As of the time of this article, the primary go-to spot for temporary mooring for recreational watercraft is under renovation. “Pier 1.5” is the floating dock located just south of the Hornblower pier, Pier 3. Pier 1.5 is an excellent location to moor vessels 40 feet and under for an hour or so and enjoy the waterfront restaurants. However, there are drawbacks to this location. It can get crowded on weekends, and the 100 feet of dock space fills up quickly. Additionally, large swells and fast currents can be a challenge for novice boat handlers. As mentioned earlier, there are vessel length restrictions (40 feet) and time constraints (1 hour).
Pier 15, located near the Exploratorium, would be an excellent spot to tie up, pick up and drop off, or make a food run if it weren’t for the prominent “restricted area” signs both on the water approach and at the top of the ramp. This dock serves as a primary location for the SF Water Taxi to tie up but is otherwise underused. Hypothetically, the author of this article may have used this dock multiple times in the past for quick guest embarkation, debarkation, or even a hypothetical pizza pickup spot.
Pier 39 does not permit temporary mooring or pick-ups and drop-offs. You can rent a guest berth for the day at $25 or for the night at $50, but you need to contact the office at least 24 hours before your arrival.
Hyde Street and Fisherman’s Wharf are both reserved for commercial activities. There are two interesting safe moorings in this area that may catch your attention. There is a fueling dock within this basin – Maxum Petroleum Fuel Dock – and there is a yellow zone for the SF Water Taxi, located just below the gate for Hyde Street Marina. These two places are not intended for recreational vessels to moor for any duration, not even for a quick passenger pick-up. But they are there, even if the gate for Hyde Street can only be opened from the inside without a key. The Argonaut Hotel, just across Jefferson St, has the nicest bathrooms on the entire SF Waterfront – simply smile at the concierge and head towards the restaurant as you enter. The rusted vertical ladder that leads to the water behind Cioppino’s exists in water that may be accessible at high tide, although one would have to be daring to tie up here, using various hardware onshore as cleats, and running across the street for a quick In-and-Out order – hypothetically, a few nimble deckhands could make this unconventional tie-up spot safer for one’s vessel. I’ve hypothetically never done this in a USCG 25’ Safe Boat.
Did you know that you can pay the National Parks Service to anchor in Aquatic Park? This is a public anchorage managed by the SF Maritime Museum. Contact them at: “Vessels entering Aquatic Park Cove are instructed to contact the Park’s permit officer on VHF marine radio channel 83A (157.175Mhz) using the call sign ‘Aquatic Park NPS,’ followed by transmission of the vessel’s name.” Alternatively, you can reserve an anchorage at recreation.gov for $10 per night. However, there are several downsides to Aquatic Park. Motoring is not allowed within Aquatic Park, except for an auxiliary motor aboard a “sailboat” for “navigation safety.” This rule essentially rules out drifting, paddling, or using a kedge anchor on a motor vessel. The Parks Service also regulates size limitations and lengths of stay. If you have the time, the skill, and a sailboat, I would highly recommend this cove!
Just south of Fort Mason is Gashouse Cove. The Kaplan family runs this great fuel dock, and of course they frown upon boaters using their dock for any reason other than fueling up. The small dock adjacent to gas house cove, with a gantry crane overhead, is littered with no mooring signs, even though it’d be a great place to park temporarily and jet across the street to the Safeway (a place once listed as the best place to meet women, according to Maxum Magazine, and SF Gate in its article “Shopping For Sex At The Supermarket / Marina Safeway: Hot or not?” stated the Safeway is “the new place to get cereal, milk and — apparently – laid.”
The marina within the gashouse cove basin, and the St. Francis Yacht Club and the other smaller docks before reaching Crissy Fields are all private and landing requires permission from the harbormasters or a slip holder. While there’s always opportunity to do quick stop-and-goes at some of these docks, I’d recommend not. It’s poor practice, not fair to the members, and could cause you or your vessel to be permanently banned from the facility. A quick stop and go directly below the St. Francis Club house, near where they launch their sailing skiffs, may be super easy, and you may even go unnoticed after working hours, but it’s not the proper thing to do.
Crissy Fields is a nice sandy place to land an inflatable skiff or paddleboard. If one was to safely and properly anchor in one of the many safe places along the waterfront, Crissy Fields, as well as many other spots on the waterfront, becomes readily accessible to the boating world. This all just takes a bit more planning, effort, and sometimes muddy hands.
South of the Ferry Building there are interesting options too:
South Beach Harbor, by the Giants Stadium offers a 3 hour parking pass for vessels shorter than 50’. This is a $25 pass which is not well advertised and apparently rarely taken advantage of. The disadvantages of this pass include acquiring the pass the day of – which may be difficult. Size limitation again is an issue, and the price seems a bit steep. In addition, the harbor does not sell this pass on days the Giants play – so calendar management is a must.
Pier 40, just north of South Beach Harbor and within the same basin, is a public dock operated by the Port of SF. It does have a few commercial operations which use the dock as homebase, though space is generally available for pick-up drop-offs. Leaving your vessel unattended at this dock is a no go. There is a MSD pump-out station on site at the end of this dock, which just means you need to be courteous to your fellow boaters who are attempting to use the dock for that purpose. This area is extremely busy on sunny weekends.
Pier 52 is a great location to hang out on the waterfront. Like Pier 40, this is not a good place to leave your vessel unattended, though you can pick up friends here, you can pick up delivery here, and you can take a brief break from the helm here. This dock is open to the public, is beside a launch ramp, and is free. Pay attention to the tides if you have anything deeper than 4 feet, and be mindful of traffic pulling in behind you, as you may find yourself trapped between the dock and the historic pier to the East.
Meet the author…
Bradley Angle, owner and operator of Bay Captain, has published a handful of maritime biography, history and fiction books. He has spent 20 of his 22 years as a professional mariner on San Francisco Bay. His interest in the maritime extends beyond vessel operations. His passions include the social interactions one finds on the waterfront, the history of SF Bay, and dogs that surf.
