The sailing conditions and the bay conditions in San Francisco are going to vary significantly based on the time of year, the time of day and even the exact location of where you are at. The windy season, for example, tends to begin by the mid spring and will generally last until September. The sailing will tend to mellow out more and more in the fall and until winter time. By winter time, there are going to be many days where there is barely enough wind for sailing to be worthwhile. Still, there will be a number of good days in the winter, especially once the storms have already all passed through the area. The sprint and the summer are the seasons where the winds come and small craft advisories are made nearly every day. The wind will peak between the mid to late afternoon. Locally, the wind tends to be stronger around the San Mateo Bridge than anywhere else. The most typical direction comes from the northwest, though winds are also capable of blowing from the west especially as the afternoon continues on.
There are a number of spots that regularly attract stronger winds. Right through Berkeley and the Golden Gate is an area known as slot simply because so much wind is capable of being forced through the area between Marin County and the San Francisco bay. There are a number of other areas that are known for their strong winds including the San Bruno Gap, Oyster Point's Marina and Coyote Point and the Crystal Springs Gap. It is important for you to note that when strong winds are blowing over larger distances of water, larger waves will be created. This is a phenomenon known as fetch, and the longer the fetch is, the larger the waves will be based on a given wind strength.
Boats do not typically have to travel very far within the San Francisco Bay in order to find shelter if the wind or the waves become bothersome. Move to the south side of the slot in order to find shelter behind the City and Treasure Island. Along the north side you will find Tiburon and Angel Island. The wind in a single area is capable of being 30 knots to 35 knots, where it can easily be only 10 knits a few hundred yards away. It is vitally important that you know what lies ahead, because a smart sailor should always know where the easiest places are to hoist reef or sales.
Another factor to consider, especially in the North Bay is fog. Sometimes the bottom of the layer of fog is far enough above the level of water that you can see the bay's traffic, but sometimes the fog crawls right down to the deck. Take extraordinary measures to avoid colliding with other ships and vessels if this happens to occur.
Photo Credits: miss_rogue
Originally posted 2009-07-20 05:13:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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