Sailing is fun anywhere, but for location-location-location, it’s hard to beat San Francisco Bay. In the summer, this natural amphitheater boasts afternoon winds in the teens or ‘20s (and sometimes more) every day. And you can’t look in any direction without witnessing spectacular vistas, from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz to the place sailors call the City Front. The currents can be tricky and wind is chilly, but for most sailors, the challenges only enhance the experience.
We’ve dipped into the archives for a baker’s dozen photos of sailing the Bay taken a few summers ago. We can’t promise these were all taken on the Summer Sailstice, but most are at least in the right month – June. All depict the type of sailing Bay Area sailors enjoy every summer. If you want something a little different this Summer Sailstice, consider flying out to the City by the Bay on June 20-21. But a word of warning: it’s easy to get hooked. Just ask Tony Bennett.
(What’s your favorite place to sail on Sailstice weekend? Write a few paragraphs and attach a few photos and we’ll run it in an upcoming article. Email here.)
Passing historic Mile Rock lighthouse on the way home from the ocean.
The Bay boasts one of the largest fleets of vintage yachts anywhere. On Memorial Day, they race in the Master Mariners Regatta, one of the Bay’s most colorful spectacles.
The postcard shot. Despite what you might have read, the Golden Gate Bridge is clear of fog more often than covered by it.
The Melges 24 fleet is one of many one designs to race regularly on the Bay.
When sailors in the Bay Area say, “Take a hike,” this is what they mean.
The J/120 fleet sails past AT&T Park, home to the San Francisco Giants. Home runs to right field land in McCovey Cove, where they’re scooped up by fans in sailboats, motorboats, dinghies, kayaks – or wetsuits!
Saltana glides toward two Bay Area icons, the TransAmerica Building and the tallship Balclutha, centerpiece of the San Francisco Maritime Museum.
The lovely bright-finished Corsair rail-down and bookin’.
Sailing past the Embarcadero and its famous clock tower. In the early 20th Century, this was the hub of trade in the Bay Area.
The 23-ft Bear Class sloops are one of a handful of designs indigenous to the Bay Area. Built in the ‘30s and ‘40s, they are still an active fleet today.
It might vaguely resemble the hanging gardens of Babylon, but this boat is passing by Alcatraz, site of the famous prison. Access to ‘The Rock’ is by special tour ferry only; private yachts are not allowed to land.
A vintage Westsail 42 romps past Alcatraz. Great summer breeze makes even heavy boats feel like sportboats.
Trimmed perfectly, two boats reach up the Central Bay. In the background are some of San Francisco’s famous hills.
The big guys always have the right of way. This might look close, but close calls are rare - collisions even rarer.
If you ever want to get out and sail the Bay visit SailSFBay.org for some ideas of ways to get on the water under sail.
