Treasure Island was built up from Bay dredgings in the late 1930's for the World's Fair. Between the man-made island and Yerba Buena Island an isthmus with a road was built to connect the two. The Oakland Bay Bridge was also constructed at that time. See my video for more history.
Today the isthmus supports a sandy beach on the West of Clipper Cove with a rocky forested area to the South where the Bay Bridge connects, and Treasure Island to the North. The anchorage is protected from all but the East where it opens into the Bay, but East winds are extremely rare. Thus it is considered to be an all-weather anchorage.
The Island is a wonderful place to explore. On the map below I have circled the Treasure Island Marina (Almar) and deli at the lower left, the winery adjacent, and the inexpensive bar and grill that has a great outdoor patio.
Here is my Ranger 29 Joy anchored at Clipper Cove on October 14, 2011:
The Marina has locked docks not accessible to transient boaters, but you can dinghy over to the Treasure Island Marina dinghy dock and pay $10 to use it. The other options are to either rent a transient slip for $1/foot/day (decent price), or to dinghy ashore to the beach on the isthmus. Dinghy theft has been a problem even for people who chain up their dinghies and then take the bus into San Francisco for the day. One sailor who left his dinghy chained without oars on the beach had his dinghy cut free with bolt cutters by kids who were swept out into the Bay without oars and had to be rescued. At least he got it back! Without a dinghy it's a cold swim back to your boat! In any case, I suggest using the dinghy dock or taking a slip if you plan to bus into San Francisco.
However, if you want to anchor and avoid any fees while exploring Treasure Island, for best security leave your outboard motor on the boat, row to the beach, chain up your dinghy to a tree, remove the oars and take them with you, and keep an eye on the dinghy from ashore. Many boaters find this more attractive than the funky marina dinghy dock.
If you plan to stay more than 24 hours, you must call the Treasure Island Development Authority (Ph. 415-274-0382) and give them the information they will want about you and your boat
.
Here is the patio at the Treasure Island Bar and Grill. Good view of everything, and with a short walk you can check your dinghy.
APPROACH FROM THE BAY: Clipper Cove is shallow. Today because of the new Bay Bridge construction there has been no dredging for some time and the big shoal from Yerba Buena Island toward Pier One at the entrance has become more of a grounding hazard than before. On my sail to Clipper Cove in September, 2011, I had barely 4 feet under my keel in the entrance channel on the North side, and my Ranger 29 draws only 4.5 feet. If you draw 6 feet or more, you can easily run aground, so wait for high water or flood tide to enter or leave. Really big yachts anchor outside the Cove in the designated anchorage on the Bay.
Here is the best route to follow from entrance to anchorage area. The charted depths shown for low tide are probably more accurate for high tide, so keep one eye glued to the depth sounder and proceed slowly. The area shown in the red ellipse is the most protected anchorage. Use a soft-mud anchor like Danforth (I use Manson Supreme), but in fall warmer waters there may be weedy growth on the bottom, so a plow type anchor might be better.
The best times to anchor in Clipper Cove for a little solitude are weekdays. On weekends and holidays there are often many boats and raft-ups with little choice where to anchor. Note how other boats are anchored and swinging--usually with just a bow anchor--and fit yourself in. If you anchor close to shore, I suggest a kellet to limit your swing, which could otherwise result in a grounding off the beach.
PROBLEMS AND ISSUES:
For several decades Clipper Cove was a blighted anchorage filled with abandoned boats.The Cove has only recently been cleared. Almar is developing the Treasure Island Marina with plans to expand the docks and facilities. Currently, however, they are very funky. Here is the harbormaster's building with bathroom facilities. His office is open from 10 AM to 4 PM Wednesdays through Sundays. Don't be put off by the dilapidated appearance. Basic infrastructure is sound.
The Treasure Island Yacht Club shares the dinghy dock with Almar. Here is the clubhouse:
Much of Treasure Island is being developed out of its "old town" buildings, such as the one the Winery has taken over. Don't expect charm and completion.
On the Northeastern part of the Cove you will find the Treasure Island Sailing Center. It has a huge fleet of J24's that criss-cross the shoaled opening to the Cove on late afternoons. Below is a photo of a few J24's, but on weekend mornings and much of the day there can be literally scores of them making entry in the Cove tricky for keel boats. As you try to avoid collisions, don't be forced onto the shoal areas near the pier or across most of the entrance from Yerba Buena Island! Procede slowly and the J24's will keep their distance as you negotiate the thin water channel I show on the chart above.
Finally, not all boaters who anchor in Clipper Cove are experienced--especially some of the power boaters. On my latest visit to Clipper Cove a retired couple drove their little Camano trawler up next to me, pushed a button, and dropped a tiny Bruce anchor and chain no more than fifty feet from where I had dropped mine. In 17 feet of water they had put out a scope of perhaps 2:1. This in spite of the fact that all the other boats had anchored at least two hundred feet apart and taken account of their swing in the anchorage environment--which included monohulls, a trimaran, and power boats, each of which swings differently.
The evening was very calm, so we could have all been temporarily anchored to bricks and done fine. But it was full moon spring tides and some weather was forecast to come in later that night. So after watching how the Camano swung relative to my boat, I shortened scope from 5:1 to 4:1 and dropped an 18lb kellet to hold my rode and chain to the bottom to limit my swing even more. Sure enough, by 2 AM we were being whipped around in strong tidal currents and the wind was blowing about 15 knots. The fellow in the Camano raised anchor and motored to within fifty feet of the beach and anchored again in perhaps 8 feet of water and out of my swinging range. He probably thought I was dragging into him!
Remember, anchor with consideration for all the other boaters. Observe how they have anchored and do the same. In Clipper Cover, everyone swings to one bow anchor, so don't set bow and stern anchors or you might get whacked! And be certain when tide and wind come to stretch your rode out to full scope you won't swing into another boat. In Clipper Cove with 20 to 10 feet of water over mud, use about 3X depth for an all-chain rode and 5X depth for chain and rode along with an anchor that bites well into mud. Once your anchor is set, that amount of scope will be good for most situations.
THE VIDEO: Here is an informational video I made of my recent anchorage at Clipper Cove:
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