WORLD
Benicia Cruise — The Perfect Two-Day Getaway I love sailing on San Francisco Bay! Whether I am taking friends out on the Bay for their first time, or trying my hand at a local beer-can race on a weekday evening, any sailing day on the Bay presents beauty, challenge, and variety enough to keep my senses engaged. A simple two-hour sail after work on a summer evening always renews my spirit. But sometimes I want a little more of the feeling of an excursion, a getaway. I’ve spent nights on the mooring balls at Angel Island, which is a majestic experience after the last ferry departs for the day. I’ve taken slips at San Francisco Small Craft Harbor and enjoyed the convenience of the short walk to all of the dining options in the Marina District. But from my homeport of Sausalito, both of these options are so close that I don’t quite get the feeling of going on a sailing trip. I was looking for a bit more of a stretch, something that required several hours of sailing to reach a location where I could dock, get off the boat, and explore ashore. After I'd asked around, the location that was mentioned most often was Benicia. Approximately 26 nautical miles from the dock at Modern Sailing in Sausalito, Benicia provides an opportunity to explore waters outside my usual stomping ground of the Central Bay. The C&H Sugar factory is just under the Carquinez Bridge and still in operation.
I recruited a friend and fellow sailing captain, Blaine McClish, to join me for the trip, and we made our plan. We arranged for an overnight berth at the Benicia Marina. The rate of $1/ft was very reasonable compared with San Francisco marinas, which are often twice as much. Our vessel, Coho II, a Spencer 1330 (44-ft), was easily accommodated. A key was to be left in a lockbox at the fuel dock in case we arrived after 5 p.m. This would turn out to be an important point! We used Navionics to make our route plan, but it's really a very straightforward route with line-of-sight navigation from channel marker to channel marker up San Pablo Bay and into the Carquinez Strait. Our intended departure would have us sailing the bulk of the journey on a flood tide. Expecting the Sausalito run to Benicia to take 4-5 hours, we set our departure for immediately after lunch. Of course, in my usual fashion, the prep for the trip took longer than anticipated, so it was closer to 3 p.m. when we finally cast off. Even with a later start, the day was pictureperfect as we motored past Sausalito #2 preparing to hoist sail and turn downwind for the run through Raccoon Strait. The tide-assisted reach through Raccoon Strait gave us a taste of the pace for the day. We were cruising along at 7 knots, easily making up ground from our late start. As we passed under the Richmond Bridge and left the East Brother Light Station to starboard, we skirted the right side of the channel, keeping an eye out for downbound shipping traffic. In San Pablo Bay, we had all the hallmarks of perfect S.F. Bay summer conditions, with brisk winds, choppy waters, and beautiful, spirited sailing. Entering the Carquinez Strait felt like passing into another climate zone. The waters flatten, the temperatures
ALL PHOTOS LEIGH HUNT
This month we hear from Leigh Hunt, who shares that although Benicia is a local destination, it can feel like an excursion getaway.
warm, and the C&H Sugar factory sign reminds us of an older, more industrial time. In the early evening, we ghosted under the bridge, ensuring our jibing course didn't cross any of the working barges that shared the river with us. There was some large-vessel traffic, but there is plenty of room for a sailing vessel like ours to skirt the sides and feel comfortably out of the way. We had set Carquinez Strait Buoy #25 as our target to strike sail and head into the marina. The entrance to Benicia was one of the more challenging elements of the day. Finding it is easy, but after spending hours on a wide river, the narrowness of the marina entrance looked a bit daunting. Once inside, it is quite easy to find your way around the marina. The first thing you encounter is the harbormaster's office and fuel dock immediately on your port. If you recall, we were supposed to stop there to get our