Home	New Year 2014 'Round Alameda Parade 1/1/2014

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

Great way to start off our 40th year - a new record of 29 people representing 11 Islanders in the January 1st 'Round Alameda Circumnavigation Parade! Starting just before 1000 hours, channel 72 fired up with boats checking in, and before you could count there were 8 Islanders on the water and heading for the three bridges that separate the main docking area from the most tempting feast at Aeolian Yacht Club at the shallowest point around Alameda Island. Here's your list of who showed up:

It's called various names: " 'Round The Island Parade"; " 'Round Alameda Parade"; or just the New Year's Day Island Circumnavigation. There's talk of visiting "all six yacht clubs", and "getting your circumnavigation" certificate. But, whatever the name, it can be great fun when conditions are right. Despite being able to find just about anything on the Internet these days, even going to individual yacht club web sites don't fill in the picture very much.

At best,there's the claim for "6 yacht clubs" and you can check for yourself what they do (or don't) say about this annual event. They include: Island Yacht Club, Oakland Yacht Club, Encinal Yacht Club, Alameda Yacht Club, Aeolian Yacht Club, and Ballena Bay Yacht Club. Whatever it is,however, it's fun!

For those that have not been there before, let's start with some basics. Alameda, CA is actually an island, just west of Oakland, separated by the Oakland Estuary. While the Estuary, particularly at it's entrance, is wide and deep enough for 1000' container ships, when it narrows at it's eastern end where three bridges connect it to Oakland, it's quite narrow and getting shallow fast. At the southeastern end, at San Leandro Bay, it's connected to Bay Farm Island - where Oakland Airport is located - by a 4th bridge. Going west from there into San Francisco Bay, there is an unmarked tidal slough that has 6-8 feet of water in a very narrow band and then a stretch of 2-4' of water to cross into the Bay itself. It's about 15.5 miles around the Island. Here's what it looks like on the chart:

Alameda - Overview

Alameda - Bay Farm

Alameda -Little channel

As you can see, there's not enough water to take 6' of draft out into San Francisco Bay at low tide. At least 5' of tide is necessary, so that's the first requirement for a successful New Year's Day 'Round Alameda parade! It helps, of course, that high tide be at a convenient time -- this year's really high over 7' at 1122 was pretty close to perfect.

After a great stop at Aeolian YC, the fleet headed on to Balena Bay YC - successfully crossing the super shallows without a hitch. Your author peels off to head back to Brisbane since this "King Tide" day had a dark side - a minus 1.5' low tide that would prevent us from getting into our harbor! We'll add stories from those that easily headed on around and made the stops at Balena Bay and more back in the Estuary at Oakland, Encinal or Island YCs.

So enjoy the pictures and have a great 2014 season on the water.

Pictures so far by rick Van Mell ... expecting more to come! Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

Heading up ...	the South Bay ...	magnetic north ...	Teak is Watch Captain ...	headed for ALAENT (Alameda Entrance)
San Francisco is hazy ...	lots of big stuff ...	in the way ...	beat up ...	brand new ...
Georgeous!	New Bay Bridge Tower	Into the Estuary ...	standing guard ...	loaded ...
loading scrap ...	steel.	Matson Line for Hawaii.	Jack London Square.	Downtown Oakland.
Old SF lightship.	At Encinal YC ...	colors fly ...	nice reflection ...	GPS fix New year's Eve.
Encinal YC 1/1/14 ...	docaks are really high ...	dock parties start ...	ready to go ...	Freedom Won arrives.
Heading for the bridges ...	EVanescense	Califia ...	again.	Cassiopeia ...
Kit, Naomi & Yvonne.	Fantasy	Park Street Bridge	Fruitvale ahead ...	Judy & Dennis
Luna Sea ...	good crowd.	Close quarters ...	is no problem.	Great reds, Califia ...
Evanescense	OK, I agree.	Cassiopeia battle flag	Shallow ahead ...	stay in line ...
turn for Aeolian.	Lost gull	Easy now ...	Aeolian ahead ...	Luna Sea docks ...
Califia too ...	Natural High tucked in.	Naomi & Yvonne	John & Gene	A great spread at ...
Aeolian Yacht Club.	Ruby, Dan & Rob ...	Jim & Myphi	Sandy & Teak	Get your tickets for ...
delicious chili ...	and the fixins.	Laurie, Kathryn & Charles ...	plus Smokey.	Time to cast off ...
assemble for next leg ...	waiting for ...	Bay Farm Bridge ...	let's go!	Stay in line!

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