Herein is the itinerary for our 15th Annual, Delta/Bay Extravaganza, C-Dory event. Our schedule will be the same as it has been for the last several years, and like last year, there is a request for attendees to send a $45 check for marina reservations. All this is described below.
1. Wednesday, April 5th, Delta Marina, Rio Vista
Harbormaster Bill (707) 374-2315
• Launch fee of $10.00 to be paid individually, on check-in
• Vehicle and trailer parked in the gated lot at the end of the marina
• Parking, $5 per day, Wednesday to Sunday ($25) paid on check-in
• Pay total $35 ($10+$25) in cash to this Marina on check-in.
If you want to come a day early on Tuesday, April 4th, the overnight on-the-dock charge is 85 cents per foot per night for a vessel.
Wednesday, April 5th, leave Rio Vista (Delta Marina) at 12:00 Noon, and arrive at Wheeler Island Duck Club, midafternoon. On Wednesday, Kath and I plan to launch our own vessel about 10:00 AM, at Rio Vista. We then will all leave Rio Vista, as a C-Dory Group, at Noon, and head down river to Wheeler Island.
2. Wednesday, April 5th, Wheeler Island Private Duck Club
Jim’s cell phone (916) 799-0286
• Boats rafted double, boat-to-boat, at Club dock, 25 foot boats in first
• Bring plenty of boat fenders to raft up
• No shore power or water hookups
• Restrooms and showers in the clubhouse
• No mooring fees.
John and Robbin are hosting a BBQ dinner for everyone on Wednesday night. Kath and I are hosting a bacon and egg breakfast for everyone on Thursday morning.
3. Thursday, April 6th, City-owned Petaluma River Turning Basin
Petaluma Visitors Center (707) 769-0429
• Cost of $24 per night, per vessel, (paid in cash at dock)
• No rest rooms or showers at dock
• Rest rooms at Visitor’s Center and Starbuck’s, one block away
• Shore power and water hookups
• Everyone docked on 500-foot visitor dock, on South side of Basin.
Thursday, April 6th leave Wheeler Island (private Duck Club) approximately 9:30 AM (on an early incoming tide if possible), and arrive at the City of Petaluma (Petaluma Turning Basin). On Thursday, we will try to leave the Duck Club in the morning after breakfast, in time to safely cross San Pablo Bay, and to make a 2:00 PM scheduled “D” Street bridge opening at Petaluma. On Thursday night, we might go down to Volpi’s Italian Bar (been there since 1918) or some other popular local restaurant for dinner.
4. Friday, April 7th, Sausalito Schoonmaker Point Marina
Harbor Master Bill Hughes (415) 331-5550
• Cost (without power) of $1.25 per foot per night for a vessel
• Cash only, paid individually, at check-in
• Key deposit at check-in, on credit card
• Rest rooms and showers
• Shore power and water hookups available
• Everyone together, lined up on “F” dock.
Friday, April 7th, leave Petaluma at 9:00 AM to transverse San Pablo Bay safely, and arrive at the City of Sausalito (Schoonmaker Point Marina). We need to clear the Petaluma “D” Street Bridge by 9:00 AM, Friday morning. Channel 9 is used by the Commodore to communicate with the Petaluma Bridge.
At Schoonmaker Point Marina in Sausalito, we will be staying on “F” dock. Remember to line up on Day Marker #6, on the way into, and out of, the Sausalito channel.
“F” dock is not well protected from certain wind directions. We are again making the trip this year in early April. Because of this start date there is some uncertainty on weather. If there are strong Southerly winds when we are at Sausalito we may not be able to get into Schoonmaker because they could close this dock down for unsafe conditions. Like most of this entire trip, we will just play it out real time and improvise as need be.
Sausalito is a good place to refill, or top-off, your fuel tanks for the rest of the trip. On Friday night, we might go to the Sausalito Fish restaurant for dinner or some other popular restaurant.
5. Saturday, April 8th, San Francisco South Beach Harbor
Harbor Master Alvin Sonza (415) 495-4911
• Cost of $35 per night regardless of boat size (Prepaid)
• Non-refundable deposit, paid in advance, $10 per vessel (Prepaid)
• Rest rooms and showers
• Shore power and water hookups available (power adapter with a deposit)
• Everyone on “A” dock with assigned slip numbers given later in trip.
Saturday, April 8th, leave Sausalito in morning and tour Bay and/or Angel Island, and arrive at the City of San Francisco (South Beach Harbor). On Saturday morning, some will go over to Angel Island for a hike and picnic, before we cross the Bay to San Francisco while others will go directly to San Francisco to tour the city sights. On Saturday night, we usually have dinner at one of the casual nearby San Francisco neighborhood restaurants.
6. Sunday, April 9th
Leave San Francisco at dawn’s early light, and return to Rio Vista to arrive before Noon. On Sunday, we will leave at Sunrise, and head non-stop back to Rio Vista. We should pull into the docks at Rio Vista, approximately 11:00 AM, Sunday morning. Per tradition, anyone still standing, able, and willing, is invited to have breakfast at the Strippers Restaurant in Rio Vista, curtesy of Jim and Kath, after we get our boats retrieved and put on their trailers. This is usually by about 1:00 PM.
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The above itinerary seems like a rigid schedule. In fact, anything can happen along the way to throw it off. A few times we are not able to meet our plan as scheduled, due to weather conditions.
In the Central/West Delta main channels one wants to avoid together the incoming wind, and the outgoing tides, as they can be nasty enough, in combination, to even put a mighty C-Dory out-of- commission. Once you are West of Pittsburgh, the water channels become wider and bigger, and the wind is usually going to be coming at you from the West, and if the tide is going out, hang on for a rough passage! On a few trips, we have had blue water going over the tops of our C-Dory’s crossing San Pablo Bay. One boat even had its radar antenna knocked off.
Amazingly, for the last several years, we have lucked out with relatively calm weather, and we have been able to safely finish off the entire trip itinerary, as we originally planned it. However, in a few past years we have had to modify our schedule substantially, and stop at interim locations, or even stay over at a given location an extra day or so, to “ride out” the passing weather.
For full disclosure, for the new attendees, this Extravaganza covers approximately 200 NM in five (5) days, and there is always unpredictability in weather and water conditions. The more experienced, competent, and generally relaxed Skippers have generally enjoyed this trip the most.
As always, each boat Captain is solely responsible for his/her own boat’s, and passenger’s, ultimate safety and well-being. Each Skipper is not to rely on the judgment (or lack thereof) of the Pack Commodore. It greatly helps the Group to show up with your vessel and engine(s) in good operating condition and with full tanks of fuel when you leave Rio Vista.
The C-Dory Group will communicate during this trip on VHF Channel 69. We will also monitor Channel 16.
There is no need for anyone to bring food for either Wednesday night, or Thursday morning. Please feel free though to host your own dock happy hour at any of our destinations. Everyone is on their own for breakfasts and lunches throughout the trip. Some folks bring their own food with them, and others just go out to eat, as there are plenty of good restaurants to eat breakfast and lunch nearby. Also, some have dinners on their own boats, and others go out to dinner as a group.
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This is our 15th time for this C-Dory cruise, and we have always enjoyed ourselves, and the other attendees, or we would not keep doing it. We again look forward to the trip this year. We never know when this will be the last year we can do this due to health reasons.
This year, like year’s past, we need to collect some marina reservation fees in advance. The advance marina reservation fees, per vessel, this year are $45.00 for San Francisco ($35 + $10).
You will pay your own launch fees and parking costs at Rio Vista when you check-in there; you will pay your own marina fees at Petaluma when you arrive there; and finally, you will pay your own marina fees at Sausalito when you arrive there. The San Francisco marina had to be paid in advance. There are no fees for our stay at Wheeler Island!
Please send a check for $45.00 to confirm your reservation. This fee will be non-refundable, even if you do not show up, for whatever reason, as San Francisco will not refund it. Along with your check, please provide (1) the full first and last names for yourself and crew; (2) your vessel name; and (3) your vessel CF number. This information is used for marina reservations.
Please send your check, payable to Jim Gibson, along with the above requested information, to Jim Gibson, at 15 Noah Court, Sacramento, California, 95831. Please send your check by March 15, 2017 (three weeks from now). If we do not receive your check by then we will assume that you are not going.
Thank you for attending this event. As always, we look forward to seeing everyone in early April.
If there are any questions, please call me. Kath and I are looking forward to another fun C-Dory gathering.
Sincerely,
Jim & Kath
I'll let you know for sure as the time gets closer.