Planning Sac Delta Trip This Summer

CRay87

New Member
Apr 12, 2008
20
San Luis Obispo, CA
Boat Info
'04 260 Sundancer
Engines
Mercruiser 350 Mag w/ Bravo III Drive
Looking for recommendations for planning a 7 Day trip on the Delta this summer. Plan on trailering my 260 SD up from the central coast area, launching and spending 7 days on the Delta, staying each night at a marina hopefully with electricity. I used to be familiar with the Carquinez/ Suisun bay area back in the early 80's when I attended the Maritime Academy. Any suggestions/thoughts would be helpful. Thanks in advance
 
Would you come up Hwy 101 or I5? I would start at Pittsburg Marina if starting closer to the coast. If you come from I5, start in Stockton maybe launching at Riverpoint Landing. Riverpoint Landing, swing by Windmill Cove, Tiki Lagoon, run through the South Delta down to Discovery Bay then back up to the Delta Loop (Korth's Pirates Lair, Willow Berm or B&W Marina), up to the Locke area going to Al the Wop's, Wimpy's or Giusti's for a good meal. Back down, swing by Tower Park then run back to Stockton. Touch base with me when you are getting closer!
 
I used to be familiar with the Carquinez/ Suisun bay area back in the early 80's when I attended the Maritime Academy. Any suggestions/thoughts would be helpful. Thanks in advance

PM Sent to you: 1987, Div. 2E .
Ken knows the bay area very well.
 
Ken knows way more than I do, but I'll answer questions if I can. Say hello if you stop at willowberm or close by.
 
Most likely will be coming up the 101 and over to the 680.
Let me know when it gets closer and maybe I can help you plan some stops. Just PM me a month or so before.
 
You could easily spend seven days on the 'Delta Loop'. Lots of great spots to stay, fishing, and fellow Sea Ray owners. We have that on our list as well, but the 380 is OK on the 'big water' so we tend to chose Monterey, Santa Cruz, Pillar Point, etc. last Thursday I helped deliver a sailboat from Emeryville up to the Napa Marina. Very nice ride up the Napa River past Mare Island. (There are three bridges, but the Mare Island bridge is 15Ft clearance when lowered, the H37 bridge is 100 plus feet, and the railroad bridge is in the open position with about 125ft verticle clearance unless a train is on it). If you are thinking like Petaluma, or up-river where there could be draw bridges, a "Coastal Pilot" might be a good investment. My wife and I participated in the EYC cruise-outs to Benicia Marina and Vallejo Marina this year. When I was in my 20's I crewed for a couple of sail boats out of Vallejo, so I have a passing knowledge of the area if you had specific destinations in mind. If you are bringing the wife, Benicia Marina is in easy walking distance to several good restaurants and a quaint shopping district. The Marina itself is fairly new and very nice with good shower and bathroom facilities.
 
Benicia Marina is in easy walking distance to several good restaurants and a quaint shopping district. The Marina itself is fairly new and very nice with good shower and bathroom facilities.

-Did they upgrade, or rebuild the marina? I use to go to that marina in the 80's.
-I recall some very strong currents ripping under the Carquinez bridge adjacent to the marina due to the narrow width. A lot of volume.
 
Benicia Marina is nice but every time I tried to get a group in there they say they can't accommodate the size and/or quantity of boats we brings. Nice yacht club and setting though. I don't believe the OP is looking for salt water cruising though...
 
Benicia Marina is nice but every time I tried to get a group in there they say they can't accommodate the size and/or quantity of boats we brings. Nice yacht club and setting though. I don't believe the OP is looking for salt water cruising though...

Is it still salt at the Benicia/Vallejo area, or more brackish/fresh? How far up the delta do you need to go, to get in the fresh?
 
Is it still salt at the Benicia/Vallejo area, or more brackish/fresh? How far up the delta do you need to go, to get in the fresh?
Depends on the time of year. A few years ago the fresh water went through most of San Pablo Bay due to the amount of rain and snow run-off. This year, the brackish line was East of the Antioch Bridge in September/October. With the rains we are getting now the line moves back towards the bay. Normally Benicia is mostly salt but can be brackish in the Winter. For real fresh water in the Summer months you need to be East of the Antioch Bridge to play it safe. Go North of the Sacramento River and the water quality is much better.
 
Benicia Marina is nice but every time I tried to get a group in there they say they can't accommodate the size and/or quantity of boats we brings. Nice yacht club and setting though. I don't believe the OP is looking for salt water cruising though...
We usually only have 7 or 8 boats and Benicia has been able to accommodate our group. Last year they even set up a dinner for us upstairs by the bar. My wife likes the First Street 'stroll' and a couple of the local restaurants. I think you are correct and the OP is looking more for the delta loop experience, but he did mention the Maritime Academy, so I thought I would chime in. to Answer Bill's question: Yes. Benicia has upgraded their Harbor and added some seawalls protecting the channel. In the early 80's it was much more challenging, and the shallow bits inside were not well marked. Once we ran aground in a Catalina 22, Came in through the entrance sideways fighting an ebb and went right into the rocks. It was probably two feet deep just east of the gate with no markers or buoys. P.S. There is fresh water there now! We took some serious rain into the delta the last couple of days:smt100
 
Thanks Guys. I miss that area, so thank you for bringing me up to speed. One of my bucket list items is to run our boat up the coast to the Delta, from San Diego. I will need several months to do it properly, so it may be a few more years before I can make it happen. My college room mate (CMA) and one of my best friends the past 30 years is terminally ill (at 52) so the term YOLO has become more apparent than ever.
 
Bill, we had a few friends head South a couple of years ago, ending up in San Diego. They started in the Delta, ran through Monterey, Santa Barabara, Long Beach, several yacht clubs on the way to Dana Point then San Diego. They are all retired so they took their time, going very slow once past Santa Barbara to enjoy the trip and the views. The entire trip was 2 1/2 months but I would say it could be done either way in 1 1/2 months without rushing. We are doing a trip in September where we spend a week in SF Bay then head down to Monterey. We are looking forward to this since the last time we made that trip we were in our 320DA!
 
... the term YOLO has become more apparent than ever.
I am not hip! Guessing 'You Only Live Once'? A favorite Uncle told me long ago that I should live my life in such a way that if someone ever wrote a book about it, people would be interested in reading the book. IMHO 'Mowed the lawn and watched the Raiders game, would not hold a candle to explored the Pacific Coast (or the Sacramento Delta) on my boat. per Joshua Slocum "To young men contemplating a voyage I would say go. The tales of rough usage are for the most part exaggerations, as also are the stories of sea danger." There are always financial hurdles and those whose dreams have already been crushed who feel the need to kill yours. I am 55 years old and have no regrets on moneys I have spent, or things I have done. I think regrets come from not doing things, and looking back always wondering 'what if I had'. Good judgment (in the most part) comes from experience. Experience (in the most part)comes from poor judgment. We have made the trip up and down the Pacific Coast multiple times on our Slocum 43, and are contemplating a trip to Catalina in 2015 on our 380DA. The fuel cost will be formidable, but then again so is the cost of allowing ourselves to be "brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade." next thing you know "The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed." (Sterling Hayden, from The Wanderer) I say get a chart, make a plan, consider safety, go on the adventure! YOLO :grin:
 
Bill, sorry to hear about your room mate. I still work with my old room mate from CMA....hard to believe it's been 32 years out from the Academy. I do remember the entrance to Benicia Marina being tricky back in the early 80's. At this point we are looking to stay up in the fresh water. Back in the day I had crewed on the 110' motor yacht Cristobel out of Richmond Marina. Neil Grueland was the skipper when he wasn't sailing. The yacht was sold and we delivered it down to the new owners in SD. It was great trip down the coast. Neil and I had planned to sail his ketch to Hawaii the summer after graduation. However during my first class cruise on the way to the Panama canal, we learned of Neil's murder aboard his ship in the port of Houston during a robbery. His younger brother Carl was aboard the Bear and had to depart in Panama to fly back to the states. You never know what might happen......definitely YOLO.
 

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