Visiting Grizzly Bay
The schooner MAYAN has worn a path from San Francisco to Tinsley Island for years. Conditions for the passage can vary from glassy with the old MBZ diesel droning on for the entire trip, to overly exciting with reefed sails. A few times, the conditions have been like the bed of correct sized bear in Goldilocks: “Just Right”.
When MAYAN exists the confines of New York Slough on her way west, and passes Simmons Pt. to starboard, there is a choice to be made. Is it time to sail? If the wind is fair from the west or south there’s an opportunity to take the senic route and visit Grizzly Bay. This is one of those rare times when a centerboard and extreme shallow draft isn’t necessary, and it will change how the crew feels about sailing to windward across Suisun Bay. Also, much of the sailing will be done in flatter water, even in an ebb tide.
In the annotated picture of Suisun Bay chart (no.18656) You can find our jumping off point at Green buoy #23 just west of Honker Bay. By that point we typically have our sails up and sheeted tight on port tack.
As Freeman Island is abeam, the entrance to the Suisin Cutoff will become clear. With sheets eased a bit, MAYAN sails over the shallowest part of the excursion, 17' MLW. Then with Ryer Island abeam to port, it’s time to harden up and sail on the wind again in the prevailing westerly.
This part of passage is magical. There are rarely any waves at all, the wind travels unfettered over Ryer Island, the only sounds are the bow wave and the shouts of grandkids when they spot a Tule Elk. Sea bird abound. Occasionally, we’ve found kayakers paddling NW off our bow. It’s always fun to see their faces as our sailboat, that looks overlarge for this channel, sails past. Once Pt. Buckler is abeam to starboard, it’s time to put the boat hard on the wind to insure that one avoids the shoals to leeward in Grizzly Bay.
At this point in the excursion, there is an opportunity to visit another hidden gem of central California’s waterways, Suisun Slough to the north. This meandering passage eventually leads to Suisun City but includes one of Beau’s kid’s favorite destinations: Deadman’s Island. We recomend checking this slough off your list someday. For this passage, keep an eye out to starboard for Green marker #9 that marks the entrance to Suisun Slough, as it also marks the limit of the deeper water. MAYAN sails up to the shallow water and tacks to starboard onto a SW heading that runs along the old Ghost Ship Fleet of US Navy ships.
Ensure that you keep markers Red “6”, “4”, and “2” to leeward as you sail on starboard. For those west bound against strong west winds, this leg is comparitively protected from sever chop as the wind is coming off the land. As always, an ebb tide will stand the waves up, but the short fetch is a sailors friend. With the markers listed above well to leeward, it is clear sailing to the three bridges that mark the entrance to the Carquenez Straits.
One final remark, from experience we can say that it’s easy to slide to leward on that last starboard leg to the bridge. In a strong breeze I decided to reef, and while reefing our boat stood up. Returning to the cockpit, Stacey pointed out that both the depth and the speed over ground were reading zero. Opps. Resetting the full mainsail and backwinding the jib heeled S’AGAPO enough to lift most of her bulb off the sand and we were able to slide to leeward into the deep bit due east of Red #6, Gybe and make our escape. No harm done, but a need to apply new bottom paint to the port side of the bulb.
We have found few places to sail upwind in the bays of the Delta as beautiful as this passage west. We enjoy it so much we sometimes reach downwind through it when heading east.
