San Leandro Marina - April 26 (and 25?)

by Harry Gordon

San Leandro has a well developed recreational shoreline at the foot of Marina Blvd. I drove in and looked it over last week. The ramp at the marina looks great. It has a reasonable slope and room to launch/recover two boats at a time, and each lane has an L-shaped dock with plenty of tie-up space. There's a large parking lot adjacent to the marina so rigging and launching should be no problem. I was there on a weekday and no one was using the ramp. Don't know what it is like on a weekend. If you want to bring some nonsailors along, there is a very nice shoreline park just east of the marina, and the marina itself is a nice place to walk around.

There's a clearly marked 2-nmi channel leading out to deeper waters from the marina, but Larry Costa tells us (Potter Yachter, March 1998) the tide should be high enough that our shallow draft Potters won't be confined to the channel.

Larry plans to arrive around 11 am Saturday and explore the mud flats (+5.2 tide at 1:00 pm) in Happy Camper and would be happy to have some company. If anyone else wants to make this an overnighter, Larry says the city charges ZERO for a slip for the first night. There is a $10 deposit for a key that gives you access to free electrical power and a locked restroom with hot shower. For chow, Horatio's and El Torito are within easy walking distance. There is also the San Leandro Marina Inn for lodging if you don't want to sleep on your boat. The Bay is at its widest here - about 10 miles across to Coyote Point. If you don't want to venture out into the wide open spaces, there is plenty to explore in the area between the channel, the marina, and Oakland airport, which is close enough that you can see taxiing airliners from the marina.

Kent Crispin, our newsletter editor, may sail his P-19 out the Estuary from his Alameda berth, then around Alameda and down the Bay to San Leandro on Saturday.

To drive to the San Leandro Marina, take 880 from the north or south to the Marina Blvd exit and go west. The road will turn left after about a mile, then follow the signs to the launch ramp. I forgot to check on a launch fee, but Larry says the ramp and parking were both free when the club was there a couple of years ago.

For Sunday, Larry advises that the low tide is in the early morning and there will be a 5.2 ft tide at 2 pm. The next low, +0.9 ft, is at 7:30 pm. The charts show 2 ft over the flats so we should have plenty of water most of the day. Let's try to launch around 10 am as usual. (For more info see Larry's story in the Potter Yachter.)

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