San Francisco - New Years Eve

[Ragamuffin]

Hello Everyone. I was wondering what fellow S.F. Bay sailors thought of watching the New Year's fireworks at the Ferry Building from the water(weather permitting, of course). Know that tons of people go out for the 4th, but haven't been able to find any info on New Years. Is there an acceptable spot to anchor nearby?

[markpierce]

Weather often doesn't cooperate. There are scores of fireworks displays less subject to nature's interference east of San Francisco up to 40 miles or so.

[Ragamuffin]

Yeah, I know it's an iffy proposition because of the weather, but there doesn't seem to be much info on other fireworks displays. I was thinking Jack London Square, but I read they cancelled the fireworks for the 4th due to money issues.

[JustinWang]

We took a few friends out and watched the firework from the water a year ago and had a blast! I've not gone out to watch fireworks on a 4th but there were less boats than I expected. Around us were a number of larger party boats, and scattered small boats. We were kept at about 100-150 yards from the firework platform so it was fairly close to the action. It doesn't really matter where you are the fireworks seems to be going off right above you. Like other on-the-water events most people weren't anchored in, myself included. It wasn't extremely crowded and the show really doesn't last for more than, maybe 10 minutes? If you prefer you can keep some distance from the crowd and find a wide open area so you wouldn't have to constantly be focused on maneuvering as I was. It was the first time I've seen the NYE firework that close after having lived in SF for the last 15 yrs and I definitely recommend it. Plus the night time cityscape was quite a view!

Justin

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by JustinWang

We took a few friends out and watched the firework from the water a year ago ...

So, what can you tell us about your night-time marine navigation experiences, given that many of us don't "go out there" in the dark.

[JustinWang]

Originally Posted by markpierce

So, what can you tell us about your night-time marine navigation experiences, given that many of us don't "go out there" in the dark.

I am no expert, but am more than happy to share my experience. The first thing you may notice when you start going out there at night is that it is actually a lot brighter than you expect it to be, especially with the moon out. So far I’ve only gone out on the bay when the moon was up and never once felt insecure in the dark or would be more comfortable had I had radar or AIS instruments. It also helps that it is almost as bright as day when you’re close to the city front, I imagine north/south bay may not be as bright. Most importantly for me, I am fairly familiar with the area that I’m navigating so that’s why I am less concerned about running into unlighted objects such as the Berkeley pier pilings. Avoid bright lights in the cabin or cockpit so you can keep your natural night vision that is your eyes. When I go out at night I make sure all passengers have strobe or other light signals (and obviously PFD) on them at all times just in case. To look for someone that’s gone overboard at night is exponentially more difficult.

I previously took a night sailing class from OCSC in Berkeley and they teach you the stuff you need to know assuming you’re not using GPS and are navigating by charts in the dark. We covered topics such as noting the structural lights that’ll guide you back to your marina, reading charts and identifying buoys with sound/light patterns to triangulate your position, and most importantly to read navigational light on other boats to determine their approximate heading. For me the real value was getting a feel of what it was like on the water at night.

I hope that helps.

Justin

[Ragamuffin]

Thanks for the info.

[markpierce]

No, it's not San Francisco's Golden Gate, but Lisbon, Portugal: