Elaine & Bill Housh, Amante
For the past several years Fleet 9 has combined a cruise in
the Delta with Barron Hilton’s July 4th fireworks display at
Mandeville Point, and we're doing that again this year. About 3,000 other boats
will be there
for the fireworks. Click on the thumbnail chart to see the part of the Delta we will be
visiting.
We leave Saturday morning (June 28) and meet off of Clipper Cove (Treasure Island) at 1000 hr. Communication will be on Channel 72 as usual. We'll sail to Decker Island (1 on the chart), which is near the mouth of the Sacramento River and about 46 nautical miles away. We spend the first night there. On Sunday we head for Georgiana Slough (17 miles further), where we anchor at a calm bend in the slough (2). You can relax, hike along the levee, visit the towns of Walnut Grove and Locke, and soak up the day’s warmth. The historical town of Locke is definitely worth a visit. We'll stay at the anchorage overnight and then Monday morning motor the 29 miles to old town Sacramento, where we will spend two nights either at anchor off old town or tie up at end ties at the old town marina district. Reservations are required 7 days in advance with a fee of $15 per boat per night. Those wishing to tie up must let Bill Housh know no later than June 22nd. old town Sacramento has lots to see, the train museum, the Delta King and other riverboats. Plenty of great restaurants and gift shops are also available. Visit http://www.californiadelta.org for information about places to see. Wednesday morning we will get underway, heading 29 miles back to Georgiana Slough, anchor and relax for an evening. Thursday morning we will get underway toward the Fireworks anchorages.
Everyone will have a choice for where to enjoy the fireworks. The options are:
1) Mandeville Point (3 on the chart) right at the craziness and the fireworks show or
2) Potato Slough, (4 on the chart) a nice slough approximately 1.5 miles North of the fireworks at Mandeville tip.
We plan to arrive early Thursday afternoon and stay until early Saturday morning. We will be approximately 3.5 miles from Helen & Herman's marina, which has fuel, water & Groceries. Thursday & Friday is relaxation and enjoying the local scene. The fireworks show is Friday night. Saturday morning we will start the trip back to the bay area. We plan to stop in Benicia, a good mid way point to have an early dinner, relax and prepare to get underway Sunday for our home ports.
We will probably be sharing several meals so bring a few things to share along with an adequate supply of food and drink for the crew. You can re-provision in Walnut Grove, Sacramento or at Helen and Herman's. (A short Dinghy ride from either Potato Slough or Mandeville tip) Otherwise we will be in the wilds of the Delta.
Depth. Some sailors stay away from the Delta because they think the risk of running aground is too high. Actually, there’s plenty of water where we go. Unless you are very careless, the risk of going aground is about the same as in the Bay. Though Georgiana Slough looks narrow on the map, it’s actually comfortably wide and deep.
You are all invited to join us. Please let Bill know by Thursday June 22 if you plan to be on the cruise. We do have to make any reservations if we wish to tie up at Old Town Sacramento so Bill would like to know who to expect.
Email: housh1@pacbell.net or phone 916-362-6596.
Please remember, if you’re uncomfortable about conditions anywhere on a cruise, you should stay in port even if the rest of the Fleet continues on. All cruises are for enjoyment and personal satisfaction, not danger.
Safety: You should have all the Coast Guard mandated safety equipment on board, wear life jackets with harnesses (or use a separate harness) when at sea have jack lines rigged, and have tethers available. If you do not know what any of these are, or are not sure how to rig or use them, you can find that information in most sailing books.
You should also have the appropriate charts on board and a working GPS.
A Special Delta Note: The Delta can be very hot during the summer so bring lots of Sun Screen and a good Delta chart.
communication will be on channel 72. (also Monitor Channel 16) Be sure to fly your Fleet 9 burgee.
