Good Reasons To Sail South, Without Going to Mexico

Sailors have always dreamed of sailing south to warmer climes, though you don’t have to go all the way to Mexico to have a sailing-south experience. For many sailors in the North Bay, the far reaches of the South Bay remain an unexplored sailing destination. We attended the recent opening of Hurrica Restaurant, adjacent to Westpoint Marina, which will certainly add to the draw along with boat shows, regattas and the upcoming opening of The Club at Westpoint.

As advocates of waterfront access, Latitude 38 always appreciates businesses that attract newcomers to the Bay. It’s very easy for all those wedged between 101 and 280 in Silicon Valley to be unaware that they live next door to one of the oldest seaports on San Francisco Bay. The Port of Redwood City is one of five working port districts in the Bay Area, which includes Oakland, San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento. The views from Hurrica’s outside dining overlooking the marina and surrounding sloughs will remind guests they are living in a waterfront city. These ports were the original gateways to California and remain one of each waterfront municipality’s best assets.

Today the area is known for chips, not ships. Though it wasn’t always that way. The first chips in Redwood City were wood chips from sawmills, and from the many shipyards along Redwood Creek that built ships for transporting redwood from the hills above to build the city of San Francisco. While the shipbuilding has stopped, this is still an active shipping port, and Westpoint Marina has added to the active South Bay sailing scene over the past couple of decades.

We liked Sharon Green’s shot of Hurrica V, above, from last fall’s Rolex Big Boat Series, and thought it would be a great cover for our November issue. Little did we know the woman waving, MeeSun Boice (sitting with Hurrica crewmember Jason Chan), was one of the partners in the new Hurrica Restaurant. The restaurant opening will be quickly followed by the opening of the newest yacht club on the Bay, The Club at Westpoint. The Club will occupy the second floor, above the restaurant. Hurrica Restaurant owners MeeSun Boice and chef Parke Ulrich are also owners of Mersea on Treasure Island. Ulrich is also Executive Chef/Partner at Waterbar and Epic Steak. Helming Hurrica kitchen is Executive Chef is Justin Baade, the former chef de cuisine at Waterbar.

The South Bay boasts warm, flat-water sailing, and is also home to several other marinas, Molly O’Bryan’s very active Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, and Sequoia Yacht Club, along with rowing, paddling and other water sports. The beauty of having a dining destination overlooking all this activity is that numerous people walking the shoreline and visiting for dinner can discover a world that would likely otherwise be hidden behind the 101 corridor.

Westpoint Marina will also be home to its second annual Pacific Sail and Power Boat Show, which this year will be held May 16-19. This show was held in Richmond prior to the pandemic, but now returns in the South Bay.

This year’s destination Westpoint Regatta will be held on Summer Sailstice weekend of June 22, so if you’re planning to race, make your reservations early. It is one of four races in the 2024 YRA Destination Regatta Series that also includes the Great Vallejo Race, the Half Moon Bay Race and the Encinal Regatta. Signing up for the series will also help you join a fleet of other racers exploring beyond the Central Bay. Treasure Island Yacht Club starts the race on the Bay and racers then head south finishing with celebrations at Westpoint Marina.

The local estuary is an incredible commercial and recreational resource located far from the perceived center of San Francisco Bay sailing. Mark Sanders’ perseverance at creating a first-class marina, along with the growth of the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation’s youth classes and Sequoia Yacht Club’s busy summer Wednesday night racing and midwinter series, are all helping energize the South Bay sailing scene.

When we visited for the restaurant opening a week ago, The Club at Westpoint, located upstairs, was not yet open. Final permits will have it opening soon for its already large roster of 200 members. The combination of a new restaurant, a growing boat show, and a destination regatta will help Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee reconnect the city to its roots as a seaport town.