Sinking Boat in Berkeley Marina

There is something wrong with the picture above. If you look dead center in the middle of the photo you'll see something that no boater would wish on his worst enemy. Coincidentally, I was taking my 1979 28' Uniflite Mega to the ship yard at Berkeley Marine (www.berkeleymarine.com) this weekend to have a potential leak inspected when I spotted a sinking boat in the marina. I can't say I didn't get a little choked up when I saw it as this is a reminder to all boaters who keep their vessels in the water to be vigilant about the proper functioning off all bilge pumps, float switches, batteries, battery chargers and shore power connection.


With all the recent rain lately in the Bay Area it is critical to check on your boat regularly and very shortly after any heavy rain. I was fortunate to have caught the broken float switch in my boat after a trip to Sausalito. Had I not caught the problem, and my aft float switch went out as well, my boat could have ended up just like this one. I tried imagining what I would do if I came upon my boat in this condition and could not even fathom what my reaction would be.



Some people will look at this photo and just see a sunken boat. Boat owners look at this and see a whole lot more. Time, money, life experiences and even a home, for some of us, slowly making its way to the bottom of the harbor. Other people will say that he should have done this, or should have done that, but any boat owner knows that this could just as easily happen them.



I just hope that anyone who happens to read this makes that extra trip down to their boat to check their bilges, float switches and shore power connection. That little bit of extra time will save you thousands of dollars not to mention all the heartache that no doubt follows an incident like this.


The cost of repairing any of the aforementioned items is minor in comparison to the cost of having your boat raised from the bottom and then hauled off to the junkyard. If you can't do the work yourself or afford to take it to the ship yard hire a local contractor. I've had a lot off success with finding good, affordable contractors under the Services section on Craigslist (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/bbb/) or on the bulletin boards at the harbor master's office.

Weekend in Sausalito

My wife and I spent the three-day weekend on our 28' Uniflite Mega at Schoonmaker Point Marina in Sausalito: http://www.boatingsf.com/copage.php?co=3

We left the Berkeley Marina at 1:30PM on Saturday and arrived just before 3:00PM. It's only 9 miles to Sausalito but it was a nice day and we were in no rush. The Schoonmaker Point Marina is at, and on the immediate left of, Channel Marker #6 in Richardson bay.



The facilities were excellent and the Harbor Master very nice and accommodating. The cost was $1/foot + $3/night for electric. The only downside was that the bathroom/shower facilities were a bit of a hike from the guest slips but very nice. The only other thing that bothered us was that the gate to the guest dock is not locked at any time. I don't think security is an issue in Sausalito, especially when you're coming from Oakland! FYI - Larry Ellison's yacht (http://www.boatingsf.com/photopage.php?photo=1232) Ronin is no longer berthed at Schoonmaker. According the Harbor Master he's moved the yacht down to San Diego where he's selling it for a measly $98 million dollars!

We made reservations for Saturday night at Sushi Ran (http://www.sushiran.com/) which had some of the most incredible (but pricey) sushi we've ever had. Oddly enough, the appetizers were really what made the meal. If you're ever there try the Ahi Poki and the Vege Sampler (incredible).


We spent most of Sunday wandering around downtown looking around and browsing some of the local artist studios. I tried, in vain, to find a decent sports bar to try and catch the New England / San Diego playoff game but apparently no such thing exists in Sausalito. Apparently the closest thing available is the local dive bar Smitty's (http://www.smittysbar.com/) but the wife wasn't sold on it so we settled for a touristy looking restaurant called Horizons (http://www.horizonssausalito.com/) which had an incredible view and probably the largest calamari appetizer we've ever had in our lives. The bartender was very nice and filled us in on some local knowledge and gossip. Too bad the Chargers lost!



Sunday afternoon the beginnings of a storm showed up with cold air and colder winds. We spend the rest of the day and night hunkered down in the cabin with the heater on full blast watching movies. The trip back on Monday morning was a little wet but at 9:00AM there was nobody on the Bay celebrating MLK day - at least not yet.


Sausalito is an incredible place and I highly recommend anyone with a boat to take advantage of the guest slips available at the many marinas there. There are plenty of restaurants and bars, shopping and even a West Marine at the Clipper Yacht Marina. We will definitely be going back once the weather warms up.