Correcting Our Mistake — Anchoring in Clipper Cove Is Permitted
On Wednesday we wrote about BCDC’s approval of the new Treasure Island Marina. At the same time we wrote that anchoring in Clipper Cove was no longer allowed. For the first time ever, we were mistaken. Reader “Tommaso” called the BCDC to verify and let us know of the error.
We reached out to Peter Summerville at the Treasure Island Development Authority and he also confirmed that anchoring in Clipper Cove is still allowed. You’ll need a permit for anchoring if you are staying more than 24 hours. The permit is free, and the application takes about five minutes. You can see the anchoring permit application here and the rules and regulations here.
Peter added that the 21-day long-term permit has been eliminated, but short-term permits allow you to stay up to four days. In addition, “Starting this spring, anchoring and motors will be restricted in a pocket of the cove closest to the beach which is being designated a water recreation area to encourage swimming, kayaking drop-ins, etc. A new buoy line will designate that zone back to shore, but there will still be more than enough space for anchoring in the cove.”
We thank Tommaso for correcting us and apologize for the confusion. If you spend a night there this weekend, send us a photo of your stay. Or send us your best Clipper Cove photo ever. Enjoy!
Tiburon-Based Marine Science Lab Falls Victim to SFSU Budget Cuts
Romberg Tiburon Campus, a research arm of San Francisco State University (SFSU), is facing closure due to SFSU budget cuts. Also housing the Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS Center), the Romberg Tiburon Campus has supported maritime commerce, naval defense and training, and marine science and education for over a century, and is especially well-suited to support the interdisciplinary mission of the EOS Center. It’s also the only marine science lab on San Francisco Bay.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that SFSU administrators advise they “can’t afford to keep the site running amid broader financial problems within the university system,” and want the Tiburon Campus to come up with a plan to support itself.
According to EOS Center’s Interim Executive Director Dr. Katharyn Boyer, “12 active research labs will close down, grant funding will have to be returned, including the $5.8M from NOAA for a new Aquatic Research and Training facility and substantial amounts of funds from the State Coastal Conservancy for projects specific to our campus on the Bay.
“Although the EOS Center has made tremendous strides over the last two years in fundraising through grants and leases for our 53-acre campus to be self-supporting, we have an annual shortfall of $550K for covering the operating costs. This may not seem like a large amount, but San Francisco State University is experiencing a severe budget crisis and is looking for places to cut.
“We have restoration and research projects that require the EOS Center for its bay water supply to tanks and water tables, its shoreline test bed for climate change adaptation techniques, and its access to deep water for long-term water quality monitoring, among other projects. The future of our onsite partnerships with the Smithsonian and National Estuarine Research Reserve is now unclear.”
Boyer and her colleagues are putting together funding proposals that they hope to submit to the university this month, including income-generating ideas such as “building housing at the site,” the Chronicle reports.
“We are devastated by the news but also resolved to identify and propose alternatives,” Dr. Boyer continued in a newsletter. “We are working with potential donors who may be able to provide funding as a stop-gap, and are activating plans for partnerships that could provide a long-term funding solution.”
Boyer is also appealing to the community to come forward with any ideas or connections that may help save the center, adding, “I hope you will consider writing a letter to the CSU’s Chancellor to urge that the EOS Center remain open; link to a template is below.”
Find more information about the Center’s proposed closure here: https://eoscenter.sfsu.edu/closure
If you would like to send a letter, you can use this template.
Learn About Cruising Beyond the Bay With Club Nautique
Dreaming of cruising beyond San Francisco Bay? Join us for a panel and networking party to learn about Club Nautique’s renowned Passage Maker Program. Meet experienced sailors, hear their stories, and discover how this top-tier training can prepare you for unforgettable adventures!
Find Your “Deal of the Century” in Classy Classifieds
With the March issue Classy deadline coming tomorrow and the spring/summer sailing season not far behind, we took a look to see some boats you could be sailing this spring. The first one we looked at described itself as the “deal of the century!” The “deal” is the last boat in the lineup of boats below with a price of only $20,000 for a Nelson Marek 47. Beyond that there’s quite a spectrum of boats from 8-ft to 60-ft to consider for this summer.
We have lots of boats under $5,000 on the site and even some for free or under $1,000, like this dinghy below. It’s ready to row and comes with a trailer.
The Albin Ballad is a great boat for the Bay or a summer cruise to the Delta. We can’t vouch for any of these boats except to say they’re in Latitude because they were built for sailors.
It’s only 2025 so we’ll have to wait until the year 2100 to find out if it’s truly the deal of the century. True or not, it may be just the right deal for you.
There’s always a nice variety of boats and gear in the Latitude 38 Classy Classifieds. and there’s always something that will catch your eye. Boats for racing, cruising or daysailing, plus some gear and equipment that might just fill a gap in your inventory. If you’re looking to pass on your current sailboat to someone for the summer ahead, make sure you place a Classy Classified by 5 p.m. tomorrow to make it into the March issue.
Daylight Saving Time comes in March, so sailing evenings will be getting longer soon. Make sure you’re sailing the boat of your dreams.
Max Ebb: The Dollar Value of Fun
I remember very little of the reading assignments I was given in high school. Mostly I relied on CliffsNotes, and spent my time on more important pursuits. But one line from one bit of required reading stood out: “She believed that God liked people in sailboats much better than He liked people in motorboats.” It’s from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. In Chapter 3. And even though the sentiment is attributed to a less-than-credible minor character in the book, through all the years that have passed since I first read that line, I’ve believed it to be true, regardless of the metaphysical plane on which it could be applied.
Now we have hard proof, if a rigorous assessment by the National Forest Service is a valid substitute for the referenced deity.
This year it was the Straw Bale Classroom at the Marine Ecology Center, down at the marina park, a short walk from my yacht club. Hardly an exotic venue for me, but it seemed to play well with the rest of the staff. It was also near Lee Helm’s usual windsurfing launch site, and I had suggested that it would most assuredly be crashable by a few stray college sailors with “starving student” credentials.
“Like, thanks for bringing your party to us this year!” Lee exclaimed as she filled her plate with cracked crab legs.
“It’s not exactly an exotic venue for either of us,” I acknowledged, “since we’re both here almost every weekend. On the other hand, the straw bale construction of the Marine Ecology Center is of interest to the engineers present, and they even arranged for the city engineer to give a short talk about straw bales as a structural material.”
“Cool,” she answered. “But like, I might have to duck out on the talk. I’m signed up to give free sailboat rides at the University Sailing Club’s Open House event.”
“The dragon boat team is also giving rides today,” I noted. “Saw them from the other side of the harbor, which is where I had to go just to find a parking space.”
“For sure,” Lee said. “They don’t have to wait for the wind to come up. Last year they got an early start and gave free rides and team tryouts to almost a thousand people by the time the sun was going down.”
“I wonder where they all park,” I said. “The marina fills up to capacity and then some on nice weekend days in the summer. Even my boat berther’s parking pass didn’t get me a spot near the party.”
“I come by bike,” Lee reminded me.
It was hard for Lee to blend in, since she was already suited up for action in her wetsuit. But no one seemed to object to her freeloading.
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