Delta Cruise 2001

There are two movements to this summer’s delta cruise, and delta rats may elect to participate in either or both. The adagio movement will entail five days of relaxation at Devil’s Isle, or thereabouts, and the allegro movement will entail a not-quite-whirlwind tour of the Sacramento River. The first movement will be conducted by Cruise Leader Bill Stark, the second by Cruise Leader (and Past Cruise Captain) Lee Ritchey.

Those wishing to participate in the adagio movement are advised that on Saturday, August 4, slack water at the Golden Gate is at 0900h, which means that most of the fleet will be departing Redwood City between 0500h and 0600h in order to catch the flood tide up to Caliente Isle (click here for chartlet), where we will be the guests of the Caliente Isle Yacht Club. As of press time, strong rumors of a joint SYC/CIYC party are in the air. On Sunday, August 5 the fleet will migrate to Devil’s Isle, arriving in the early afternoon—but no sooner than 1300h—for our traditional stay. There will be two major parties at Devil’s Isle, the first on Monday, August 6, and the second on Tuesday, August 7. Blacktoppers are welcome. The fleet will leave Devil’s Isle on August 9, with some boats returning to their home planet while others join the Sacramento River cruise.

Those participating in the allegro movement will anchor at the upper end of Steamboat Sough on the evening of August 9. Since we will not know for certain what anchorage is available until we get there, tune your vhf radios to channel 78, which will be our official Island Time frequency this year. On Friday, August 10 we will sail up the Sacramento to Sacramento, staying at the River View Marina on the far side of the American River, and a sizable delegation will taxi to the Delta King (www.deltaking.com) for dinner. On Saturday, August 11, we anchor behind Decker Isle, which is a few miles below Rio Vista. (We can do some touring in Sacramento in the morning and go down river in the afternoon. We might stop at the Sacramento Yacht Club on the Sacramento River. We might not.) On Sunday, August 12 we begin the homeward trek, stopping for the night at the Benicia Yacht Club. Most boats will return to Redwood City on Monday, August 13, a day when tides are fairly mellow. (Slack low water at Alcatraz is at 1417h, and high tide back in Redwood City isn’t until 1947h, which is eighteen minutes prior to sunset.)

A trove of delta info can be found at www.californiadelta.org. Please realize, if you’re a first-time delta rat, that opportunities for improvisation abound. For example, several of us routinely anchor in White’s Slough rather than tie up at Devil’s Isle. It’s quieter there, pianissimo, and the mile that separates us from the fortissimo water fights and the parties is easily navigated by dink. Don’t feel like dining out on the Delta King? Don’t sign up for it. One thing you should know is that there are no facilities at Devil’s Isle other than wooden docks, a covered porch with picnic tables, and a swim dock which tends to be where the numerous Sequoia kids congregate. There’s no electricity, no potable water, and no bathroom. Tower Park is nearby for those who need ice or gas, but most of us try to avoid civilization as much as possible during island time.

Speaking of pianissimo, there is a growing concern about the proliferation of generator use on the island. As a general rule, try to limit your generator (or engine) time to an hour per day to charge the batteries. Aboard Buoyant, we line the fridge with blocks of ice so that we can go three or four days between charges. Polluting your neighbor's atmosphere around the clock in order to run your air conditioning is frowned upon, and making all that noise outside so that you can watch videos inside is unthinkable. If you get hot, and you will, go swimming or start a water fight or wrap a wet bandanna around your neck. If you get bored, and you might, read a book or play checkers or go fishing or paddle a kayak or go berry picking or invite the neighbors over for chee chee or….

You will find a checklist for delta cruises on the cruising page of the SYC website, as well as a copy of Past Commodore Bill Oates’ delta cruising notes.