San Francisco is a year-round world-class sailing venue with consistent winds, protected flat waters and amazing things to see from harbor porpoise and whales to superyachts plus fantastic bridges! You can leave the city and be out sailing in under 30 minutes for breezy and sunny Summer afternoons and sunny light wind sailing in the Winter month.

In San Francisco, you can circumnavigate Alcatraz, Angel Island, or Treasure Island. Sailing under Golden Gate Bridge is fantastic no matter how many times you have done it! Anchoring in McCovey Cove is a perfect place to catch a Giants game. The roar of the crowd is fantastic! Go whale watching out past the Golden Gate Bridge for a truly memorable day.

The best thing about sailing in San Francisco is you can sail 2-3 hours and pick to be at a new location or anchored away from it all. Benicia, the former capital of California is a quaint seaside town with guests within walking distance to downtown and just a day sail away from San Francisco. Sausalito is a fantastic destination with amazing restaurants, hikes, and sunshine. Getting a guest slip at South Beach Harbor is the perfect city overnight as you are within walking distance to Chase Center and Oracle Park for a game or a concert plus world-class dining. Anchoring overnight at China Camp, Treasure Island or Angel Island is perfect for grilling, replacing, and sometimes even swimming! Did you know there is a cove about an hour north of the city called Paradise? Who doesn’t want to anchor there!

Yes, there are a number of facilities that offer sailing lessons in San Francisco. SailTime San Francisco is an award-winning American Sailing Association, ASA, accredited school who teaches sailing skills based on your previous boating history. Get the whole family involved with Family Sailing Camp. Nothing is more heartwarming than teaching a parent and child or a couple who want to add sailing to their lives.

Yes, there are many destinations offering restaurants with boat tie-up docks. You can sail to Fish or Le Garage in Sausalito. Dock at Sam’s in Tiburon. Docks also at Pier 1 ½ and go to The Ferry Terminal, La Mar or The Slanted Door. In Oakland, you can dock at Scott’s for seafood, Brotzeit Lokal, a German Beer Garden. Docks at Angel Island Café and they have live music on Sunday plus picnic tables if you want to picnic. Dock at Terrapin Crossroads for live music and a tasty brunch on Sunday. With the technology of food delivery, you can dock your boat at a guest slip and have food delivered right to you!

Groups of up to six passengers for a tiny wedding, basic sailing lessons, to test sail our boats, or to just have a fun day out on the water. Sail under Golden Gate Bridge or dock at Angel Island for a picnic. Plan for a surprise engagement or have a photographer shoot engagement pictures. SailTime San Francisco recommends Schooner Gaslight for larger events aboard a stunning replica Tall Ship.

Yes, SailTime members can sail under the bridge and offshore, and sailing to Half Moon Bay is a fantastic cruising destination. Anchor at Horseshoe Bay just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. There are three bridges to sail under – The Western and Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge, plus the Richmond San Rafel Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.

There are a variety of sailing clubs around the San Francisco Bay. SailTime San Francisco is the best first step to get into sailing as our members train and sail on the same boat. Spending one year as a SailTime member will help you become a very educated boat buyer in the future. The program is the perfect sweet spot between charter rental and traditional ownership. SailTime is bringing sailing back to busy people’s lives as we handle all the maintenance. If you want to sail but don’t have time to take on project management, SailTime is a low commitment “pay to play” solution.

You can sail around Alcatraz and ponder how someone could have swam to shore. There is no public docking on Alcatraz but you can buy tickets with Alcatraz Cruises and take the ferry to Alcatraz. Sail to Angel Island where there are 19 guest slips available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Angel Island also has mooring for overnight stays.

So many choices! Emery Cove Yacht Harbor is perfectly located in the central East Bay between Berkeley and Oakland. The brand new docks and excellent shore-side facilities make this a premier marina. Emery Cove is a favorite for people who live in the Sacramento area as it is a nice cool spot for summer getaways. In the city, Pier 39’s location is great to be out sailing in minutes. Located just south of Alcatraz, this location is in the heart of the waterfront. full of restaurants, shops, and fun before you even leave the docks. The views from this location just don’t quit!