DESTINATION DELTA It's California's version of European Many Delta anchorages offer sunny skies, warm Ironically, it's best to return to the Bay canal cruising, with a touch of southern water and relaxation. on a flood, because bashing into steep Bayou boating. It's a chance for aspiring photos latitude / john ebb chop is no fun — and it's hard on Bay Area cruisers to get their feet wet. from the Central Bay up to Benicia, the gas mileage. But you should be able It's warm water, stiff breezes and a long Pittsburg or Antioch — the unofficial to sail getting to the Delta and up the list of small towns and salty bars. gateways and staging areas — followed main rivers. The Sacramento and San Joaquin by another full day to make your way As the name might suggest, the River Delta is right around the corner deep into the Delta. Sailing conditions Sacramento River goes all the way to from the Central Bay, but it can feel can vary dramatically from day to day, our state's capitol, and it's the more like sailing into another world. This hot, and can be challenging when strong populated of the two rivers, with towns lazy, inland maze is composed of 1,100 headwinds combine with river currents like Rio Vista, Isleton and Walnut Grove. square miles of bending cuts, shallow bolstered by an ebb. Dotted with wind- By contrast, the San Joaquin wanders sloughs and reed-lined inlets that are mills, the Delta is famous for its big, through state parks and wildlife areas ideally suited to spring and summer steady summer breezes. before ending up at Stockton. getaways. Playing the currents can make a huge Many first-time Delta cruisers worry Experienced Delta cruisers recom- difference in the speed of your trip and that it will be too shallow for their sail- mend giving yourself a full day to transit the amount of fuel you burn en route. boats. Not to worry, say the old hands. — THE GREAT ESCAPE DESTINATION DELTA The two rivers are major shipping chan- nels, and many of the sloughs have enough water to accommodate a decent- "The first time I went to the Delta The motor will do sized draft. But good charts, reliable in 2007 I swore I'd never go back," wrote most of the work, depth finders and keeping a keen eye on Brian Forster. "We went for the Mandev- but the sail helps the tides are all required for a drama-free ille Fourth of July fireworks (a zoo, but steady the boat trip. Those in the know say it's pleasantly great fireworks), but it took two days to through the water. easy to get lost in the Delta's labyrinth of go up there, three days to come back, I also use the trav- rivers and tributaries. Remember, "If you and my future wife got heatstroke and eler to hyper-ex- haven't run aground, you haven't been a ride in an ambulance. Nevertheless, I tend the main over around." And groundings are usually in have been back almost every year since to the windward soft, forgiving mud. and have done the Delta Doo Dah twice. side. That way, I'm We'd like to think of the Delta as an What's the difference? I know what to ‘motor-tacking' excellent training ground for aspiring expect now (plus I haven't gone back in with very short cruisers. A trip to the Delta requires July). tacking angles. planning and provisioning, using your "First of all: It's a long trip, especially "Speaking of the VHF and other instruments, and practic- coming back. There's no getting around motor, you will be ing basic, but for most sailors, seldom- it. The hardest, most boring part is using it a lot. Go- used skills like anchoring. Even keeping Middle Ground from Pittsburg to Benicia. ing up is one thing watch for monotonous hours at the helm I have learned to work the tides, leaving — doing the Delta while put-putting from point A to a dis- early from either Pittsburg (short first Ditch Run last year tant point B is a seemingly mundane but day, long second) or Benicia (long first was a blast, as we important ability to hone. day, short second). Many people do it in flew the spinnaker We asked our 'Lectronic Latitude read- one long day, but not me. for miles and miles! ers to share their Delta tips and strate- "The key is to leave before the wind But coming back gies. Excerpts appear below. (Thanks to starts, otherwise you'll be hobby-horsing is another thing. everyone out there who took the time to on the ebb. One of the best bits of advice Make sure your write in.) I got was to motorsail on a reefed main. motor is reliable. The And the heat! Yes, ➙ Meadows➙ that's part of the reason we go, but Locke & be prepared and Walnut Grove don't underesti- sacramentO mate it. Slough "So why do I keep going back? It's The California Delta GRAND like a week-long camping trip with the ISLAND relaxation, fun and camaraderie that FORK goes with it. When you've spent days at anchor doing nothing but reading, Steamboat swimming, telling stories with friends, Slough watching wildlife, napping, hanging out in a hammock — I hang a sky chair from a halyard above the foredeck — you'll Rio Vista NORTH unwind like you won't believe." Isleton Georgiana "I've been going up to the Delta for Oxbow over 45 years now," wrote Tim Stapleton. Don't even think MOKELUMNE "I remember when it was just a slow of using this for B&W MOKELUMNE backwater (oh, wait a minute, it still is). navigation! SOUTH FORK Tower "One of my favorite places to tie up RIVER Three➙ Owl Harbor Willow BOUDIN Park Mile Berm is at the east side of Hog Island. Several Slough Spindrift ISLAND benefits: It is right off the San Joaquin White Slough Potato Potato shipping channel (across from the old DeckerIs. Slough Lost Isle). It has deep water and is a 5 Little mph zone! But you can see the comings MANDEVILLE TIP and goings on the channel, if you wish, SACRAMENTO ➙ or go deeper. And there are trees there False River MANDEVILLE ISLAND that provide afternoon shade." FRANKS "Pittsburg Marina has a really nice TRACT RIVER bathroom with great showers," according to Max Perez. "Very clean; maybe cleaner JOAQUIN Hog Is. ➙ and nicer than my shower at home. They SAN STOCKTON ➙ also have a well-maintained pair of fuel LATITUDE / CHRIS LATITUDE ANTIOCH docks. The fuel wharf at Willow Berm Page 86 • Latitude 38 • May, 2017 — THE GREAT ESCAPE minishing mothball fleet). Pay attention Rail down on the Delta — It's all the wind to the charts, come into the slough at and chop of a summer in San Francisco, something other than dead low tide, without the cold and fog. Playing the tides can make the difference between bashing favoring the left (west) shoreline all the into an ebb or gliding on a flood. way. Anchor somewhere before Goodyear Slough, dropping the hook in good mud in 20 feet of water quite close to the west shore. "The east side of the slough is very shallow at low tide. Get the dinghy in the water and explore miles and miles of sloughs. Watch for migratory fowl, beavers, river otters and muskrats. Swim in late summer; the water is pretty chilly earlier. Laze around until a not-too-long trip back to the Bay on Sunday, hope- fully catching San Pablo Bay in early morning before it kicks up too much. An alternative is to head into Benicia Marina Saturday afternoon to get a jump on San Pablo Bay Sunday morning." "We usually head up to the Delta from Alameda around Labor Day, and we've learned a few things over the years," wrote Pete Butler and Bethany Smith. "While we can make it up to Potato Slough in a fun day, it takes longer to come back. We usually wind up spending our last night on the hook at China Camp in San Rafael. The Port Chicago Reach and the eastbound entrance to San Pablo LATITUDE / LADONNA LATITUDE Bay can be rough in the afternoons, so Marina is huge and easy to tie up to. the Rio Vista Bridge, which spans the if your boat doesn't go to weather well in "If you are approaching a dredge with Sacramento River. chop you might consider spending the contradictory indications of which side to "The Three Mile Slough Bridge and previous night somewhere like Pittsburg, pass (diamonds on one side vs. sign with the Mokelumne River Bridge are also Decker Island or Benicia. arrow saying 'pass this side' pointed the operational 12 months of the year. The "Time between marinas is often lim- opposite way), just hail them on the VHF, other bridges typically operate from the ited by ice supply and holding-tank size, which is better than guessing. first of May to the end of October. Their so spend some time before you leave fig- "Benicia Marina is a few blocks from approximate hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., uring out how to solve both of these prob- town, where there are shops to get seven days a week. lems. There are lots of places to resupply supplies. They have a great yacht club "The Potter Yachters put as well.