that makes racing on San Francisco
Bay both exciting and frustrating:
the swirling tides. With a tidal flow
that can reach 7 knots (twice that
in some of the eddies!), it makes
local knowledge the single most
important factor in winning a race.
A strong ebb tide going against
an afternoon breeze of 25 knots
creates a square-edged wave
pattern that literally ties knots in
modern bendy masts, and accounts
for the surprisingly large number of
sailmakers in the area.
The ocean outside the Golden
Gate is inhospitable and mean, with
few anchorages within 150 miles
to the south and 1,000 miles to
the north. A nasty shoal area called
the Potatopatch can generate 30-
foot waves without warning on an
otherwise placid day, and the entire
coast is regularly swept by gales.
Yachts venturing outside are nearly
always in transit to other areas, and
it’s no wonder that San Francisco
ld;
skippers find their pleasures on the inland side of the protected marina, the club faces
a b o v e Houseboat community, Sausalito;
mighty orange bridge. out on the Golden Gate Bridge, and
Mount Tamalpais is in the background.
O
e
R
O
n;
n H
In spite of the vigours of wind and tide, boating on spectating is raised to an art form
OORMA
b e l o w A view of the Tiburon shore.
T
e
PHA
San Francisco Bay is a delight. The air is clear and pure, during the Big Boat Series when
: S
Y
M
RR
O
M
and the scenery ranges from the much-photographed the ocean racers compete directly
OS
r i g h t Alcatraz island in San Francisco Bay
T
O
.c
di
San Francisco skyline to the rolling hills of Marin in front of the club’s windows.
PHO
TU
is a bird sanctuary. Shown here is a black c
O
nnell; Je
and the Berkeley hills inland. Boat owners can also Visible from the bar at St
cormorant nesting area.
i
S
T
O
ck
O’
O
n S
BUR
© T
O
M
Ti
choose between extremes in weather within a few Francis Yacht Club are the hills of
mile radius. one crew, straight downwind from the Marin across the bay, known as
Golden Gate, can be having a cold and wet thrash to the “hot tub capital” of the world
windward while another crew on a yacht anchored at and the site of several affluent
Angel Island just a mile away is quaffing cold beers to residential areas for commuters to
beat the heat. The famous summer fogs, rivalling the “The City,” as it is called by natives.
worst of London, are as selective as they are clammy. Sausalito clings to a hillside often
Sweeping under the Golden Gate Bridge and over wreathed in tendrils of fog, and the
the Marin hills, they can reduce visibility to just a few homes climb up from waterfront
yards, while leaving other parts of the bay basking restaurants and a marina to peek
under a warm sun. out from the wooded hillside. Just
The centre of San Francisco yachting activity is St as non-conformist as San Francisco,
Francis Yacht Club, the wealthiest and most powerful Sausalito is noted for the madam
of the many yacht clubs on the Bay. With its own of a house of ill-repute who
36 YACHTWORLD.COM DeCeMbeR 2008
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