If you are looking for a very unique “San Francisco” experience you must try sailing in San Francisco Bay. Whether you are a local or a visitor, this one San Francisco activity you will never forget, I promise!
Sailing in San Francisco Bay may sound a little intimidating or risky for some people, especially first timers. But I put these detailed tips together so that you can sail through your San Francisco Bay adventure, like a breeze, even if it is your first time. At the end of the article you can see a detailed video of our sailing experience.
Should I choose group or private San Francisco Bay sailing?
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to do group sailing in San Francisco Bay or hire a private charter. There are lots of advantages to a private charter sailing:
1.It will be YOUR sail, you can ask the captain to go where YOU want (weather and currents permitting). There is no set route, you can go searching for dolphins or harbor seals or just take a break in a beautiful protected cove at Angel Island and have lunch, like we did.
2. Private charters are at least two hours long and you can extend your exhilarating sail in San Francisco Bay if you want and if the captain is available. We extended our recent sail for an hour and it was a perfect length. Group sailing is typically 90 minutes long and there is no flexibility whatsoever to adjust to your needs.
3. If you do group sailing no one is going to care if, say, your jacket flew into San Francisco Bay or you’re sea sick. I have been on many group boat trips and the policy is always the same: tough luck, there is a whole group on board and the majority rules.
I get terrible sea sickness so during our private sailing adventure in San Francisco Bay the captain navigated our sail boat so that I have minimal discomfort (I will tell you about my secret sea sickness remedies below)
In addition to that, me being me, a walking disaster on board :-), I managed to loose my windbreaker in San Francisco Bay! So what did the captain do? He skillfully turned the sail boat around and we caught it before it sank or got devoured by harbor seals!
4. But most importantly, private sailing in San Francisco Bay can give you a unique experience of actually SAILING the boat. My older son went to kids sailing camp for 3 summers and we asked our captain if he could have a hand at sailing the real boat. And the captain agreed! My son was at the steering wheel for the majority of the trip and my husband had a hand at it too. You may guess why I politely refused the honor of steering the boat even though it was offered to me too. 🙂
5, Finally, in these times of pandemic a private sailing is the perfect safe option for social distancing.
Yes, the private San Francisco Bay sailing trip costs more than a group one but you also get so much more out of it.
Where to book San Francisco Bay sailing experience?
Think of it this way: where there is a marina there is a likelihood of a sailing charter being offered. Lots of San Francisco Bay sailing trips depart from either Embarcadero in San Francisco, Sausalito or East Bay (Berkley, Oakland, etc.)
There is not much difference which departure point you decide on. They are all strategically located around the Bay and you are not going to miss any San Francisco Bay attractions if you choose one or the other.
We chose Sausalito marina as a departure point and we loved it! Free parking was available at the marina, while that would be an almost impossible luxury if you sail from Embarcadero in San Francisco. Something to think about.
We booked our San Francisco Bay sailing trip with GS Charters. GS stands for “Gentle Storm”, the name of our gorgeous sailing boat.
Which boat to choose for San Francisco Bay sailing?
If you want to do real SAILING experience in San Francisco Bay, not just a boat tour, your two options are a catamaran and a sailing yacht such as Catalina. I am not a boat expert, far from it. But the simple laws of physics dictate that the bigger the boat, the sturdier and safer it is. We sailed on 48 ft Catalina and it felt sturdy enough even for a sea sickness sufferer.
How to avoid motion sickness while sailing?
Now, let’s deal with that sea sickness once and for all. Here are the 3 remedies that help me every time in all motion sickness situation: motion sickness patch, motion sickness bracelet and motion sickness medicine. I try to avoid taking medicine as much as possible and the combination of the motion sickness patch together with the bracelet work wonders for me. Here are the exact products that we use in our family:
Apply your patch and put on a bracelet at least 15 minutes before the sailing. If you start putting them when you are already sick it will be too late. Sit at the back of the boat, never at the front, and avoid going downstairs where you cannot see the horizon.
What is the best time for San Francisco Bay sailing?
In terms of the season, our captain told us that fall and winter (when it does not rain) are actually the best. Summer can be foggy and you cannot sail when it is foggy. Also, San Francisco Bay has very specific wind patterns so afternoon sail at around 12 pm is your best bet. In the morning there may be no wind and in the evening the wind can be too strong.
Will it be cold on a sailing boat in San Francisco Bay?
Even on a hot day, it will feel cold when you are sailing in San Francisco Bay because of the wind. I started our sailing trip in just a t-shirt, then I put on a sweater, a wind breaker and a down puffer vest on top. Water proof wind breaker is a must have on your sailing trip (just make sure it does not fly into the Bay, like mine did ;-)) Here is my favorite windbreaker that saved me many times on many tips:
What should I bring with me for San Francisco Bay sailing trip?
The most important things to have on board while sailing, in addition to the layers of clothes, are sunblock and sunhat. The sunhat must be attachable with strings, otherwise it will definitely fly away. My baseball cap kept flying off even though I tried to hold it in place with a pony tail.
I also suggest binoculars for spotting wildlife. We saw many birds and harbor seals and our captain said that you can see dolphins too.
In addition to that recommend bringing some snacks and water with you. Snacks such as bananas, cheese and crackers help with motion sickness. Also if the weather is cold you can bring a thermos with hot tea on board.
What does it feel like sailing in San Francisco Bay?
Sailing in general is an exhilarating activity. You will leave the dock with your engine running but when you get in the Bay you will turn the engine off and that’s where the real fun begins. Catching the right current and the wind in your sails and then speeding through the water propelled only by the forces of nature is an experience like no other. This is how the great explores of the past traveled around the world. At a certain point I felt myself like Columbus sailing into the the open ocean to discover new continents.
What attractions will I see while sailing in San Francisco Bay?
A lot depends on the fog line and Mr. Carl the Fog can be very unpredictable. But typically you can expect to see Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz (pictured below), Angel Island, Embarcadero piers including the famous Pier 39, some of the boats at Maritime National Historic Park, Palace of the Fine Arts and San Francisco downtown.
Is sailing in San Francisco Bay safe?
Sailing has some inherent risk associated with it but overall it is a safe activity, especially if you have a good experienced captain, like we had. That was one of the reason we chose GS Charters. Nick is a total pro at sailing and he has been doing it for decades. Children under the age of 13 will be provided a life jacket. Our 7 year old enjoyed the experience very much so I do consider sailing in San Francisco Bay to be a great kid friendly activity.
Sailing in San Francisco VIDEO
Check out our fun video of sailing in San Francisco Bay for the feel of the experience:
If you found this information about sailing in San Francisco Bay helpful, please, share it with others as it may well help them with their travel plans.
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