San Francisco South Bay Cruising-Alviso Launch Ramp

R

REBEMUP

New member
I have been reading about a great new launch ramp facility at the very south end of San Francisco Bay. It is located in the small town of Alviso adjacent to San Jose. I understand new dredging was done to provide access to the bay but all the charts I have been looking at show "no water" on the Alviso Slough.

This area could be a beautiful nature cruise that I have heard is comparable to the best salt water estuaries, such as Elk Horn Slough, on the west coast. Several kayak sites that until now have been the only vessels using this area have said it is a relatively unspoiled area.

Has anyone been out of the new Alviso launch ramp and what does the channel look like to the bay for a C-Dory? Are there any special cautions or dangers in using the recently opened cursing area. Are there any charts covering this area that are current? Is it possible to anchor overnight in any of the South Bay areas? Can the car and trailer be left safely overnight? Any information would be very welcome.

Here is a link to the San Jose Mercury newspaper article about the new launch ramp and park:

http://www.regathon.com/alviso/sjmercury.htm

Ron
 
Hi Ron,

I believe I visited that area many years ago and I can not directly answer your questions. With a quick search I found this site that may answer most of your questions.

http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/scc

Go to this site and search for Alivso marina (search box) and click on the first link.

If you launch your C-Dory there let us know how it is.

Steve
 
Hi Ron
It's been years since I have done any boating in the south SF bay but I did have a sail boat in the San Leandro Marina for a number of years. I never got as far south as Alviso, I had a keel boat and there is a lot of shallow water down there. However as far as spots to overnight in, the San Leandro Marina is just north of the San Mateo bridge on the east shore and back then had guest berths, showers, fuel, restaurants, etc. Also the Redwood Creek a bit south of the San Mateo bridge on the west shore led to a marina and restaurant. and I have spent the nights there. I can't say how things have changed over the years, but a couple possibilities to check out. Lots of history down there, as I recall, way back around the early 1900's there was a raised railroad track that went across the bay down there and along it, on fill I guess, a town was built that folks went to gamble in and visit the "ladies" in one of the houses. Can't remember the towns name but read about it in a book of old california ghost towns. Sounds like a fun area to explore.

Rich
 
I checked with my wife and she remembers the old Ghost towns name, it was Drawbridge, built as a duck hunting and gambling resort, you had to walk 3 miles along the tracks to get to it. It was located just north of Alviso and hit its peak during prohibition and then the depression came and the town died off.
 
I launched from there once last year. Let's see what I can remember.

The park is open from dawn to dust with a locked gate. There is a gentleman who lives in a trailer inside the marina parking lot. He opens/closes the gates and is very informative. Brochures with maps can be found near the restroom building. I can get brochures/map and mail them to you if needed. Just PM me a mailing address.

No overnighting allowed inside the park and boat launching is free. The slough depth ranges from 4-8' so try to stay in the center of the slough. It can be tight if you have oncoming boat traffic in some parts of the slough. Personally, I don't recall having any issues. Any shallow areas along the slough are marked so be tentative. 5 mph until you get into the bay. Once you enter the southbay, you will come upon the train bridge, the Dumbarton, then San Mateo bridge, and onwards toward SF. I recommend turning on the snail trail on your GPS.

No night time anchoring allowed in SF Bay. Hope this helps.
 
Wow, thanks everyone for the the information. Sea Brats is an amazing wealth of knowledge. I had completely forgotten about the the little ghost town along the railroad tracks. Back in 1964, in my first year of college, I took my little Honda 50 on those railroad tracks from Alviso to Dumbarton to explore. I came upon the abandoned town, occupied mainly by birds, and wondered what the story was. There was no road to the town, only the railroad tracks. I had forgotten completely about it until I asked about boating in Alviso. Now, I know about the town of "Drawbridge."

I also have the info to now launch from Alviso. Amazing it is a free launch site. Having a care taker there makes me feel better about leaving the van and trailer for the day while out cruising. I also feel I now know what is "down the slough and under the keel." Thanks C-Brats

Ron
 
We used to race a "Pitch and Roll" race in an El Toro (eight foot long) dinghy sailboat from the Palo Alto Yacht Harbor to Alviso. The race was about six miles long, almost all downwind! Could be a bear if the wind was up in a "flying bathtub!" :lol:

The Palo Alto Yacht harbor has long since silted in, as did the Alviso (slough) end of the bay.

Glad to hear they have revitalized the Alviso facility! Hope they've marked the new channel well, it was always a bit tricky to stay in the center of without wandering slightly off and going aground!

Lots of history down there! :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Steve, you have a point so let me clarify about overnight anchoring. Bare with me because my perspective is from a fisherman's standpoint. There are desinated areas where you can moorn overnight, but you will need to reserve/pay. My unclear point was about dropping the anchor (after dust) in non designated areas; ie the south bay, SF bay, san pablo bay, etc so I hope this clarifies it. The bay regulations are stricter compared to the delta. In the delta, we can drop an overnight anchor anywhere for free (just stay out of the shipping lanes).

A note about the low tide in the southbay/San Mateo. The water can receed as much as 100yrds from the shore so keep an eye on your depth if you're hugging the shoreline. Getting stuck high and dry is a 6 hr fiasco.
 
Hi Steve,

I stand corrected. I was thinking along the lines of fishing while at anchor.

http://dfg.ca.gov/marine/mapregs6.asp
Fishing Restrictions

While fishing in San Francisco and San Pablo bays you can only use one fishing line with no more than three separate hooks or lures. When fishing from a boat, fishing is restricted to daylight hours only (one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset). While fishing from public piers inside San Francisco and San Pablo bays you can not use more than two rods and lines, two hand lines, or two nets, traps or other appliances used to take crabs. Every person while taking invertebrates (crabs, clams) which have a size limit shall carry a device which is capable of accurately measuring the size of the species taken.
 
I know this is an old post, but I thought I'd chime in. I've been to the Alviso Yacht Club and out to the park there. I've never been in the channel but I can say the whole area is still silted in and you can still see a lot of sunken derlect boats. The yacht club people we met were mostly kayakers :)
We don't fish and don't really enjoy the South Bay much. The channels even around San Leandro aren't much fun to deal with, but maybe the South Bay is good for fishing? Anyway, unless it is, I would think there are lots of other better places to launch. Alameda Grand Avenue is where we usually launched, its free. I think Oakland is free as is Richmond.
Hope that helps!

PS: I once met a man (a fellow accountant) who told me all about racing those El Toros in Alviso, he and his family were really into those races when he was a kid. I knew about Drawbridge but only because my hubby is also a trainbuff as well as a native from Palo Alto. You can't even see that the town was even there anymore, we've gone looking for it!
 
I've been negligent about reading the forums but I just noticed this. My brother and I took Tranquilo down last spring. The channel was being dredged and I don't think access in a C-Dory should be an issue. I liked the area - lots of history. It was supposed to be the big port for San Jose until the railroad came. Nice rural feel for an area so close to a big city.

The best part was the hunter we were chatting with who gave us three ducks. Very flavorful.

Jeff
 
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