V15 Folks,
I went up to Bradford Island in the Delta to check out the BVBC's property
and see how suitable it would be for a V15 camping regatta in 2014.
The quick and dirty is that it is approximately 1:30 from the city. The
camping facility is awesome with lush grass, a great BBQ area, and actual
toilets. The sailing course is just off the docks, should have great wind
with flat water, but may experience occasional shipping traffic and
powerboats. The docks are rough but serviceable. BVBC would have to
install a wider ramp to accommodate V15 dollies, but they appear willing to
do this. I think it would make for an awesome venue.
Check out the BVBC page: http://bayviewboatclub.org/delta.html
BVBC Photos: http://bayviewboatclub.org/deltaphotos.html
The long:
We have been getting great turnout for Tomales Bay and there appears to be
renewed enthusiasm for Huntington. It seems that the short course weekend
camping regatta might be a sweet spot for the V15 fleet. John Super has
been trying to get us to hold a regatta on Bradford Island in the delta for
ages so I thought I would see if it was an appropriate site.
Bradford Island is about 1.5 hours from here in the Delta. It is
accessible only by ferry. People should be able to operate on a schedule
similar to Tomales where they arrive Friday afternoon (last ride at 5pm) or
Saturday morning (starts at 9am) and leave ~3pm Sunday afternoon. The
ferry holds 9 cars but they say they will make as many trips as necessary
to take the people in line. Fare is $8/car for a round trip. Getting on
and off the ferry is a little rough and I would recommend higher clearance
vehicles like trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. A low clearance vehicle would
likely bottom out. We will need to pack in everything for the weekend
including potable water. After the ferry stops running there will be no way
off the island except by powerboat.
Driving around the island there is a scattering of trees, scrub, and the
occasional cow pasture. I didn't see a single other vehicle on the road
the entire time I was out there! The BVBC campground is really beautiful,
"like a little oasis" as my friend said. It has lush well trimmed grass
openings dotted with willow trees and surrounded by enormous stands of
blackberries. There appears to be plenty of room for as many people as we
can muster. The facilities include a large concrete pad good for BBQing
and a set of remarkably civilized toilets. We would need to cook there,
but food is something we do well and I think that the camping, cooking, and
socializing would be a high point of this venue.
There is a large body of water directly off the dock that John assures me
gets great consistent breeze in the summer. A shipping channel goes
through it, but John states he would monitor vessel traffic and plan the
races accordingly. I don't believe this will impede safe and successful
racing. Another possible nuisance could be power boaters. It is hard for
me to judge how much they would interfere. From doing the DDR and spending
a weekend in a houseboat up there I believe they would be an occasional and
not constant nuisance.
The docks are the roughest part of the equation. They are dilapidated but
serviceable, capable of tying up a bunch of v15s over lunch. The launch
ramp is too narrow to accommodate a v15 and BVBC would have to expand it to
fit a v15 dolly. Staging could probably occur at the roadside immediately
adjacent to the dock as there appears to be essentially no traffic on the
island. We would just have to move trailers etc... into the campground
once boats were rigged.
John recommends late summer when the insects have calmed down. Sometime in
August seems best.
Here are my pics from Bradford Island:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/smwcrhr0o59f8c0/HB2_q-crSL#/
A few specific shots:
Looking out at the race course:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/smwcrhr0o59f8c0/HB2_q-crSL#lh:17-IMAG0121_ZOE006_SHOT.jpg
The campground from the road:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/smwcrhr0o59f8c0/HB2_q-crSL#lh:15-IMAG0124_ZOE006_SHOT.jpg
What do you think? Let's discuss this at the party this weekend. Let me
know what questions/comments/ideas you have.
Pete
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