The Secret’s Out:

The city of Richmond is well-known for its rich maritime history. Today the waterfront and surrounding area is flourishing with maritime activity catering to both the leisure and commercial communities.

Brickyard Cove Marina as seen from Harbor Channel in Richmond.

Published: September, 2006

Richmond’s Maritime is On Time

The city of Richmond is well-known for its rich maritime history. Today the waterfront and surrounding area is flourishing with maritime activity catering to both the leisure and commercial communities. From marinas offering stunning views of the bay and the San Francisco skyline, to deep water docks for larger ocean-going vessels, along with boating service and supply stores, yacht clubs, yacht sales and even a sailing school and club, the maritime industry is alive in the City of Richmond.

Butch Florey, president of Tradewinds Sailing School & Club, which has been operating in Richmond for over 30 years, says, Everybody that sails or boats in the bay knows that this is the Mediterranean area of the bay. It’s warmer, the winds don’t blow as hard and you can wear shorts. It’s the best kept secret of the bay, as far as I’m concerned.

Tradewinds Sailing School & Club offers a truly unique approach to learning how to sail. There are numerous sailing schools around the bay but once you learn to sail, you’re on your own. If you don’t own a sailboat, you have to pay to rent one every time you want to go sailing. Not at Tradewinds. Their sailing club offers you the opportunity to take out a sailboat as many times as you want for a monthly fee.

Florey compares it to the way a health club operates, You go down and join the health club, pay the fee and you use the equipment as much as you like. We just took that same concept and applied it to boating. You pay one fee and you can sail 30 days or 3 times in a month. We’ve made it economical so you don’t have to be a millionaire to go sailing.

And, the sailing school has produced a need for the club. Over 50 percent of our people wouldn’t be able to go sailing if it wasn’t for this program. Florey says, It wouldn’t be in their budget. He also feels that because of this program, Tradewinds’ students become excellent sailors because they don’t have any restrictions, economically, as to how often they can go out sailing. If they sail more, they just get better.

The prices are kept reasonably low because it’s a boat sharing program, not a rental program; all members share the club boats with each other, and there’s a sense of ownership so they take care of the boats. Members keep the boats in good sailing condition by cleaning them after each use and reporting issues before they become an expensive fit. Florey says, We do it the old-fashioned way; we just have a lot of fun and make it affordable for everybody.

Why not experience more reputable Maritime Industry Businesses located along and around Richmond’s scenic waterfront areas, such as:

Bay Marine Boat Works is a full service boatyard specializing in fiberglass & wood repairs, topside and bottom painting, sandblasting, welding, electrical and mechanical repairs.

2. Brickyard Cove Marina

Private harbor with over 70 covered and uncovered berths and a fuel dock. Access is at the end of Santa Fe Channel in Richmond Harbor.

Foss operates the largest, most modern fleet of tugs on the West Coast and provides a full range of marine transportation services, including harbor services, ocean towing, shipyard and terminal services.

KKMI is a complete Marine Service facility, an internationally recognized yacht brokerage, a world-class boatyard and an on-site marine store committed to providing the highest quality products and services at the most competitive prices.

Private bulk cargo marine terminal and short-line railroad, interchanging with the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Sante Fe, and offering import/export services and deep water berthing.

7. Mackay Marine

Providing complete solutions for maritime navigation and electronic communications systems, including 24-hour, on-site repairs anywhere on the Bay Area – systems solutions that are readily integrated and quickly operational in commercial and military shipping applications.

An 845-slip marina located in a deep-draft harbor and surrounded by the Bay Trail and four parks. Amenities include Salute Ristorante, Aminis’ by the Bay and the Marina Bay Yacht Club.

Passage Yachts has a full-service brokerage and new sailing and power yachts from Beneteau, Island Packet and Wauquiez. They focus on customer service, in-house financing and have an award-winning service department, and that helps make doing business a pleasure.

A private club located at the north end of the Santa Fe Channel. Always accepting applications for new members.

Custom service sailmaker for all types and sizes of sailing craft.

Since its inception in 1932, the Richmond Yacht Club has been the home of sailors and has developed a reputation as the ‘sailingest’ club on the Bay. Come join us for sailing and fun!

RYH, Ltd. is a small privately-owned yacht harbor on the Santa Fe Channel in Pt. Richmond, approximately 35 minutes by water to San Francisco and five minutes by auto to all three major San Francisco Bay bridges. Quiet, deep water accommodates boat sizes of 20-75 feet. Marine architect and custom repairs on site.

Sailboat: deck hardware; complete rigging service.

SugarDock is a uniquely configured full-service, deep-water dock offering the convenience of fueling, provisioning, watering and repairing alongside a new 1/4-mile-long concrete apron – with the ability to service those larger ocean-going vessels most harbors are unable to berth.

www.swedishmarine.com

California’s #1 heating & refrigeration store.

Tradewinds has more than 40 years of experience making sailing easy and enjoyable to learn. Offering a professional training program and affordable rental and charter programs to members.

The country’s leading retailer of boating supplies and accessories with more than 400 stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. West Marine’s catalog and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products and the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet purchases at retail stores.

Photo by Joel Williams / Map Illustration by www.fagraphics.com