The first installment will be Astoria, OR to Point Conception, CA.
Astoria,
OR-
First
and most important- TIME YOUR BAR CROSSING CAREFULLY! With that being
said, Astoria is a beautiful and quaint town. There are two marinas,
with the bulk of the transient boat berthing in West Basin. West
Basin offers showers, electricity (at a fee), and water. If coming
in from the Pacific it is before the bridge, if coming down river it
is just after the bridge. It is recommended to call to get a slip
assignment when a couple of hours out (503)325-8279.If you have done
any fishing on your way in, be sure to have a valid fishing license.
During our visit, we saw the Game Warden sitting on the dock with
binoculars in hand checking every pleasure fishing boat that came in.
There is an Englund's Marine a short walk across the parking lot.
The is Safeway is a very long walk away. It is recommended to either
use a bike or the street trolley that has a stop directly in front of
the marina. You can follow the trolley path all the way to the store.
Downtown is very close with lots of restaurants and shopping. On
Sundays is an excellent farmers market located downtown, just follow
the crowds. Excellent produce! The marina offers all the usually
amenities: showers, laundry, water, and electricity. The rate for our
41 footer was $20 a night for the slip and $3 for the power hookup.
They also have a haul-out and work yard. The last we heard you could
do the work yourself, this will be one of the last places for the
do-it-your-selfers. The East Basin Marina is a little closer to
Safeway, but it is mostly fishing boats and there is quite an issue
with the sea lions all through the day. The Columbia River Maritime
Museum is well worth the visit. If you are coming down river and
crossing the bar for the first time, you might want to avoid it, the
2000 wrecks that have occurred over the last 200 years is a big part
of the theme. The town thrives on tourism and the people are very
welcoming and helpful. There is also and excellent fish monger at the
top of the ramp in the marina. The fuel dock is locating in the
marina, but is usually very busy.
Newport,
OR-
There
are three options for berthing in Newport, OR. The first is to
anchor. It is OK to anchor in the bay, as long as you are well
outside the marked shipping channel and further upstream past the
Embarcadero. As always watch tides and depth. As of 2011 we saw no
more than day anchoring in the bay, but in years past we've seen
quite a few people anchoring. The second option is Newport Marina
just after the bridge. The third is The Embarcadero Resort and
Marina. They have excellent facilities, including: showers, hot tub,
pool, crabbing dock, work out facilities, laundry, water, and
electricity. The staff will even accept mail and package delivery for
you at the front desk if you inform them in advance. Most of the
cruising guides list the transient dock just at the end of Englund's
Marine, but there was confusion in the fall of 2011. We were allowed
to tie off there, but there was a new Harbor Master and it wasn't
clear if the marina had the right to use that spot. Englund's Marine
is in the adjacent parking lot. The historic downtown is within
walking distance with many excellent restaurants. There is a small
public bus system that does go to the Fred Meyers grocery store and
Wal-mart. It is not a super Wal-mart to the groceries are limited.
You can obtain the time schedule of the bus system either at the
front desk or at one of the stops. The marine research center is
across the bridge as well as the Rogue Brewery. There is also a
welder located across the bridge as well as a small boating store.
Coos
Bay-Actually Charleston-
Charleston
is very convenient but follow the channel markers very closely. The
Coast Guard station is on 24 hour alert and very helpful if needed.
The transient dock is usually very busy with people crabbing from the
dock. The rate for a 41 foot boat were $18 a night as of 2011. The
transient dock is near the end of “B” dock and is a side tie. It
is recommended to contact the harbormaster (541)888-2548 for a slip
assignment. See if they have a slip off of the transient dock. In
Charleston itself there is little to no provisioning and what is
there is expensive. There is a Super Walmart only a $6 cab ride each
way in Coos Bay itself. See if there is another cruising boat willing
to split the cost. Verify with the taxi dispatch office the current
rate. The marina offers showers, electricity, and water. It's nothing
really fancy. The laundry facilities are locating in the RV lot near
the marina. The fuel dock is located to the right of the transient
docks. It is not in any connection with the marina and he will not
fill fuel jugs that are not on the boat. The Englund's Marine is just
a short walk across the bridge. Behind Englund's is a boat yard. We
needed some welding done and found an excellent welder in the yard.
He actually came to our boat and picked up the part.
Crescent
City, CA-
Due
to the tsunami in March, 2011 there were limited facilities in
Crescent City. Contact the marina for current information
(707)465-1776. The fuel docks were open and they did allow anchoring
in the bay with protection from the breakwater. It is not certain
whether anchoring in the bay is actually allowed, or was only allowed
due to the marina being repaired.
Eureka,
CA-
There
are 3 options for Eureka as well. The first is to anchor in the bay.
The rumor is that anchoring is allowed anywhere outside the channel
for up to 72 hours. This has not been confirmed and it is at the
boaters own risk. The other two options are marinas. The first is the
Eureka Public Marina. Very convenient to downtown and a few grocery
stores. It offers the usually amenities: showers, laundry, water, and
electricity. The marina is gated and requires a key. Leave a deposit
at the harbormaster's office. The gate key is also needed for access
to the showers and laundry. The rate for a 41 foot was $30.75 a
night. In addition to being very convenient to downtown the fuel dock
and Englund's Marine are also very convenient. This is a fishing
town, the fuel dock is designed to accommodate fishing vessels rather
than pleasure. The fuel dock will be higher and much more abused than
the average cruiser may be accustomed to. The other option is
Woodley Island Marina. This marina is further away from downtown, but
with a substantial savings. A slip for a 41 footer was running $17.90
a night with similar amenities. To reach downtown, cross the bridge
which has limited pedestrian crossing safety. There are several
grocery stores within walking distance of the Public Marina and a
Winco is a short bus ride away. During the week there is also a
farmer's market one morning. Ask the harbormaster for the correct day
and time of the farmer's market.
Fort
Bragg, CA-
We
did not go in, but all parties we know who did said the entrance is
very narrow. One set of friends came in during the dark and said they
wouldn't have tried it if they could have seen what they were really
getting into.
Bodega
Bay, CA-
A
love picturesque town with a very safe harbor. It is not recommended
to make an entry for the first time after dark. That is not to say
it is impossible. It can be confusing and people like to fish from
Bodega Head. The problem is they turn on the headlights of
their cars and point them straight at you as you come through the
jetties making all the marker and range lights difficult to make out.
Finding your way through the channel is easy, just go slow and take
your time! Do not go outside the channel. There is shoaling
everywhere. There are markets, but they are expensive. Fuel dock is
very convenient and the staff at Spud Point Marina is very helpful.
This was our most expensive marina ($40 a night for a 41 foot
boat). The marina has the usual amenities: shower, water,
electricity, and laundry. The showers are high-school locker room
style for the men.
San
Francisco, CA
If
only staying a few days, check out Aquatic Park. It is a free
anchorage right downtown. Be warned about all the swimmers in the
Park. It is right downtown for everything! There is another anchorage
(free) in Richardson Bay up near Sausalito. There is also another
free anchorage on the backside of Treasure Island on the east side of
the island north of the Bay Bridge. As for marinas, they are to many
to name. There is an excellent boating map and guide on the Bay Area that was available at Spud Point Marina's office.The going rate was roughly a $1 a foot per night in the bay area. The only
marina I will mention is Emeryville Marina (510)654-3716. It was $25
a night for our boat. Don, the harbor master, was super nice. They
have a fuel dock, pump-out, laundry, and showers. There is limited
hot water to take your shower early. The town of Emeryville has a
free shuttle. It's a quarter of a mile walk to the stop, but it will
take you to any of the shopping and provisioning you may need in
Emeryville. It will also take you to the Bart Station to go over to
the city. This is the first Trader Joe's since Portland that we found
and it's within walking distance (about a mile). There is also a
movie theater close by. There is a small market on the peninsula that
has a lot of great stuff if you don't want to go all the way to TJ's.
The view from our boat was downtown San Francisco. This marina is
also gated. If you go in here, get directions to the slip. There are
all sorts of turns and twists. It's almost as if they just added
willy nilly. Oh, one more piece of advice, if you find out how to get
there the Blue Pelican is a great used chandlery, not as big as
Columbia Marine Exchange, but if you are desperate it's a good
option. In the San Francisco, if you are there for a few days we
recommend any of the exhibits in Golden Gate Park. We loved the
Natural History Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. Also go for a
drink at the Top of The Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. The view is
unbelievable. You do need closed shoes and pants (boating attire
would not be welcome). Just about anything can be found here. If
staying more than three days in San Francisco- check out the Muni
Public Transportation system. They operate all public transportation
in the city with the exception of BART. A three day pass can be
purchased for roughly $20 per person and covers all San Francisco
buses, street cars, trolleys, and underground (except BART). The
famed cable cars alone are $5 per person each way. This would be a
great saving based on that alone. There is an excellent map with all
the marinas (phone numbers included) listed. A copy of the map can be
requested by calling (415)355-3760 or (415)904-6905. It is called the
“2011-2012 San Francisco Bay Area Clean Boating Map”The map can
also be found in the harbormaster's office in Bodega Bay.
Half
Moon Bay, CA-
Nice
little hop down from San Francisco. There is anchorage behind the
breakwater that is free. The rate for a 41 footer was $32.80 a night
at the marina. There are some restaurants, but the downtown is to far
to walk and there is no provisioning close by the marina. Contact the
harbormaster at (650)726-4382 about an hour before arrival for slip
assignment. It has the usual amenities: showers, laundry, water, and
electricity.
Monterrey,
CA-
Contact
the harbormaster via VHF 16 for moorage. They will assign a spot.
$28 a night for 40 ft. They will charge you by the slip they put you
in and not on your boat. Deposit is required for the keys to the
bathroom. Showers and laundry are OK. TJ's within walking distance as
well as a great downtown. If you take the walking path to the
Aquarium and then go up the street one block from the aquarium you
will find a Rally's grocery store. If you take the main street
heading in the opposite direction toward Moss Landing about a mile
and a half you will come to a little produce stand on the right hand
side of the road. Very good produce and good prices. There is also a
great French
Bakery
within walking distance. It's called Paris Bakery at 271 Bonifacio
Plaze. There is also a seafood market on the pier. There is quite a
lot of sea life. Sea otters and sea lions with lounge on the docks
and will not move.
Port
San Luis, CA-
A
great little layover. The guest moorings are cheap, either $5 or $10
a night. The fuel dock is set up for fishing vessels. No provisioning
within walking distance. A dinghy will be needed to get ashore. There
are no marinas. The entire bay is mooring balls. This is an excellent
spot to rest up before Conception. The guest moorings we used didn't
not need for us to have our own lines. You reach down with a boat
hook, grab the loop, and attach it to your bow cleat. It's been a
year, so it may have changed. It is a bow only mooring ball. Contact
the harbormaster on VHF 16 with getting close to arrival. There are
no facilities. There is a very limited boating supply store on shore.
Enjoy
and Fair Winds! Please feel free to contact me with any changes or
questions about the information listed at : svreisender@yahoo.com
All
information was current to the best of my memory as of the fall of
2011. It is recommended to contact each harbor prior to arrival to
verify location of transient slips, current rates, and any harbor
information they feel would be important to a visiting boat.
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