Fleet Week Notice to Mariners — Effective Now

One would think that there’s no way a fleet of F/A-18s could sneak up on us, but that’s exactly what happened. Fleet Week is this weekend, and the US Navy Blue Angels will once again take to the skies to show off their flying skills and stunts in the air over San Francisco Bay.

Fleet Week runs from October 9–11, with the Air Show taking place in the sky between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. It’s typically the busiest weekend on the Bay all year, as boaters will be out on the water, vying for the best viewing spot. Will you be among them?

The US Coast Guard puts together a notice to advise mariners of the restricted areas.

Here is a summary of the USCG notice. And a big thank-you to Latitude reader Peter Detwiler for tracking this down (it wasn’t an obvious find) and for sharing it with us, reminding us that the Air Show starts today.

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The US Coast Guard has enacted regulated areas (33 CFR 100.1105) and will be advertised by Local and Broadcast Notice to Mariners via VHF-FM Channel 22A. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and law-enforcement vessels will be patrolling the regulated areas to ensure all Fleet Week events are conducted safely. Please continue to monitor VHF-FM Channel 22A for real-time updates of enforcement for specific zones.

Regulated area “Alpha,” which is depicted on “Chart 1,” will be enforced on Friday, October 9th, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. [Yes, this has already begun.] Traffic will be restricted throughout most of the Central San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge, south of Alcatraz, to just south of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This is to accommodate the Navy Parade of Ships as they pass under the Golden Gate Bridge to their assigned moorings in San Francisco. No vessel will be permitted to cross the parade line or interfere with the safe transit of the parade participants in any way. A 100-yard protective zone will also be enforced around each naval vessel the entire time they are in the port.

Regulated area “Bravo,” which is depicted on “Chart 2,” will be enforced during the dates and times as noted on “Chart 2.” The enclosure to this flyer depicts the boundaries and coordinates of the most significant regulated areas. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that these areas be clear of all vessel traffic during the specified times for scheduled air shows.

The temporary buoys installed for the Air Show Box will be removed on October 12. The buoys at the Center and Northwest corner point will be partially obstructing the [eastbound] traffic lane and the buoys at the Northeast and Southeast corner will be partially encroaching upon the precautionary area east of Alcatraz Island. The locations of the temporary buoys are listed below:

Air Show Box

SW Corner: 37°48.612 N / 122°26.786 W

NW Corner: 37°49.113 N / 122°26.868 W

NE Corner: 37°49.389 N / 122°24.354 W

SE Corner: 37°48.888 N / 122°24.272 W

Center: 37°49.008 N / 122°25.590 W

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We can see that the charts pictured above are unclear. Unfortunately that is how they appear in the notice.

Anyone seeking further information, please visit https://fleetweeksf.org/.

As always, have fun, enjoy the show, and please be mindful of other vessels.