San Leandro Bay is the sheltered, bridgebound area below the Oakland
Estuary. There is a nice two-lane, two-dock, apparently free ramp into the
Airport Channel from Doolittle Drive. Although the ramp is physically
between the Coliseum and the Oakland Airport, the bay has a rather wild and
unspoiled character, not at all like the very developed Estuary. The bay is
a wildlife refuge and has two marshes where motors are not allowed within
100 ft.
The ramp is located at a park with a large picnic area, parking lot,
restrooms, and the Beach Restaurant. (As you drive down Doolittle from
Hegenberger, you will pass another ramp that is usable also, but it's
shallow and has no dock, restroom, or parking lot.) The depths outside of
the channels may be iffy but should be okay anywhere around high tide.
Might be better suited to P15s than P19s. I drove in and looked the place
over Easter Sunday afternoon. There was not a single boat or boat trailer
anywhere to be seen, probably because it was Easter, but there were many
picnickers. There were signs at the ramp warning jet skiers and
powerboaters to avoid the protected marshes. The flat water was rippled by
a perfect breeze, and I wished I had my boat with me. The ramp and docks
were in good condition, unlike the Estuary Park ramp, where all the cleats
are broken, the restrooms are poorly maintained, and there is broken glass
in the parking lot.
I did sail across the northern part of San Leandro Bay on my trip around
Alameda a while back, but I was interested in staying in the main channel
and taking the shortest route out to San Francisco Bay at the time. The
drawbridges remain down most of the time, but I was able to motor under
them all with my short lateen rig mast. Standard P15s or P19s would have to
lower their masts to go under the bridges. From the Oakland Estuary, once
you pass under the bridges between Alameda and Oakland, the character of
the waterway changes completely. Then if you go under the bridges between
Alameda and the airport island you find yourself in San Francisco Bay. Now
I want to go back and launch and explore inside San Leandro Bay.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
Potter Yachters P15 Fleet Captain