South San Francisco Bay Charter's Handbook - When to Plan a Cruise

When to Plan a Cruise

During most of the season, you can count on the afternoon
northwest wind in the South Bay and wind coming more
from the west in the North Bay. The other significant variable
is the tidal current. The ideal plan is to have the current
going with you in all directions but that's not always
possible. If you can just plan to have the current in your favor
at the critical times, you'll have a great advantage. There are
places in the Bay where the current is stronger than
elsewhere. These places can be seen in the current charts
of San Francisco Bay. There are also days every month
when the current is stronger than on other days. When the
tides are the most extreme, it's called "spring tides". The
least extreme tides are called "neap tides". The tidal current
is of course strongest during the spring tides. Tide and
current tables are available on the web and in booklet form
at Spinnaker and many other marine facilities.

If possible, plan a cruise so the current is favorable or at
least not too unfavorable when you're going to be passing
through areas where the current is strongest. The tides and
currents tend to be in opposite phase every week. If it turns
out the current is going to be unfavorable for your passage
one week; you can expect it to be favorable the following
week. That's assuming you plan for approximately the same
departure time. Modern cruising often involves a lot of
motoring. Accept the necessity of motoring, especially if your
going to start early in the morning before the wind comes
up.

Fueling

The inboard Diesel powered boats carry enough fuel for just
about any cruise of a few days duration. More fuel is
available at the many fuel docks located north of Redwood
City. The outboard powered boats normally only carry
enough fuel for 3 or 4 hours of motoring. Spinnaker can
provide an extra container of fuel upon request, and if
necessary, cruisers can purchase more gasoline along the
way. If "50:1 outboard mix" is not available, outboard users
will have to mix the new gas with outboard motor oil to make
the proper mixture required by outboard engines. Charterers
are given a full tank of gas upon departure from the charter
base. Any additional fuel required is at the expenxe of the
charter.

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