The Split Personality of the Oakland Estuary

Life presents many paradoxes, and the Oakland Estuary is at the center of one of them. It’s both a beautiful natural resource near the hub of one of the richest regions in one of the richest states in the richest country in the world, and it is also at the center of the homeless problem, and for sailing, the growing problem of neglected boats that are surrounded by an active sailing community. Can we reconcile or resolve this incompatibility?

We continue to receive too many photos of boats that litter the Oakland Estuary. In the photos above, the boat in the foreground was temporarily aground on the shore with another “permanent” wreck in the background. Apparently, the boat in the foreground was able to get itself off and may again be illegally anchored in the Estuary. While it’s a shame these boats and their owners face these struggles, it’s not the whole story of the Estuary or all the boats built in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

The sail insignia of the grounded boat is a Newport 41. Many of these were built in the ’70s and ’80s. They can be purchased inexpensively and provide many more years of sailing for many more people. The caveat is that you need to find legal berthing and insurance, and to be able to maintain the boat. Hopefully you can do this with the help of friends.

The other side of the story is of the numerous boats that are out sailing the Estuary all the time. These three Santana 22s were all out sailing in Island Yacht Club’s Island Days Series. This is the ultimate inexpensive, close-to-home island escape on the Bay. Owning, maintaining, and sailing a Santana 22 on the Estuary can be incredibly affordable, especially if you share the boat with friends. The busy lanes of I-880 are just a quarter-mile away, but that quarter-mile makes a world of difference if you’re on a sailboat.

Images of past Summer Sailstice celebrations at the Encinal Yacht Club help tell a very different story of the Estuary. This is where kids spend the summer sailing small boats in youth programs and jump off the boats or docks to swim or splash, play, and explore the shoreline in warm summer weather. We’ve cruised into Grand Marina for weekends and jumped in for a very comfortable swim along the shoreline. There are often many other swimmers out there. The Estuary is also full of paddlers, rowers and many other water-sport enthusiasts.

We hear people talking about how expensive sailing is while sipping a $16 glass of wine at a pizza restaurant. Many of the sailors on the Estuary are likely trading that pricey glass of wine for a full $16 bottle of wine with friends outdoors on their sailboats. You don’t have to tip or pay corkage on the $16 bottle of wine either.

We’ve shown far too many photos of the continuing problems of derelict boats littering the Estuary shoreline. There appears to be growing momentum and funding set aside to once again begin cleaning them up. In the meantime, with summer right ahead, no one should overlook the many affordable boats sitting idle at local marinas that can provide access to sailing in one of the Bay Area’s cherished natural resources.