A Sunday passage up the Petaluma River — one of the Bay Area's most scenic and underappreciated waterways.
There are places on San Francisco Bay that most sailors never reach.
The Petaluma River is one of them.
Tucked into the northern reaches of San Pablo Bay, the river winds through marshland and small-town waterfront before arriving at the historic downtown of Petaluma. It's a passage that rewards patience and curiosity.
We made the trip on a Sunday in early March, departing Alameda in the morning and working our way north through the Bay, past the Richmond Bridge, and into San Pablo Bay.
The wind was light and variable — typical for early spring — and we motored more than we sailed on the way up. But the scenery made up for it. Egrets in the marsh grass. A harbor seal watching us from a buoy. The quiet of a waterway that doesn't see much traffic.
Petaluma's turning basin is small, and docking requires attention, but the town is worth the effort. We walked the waterfront, had lunch, and spent a few hours exploring before heading back south with the afternoon breeze filling in behind us.
The return passage was everything the morning wasn't — a broad reach across San Pablo Bay with the wind on our quarter and the boat moving well.
If you've never sailed the Petaluma River, put it on your list. It's one of the Bay Area's quiet gems.
Wonder awaits. Seize it.