PAGE 10 • WINTER 2007 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
WINTER 2007 • PAGE 11
FEATURED FACILITY
continued from page 6
Once they have their first three ASA courses, their
International Logbook certifications, and a bit of
saltwater crust, many Tradewinds sailors fly out to
charter vacations in exotic places all over the world,
either on their own or with a Tradewinds flotilla. Former
Tradewinds owner David Kory expertly leads charter trips
far and near, - to the San Juan Islands, Sea of Cortez,
Caribbean, Mediterranean, Tahiti – to any sailing
destination imaginable, making dreams come true and
memories for a lifetime.
But some of the best sailing is right here in our San
Tradewinds Sailing School and Club, in the San Francisco Bay
Francisco Bay. You can experience the full spectrum of
area, offers a variety of locales to prepare students for future sailing.
sailing from mild to wild, all in the same day, in one of the long and shallow South Bay. Inland, the rolling hills
the most beautiful places of the world. are covered with cities. Almost all cities edging the bay
have boating facilities and modern marinas full of masts.
Outward Bound
Leaving Tradewinds in Point Richmond - locals call it the
Don’t get sidetracked too much, though, as you are awed
“Richmond Riviera”- you may start out warm and sunny
by all the views surrounding you. Keep an eye out for traffic
in deceivingly light winds. Heading northeast toward the
and know the rules of the road. You will see white sails all
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, you continue in fine wind
over, motor yachts, fishing boats, private or commercial and
and weather. Setting course toward the Sacramento
fast-moving commuter ferries. The Red and White Fleet
Delta, you will be rewarded with hot, hot times, diving
shuttles visitors back and forth to Alcatraz, now a California
off the boat to cool down and maybe check out where
State Park. The Blue and Gold Fleet runs tourists back and
you ran aground in the Delta mud. On the way back, put
forth to admire the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin
on the foulies over your bathing suit. Late afternoon
Headlands. Don’t be surprised by the silent and fast
winds in the twenty-knot range will often have you short
approach of huge container ships, or even a grey, looming
tacking into a wall of fog until you are in the lee of
U.S. Navy ship on the way to Alameda.
Tiburon, a peninsula between Point Richmond and the
Golden Gate.
Heading Home
Crossing the “slot” again to make your way home rounding
Heading southwest between Tiburon and Angel Island Angel Island, pick your lay line, plant your foot on the
toward San Francisco, you’ll be in brisk winds on most cockpit side, and hang on. There’s more spray flying, wind
days, wearing your fleece, and fighting five knot currents screaming, and crazy current shoving, one more
in Raccoon Strait if you haven’t planned your trip around exhilarating run, until you reach the lee of Angel Island.
the tide tables. Near Sausalito, before you reach out of Tradewinds likes to take advantage of the cross winds,
the Strait and into the full force of the infamous strong currents and fast swirling eddies that stir up the
Northwesterly that typically howls through the Golden water in the cove and students tackle adverse docking and
Gate, would be a good time to pull in that reef you have mooring conditions regularly. From Angel Island it is a short
been thinking about and to roll up a few feet of jib. Be reach in usually fair winds to reluctantly return to home to
prepared to get chilled and thrilled slicing through white- Brickyard Cove in Point Richmond.
capped wind waves several feet high as you are crossing
the “slot,” a blustering wind funnel created by the Sailing San Francisco Bay lets you choose the kind of
narrow, natural Golden Gate opening into the bay. sailing you want. It builds top-notch sailors ready to take
on all kinds of wind and weather. It delivers fog and
On the far side and turning left, broad reaching along strong winds in summer and steady breezes or calmer air
San Francisco’s waterfront will give you a well deserved the rest of the year. When the offshore Pacific High, a
break and to starboard, on a fog-free day, a stunning huge high-pressure zone responsible for most of the fog,
view of the “City by the Bay.” To port, Alcatraz, the moves to other latitudes in September, even hot, late
famed prison on the rock, stands as if it grew out of it. summer days can be counted on. Blue sky, blue bay, hot
Thick, yellow walls on thick, yellow sandstone are and sunny days - Tradewinds rolls out the BBQ and
guarded by a stern looking, flashing beacon. Further Skipper Butch, wearing his familiar smile, stands in a
down, Treasure Island and Yerba Buena hold up the thick cloud of smoke flipping hamburgers and hot dogs,
Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge. To the right, opens listening to sea stories of his Tradewinds sailors.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13