Suisun City Marina Welcomes Back Sailors, and Latitude 38

Suisun City Marina lies on the edge of one of the Delta’s hidden gem cities, Suisun City. For much of 2020, the marina, like many other facilities in the world, was mostly closed. Fortunately for the staff, the office was still “open,” albeit behind closed doors. The city-owned marina was experiencing a severe downturn in business, and those sailors and boaters who did venture forth for some time on the water had to book ahead and “let themselves in” or make an appointment. Now, however, the tides have turned and Suisun City Marina is again open for business as usual (keeping in mind what “business as usual” means these days).

“Everything was done remotely,” Suisun City Marina and Waterfront Events Manager Janet Hull told us. “People would book online through Dockwa.com or Marinas.com and we’d leave the keys in the dock box, or they’d arrange a time to pick them up.”

One of the indicators of a busier and more active community, apart from boats showing up at the dock, is that the marina is once again stocking bundles of Latitude 38 magazines (stand by for shameless self-promotion). Janet said they would have one or two people knock on the door from time to time to ask for the magazine, but not enough to warrant stocking them. But now that more people are moving around again, the marina is happily receiving and distributing the issues.

While visitor numbers have certainly improved, Janet speculates that people are still hesitant,”or they’re used to not going anywhere.”

To help keep everyone’s spirits alive during what has been an arguably dark time, the marina hosted a few socially distanced events for their patrons and occasional guests. During the summer they held a concert series, and in late spring they hosted a Boat-In Movie night, featuring Jaws.

“People tied up at the dock or anchored a little farther out. We erected a 36-ft inflatable screen and transmitted the sound through FM radio. People then tuned in on their FM radio.”

The movie night turned out to be a great success despite its small audience. And even the weather cooperated, failing to deliver the strong winds forecast in a small craft advisory.

Suisun City Marina is now seeing the improvements on a greater scale as events return to the city itself. “We have a guest dock where people can tie up and walk to downtown for restaurants, and this weekend there is a car show in town,” Janet added.

If you’re looking for new places to visit, and you’ve never been to this corner of California, check it out. Here’s a map to help you find your way.