are often out of control, are noisy, pollute waters, and kill sealife).
We also frequently enjoy San Francisco Bay cruises on tour boats, such as the Red & White Fleet boats, the fisherman's boats at Fisherman's Wharf, and Thanksgiving Dinners on Hornblower Cruises San Francisco Belle.
Hornblower, along with many of the smaller cruise companies, also run dinner cruises during holidays and for special occasions, including the Fourth of July fireworks. Viewing fireworks from the Bay provides a unique way to enjoy the water and the fireworks.
If you have only a day or two, hop one of the ferryboats from the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street to Sausalito or Tiburon. Lucky Marin residents commute to and from the City on these boats; it is one of the best ways in the world to get to/from work.
If you plan on being here for awhile, the Bay is surrounded with sailing schools and companies providing bareboat charters and skippered charters, and, of course, ocean kayaking companies, such as Sea Trek Ocean Kayaking Center in Sausalito. (This is a favorite of ours; we took our lessons there and stored our boats on their waterfront racks for many years.)
San Francisco Bay waters are rough, cold, and not completely predictable. Also, for whatever strange reason, sailors do not have to pass any type of examination to be on that water. Even if you are a seasoned salt, we recommend a few lessons or going with a skipper until you are familiar with the elements. Winds of 15-25 knots are common May through July, fog can roll in fast blocking all sign of land, tidal patterns and massive waterflow coming down from the Sierra Nevada mountains along the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers into the Bay.
We've seen whitecaps in Raccoon Straits (top photograph on the left) from the force of the rivers hitting the incoming tide and have been pushed backwards in an ocean kayak when up against a flood tides in the Straits. You definitely don't want to dunk into the Bay. Water temperature near the gate is 55° F. We learned how to swim in the Bay (and along Ocean Beach), but that was before taking a trip to Jamica and learning that there are warm oceans around the World. If you a not acclimated to the Bay's water temperature, you may be facing hypothermia.
SanFranciscoTours.us and other boat tour companies have short sailing cruises (1.5 hours) on a catamaran. You can sit on the central trampoline, seclude yourself in the cabin, or take over the wheel to experience these waters. They sail by Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Reading departure signs in some big airport