SACRAMENTO RIVER DELTA OR BUST!

The journey from Piller Point Marina to the Golden Gate Bridge on June 1st was a relatively easy one.  Leaving at dawn so we could spot dozens of crab traps, we motored north under gray cloudy skies and rolling swells. Falcon moved forward easily like a sled riding the swells up, up, up and…hold at the top for a second then… down, down, down into the trough then repeat.  Our bodies have learned to adjust to the varying motion of Falcon as she moves through the water.

Approaching San Fransisco...see the bridge?

There was nothing golden about the Golden Gate Bridge when we arrived at slack tide near 11:00 a.m..  We entered the shipping lanes with no freighter traffic to hinder our movement under the bridge and into the massive bay and harbor.

Finally we made it back to the Golden Gate Bridge!

We both cheered as we crossed under the expanse of bridge, looming in the fog above us.  Within a few minutes we left the gray skies and swells behind and motored by downtown San Fran towards the freight terminals,

Fog bank sitting over entrance to San Fransisco Bay.

Oaklands Bridge and City of Alameda, which is an island town joined by bridges to both sides of the harbour.  Sunshine and warmth surrounded us, a welcome contrast to the previous six days of gray skies and cool temperatures.

Finding a slip was harder than we thought it would be.  Eventually we moored at Mariners Square Marina, which had great showers and free laundry, a bonus! Cost is typical California -  $69 US a night. From Alameda we used our dinghy as our ‘town car’, stopping for lunch then motoring to a utility dock below the well known Svedson’s Chandlery.

After two busy days we left for Angel Island, one of only a handful of islands within San Fransisco Bay.  Well protected Treasure Island has an excellent but shallow anchorage.  And of course, there’s Alcatraz, which doesn’t allow any anchoring nearby but offers expensive tours of the old island prison for the curious.

It almost looks like a Gulf Island, but not as protected.

Jim having a close look at the memorial bell on Angel Island.

Angel Island, though not a prison island, had a long history that included holding prisoners of war and interned Japanese, Italians and Germans on it.  It was called the Ellis Island of the West a century ago when San Fransisco was a busy entry port for hopeful miners heading to the gold rush up the Sacramento River.  Every immigrant arriving on the west coast was processed through Angel Island.

A memorial wall with plaques remembering relatives who were at Angel Is.

One of the remaining buildings used as a housing facility.

Current inhabitants of Angel Island.

Angel Island was only a mile in length but it had three marginal anchorages to choose from.  Nothing was as pretty or protected as BC’s Gulf Islands but it was a closeby getaway for locals.  We found that out on Saturday when a half dozen smaller sailboats and powerboats crammed into the tiny notch identified as Winslow Cove.  The Cove houses the remains of the Immigration Station, Admini-strative and Hospital buildings. Where other buildings once stood, now memorials reminded us of the hardships our immigrating ancestors struggled with when they came to North America. It was a silent but impactful place for our generation to learn about those who successfully immigrated to California and others who were forced to live on Angel Island, sometimes for years before being allowed to leave.

The first of many freighters on the Sacramento River

On Sunday, June 5 we left Angel Island, bound for the more protected waters  inland….or so we thought. We both loved our four days in the Delta in 2013 and were looking forward to experiencing more of the peaceful waterways, sometimes passing floating islands of water hiathinths, and finding peaceful places to anchor where we could easily hear cows, farm equipment and frogs around the levees.  What we didn’t realize is that both the Sacramento River and San Joaquin Rivers experience strong thermal winds that blow day in and day out in the spring and summer. Afternoon breezes reached up to 25 knots but the water is quite flat compared to ‘outside’.

That's a yacht on the top deck, aft end

Gives you an idea of the size of the freightetr

Lots of industry up the Sacramento River.

And lots of bridges, some tall enough for us to get under.

An old CH Sugar mill

Just a bit of current!

There's a navy graveyard, which looked very interesting.

Trains travel along the Sacramento River as well as freighters and cars.

Most of the Sacramento River holds freighters travelling inland to reach the state’s capital at Sacramento, however, part of their trip is via a straight dredged waterway.  We opted to spend a few days exploring the winding waters of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers, enjoying brisk downwind sails each day.

Wind from the stern!  Wonderful sailing conditions.

The area near Rio Vista is perfect for kite surfers and wind surfers
since the winds blow so consistently in the spring and summer.

There were about 70 to weave through to get near Rio Visata to anchor.

We spent two nights anchored along the river, exploring Rio Vista. Though a sleepy little town today, it was a hub of illegal activities in the 1930’s when prohibition made it a not-to-secret destination for bars and alcohol since it was half way between San Fransisco and Sacramento. The main street features well maintained early century buildings, empty store fronts, a tiny museum and a handful of bars with bright neon signs spelling “cafe” instead of “bar”, which was their way around prohibition.

Fast ferries cross San Fran Bay and delta area.

We changed anchorages, taking a snaky route through the twists and turns of the sloughs before taking the dinghy out for a spin when the winds finally dropped a bit. We slowly motored towards a secluded marina for lunch at their old fashioned coffee shop.  Grassy lawns, rv pull outs and covered boat houses were nestled amongst the thick mangroves. While enjoying my grilled cheese we had a furry visitor. Gary, a hefty Garfield cat, nudged my leg wanting attention and I happily accommodated him with lots of petting but I think he suffered some identity issues, since his owner had him wearing a pink rhinestone collar!

Windmills along the  Montezuma Hills.

The winds blew 15 knots while we slowly motored towards an out of the way levee.  We pulled the dinghy into the bulrushes and scrambled up the embankment to see what was on the other side.  There we found a wide expanse of lush green crops; we meandered down a narrow gravel trail and identified hundreds of acres of young corn. Nearby, a farmer was working on his tractor close to a farmhouse protected by a wind shelter of bushy tall trees.

Sunset looking at Rio Vista on the Sacramento River.

A week after leaving San Fran we arrived at the capital City of Sacramento.  Jim’s writing his thoughts about our meanderings to California’s capital city, which I know you’ll enjoy.

Jim and Tricia Bowen
S/V Falcon VII
email: tandjbowen13@gmail.com