San Francisco Bay

Touring San Francisco Bay has made us realize the exciting history this area of California holds and how this part of the state has persevered to retain it’s colorful past. For us the history of California came alive around the "Gold Rush" era. In one of the museums I read that in 1847 there were 400 people in San Francisco and in 1848 there were 20,000. After that it doubled every year. California didn't just become a state, it exploded into statehood.Actually San Francisco was renamed by a Navy Lieutenant in 1847, from Yerba Buena. That was just the start of the changes.

Our journey into San Francisco Bay started with us leaving the Port of Sonoma Marina which was the end of Petaluma River and the beginning of San Pablo Bay, north of San Francisco Bay. The goal was to leave by 8:00 a.m. It was low, low tide at 6:45 and at 7:00 we only had 3 1/2 feet of water under the boat. The water channel from the marina to the river looked like a narrow, shallow stream of water. As we slowly exited the marina I continually called out the depths - 3 1/2 feet, 4 feet, 4 1/2 feet, 5 feet - until we entered the river and saw 14 feet of water. Halleluiah! Port of Sonoma Marina is an example of a marina that silted up and is now used to store barges and old boats. Nevertheless they build 34' aluminum catamarans there for our security (Coast Guard, NYPD, etc.) So, next time the Coast Guard goes by with it's machine gun on the front, think of Port of Sonoma, and don't try to outrun them. We stayed there because it was the only place to tie up, and the C-Dory only needs 2 1/2'.

The first port of call in San Francisco Bay was San Rafael, in Marin County. The waters in this part of the bay are shallow. Being careful to stay right up against the buoys, we entered San Rafael Creek, as they warn you of the dangers of getting stuck if you cut any corners. We worked our way down the channel to the San Rafael Yacht Club where we intended to stay for the evening. We passed houses, docks, apartments, the back side of a shopping mall and other marinas, it was a crowded waterway. Our phone wasn't working and they didn't answer on the VHF so when we finally found the yacht club, at the extreme end of the waterway, we pulled up and tied off. There was only one dock, we could see the club house just up the ramp and we could also see that there had been a nasty fire there recently. Half of the yacht club was boarded up which was not terribly inviting. On to plan "B". Since our phone wasn't working we had to wing it, so we turned the boat around and went back the other way to the Marin Yacht Club, past some more old barges and pulled into the first slip we could find. After some searching I found the Dock Master and they set us up in a slip. (The picture is of Sister Islands, right outside of San Rafael Creek entrance.)

This would be the beginning of our hiking through San Francisco Bay. After lunch we took a two mile hike into town, which consisted of the grocery store, etc., actually the back side of the mall we saw on the waterway. This was not the part of San Rafael we wanted to visit, but we were getting a feel for the area. Our feet were tired and it made us realize that we needed to take a different route the following day to tour the city of San Rafael.

Before we begin the walking tour of the town, we move the boat back to the burned yacht club which put us a couple of miles closer to town. Today one of the members of the San Rafael Yacht Club was there and was gracious in explaining about the city and what happened to the club. He also offered to drive us to downtown San Rafael and gave us a mini tour at the same time. Our tour started with a trip through a museum that was located in an old Victorian home and it showed the early transportation of the area, i.e., trains and ferries. There was the San Rafael Mission and 4^th street which is the main drag of town. The weather is beautiful, sunny and about 70 degrees. We have no complaints.

Low, low tide was at 6:45 a.m., so when we left for Angel Island at 8:15 there wasn’t much water under the boat. In fact, as we left San Rafael Creek and going into San Pablo Bay, the motor was kicking up mud (not near the buoys due to the current pushing us sideways, which gave a depth of 2 1/2'.) Not a pretty sight. There was a reason for leaving so early and that was the wind. In the morning the wind is calmer but we were already seeing whitecaps. Luckily for us we only had six miles to reach Angel Island which is not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. We were excited about being here because the history goes back to 1821 and the island has been put to use for many different reasons, mostly for military or immigration. It is a gorgeous island, but small – five mile perimeter. In the beginning the island was a ranch and then used to keep contagious diseases in check before ships or people went to the mainland. Because it is so close to the entrance of San Francisco Bay, the tides and currents are strong in this sweet little bay. Last year they put down a new set of buoys which you tie off at the bow and stern so the boat doesn’t go in circles all night. As we sit here enjoying the morning, we watch the many ferries come in and drop off hundreds of people who will tour the island that day. We will be fortunate enough to stay here for three days. After we get the dinghy in the water, we go ashore and tour the information center which is more like a museum. If you go for a walk it is either up or down because this little island is basically a top of a mountain. As we would round another bend we would be exposed to yet another view of the mainland; Sausalito, the Golden Gate Bridge with the tips of the huge orange bridge shrouded in fog, the city of San Francisco and Alcatraz Island. It was windy and cool, so I was glad we brought our windbreakers. As the early evening approached, the wind became calm and it was delightful to sit in the cockpit, soak in this gorgeous scenery, check out the nine deer eating the grass in the public picnic area with our binoculars and just enjoy the evening. At this time there are only a couple of other boats.

One of the true joys of boating is when you are either anchored out or are tied to a mooring ball, sitting in the cockpit with a cup of coffee in the morning, when weather permits, and enjoying the quietness and the privacy you feel you have while soaking up your gorgeous surroundings.

On our second day, about 11:00 a.m., we went ashore and walked around the entire island, a little over five miles. There were several military garrisons. Some were used during the Civil War, WWI and WWII. We went by an immigration area that was heavily used at the turn of the century for mostly Asian immigrants. They were particularly hard on the Chinese, some having to stay there a year or two. There was an interesting bit of information I found out. During the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, the Hall of Records burned to the ground so the government could not prove or disprove if you were a citizen or not. Many immigrants became citizens that day. Some of the areas are being restored on the island and others will have to wait for more funds. This is definitely a worthwhile place to restore such a wide span of history on such a little island. This building was the mess hall they used during WWII and it served up meals for thousands of recruits a day.

Woke up to a warm calm day, warmest day we have had so far. Enjoyed sitting in the cockpit in the morning with our cups of coffee. The ferries start arriving with the day’s visitors. Some rent bikes, some take the trams and others get a cup of coffee or a bottle of water and take off for a hike. Still others camp out in designated areas for a day or two. Today we hiked up to the West Garrison and checked out the nicely restored Civil War camp built in 1863 to protect San Francisco Bay. Loved walking around the old buildings, peering into the windows and looking at the old photographs of how the camp use to look and amazed at how many building were originally there. After dinner we took a ride in the dinghy but currents were strong and the water was lumpy, especially at the current lines, so it was a short tour. That evening was Saturday and the moorage became crowded. A trawler from Portland moored to the ball behind us and one in the next row. Remember one moors between 2 buoys in a row and there are about 4-5 in a row. Well, the trawler pulled his two buoys up tight to him, the boat whose stern tie was to our front buoy didn't move, and we became the stretched snubber for both boats. Boris kept tying dock lines together until we had over 100' out over the stern. The trawler never did move.

The next morning was foggy, cold and windy. What a change from the day before. We got the boat ready to leave, the dinghy inside the boat and off we were to Sausalito. The ride was easy and being inside th e boat was heaven since it was cold and windy outside. The sun was out when we reached the marina in Sausalito but the hills just west of us were covered with fog, they actually looked like they were covered in snow because the white fog was pouring over the tops of the hills. Sausalito has a lot of history that we were about to learn. After finding the bus stop, we rode into downtown and got off where all the tourists get off. There were gobs of people getting off tour buses, all speaking a different language. Looking in the different stores and realizing there was nothing there we could afford we took the bus back to the marina. As we came to a stop signal Boris noticed a sign for the Bay Model, which is a two acre re-creation of San Francisco Bay. We jumped off the bus and walked around what looked like warehouses and found the entrance to the Bay Model. It was closed on Monday and of course it was Monday. We decide to stay another day just to tour this working model of the waterways all the way up to the delta. It shows the tides and currents every fourteen minutes instead of the eleven hours or so for the real tide. Turned out the boat was close to the Bay Model, it only took us twenty minutes to walk there. Part of the Bay Model was dedicated to history of the ship building that burst forth after Pear Harbor. Within three months they had built a shipyard and employed 20,000 people where before there were just a few homes. They were cranking out a ship every month using 3 shipways and prefabricated sections. The rest of the building was a hydraulic model of Bay all the way up to the Delta. It was built after WWII to test a plan for damming San Francisco Bay. It proved that was a bad idea, and then was used for testing all the water diversion plans. Now, computer modeling has taken its place, and the Army Engineers use it for ecological tours. We found the information fascinating. For instance, San Francisco is not a Bay but an Estuary, since the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers drain through the drowned valleys that are part of the estuary.

That night we had a light dinner on board and we could see rain clouds starting to come in over us. Soon they got thicker and darker as they moved in from the ocean and into the bay. It is so quiet and calm outside, the water is still, no wind or fog, it is just beautiful. Not long after we are in bed and almost asleep, we hear the light tapping of rain on the cabin of the boat, which is a lovely way to doze off into dreamland.

The next morning there are a few clouds in the sky but they do not look like rain clouds any longer. The wind is almost zero and I am thrilled because I have been anxious about crossing the San Francisco Bay, north to south, since we got here. Boris takes it in his stride, much better than I do. The bay is known for fog, high winds and rough water. About 9:00 a.m. we leave and it is wonderfully calm. It is only a six mile journey, well maybe a little more because Boris wants to go out under and beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. It got to be lumpy but we were quite happy considering where we were. As with entering any new marina you struggle trying to find the entrance and in the case of San Francisco, also trying to avoid the shoals. The shoals being avoided, we enter into San Francisco Marina, east of the Golden Gate Bridge. As the day wore on the winds increased to 20 knot gusts but that only reinforced us as to where we were, the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. A little later on we walked up to one of the main streets, Chestnut, about five city blocks from the boat and had a bite to eat. It was definitely a happening street or at least a happening place for people with no vehicle.

The following day is our day to tour San Francisco. About 10:00 we walk up to the bus line from the marina, and tour China Town, where the bus dropped us off, on Kearny St.. It is packed with small little stores, lined up one after another, street after street. The food stores are interesting because each one has its own specialty, i.e., vegetables, pastries, meats, dried herbs and more. It was packed with locals shopping and only speaking Chinese. There were trucks parked in the narrow streets delivering more goods and people scurrying about just doing everyday business. At the time we did not realize the street we were on was more for the locals. A few streets down was the one for the tourists. After getting a bite to eat in China Town we walked down to the business district where the Trans American Building is located, caught a bus and went to Pier 33 and Pier 39, then to Fisherman’s Wharf on the Embarcadero. Again, tons of tourists speaking many different languages, not all that different from the times of the gold rush days. There is so much to San Francisco now and in the past. As we walked around the waterfront we tried to visualize where the hundreds of sailing ships sat that were just left in the bay during the gold rush days because all the crew left to pan for gold. The Bay edge has certainly been filled in from the days it was called Yerba Buena. (Not too many people keep their boats at Pier 39.)

Another day of touring but today is the highlight for us, or at least me, Alcatraz Island. My Dad served on top of Alcatraz Prison during the war for about eight months with the 216^th Coast Artillery regiment which was an antiaircraft military group. The 216^th was a National Guard unit from Minnesota called into regular service in 1940 as part of the army’s pre-war mobilization. This all came about after Pearl Harbor and the government was worried about the West Coast. As we approached Alcatraz it surprised me as to how many buildings were on this large rock located at the entrance of San Francisco. The tour is a self-guided audio tour which was interesting. As we stepped out of the prison for a few minutes, following the audio directions, Boris saw one of the volunteers and asked him if he knew anything about the WWII soldiers that served on top of the roof of Alcatraz because one of those men was his father-in-law. Boris had asked several other park workers but none had any information. This guy was great. He took Boris and I back into the prison, unlocked one of the iron gates with heavy bars and it squeaked as it opened, told us to go through, then locked the gate again behind the three of us. He said to walk carefully up to the roof, which I didn’t expect to see, and was thrilled to be able to get a look at where my Dad had served for a small portion of his service. Turned out to be quite special for me. On the way home, we took a restored street car along Fisherman's Wharf and caught the bus back to the Marina.