MayCoverTemplate 4/21/09 9:51 AM Page 1 Latitude 38 Latitude

VOLUME 383 May 2009 WE GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS A 2009 MAY VOLUME 383 VOLUME BAYGUIDE SAILING TO SAILINGGUIDE

Is there anyone out there who's worth of learning the hard way into one and is worth a pass. Stay in the channel not feeling the pinch of the recession? grand tour of the Bay done in style and though, as the northeast side is shallow We doubt it. And yes, many are feeling comfort. We call it the The Perfect Day- and the bottom is riddled with debris. more than a pinch. We're reminded of sail, and it goes like this... Sailing back out the Sausalito Chan- the advice of Thomas Jefferson: "When Start anywhere east of Alcatraz about nel, hug the shoreline and enjoy the you get to the end of your rope, tie a 11 a.m., at which time the is begin- Mediterranean look of southern Sau- knot and hang on!" ning to burn off and a light breeze is fill- salito. Generally, the closer you stay to Speaking of ropes and knots and ing in. You're going to be sailing coun- this shore, the flukier the wind — until hanging on, while the 'suits' rage from terclockwise around the Bay, so from you get to Hurricane Gulch. It's not shore while the economy struggles to Alcatraz, head around the backside of marked on the charts, but you'll know extricate itself from the tarpit — we Angel Island and sail west up when you're there. submit that the best thing the rest of Strait. (If there's a strong flood in the Once you round the corner at Yellow us can do is go sailing. Leave all your Strait, you may need to motor through Bluff, you'll have little Horseshoe Cove 'cares and woes' at the dock and think this part.) on your right and the magnificent Golden about nothing for a few hours but the Once around Belvedere Point — you Gate in full view ahead. If the conditions song of the wind, the pull of the tiller, do have a chart aboard, right? — you can are right (slack water or a moderate and the laughter of family and friends. reach off toward and the flood), you might want to slip under the But even sailing requires decisions — Sausalito waterfront. If you bear way off most famous bridge in the world and an 'economy of scale', if you will — that to hug the west shore of Belvedere, be enjoy the unspoiled scenery of the Marin rewards you for certain sailing choices careful not to stray past Cone Rock or Headlands. If you're on a small or slow and penalizes you for others. Since this you'll run aground. The Sausalito side boat, however, make sure you're not is supposed to be a de-stressing exer- of Richardson Bay is dotted with every- rocketing out on the start of an ebb or it cise, we've made many of the choices thing from floating trash to megayachts will take you forever to get back in. for you — especially those of you new to The bailout for the automakers? Gajillions. The Now comes the best part: turn around. sailing our local waters. In the next few bailout for the banks? Bazillions. Going sailing If everything has gone as planned, you've pages, we've condensed several years' and forgetting all about it for a while? Priceless. continued on page 116 ERIK SIMONSON/WWW.H2OSHOTS.COM GUIDEBAY SAILING TO Sausalito Richardson Bay

Hurricane Gulch Chill Pill Sailing on Bay in the summer is not warm. We Counterclockwise for Comfort don't care if it's 100 degrees Belvedere If your plan of the day calls for a grand tour of the Bay, in San Rafael, it will always be always do it in a counterclockwise direction. It makes no Point cold on the Bay. So you need difference if you start from the , , to dress for the occasion, but or Sausalito — and it's doubly applicable if you start in the leave the Levis at home. The afternoon rather than in the morning. Raccoon Tiburon Strait correct method is 'layering' with modern synthetics, which not only insulate better, but also wick moisture away from the skin. So go for undergarments of poly- propylene, then polyester, and a San Francisco top layer of quality foul weather gear (those made with Gore-Tex are best if you can afford them). Too warm? Remove a layer. Not warm enough? Add a layer — this isn't rocket science. As with most things, the more you spend on quality gear, the more comfortable and dry you will Alcatraz T H E S L O T Angel Island remain. We also strongly urge all boaters to wear flotation. If you fall in our cold local waters with- out a lifejacket, all the layering in the world won't keep you from going hypothermic quickly. And it's all downhill from there.

Bay Bridge That's Easy for You to Say Clipper "If you can sail in San Francisco," the saying Cove goes, "you can sail anywhere in the world." While Flat Water Sailing that may be a bit of a stretch, the reverse is cer- The main Bay offers great sailing, tainly true: "You can sail anywhere in the world on but you're going to get wet doing it. If ." We're speaking figuratively, of you want some of the best flat-water, course. Check it out: stay-dry (well, dryer, anyway) sailing — Reaching back and forth behind of your life, head down the Oakland/ Treasure the Tiburon Peninsula on a hot September afternoon Estuary. Again, it's best to feels an awful lot like the Caribbean. beat to windward early in the day, then Mediterranean — A few passes from Richardson downwind sail back, perhaps stopping Bay to Hurricane Gulch and back are just like the at one of the many waterfront restau- Med: There's either way too much wind or practically rants that has a dock out front. Short of none, and it comes from all directions. being kidnapped by the Swedish Bikini Roaring Forties — Sail out to the Farallones and Team, there is simply no better way back on one of those 40-knot days. Cape Horn will to rejuvenate your soul after a tough seem like a piece of cake. day at the office — even if it was the South Pacific — Sail up to the Delta around July unemployment office. Oakland and you'll get a taste of what sailing the tradewinds Estuary is like. When the wind shuts off, you'll also get a good idea of what the South Pacific bugs and humidity are like. BAY SAILINGGUIDE

Fogbound One of the weather phenomena most associated with San Francisco is our famous fog. We once brought an out-of-towner to the who was actually disappointed because he could see the Golden Gate. A couple of things sailors should know about fog: 1) The classic Bay stuff comes through the Golden Gate and streams down the Slot toward Berkeley. It pretty much stays right there, so all you have to do to get out of it is sail perpendicular to the flow. 2) Even when the fog is in, you can sail most of the Bay in perfect visibility if you just avoid the Slot. In fact, one of the most spectacular sails you can ever make is in the early evening between Cruising sunny Sausalito and Angel Island as a thick carpet of Whether you have a week or a weekend, there Tiburon fog streams over the and through the Gate. are plenty of cruising destinations in and around A true Kodak moment. San Francisco Bay. For the weekenders: Angel Is- land, the Petaluma or Napa Rivers, or even across the Bay to the or Sausalito. For those with more time: the Delta, or perhaps out the Gate and south to Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz Richmond or Monterey. Bridge Red The Delta Rock

Dreams and Nightmares Two scenarios: 1) You want to in- troduce the man/woman (circle one) of your dreams to sailing; or 2) Your incredibly irritating mother-in-law has been whining for a year because you've never taken her sailing. Here's the best way to deal with them both. For the boy/girlfriend, follow the advice under 'Counterclockwise for Comfort,' ending with a quiet anchorage behind Angel Island. Break out some crackers, cheese and a bottle of vintage Merlot and he/she will be putty in your hands. Now for the mother-in-law. Leave Berkeley at 2 p.m. and head for the South Tower. Don't reef! Plan to be there Richmond at max ebb. Then reach back and forth across the Golden Gate until she begs for mercy. If that doesn't work, sail her out to the Potato Patch via scenic Point Bonita. When she feels the need to "call Little/Big Boats Ralph on the porcelain " make We hate to burst anyone's bubble, but in our opin- sure she does so over the leeward side ion, boats under 20 feet are too small for sailing the — just as you punch through another open Bay. There are exceptions, of course, notably breaking wave. organized races sailed by properly attired small boat If you're somewhere between these sailors where 'crash boats' hover nearby to help anyone two extremes, say out for an afternoon who gets in trouble. with the boys from work, or your daugh- On the other end of the scale, San Francisco is a ter and a few of her friends, just take vibrant maritime , and all manner of commercial things slow and easy. As soon as you shipping comes in and out at all hours. The main thing perceive the slightest fear or hint of sea- to remember is that big ships always have the right sickness, crack off and head downwind of way. If one of them gives you more than four blasts to a less windy area. on its horn, it means, "I don't understand what you're One more thing: for any newcomers doing and it's worrying me." It's probably time to tack to the Bay, make it a point to sail under and go the other way. the Golden Gate. They'll remember it for a lifetime. BAY SAILING GUIDE

gone as far to weather as you're going to. (never "Frisco" or "San Fran"). If any warm and gentle downwind run, keep With the breeze approaching maximum greenhorns aboard felt queasy earlier, right on going down the Oakland Estuary strength midafternoon, there's no better now's the time to roust them out from — an especially good destination if you time to start reaching and running. their bunks below and tell them to enjoy happen to keep your boat there. Go ahead and cross over to the San the view. No one pukes downwind. As you might have surmised by now, Francisco side of the Bay. If you've sailed Want an interesting detour? Jibe out the secret to the Perfect Daysail is to get out under the Bridge, be sure to give the toward Alcatraz. The likes of Al Capone as far to weather as you're going to go South Tower a wide berth on the way and Richard 'The Birdman' Stroud once before the wind really starts honking. back in. Otherwise, the South Tower gazed out from behind those forbidding Most days, that's about 2 p.m., with max Demon may steal your wind, redouble it walls. The prison closed in 1963. Now breeze around 4. Reef early and make and throw it back at you, causing your it's a popular tourist destination and sure your guests are dressed warmly boat to momentarily head straight for occasional Hollywood movie locale. — remember, terrorizing chilly people by the tower's cement cofferdam. Whee-ha, Once you've checked out Alcatraz sailing rail-down for long periods is the we're having some fun now! — no landings allowed for recreational fastest way to become a singlehander. Once back inside the Bay, the wind boats — jibe back and head over to Pier If you (or they) didn't bring warm machine will probably be in high gear 39. Follow the curve of the shoreline enough clothes, definitely head for the and whitecaps will ruffle the Bay. But around toward the Bay Bridge. The wind warmest place on the Bay: the northeast you won't care because you're sailing will usually drop quickly, giving you an (lee) side of Angel Island. downwind at what should be close to easy and relatively warm sail while you If you're not quite up to The Perfect hull speed. The proper etiquette is to enjoy the world-class skyline along the Daysail yet, practice on the lighter-air, wave and smile beatifically at the cold, Embarcadero. flatter-water Richmond Riviera or behind wet sailors pounding upwind past you. From here on, you have several op- Treasure Island/Yerba Buena. And at the sailboarders and kiteboarders tions. You can power reach across the Oh, and don't worry about missing who, on weekends, will be whizzing by Slot to the lee of Angel Island, where you too much ashore. We guarantee Cramer you. Don't worry, they won't hit you. At can drop the hook for the afternoon or or some other talking head will still be least not too often. the whole evening and celebrate cheat- bellowing about some dire circumstance This part of The Perfect Daysail will ing death once again. Or you could slip no matter when you get back to the dock. afford you one of the great views of San around the backside of Yerba Buena and You may even surprise yourself by turn- Francisco, the place locals call "The City" into Clipper Cove. If you're looking for a ing him off rather than up.

Gateway to the Bay & Delta Join us! We love making new friends and spoiling them!

• Competitive Rates! • Ample Guest Dock • Full Service Boat Yard and Chandlery • 2 Restaurants for Breakfast, Lunch, Cocktails and Dinner • Covered and Open Berths Race to Vallejo for Dinner – (707) GREAT and Leave Your Boat for a Week! 648-4370 • One hour from Sacramento Fax 707-648-4660 SERVICE • Only three hours from Reno 42 Way HOME • Easy access to San Francisco Vallejo, CA 94590 Bay and the Delta www.ci.vallejo.ca.us

Page 116 • Latitude 38 • May, 2008