Delta questions
Matthew W. Blake
Delta area for a bit over a week, we've never done this before. We will
probably go over the July 4th time period.
Is the July 4th period so busy we should go some other time?
I'm guessing the HOTTEST temperatures/most uncomfortable times of the year
is August. Is this true?
I've heard there's great fireworks from some barge on July 4, where?
How do I find out more?
Do I need to reserve a mooring or something?
What are some good sources of info on the Delta(books, etc)?
How/where do I find them?
Will my draft cause particular problems or is this ok?
We are considering bringing along our 45 Lb. Catahoula Hound Dog, is there
a problem dinghying into shore for poop/pee breaks, taking him into dock
areas, etc?
Any help is much appreciated,
Matt
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<> Matthew Blake <> ph: 415.604.4978 <> NASA Ames Research Center <>
<> bl...@nas.nasa.gov <> FAX:415.604.1095 <> T27B-2, Moffett Field, CA 94035<>
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Rod Mc Innis
>This year we are planning to take our Catalina 34 (5'6" draft) to the Bay
>Delta area for a bit over a week, we've never done this before. We will
>probably go over the July 4th time period.
>
>Is the July 4th period so busy we should go some other time?
There is a lot of water out there, and plenty of places to go.
On the other hand, the entire delta is very close to where a *lot* of
people call home.
The weekends will be somewhat crowded all summer. Due to the
holiday, many of the marinas will be having special events, as will
many of the waterfront towns. This could be a plus or a minus,
depending on how you appreciate the local color.
>
>I'm guessing the HOTTEST temperatures/most uncomfortable times of the year
>is August. Is this true?
Where are you from, and how do you define HOT? Generally speaking,
there will be a two week period of rather intense heat wave that will
hit the area anytime between mid June and mid September. I have worn
my jacket watching fireworks on the fourth of July, and sweltered in
the heat on Memorial day.
If I was to play the odds, I would say that the chances of it being
hot in August were greater than in July. But I wouldn't base a
schedule on that. What's more, the heat tends to be dry, so it is not
too bad.
I *strongly* recommend having shade available. Since you are not
likely to be sailing much, a tarp stretched over the boom can provide
a welcome relief from the sun.
>
>I've heard there's great fireworks from some barge on July 4, where?
Conrad Hilton ( of the hotel fame) owns a spread on Venice Island.
Each year he has a barge come in and puts on a fireworks show. Not
the best show that I have ever seen, but worth watching.
What is more spectacular that the fireworks show is the spectacle of
all the boats that crowd the area to watch the show. People will
anchor out for a week or more to grab the best spots. The day of the
show, the area will fill to the point that you can almost walk across
by going boat to boat.
It is one of my regular events. I would expect the show to be on
Sunday, July 3 instead of Monday. If you have time in your schedule, I
suggest arriving Saturday, and picking a spot where your anchors will
set. You will need bow and stern anchors, as there will not be room
to swing. Expect shallow, muddy bottom.
The barge will be anchored where the original river (San Joaquine)
made a large S turn and the deep water channel was cut straight
through. The fireworks show will be centered on the channel, between
Hiltons guest house (Northeast corner) and the club house (Southwest
corner). Stay out of Three River Reach. I pull sailboats off the
sand bars every year. Bring your squirt guns. Watch out for water
ballons. Have fun.
WORD OF WARNING: After the show, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the boats will
up anchor and leave. It is a real zoo, and these guys have been
drinking. I have never seen a problem here yet (although I think I
have seen just about everything during the course of the weekend) but
it always makes be nervous.
>How do I find out more?
What more would you like to know? A good magazine to pick up would
be the Bay and Delta Yachtsman (510)865-7500. They also have a Marina
Guide that is worth having. Hal Schell's Delta Guide (a landlubbers
map) is also worth having along, as it provides a lot of information
on the delta (you can pick a copy of this up at almost any marina on
the delta, and a lot of places on the bay).
If you have specific questions, email me and I will be happy to
assist.
>Do I need to reserve a mooring or something?
If you have specific plans to be at a marina for some special
occasion, then you would need to reserve dock space. Otherwise, you
drop anchor in any spot that looks good (I hope that the deep water
channel doesn't look good to you, as Stockton is a deep water port and
large ships do traverse the area).
>
>What are some good sources of info on the Delta(books, etc)?
>How/where do I find them?
See above. Hal Schell also has a book called "Dawdling on the
Delta". I have never read it, so I can't comment on it. I like to
read Hal's artical in the Yachtsman, so I suspect that it might be
good. This is a fairly old number, but give it a try:(209) 951-7821.
>
>Will my draft cause particular problems or is this ok?
In some places yes, in other places no. Keep an eye on the chart.
Large portions of the delta are only about 10 feet deep. shoaling can
easily raise the bottom up to two or three feet. As a general rule,
the water will be deeper next to the man made levees.
The good news is that the bottom is almost always a real soft mud.
Running aground is embarassing, and as the tide goes out can be
uncomfortable. But it happens to the best of us, and I see whole
raftups of sailboats leaning off their keels waiting for the next high
tide. It is generally not a problem for a slow moving boat.
>
>We are considering bringing along our 45 Lb. Catahoula Hound Dog, is there
>a problem dinghying into shore for poop/pee breaks, taking him into dock
>areas, etc?
No, this won't be a problem. Dogs are a very common sight, as are
people loading their dogs into the dinghy at first light.
>
>Any help is much appreciated,
Another word of warning: It is fairly common to see large logs
floating down the channels. They can be very waterlogged, and hard to
see. I know of several boats that have had significant damage done to
them, so you want to keep a sharp eye out.
>
>Matt
>
Rod McInnis
kevin weber
(Matthew W. Blake) wrote:
>
> This year we are planning to take our Catalina 34 (5'6" draft) to the Bay
> Delta area for a bit over a week, we've never done this before. We will
> probably go over the July 4th time period.
>
> Is the July 4th period so busy we should go some other time?
The delta is VERY big. Yes, it gets busy in areas, but not as bad as you
might think.
> I'm guessing the HOTTEST temperatures/most uncomfortable times of the year
> is August. Is this true?
Yes, although come late June the delta gets very hot almost all the time.
You should also note that in areas of the delta, especially near the
confluence of the Sacremento and San Joquin near Antioch the winds can be
absolutely fierce at certain times. Franks Tract area gets very high
winds. Whats especially nasty is when the wind is blowing towards the east
and the river currents are moving to the west. Kind of sets up a nasty
chop on the water. Tides are also very strong, make sure you have a very
good anchor with sufficient scope.
> I've heard there's great fireworks from some barge on July 4, where?
> How do I find out more?
> Do I need to reserve a mooring or something?
Don't have any info on that.
> What are some good sources of info on the Delta(books, etc)?
> How/where do I find them?
There are at least a couple of books out there on the delta and places to
go. I would think that most decent tackle stores should have them. You
may also try West Marine on San Antonio in MV. Give them a call, they
should be a good source for info; I've always found them very happy to
help.
> Will my draft cause particular problems or is this ok?
There are areas in the delta where, depending on tides, you could almost
instantly go from 20 foot depths into water 1 foot deep. I know a
particular area just west of the Antioch bridge on the San Jocuin which has
stranded many a boat. Fortunately you usually only have to wait a couple
hours at most to get off.
> We are considering bringing along our 45 Lb. Catahoula Hound Dog, is there
> a problem dinghying into shore for poop/pee breaks, taking him into dock
> areas, etc?
Depends where you go. Most of the delta is unihabited and not very
accessible, but there are a few areas, especially around Rio Vista and
nearer to Sacremento, if you happen to go that far in.
> Any help is much appreciated
I've been to the delta area several times, and don't really think much of
it. The scenary is brown, the water is brown, and its windy a all heck.
But its worth a shot, and during the forth it might be kind of nice.
Have fun,
kevin