Product Description

Sailing The Bay is a complete survey of San Francisco Bay: tide, wind, folkways, mores, the places to go, the ocean outside, the bruises, the beauty, and the inside line. Here is everything you need to know to be a complete sailor on San Francisco Bay.

Kimball Livingston's writing is packed with the spirit and the canny tales of a water rat who has sailed the bay upside down and sideways. The author also gives rein to his scientific, analytical side, and he draws upon the best talents of the time, relating their favorite "holds and escapes" for the challenging winds and tides of the region. Whitbread winner Paul Cayard writes the foreword, Olympian Jeff Madrigali speaks on racing strategies for the Berkeley Circle, and U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Ralph Ta-Shun Cheng addresses the interplay between wind and tide, for example.

Cruisers will find a guide to favored destinations from Petaluma on the north to Alviso on the south. But, Sailing The Bay reaches beyond the nuts and bolts of racing moves and overnight anchorages to embrace the characters and events that have "made" San Francisco Bay. If you want to be a savvy sailor, you need this book. If you want to share in the traditions of San Francisco Bay, you have to have it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317417 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-22
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
"A stirring and magical addition to any ship's library." -- SAIL, August, 1998

"We've said it before and we'll say it again: the best book, bar none, on San Francisco sailing is Kimball Livingston's Sailing The Bay. Those of you who lost out on finding rare used copies (we jealously guarded ours) will be happy to know that Livingston's pole-on-the-headstay prose in the new edition captures our sport and passion as no other book has." -- Latitude 38, June 1998

From the Author
There are three rules of sailing: Starboard has right of way over port, leeward has right of way over windward, and when somebody says, `Heads up', put your head down.

About the Author
Paul Cayard says, "Like all good writers, Kimball has done what he writes about." Livingston has cruised muddy backwaters in small boats, he's crossed oceans on grand prix racing machines, he's listened to everything anyone ever had to say about sailing on San Francisco Bay, and he's brought it all together with a love for the English language. Here, he writes as a sailor for sailors, but this is one sailor who never met a boat he didn't like, whether it was powered by wind, oars, diesel, jet fuel, or a tall tale. He's as fascinated by the brief but brilliant history of windsurfing as he is by the musings of Pliny the Elder or the quips of Mae West (and vice versa), and he's not afraid to throw everything into the pie.

Customer Reviews

Beyond Sailing the Bay
While the focus of this book is on sailing San Francisco Bay this book offers much to all travel on the bay whether in kayak, windsurfer, powerboat or sailboat. Full of nautical and maritime history and lore. Marine articles from local newspapers. Plenty of tips on wide range of conditions one can expect on the bay (wind and the fog). Full of tips on the different micro bays (West Bay, North Bay, San Pablo Bay, the Delta, Sausalito, East Bay, South Bay and Beyond the Golden Gate Bridge (aka Potato Patch) within the San Francisco Bay. Included are harbors and boat launches located throughtout San Francisco Bay. While I learned to sail in San Francisco as a child, I have done most of my sailing in Southern Cal which is a lot calmer than San Francico Bay so this book is valuable resource for anyone who want to enjoy and challenge the conditions of the San Francisco Bay area waterways! Cheers!