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Old 18-03-2022, 08:32   #1
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Where to stay in downtown SF

Hello

We will be taking our small, 22’ trailerable sailboat up the Delta to Stockton this late spring. We would also like to spend a few days right downtown SF before the trip.

Can anyone recommend the best marina to stay at in 2022?

Important to us:
-easy to get around the town
-quiet at night
-minimal swell/wakes
-minimal issues with homelessness/garbage/theft (hate to mention this but we are from Seattle and it is “not looking good” up here….want to avoid all “that” if possible).

We will NOT have a dinghy on this trip, otherwise we would be delighted to stay at Aquatic Cove….always wanted to do that, maybe on some other, bigger boat. So we will need a dock space.

We may also be willing to stay up in the Sausalito/Tiburon area and ferry in each day if that makes more sense….

Thanks,

David
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Old 18-03-2022, 09:30   #2
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

I'm not familiar with the more northern ones, but South Beach Harbor seems reasonable to me.
  • Neighborhood is more residential, so quiet at night unless there's a game on (ballpark nearby)
  • Keycard access, so randoms can't simply walk the docks
  • Pretty sheltered from swell
  • Access to muni, or a short walk (1.3 miles) along the Embarcadero to the ferry building (farmer's market, food shops, etc)
  • Nearby cafes for breakfast, etc. (suggest Crossroads Cafe if open, and South Beach Cafe is just across then street)
  • Safeway two blocks away
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Old 18-03-2022, 20:14   #3
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

I kept my boat at South Beach Harbor for 6 months, so it is the closest to what you ask for. I recommend them. Their waitlist was crazy but a transient slip should be doable (also had transient slips there and was not super difficult to get one).

The alternatives in the city are non-existent or not great. Pier 39 is a tourist spot and the marina is awful, terrible surge, dirty, homelessness around etc. I had a friend who kept his boat there, was not happy (boats were regularly breaking lines due to surge, so they were using plastic tires as snubbers).

If you are ok to go a bit further, check the slips at Sausalito. It is on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge but it is super cute and there are more marinas. We kept our boat at Clipper Yacht Harbor and were very happy.

Maybe one last option is the marina at Clipper Cove (forgot the name but you can Google). It is halfway through, under the Bay Bridge between Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands. We never stayed at the marina but that anchorage was one of our favorites.

BTW, even if you had a dinghy Aquatic Park would not work, your dinghy would likely be stolen from the shore
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Old 19-03-2022, 07:47   #4
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

I just reserved 4 nights at South Beach Harbor for the end of March for work downtown. If you're a yacht club member, I've also stayed at Golden Gate YC but it's further from the tourist spots. Pier 39 is right in the middle of things but the surge will make you seasick at the docks and it might be harder to find space there. Treasure Island now has ferry service to the Ferry Building. The views are spectacular; the marina and amenities are OK but not great.
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Old 19-03-2022, 09:59   #5
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

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Originally Posted by gamayun View Post
Treasure Island now has ferry service to the Ferry Building. The views are spectacular; the marina and amenities are OK but not great.
What's the entrance depth to Treasure Island these days? When I was there in 2013, we had to dredge our 6' keel going in and out (very very soft mud). Anchoring was good (although jellolike mud and 30kn winds caused friends to drag their CQR... on to us.)

Pier 39 (in 2012): horrible surge and all the other negatives mentioned (great if you like sea lions sharing docks...). But great location for tourism.
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Old 19-03-2022, 10:00   #6
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

Good recommendations above plus San Francisco Marina Yacht Harbor: https://sfrecpark.org/1228/Marina-Yacht-Harbor. I have stayed at all but Aquatic Park.
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Old 19-03-2022, 10:19   #7
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

Quote:
Originally Posted by massnspace View Post
We will be taking our small, 22’ trailerable sailboat up the Delta to Stockton this late spring. We would also like to spend a few days right downtown SF before the trip.
Can anyone recommend the best marina to stay at in 2022?
Important to us:
-easy to get around the town
-quiet at night
-minimal swell/wakes
-minimal issues with homelessness/garbage/theft (hate to mention this but we are from Seattle and it is “not looking good” up here….want to avoid all “that” if possible).
We will NOT have a dinghy on this trip, otherwise we would be delighted to stay at Aquatic Cove….always wanted to do that, maybe on some other, bigger boat. So we will need a dock space. We may also be willing to stay up in the Sausalito/Tiburon area and ferry in each day if that makes more sense…. Thanks, David
If you want to be downtown it seems to me you only have two choices- Pier 39 or Aquatic Cove.

You can't always get convenience AND comfort, and I encourage you to consider Pier 39 even with the crazy surge- it's the best location possible and a hoot to experience at least once.

Clipper Cove on Treasure Island is a great anchorage but no convenient way to get to SF. (depth is fine if you enter at a higher tide and stay close to the north shore)

Aquatic Cove is beautiful to visit, but not for dinghying to shore.

South Beach is a great harbor, but a truck to downtown but may be your best choice if you choose comfort over convenience.

SF Yacht Harbor is great and we have enjoyed walking over the hill to Fisherman's Wharf and downtown, a fine choice for comfort over convenience.

Sausalito has lots of options, including anchoring, if SF is too inconvenient and uncomfortable. There are a number of places to land your dinghy (some are not well known, like next to the fuel dock at Clipper Yacht Harbor, which would be the safest) and take the ferry to SF.

A fun option would be to stay at the dock or get a mooring ball at Angel Island and take the ferry to SF and back.
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Old 19-03-2022, 10:34   #8
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

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Originally Posted by sv_pelagia View Post
What's the entrance depth to Treasure Island these days? When I was there in 2013, we had to dredge our 6' keel going in and out (very very soft mud). Anchoring was good (although jellolike mud and 30kn winds caused friends to drag their CQR... on to us.)

Pier 39 (in 2012): horrible surge and all the other negatives mentioned (great if you like sea lions sharing docks...). But great location for tourism.
The sand / mud bar entrance to Clipper Cove continues to silt up [as does the entire cove] so definitely requires a shallow draft vessel, [swing keel is accommodating for such], a wonderful cove that unfortunately will become lost for use by any keelboat in the not so distant future similar to some of the marinas and riverians in the Bay Area due to lack of dredging of channels to gain access. Definitely need to consider observing timing of high tide.
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Old 19-03-2022, 12:04   #9
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

Nobody else has mentioned the Jack London Square area in Oakland. Good ferry service from the waterfront there to downtown SF. Almar operates a modern marina there and several others in the area.
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Old 19-03-2022, 12:28   #10
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

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Originally Posted by sv_pelagia View Post
What's the entrance depth to Treasure Island these days?
4' on the charts, and unfortunately I don't have a better number to give you. I've always considered it something to be done when the tide is around the upper end of the range and have brought in a boat drafting 7' with no problems this way.

Speaking of timing and depths, I'd advise against Ayala and Clipper for a limited-time visit to the City. You don't want to have to worry about catching the last ferry (which is not very late at all) or being limited by the tide. With Sausalito you'd have to work out the public transit and walking options; I think they'd consume significant amounts of time. (But, Sausalito to the Ghirardelli Square area by ride-share might not be too bad.)
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Old 19-03-2022, 13:00   #11
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

Regarding Clipper Cove, we last entered there about two years ago. You should only go in and out at min +3ft tide and stick to the northern side of the entrance. Once inside you are good but don’t try to leave before tide is again 3+. We did that many years with a 6 ft draft, no issues. You will almost always see people stuck at the entrance though, and they will wait with you for the tide come back up :-)

Sausalito is beautiful, more beautiful than the city itself in my opinion but obviously San Francisco has a brand as a destination. There are ferries from Sausalito to Ferry Terminal but as mentioned before you are bound by ferry schedules. At a minimum, consider renting a bike from SF and ride it over the Golden Gate bridge down to Sausalito then take the ferry back with the bike. It is a beautiful trip.

Another thing that is not mentioned, there is a free public dock at Pier 1.5, next to Ferry Terminal. You cannot overnight and there is a decent surge but great to dock your boat there and go to the ferry building for food or wine.

San Francisco is best viewed from water IMO. So if your boat permits, try to overnight in Richardson Bay once, across Sausalito and stay a bit towards the edge and enjoy the most stunning views of the city and Golden Gate at night. It may be rolly and get chilly but it is worth it. I always thought it was a privilege to ingest that view, in an area of some millions of affluent people, unfortunate for many of them that only a few gets to enjoy it.
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Old 27-03-2022, 21:43   #12
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

Grand Marina in Alameda has a nice guest dock, showers are great too. Stay there overnight and go to the city for the day.
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Old 28-03-2022, 07:36   #13
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Re: Where to stay in downtown SF

massnspace..........where do you plan to launch your sailboat? Have you decided where to berth?
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