Coyote Point March - October Beginner - Advanced bit muddy, big swell 4.0 - 6.0 WNW to NW lots to do $4 fee, paved lot From North-Bay: Take Hwy. 101 south. Drive until you see Coyote Point jutting out into the Bay. Then look for the Poplar off ramp. Go west on Popular Watch carefully for signs to Coyote Park. Turn Right on Idaho or Humboldt. Go one block then turn right on Peninsula Ave heading east back towards freeway. Pass over freeway. Then carefully follow signs into the park. At the entrance, pay then make a left turn and head towards the beach to park. From South-Bay: Take Hwy. 101 north. Take the Dore Avenue offramp and follow the frontage road just until you pass the golf course, then turn Right. Follow the signs into the park. Coyote is easily the most luxurious sailing site in the Bay Area. Lawns, pea gravel rigging and many family activities. Unlike many sites it is fairly warm in the rigging area. The swell and wind outside are world class. Because of all of this it can be very crowded in the parking area and in the inner waters. However, the sailing area is vast outside and you can get away from the crowd. Good ramps and nice swell for slashing. Watch out for the wind dying inside while you rip outside. Crissy Field Late Spring through October Intermediate - Advanced cold, clear & rough 4.5 - 6.5 SW lots to do free but more crowded than past From Sonoma, Marin and most East Bay locations cross the Golden Gate bridge. Take the second off ramp which goes to Lombard St. As you go down the off ramp make the first right in to the Presidio. Immediately go right again and go several blocks crossing under the freeway. Continue to the beach side parking. From the Peninsula head north on Hwy. 280. Merge with 19th Ave. Continue through Golden Gate Park on Park Presidio. Just before the Golden Gate Bridge take the offramp going towards the Marina District. Then follow the instructions above. Crissy Field is a world class sailing site with unsurpassed urban beauty. Important Note: Crissy can be a very dangerous place to launch. The wind is side-offshore and the currents are extremely strong, so solid intermediate to expert skill is required depending on the conditions. You must excel in pointing ability to sail the flood tide days. Knowledge of ebb, flood, counter currents is a prerequisite for sailing here when there is a major ebb or flood. Also, no matter how warm the day, the cold water and strong currents demand a full wetsuit all year long. Cargo tanker traffic and general boat traffic can be quite heavy - so keep your eyes out! Candlestick Point May - August Beginner - Intermediate Flat 4.5 - 6.5 NW Nice Park Crowded near launch From the Peninsula go north on Hwy. 101 and as the highway runs along side the Bay watch for the Canndlestick/Harney Way turn off. Pass the ballpark and take head into the entrance to the Candlestick State Recreation Area and pay the day use fee. If the Silcone Valley boom left you behind then park free on the road next to the launch site. From the North Bay: Cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the 19th Ave./Park Presidio off ramp. Continue through San Francisco and merge with Hwy. 280. Go east on Hwy. 280 towards SFO. At Hwy. 101 head north. Then follow the instructions above. The Stick is the place for flat water speed, slalom sailing and learning to jibe. Candlestick Park in notorious nationwide for the blasts of winds that sent fly balls on erratic trajectories. Candlestick lacks the big swell of Coyote and 3rd. But, if you are feeling the need for speed this is the place. The offshore winds and short fetch makes for small white caps so it is easy to underestimate the wind. Check out other sailors' rigs. Because of the offshore wind beginners must be very cautious about getting blown down wind. Waddell Creek March - September Intermediate - Advanced Cold and clear 4.0 - 5.5 NW Beach, watch, camp Crowded weekends From the San Francisco North Bay and East Bay: From the Golden Gate Bridge take 19th Avenue to Hwy. 280 south. Continue on Hwy. 280 to Hwy. 92 then go west on Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay. Go south on Hwy 1 past Ano Nuevo preserve. Turn into parking lot at Waddell. From the Peninsula: Take Hwy. 92 west to Half Moon Bay. Go south on Hwy 1 past Ano Nuevo Reserve. Turn into parking lot at Waddell. In terms of popularity and world class contests Waddell is the undisputed king of north coast wave sailing. Like most north coast sites, the wind is side onshore at Waddell. This, along with the fast breaking waves, limits bottom turns. But, for addicts of air time these conditions make this a world class jumping site. Waddell a broad long sandy beach. In the spring, big surf and big wind are common and Waddell is often a playground only for the best. There are a few small rocks in the impact zone. There are more rocks in the surf zone to the north. San Luis Reservoir May - August Beginner - Advanced Cold, sometimes weedy 4.0 - 5.5 WSW Camping No problem From Southern California go north on Hwy. 5. From Northern California go south on Hwy. 5. Then go west on Hwy. 152 I mile to the San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area. From the north coast go south on Hwy. 101. From the south coast go north on Hwy.101. Near Gilroy go east about 20 miles first on Hwy. G7 or Hwy. 25 to Hwy 152 over Pacheco Pass to the Reservoir The O'Neil Forebay is a much easier place to sail than San Luis Reservoir right next to it. The winds are lighter and far less gusty. A road runs along its southern shoreline and you can launch at many places along its length. The wind is side shore and there is good access. Weed can me a major problem here and can make sailing miserable as early as July in some years.There are a number of significant concerns for the newcomer to O'Neil. The water is very cold since it is siphoned from the bottom of the San Luis Reservoir. The water temperatures can vary 25 degrees from one part of the lake to another Bodega Bay December - August Beginner - Advanced Cold & Clean 3.5 to 7.0 NW Camping & Lots to do Lots of parking From Berkeley, Point Isabel, and the East Bay: Go across Richmond/San Rafael Bay Bridge. From Crissy, Larkspur, and Peninsula, go across the Golden Gate. Then head north on Highway 101 for 30-40 minutes to Petaluma. Take Washington Street off ramp in Petaluma and go over the freeway heading west. Go through downtown Petaluma. Road turns into Bodega Avenue. Continue west for about 30 minutes. Veer right going on to Petaluma Valley Road going through the town of Two Rock. When Petaluma Valley Road meets Highway 1, veer right heading West. Pass the turnoff to the town of Bodega (you want to go to the town of Bodega Bay). Continue on Highway 1 until you get to Bodega Bay. Bodega Bay is a tiny unspoiled coastal village on the Sonoma county coast with 6 very different sailing sites within one square mile. At low tides, Hart's Beach offers very strong winds and a totally flat water speed channel. Doran Beach offers ocean speed sailing near shore and bump and jump sailing outside and one of the worlds fastest wave sailing spots. The Yacht Club and Spud Point offer shallow water and mild bump and jump sailing. Bodega Rock offers advanced to expert wave and open ocean sailing in big wave conditions.