Marina Recommendation, Please

OK so we leave Oakley CA on the 21st and travel into the bay with a first stop over at Alameda. Can you all recommend a marina where I can top off with fuel and prepare for the big pond the following day?

Pittsburg marina typically has the best price. Top off there then anywhere on the bay you stay won't have such a big ouch in the wallet.

Fuel will cost 10%+ more in the central bay area (Alameda, Oakland, and such).

Just checked,

Pittsburg City Marina $ 4.15 ( Tell Van I said hi)

Oakland @ Jack London Sq $4.91 with a 10 cent per gallon over 100 gallons

Ballena Isle Fuel $5.26 they are pretty proud of their fuel

Then stop over in Clipper Cove at Treasure Island, for free in the anchorage

The cheapest fuel price in the Bay Area is usually Gashouse Cove just west of Fort Mason.

Thanks everyone. The current owner does fuel at Pittsburg and I will be also. I am told they use bio additives in their fuel. I was considering Jack London Landing, but we don't want a noisy party place (some other time), so I think we will stay in Sausalito and the Clipper Yacht Harbor. I can top off fuel, water and pump out. We would get a good night sleep, then a left turn into the big pond early the following morning. It will also be easier for the admiral as she will be shaddowing us on land.

Comments?

Turn left? Are you going south? Please turn right if you're going north.

And shadowing you on land? What exactly does this mean?

Pittsburg is quiet with good food choices nearby and a good breakfast/lunch restaurant on the premises. They have ValvTect marine diesel. Prices there and Antioch are among the best in the area. Sometimes Antioch (3.5 miles east of Pittsburg) beats the Pittsburg price, so check out both if shopping for the lowest price. The Antioch marina does not have much to offer in the way of food or amenities.

I stayed several nights in Clipper Yacht Harbor in Sausalito last October. Great folks there and the KKMI yard if you need any last minute repairs. There's a good grocery store about a block from the marina with a West Marine and a couple good restaurants on the way to the grocery. Markpierce treated us to an very good and interesting 'fusion' dinner at a restaurant called Avatar in the neighborhood. I had a lamb dish that was excellent.

Like Nsail, if I was headed from CA to WA, I'd hang a right out the gate and keep the land to my starboard side...but that's just me.

FlyWright said:

... Markpierce treated us to an very good and interesting 'fusion' dinner at a restaurant called Avatar in the neighborhood. I had a lamb dish that was excellent. ...

Click to expand...

The restaurant isn't open on Sundays. This was a big disappointment for Al who wanted a next-day, follow-up visit.

FlyWright said:

... Markpierce treated us to an very good and interesting 'fusion' dinner at a restaurant called Avatar in the neighborhood. I had a lamb dish that was excellent. ...

Click to expand...

The restaurant isn't open on Sundays. This was a big disappointment for Al who wanted a next-day follow-up visit.

Nsail said:

Turn left? Are you going south? Please turn right if you're going north.

And shadowing you on land? What exactly does this mean?

Click to expand...

Opps I meant right.....North. Someday we will also head south for the winter..

The Admiral will be following us on land as we make our way up the coast. She has to deliver my crew, so she thought it would be a nice drive up highway 101.

FlyWright said:

Like Nsail, if I was headed from CA to WA, I'd hang a right out the gate and keep the land to my starboard side...but that's just me.

Click to expand...

Man what a rookie mistake...I am not going to live this one down am I?

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Man what a rookie mistake...I am not going to live this one down am I?

Click to expand...

If that's your first and last rookie mistake count your blessings as I make at least one every outing. Part of the joy.

A few years ago I was impressed at how reasonable the gas prices were in San Leandro. Not sure about diesel.

Like some of you I have enjoyed stopping in Pittsburg several times. Considering what it was like when I was a kid, pretty impressive. We liked the bookstore and the coffee place across the street. Marina employees were helpful and friendly.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Man what a rookie mistake...I am not going to live this one down am I?

Click to expand...

Right after we let SeaHorse off the hook for his empty refrigerator.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

OK so we leave Oakley CA on the 21st and travel into the bay with a first stop over at Alameda. Can you all recommend a marina where I can top off with fuel and prepare for the big pond the following day?

Click to expand...

There are at least ten marinas on the Estuary, all within a few minutes of the fuel dock at Jack London Square Marina. Three of them have boatyards on the premises and all are a short ride from either Svendsen's or the two nearby West Marine stores.

ASD, If you'd like a hard copy of the 2013 SF Bay and Delta Marina Guide, send me a PM with your address and I'll mail it to you. I just picked up a few extra copies.

Great! I talked to Clipper Yacht Marina and I am coming down river during the Americas Cup!!!! Crap! Overnight charge will be $130! And I have to be there before 3 PM. So what do you think the travel time will be (50nm) from Oakley to Sausilito? I am thinking the marinas will be packed.......Luck of the Irish..

Obviously travel time depends on how fast you plan to cruise. How fast do you plan to go?

Nsail said:

Obviously travel time depends on how fast you plan to cruise. How fast do you plan to go?

Click to expand...

10-12kts On the Columbia River, you can get a 1-2kt assist from the current

Oakley ? Where the hell did you stop LOL, 5-6 hours from there out to way you want to go on the bay, depending on speed and current. But the Ameica's Cup racing doesn't start till next weekend 7/7 will be the first two races. If you get out that way I'll be between Treasure Island and Alcatraz by the bouys for the turn. Good luck

Again the cheapest fuel during that run will be in Pittsburg, it get way more expensive in the bay and beyond,

Thanks. Figures I am trying to get out of there during the race! What the hell were they thinking when they scheduled the race! Did't they know I was coming?

Clipper Yacht Marine knows I am coming at $138 for one night..........

Wait a minute - your original post was on 8-27 and said you were leaving on the 21st. Which I obviously took to mean 9-21.

That is the last day of scheduled AC races. They probably won't last that long anyway, so probably nothing to worry about.

Why are you worried about the 7th? Change of plans? Did I miss something?

Sorry. Leaving Oakley on September 21st for Sausalito, then early departure on the 22nd.

America’s Cup Final schedule (best-of-17 series)

• Saturday, Sept. 7: Final Race 1 (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 2 (2:10 pm PT)
• Sunday, Sept. 8: Final Race 3 (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 4 (2:10 pm PT
• Tuesday, Sept. 10: Final Race 5 (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 6 (2:10 pm PT)
• Thursday, Sept. 12: Final Race 7 (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 8 (2:10 pm PT)
• Saturday, Sept. 14: Final Race 9 (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 10* (2:10 pm PT)
• Sunday, Sept. 15: Final Race 11* (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 12* (2:10 pm PT)
• Monday, Sept. 16: Reserve Day
• Tuesday, Sept. 17: Final Race 13* (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 14* (2:10 pm PT)
• Wednesday, Sept. 18: Reserve Day
• Thursday, Sept. 19: Final Race 15* (1:10 pm PT), Final Race 16* (2:10 pm PT)
• Friday, Sept. 20: Reserve Day
• Saturday, Sept. 21: Final Race 17* (1:10 pm PT)
• Sunday, Sept. 22: Reserve Day
• Monday, Sept. 23: Reserve Day
  (*If necessary)

Races / Americas Cup

Tom, if the Bay Area slips are full or overpriced, consider Vallejo Muni Marina or Benecia. You'd still be 2-2 1/2 hours from the Golden Gate, but us locals would meet you there, help drink your beer and give you a nice send-off.

Your marina guide goes in the mail tomorrow.

Washington Marinas

I am looking for some good marina recommendations in Washington State. I am currently in Seattle and will be traveling to the San Juan Islands. How do you all find and book moorage when you are traveling? Do I just have to make a bunch of phone calls or is there an easier way?

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

Welcome to the forum.
The Wagoner Cruising Guide is a popular PNW resource with descriptions and contact info for most of the operating marinas, parks, and facilities from Olympia north into Canada.

The Captain's Nautical Supplies in Seattle is an excellent shopping stop with all sorts of guides, and NWCRUISING.NET Nautical Miles in the Pacific Northwest is a useful site for distances and places to stop.

If you use the forum search there was an extensive thread early last summer about cruising the San Juans and members' favorite stops.