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Delta Trip

ChrisS

Member III
I know this forum isn't hopping with activity, but I thought I'd try a post anyway.

I'm thinking of taking a trip to the Delta in late June. Does anyone have destination tips? Or a must-have guidebook?
 

Burton Mohr

Member I
delta trips in june can be very warm, lots of good places to anchor out, and its all down wind.trouble is going back is not. have done the stockton to bay trip about 20 times. study your delta charts , stay in mid channel as you go up stream, also watch for the birds wlking on the water in suisun bay.If you get to stockton get in touch, Ilive 10 min from the stockton sailing club
Burt Mohr
 

Guy Stevens

Moderator
Moderator
Anywhere to anchor up there?

Leaving one marina for another has never been my cup of tea, is there anywhere to anchor up there in the Stockton area?

Thanks,
Guy
:)
 

ChrisS

Member III
At a local library I found a copy of Hal Schell's "Dwadling on the Delta." It's dated, but it gives a great sense of the place. There are many places to go up there--so many that you can lose yourself in that book making plans. Anyway, if people have favorite routes, I'd be interesting in hearing them.
 

Burton Mohr

Member I
chris, that book is great, I made up a list for you, but trying to explain by email won't get it. maybe we can meet some where and I can show you on one of my charts . my boat is in richmond, or the april sailfest.

Burt
 

ChrisS

Member III
Burton--

Thanks for the offer. How often do you get to Richmond? I live in San Anselmo. Let me know when you're over there, and perhaps we can meet up.
 

Shadowfax

Member III
OK, I'll bite, what is "the delta" I gather it is not south of NOLA

Excuse the ignorance of a right coaster
 

Moor'ea

Savage Sailor
No good Delta books

Unfortunately, there are no good (current) cruising guides to the Delta. (which is a network of tributaries winding down from the Sierra Nevada to either the Sacramento or San Juaquin rivers, eventually draining into the San Francisco Bay and then the Pacific Ocean through the Golden Gate. There are more than 1000nm of navigable waterways in the California Delta)

You can pick up the 'San Francisco Bay and Delta' chartbook (by Maptech) at any West Marine, and it includes the location and phone numbers of all the 'resorts' up there. Most of the phone numbers are correct, but most of the places are pretty run down.

cheers,
Jay
 

ChrisS

Member III
Jay--

Thanks for your insight--the Schell book is the best I can find in terms of photos and narrative (although it's old). I'm looking for a good area of the Delta to spend a week gunkholing/fishing/exploring, and maybe a marina or resort to take the kids to for a weekend before heading back to the Bay.

Any sloughs that you enjoyed?

Chris
 

G Kiba

Sustaining Member
Delta

Hey, I sail the delta (San Joaquine and Sacramento rivers) out of Antioch Marina. Although 2006 was my fist season, I've been sailing with folks that have been doing if for 20+ years.

Last year I sailed from April to October and have been sailing most of this winter. Prevailing winds are NW 15-25 knots (Spring to late Summer). Sail with the tide if possible and a GPS will be handy for shallows and sandbars. A typical day sail for me is from Antioch to Pittsburg via Broad Slough. Or, east on the Sacramento to Rio Vista. Plenty on beaches around the Sherman Lakes area and usually lots of Kite and Windsurfers (Wind!).

The weather is great! Tee shirt and shorts from June to October!

Sailed to Stockton twice. Once to help deliver a 250 Catalina to Stockton Sailing club (IMHO not a great sailing boat) and once to meet friends sailing in the South Tower race. Great trip, Great time!

Stockton sailing club has fantastic facilites and many friendly members. You may want make arrangements if planning to sail all the way to Stockton.
http://www.stocktonsc.org/ (Really Nice folks)

This year I'm planning for overnight trips to Mandaville and Decker Islands. I'm told of great places to anchor, swim, fish, and spend the night.

Here's some information about the delta. http://www.californiadelta.org

You may want to throw a reef or two when sailing back to the bay. And yes, there are five of six Ericson in Antioch.

Grant Kiba
'73 E-27 #406
Email me when you're planning to be in the area.
 

ChrisS

Member III
Grant--

Thanks for the response. I'm really looking forward to sailing in a warmer, freshwater environment with numerous anchoring possibilites. The SF Bay is a great place to sail, but the summers are cold, and I want to introduce my family to some hot weather boating.

People say really positve things about Delta trips, and aside from a bachelor party trip to Lost Isle 15 years ago, I haven't seen much of the area from the water. Seems like a great place to explore.

Thanks for the web links. I'll be headed up there late June, and will be in touch beforehand.
 

windjunkee

Member III
I wish I could clue you in on where to go, but I've seen so many great places and wouldn't be able to find my way back. I've never been on a sailboat up there in the delta, but I've waterskied on water so smooth it was like a glass table top and I've been going to Sherman Island (Rio Vista) for the past 16 years to windsurf. It is DEFINITELY WINDY there, but actually the windy part is Suisun Bay and the very beginning part of the Delta where the wind is really funneled. You get past this 10 mile stretch or so and it tends to calm down. I would love to sail back there.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E-32-2 Hull #134
Redondo Beach, CA
 

ChrisS

Member III
Jim--

I think the nature of the place lends itself to exploring. Looking at charts, the big question is do I head up the Sacramento towards Rio Vista and areas beyond, or pass Anioch and sail towards Stockton and the south/central Delta (or do a combination of the two areas).

Ideally, I'd like to explore more rural areas, but also be able to check out small river outposts and towns.

I also want to get my family used to week- long cruises, and I think this will be a good way to do it, since we can also go home to the Bay Area via car. My kids are four and two, and in a few years I want to move the boat down to Southern California for the summer, and so I want to whet their appetites for longer cruising. They love being on the boat--we're done several overnighters--and I want to keep them interested. Plus I like it myself.
 

windjunkee

Member III
Chris,

My kids are 3 1/2 and 2 and both of them love being out on the boat, so I know of what you speak. I've taken them over to Catalina at least 4 or five times now, but the big trip will be after the Puerto Vallarta Race when my wife and the kids will be flying down and then we're going to cruise for a week. I'm looking forward to that almost as much as I'm looking forward to the race.
But back to you, there are countless little places to pull into, and state parks mingled in there that you can dingy into and barbeque. Its just a really great place. I'm jealous! The Stockton side is where I went water skiing several times, and we camped out and wound all through the various sloughs and passes. The Sacramento side is where I primarily windsurf, so I know the area more from simply driving the levee roads.

Jim McCone
Voice of Reason E32-2, hull #134
Redondo Beach, CA
 

ChrisS

Member III
Jim--

Kids and boats. It's really an ideal setup, especially on the 32. Our only problem is that to contain them at night, my wife and I have given them the vee berth, and she and I drop the table in the dinette and sleep there. But we sleep well knowing that they're safe and sound in the forward area. I am thinking of figuring out how to bridge the dinette to the setee across the way at night, so we can have a larger space.

Good luck with your Vallarta race. In ten days we fly to PV and rent a place on the Nayarit coast. It's great, but when I sit on the beach and see sails offshore heading south, I can't help but feel a bit envious. I'm planning that a Southern California cruise a few years from now will, at some point, lead to a year-long trip to Mexico.

Anyway, thanks for your responses regarding the Delta, and enjoy your upcoming race.
 
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