Bill, I live in Missouri now, but when I lived in Vallejo, Ca, I sailed in most of the northern California lakes, San Francisco bay, and the delta. By far, I found the delta to be the most fun and interesting sailing and motoring. There are many nice launch ramps, marinas, restaurants, and anchorages, which, along with ideal sailing conditions most of the time, made the delta our favorite sailing location. At the Tower Marina, they even have an elevator, onto which you back your boat and trailer. You disconnect the tow vehicle and the elevator lowers your boat, and trailer into the water for launch. That is an interesting experience. There are other more standard ramps too, but you have to be careful, because some of them have electrical lines across the ramp, requiring you to raise the mast after the boat is launched. No big deal, just something to take into account. Once you are in the water, there are over 1,000 miles of waterways to explore. The more you explore, the more you want to see what's around the next bend. There are lots of places to tie up and have lunch, whether you bring your own, or want to experience gourmet dining at the many restaurants available by boat. It's nice to be in a world that's devoted to boats and boaters. The best part though, is the nice people you meet. Some of them are fellow boaters, while others are owners and workers at the boating facilities that cater to your every whim. My suggestion would be to drive up to the delta and spend a full day visiting some of the marinas and launch ramps. Get maps of the delta that show all the important facilities and destinations. Ask questions and get advice from the locals and then make your plans of where you want to launch and where you want to sail. Then, bring your boat up, launch, and enjoy yourself in a fun, but safe boating environment. We used to have everything packed and ready so that we could hook up to the boat on Friday after work and head up to the delta. We would launch and head to an anchorage where we'd spend the night. The best way to anchor in the delta is to drop a stern anchor about 50 feet from shore, nose in to shore and tie up to a tree or other vegetation. The next day was filled with sailing, swimming, and any other activities that tickled our fancies. We'd anchor out again for the night or stay at a marina that had a restaurant or night club for dancing. The next day we sailed back to our launch ramp and drove home, tired, but happy and looked forward to heading back up the next weekend. I think the most fun my admirable had was tooting the boat horn to raise the draw bridges. She said it was fascinating to know that she had enough power in one finger to stop traffic and raise a bridge. The delta was where I first launched my M-15. Even though I've sailed it in a lot of different places, I enjoyed sailing in the delta more than anywhere else. It's a good place to get your feet wet before trying more challenging places like San Francisco bay. You can get used to your boat without getting into much trouble, and if you do have problems or questions, there are always people close by to help or offer advice. If you'd like to hear specifics about some of the other sailing locations near you, let me know and I'll tell you what my experiences were at those locations. There are some unique things to do at some of those places that are really enjoyable. For example, at Lake Oroville, there were floating campsites you could rent. You had to reach them by boat and they were floating two story platforms with a restroom and cooking facilities. I've never seen anything like that anywhere else (although I'm sure do exist somewhere). I sure hope you can get some sailing in somewhere, but I think you would be happier and feel more secure if you tried the delta first. Let us know about it when you finally get Tipperary in the water. I know you'll enjoy it no matter where you get to do it. Bill Day BILLAMICASR@aol.com wrote:

Hi all, Some of you will recall I was poised to buy a new M-15, when Tipperary" my M-17 came up for sale. Since purchase, I've been unable with time, confidence or crew to launch her in the San Francisco Bay. On days that the wind would co-operate (5-15 knots) I had no time. On days where I had lots of time the wind was just to strong and intimidating (15 -25 knots) for a new boat sailor. Be that as it may, I've decided to get used to her OR get rid of her. So now, I'm on a quest. Beginning tomorrow, I'm off to go sailing. I'll be sticking to lakes in Northern California, Oregon and possibly Washington and gone until the middle of July. By then I'll either keep my M-17 or she'll be for sale or trade for a nice M-15. Bill M-17 "Tipperary" _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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Bill: I would consider trading my M15 for an M17. --Gary Hyde N24 'Sailabration' M15 #235 'Vanilla' . On May 30, 2005, at 8:06 AM, BILLAMICASR@aol.com wrote:

Hi all, Some of you will recall I was poised to buy a new M-15, when Tipperary" my M-17 came up for sale. Since purchase, I've been unable with time, confidence or crew to launch her in the San Francisco Bay. On days that the wind would co-operate (5-15 knots) I had no time. On days where I had lots of time the wind was just to strong and intimidating (15 -25 knots) for a new boat sailor. Be that as it may, I've decided to get used to her OR get rid of her. So now, I'm on a quest. Beginning tomorrow, I'm off to go sailing. I'll be sticking to lakes in Northern California, Oregon and possibly Washington and gone until the middle of July. By then I'll either keep my M-17 or she'll be for sale or trade for a nice M-15. Bill M-17 "Tipperary" _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats