Five-day festival of sailing.

April is the month of the West Coast’s largest sailboat only show and a major rendezvous for sailors west of the Mississippi. Show goers can visit over 100 sailboats, from one-person dinghies to classic Tall Ships, take part in on-the-water activities for sailors of all ages, attend a wide range of entertaining and informative seminars lead by notable experts, and see gear and equipment from a worldwide collection of over 300 exhibitors. Pacific SAIL EXPO® (PSE) is in its eighth year at Jack London Square in Oakland. It is centrally located where Amtrak, Ferries, Bart and the airport are all close at hand. Surrounded by restaurants and hotels on both sides of the protected deep water of the Oakland Alameda Estuary.

The show includes ample opportunity to get out on the water and go sailing. Even for those who have never stepped foot on a sailboat before can head to Discover Sailing, a national introduction-to-sailing program. Newcomers to the sport can head out for a 45-minute cruise with an expert skipper. Passengers can crew to pitch in for a hands-on experience or sit back and enjoy a leisurely sail to experience the lifestyle of sailing. Discover Racing returns for the second year. Sailors can hop onboard small fast keelboats to get a fun introduction to the competitive and very social side of the sport of sailing. Discover Sailing and Discover Racing are also an excellent way for sailors to introduce family members or friends to sailing and watch the smiles grow.

The romance of classic boats comes to Oakland giving show attendees and participants a chance to step back in time to an era when ocean-going sailing vessels were the only means of traveling from continent to continent. A special section of classic yachts are available for tour. The largest vessel in the display is the 103-foot Tall Ship Hawaiian Chieftain, a replica of a 1790s northern European trading ship. A section for mid-sized classics (35 to 50 feet in length) will be included, as well as an on-land showcase for smaller designs. The scuttlebutt is that the Chieftain was sold and her long time owners Lynn and Ian with transfer due to occur in June. Come say good bye to the Bay Area’s favorite pirate ship of old with a steam stack in her mast. A fine lady indeed.

Learn from experts and globe-trotting cruisers. Part of what makes this event a must see event are the many by a host of experts and voyagers who spend their lives afloat. They have come to the Pacific Sail Expo to share their stories, their passion for sailing, and their expertise in seminars that are free with the price of admission. There are over 80 seminars with a wide variety of interesting subjects every day of the 5 day show. The range has subjects of interest for all levels. Navigation, cruising destinations, weather forecasting, and the compelling stories of voyagers with endless-summer lives are among the topics included in the schedule. Gary Jobson who was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame this year, Randy Repass who started West Marine and guided it from its humble garage beginnings to a chain of over 200 super stores for boaters had a cutting edge boat built for his personal cruising with his family. The 65’ double handed Cat ketch, designed by Tom Wylie, will also be at the show. The list of luminaries of the personalities to see hear and meet is truly stunning.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at a discount at www.sailamerica.com or by calling 1-800-817-SAIL (7245). Tickets are $12 on weekdays ($9.60 in advance) and $15 on weekends ($12 in advance). Show hours are Wednesday, 12 noon - 7 PM; Thursday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM; Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM.