Monterey Bay sailing

[Montslr]

I have my boat in Monterey Harbor right now and getting ready to sail it to San Francisco. I was there all last weekend and noticed a perfect 20 knot wind from about 12:30-5:30 each day. I really enjoyed the open space with very few other boats. I asked my neighbor at the marina if the winds were always like that and he said they were from late spring to early fall. Is there any reason San Francisco is more popular for sailing? I am thinking about leaving the boat there. I hope to hear of you different experiences. Thank you!

[gamayun]

The most likely reason is because there's more things to do and places to stop if you're in SF Bay. I used to have my boat in Pillar Point Harbor where I could sail out, then turn around and sail back. I did the same in Monterey Bay when visiting a couple of times. It's extremely relaxing when there's wind and sea state is reasonable and the fog is not too crazy; it is simply stunning when the whales and other sea life are feeding. But SF Bay....I could sail it every day and it would not get tiring.

[Tenedos]

I have done both, both are very exciting and amazing in their own ways.

Our boat was in San Francisco for several years (in three different marinas) and we spent more than a month in Monterey Bay (Moss Landing). As I said, both have their charms. San Francisco is very active and a lot of sightseeing. Winds can hit 30-35 kts easily every summer afternoon, current regularly hitting 5+ knots under the Golden Gate, a lot of shipping traffic, several nice restaurants with public docs, gorgeous views of San Francisco at night (or sometimes under fog), nice anchorages etc. Sailing can be pretty rough but it is not ocean sailing, no swells, and feeling is different. You can also sail up to Drake's Bay and down to Half Moon Bay to get a bit of ocean feeling as well. But there is so much in San Francisco Bay (if you also include San Pablo Bay, delta, etc), you can easily spend a year+ exploring it.

Monterey Bay is a different beast, a couple of potential destinations (Santa Cruz, Capitola, Moss Landing, Monterey) but not that many. It is ocean sailing and amazing biodiversity (a whale broached at 50 yards from us, amazing but equally scary), pods of dolphins, orcas, sharks etc. It is amazing but lack of variety in anchorages and destinations became a bit boring for us after a month.

I'd say explore both. I'd spend some time in Monterey Bay and then go up to San Francisco Bay and explore it. Both are beautiful.

[markpierce]

The San Francisco Estuary (bays, rivers, sloughs) has nearly countless destinations.

Eastern end of Suisun Bay (forty-five miles inland) has the roughest seas (on occasion, five-foot near-vertical waves).

[chovy]

I had a 27' coronado at san leandro harbor. i don't recommend it. anything south of berkeley marina is going to turn to mud at low tied. we ran aground a lot (partly due to our inabiltiy to predict the tides accurately or underestimating travel time to return before low tide).

I'm living in Santa Cruz now and am thinking about Moss Landing as SC harbor is 30 year wait list and Monterey is too expensive.

[skkeith]

I would say watch out for the humpbacks. A few years back my Islander 28 (I am still in Monterey Harbor) got nearly disabled by a humpback. Destroyed my rudder shaft and luckily the rudder log held and I did not sink. At the time I had no way on so the Whale targeted me in this instance and came at me upside down from underneath to clean off barnacles I imagine.