Features

Recently, after two decades of living in the East Bay, I finally got on a sailboat and cruised out beyond the Berkeley Municipal Pier. My friend Martin had bought a 17-foot dingy complete with two sails and some life jackets. He invited me on his maiden voyage through the jetties of the Berkeley Marina. I was hooked. 

I’d lived on the water as a child growing up along the New Jersey shore, and learned to swim, sail, and water ski at a young age. But since moving to the Bay Area, I haven’t had the opportunity to step off terra firma and dip into the water. Quite frankly, I’ve always thought it was too financially inaccessible to me, but when I heard that the City of Berkeley’s Marina Experience Program was holding its Bay Festival this past weekend, I jumped at the chance to see what they were offering. I even drove over to Hunter’s Point to pick up my friends Jernae and Brittnae so that they could join me. I didn’t want them to wait 20 years to enjoy one of the Bay Area’s most stunning natural resources. From their apartment in the projects off Third Street they have a gorgeous view of the water. It was high time they got on it. 

Our first order of business upon arrival at K Dock was to find Martin, who was offering free sailing rides on his dingy under the auspices of MADS, the Metropolitan Area Dingy Society, which provides a recreational therapy program for people with mental illnesses. We strapped on bulky orange life preservers and sailed out to the edge of the bay. Back and forth we tacked westward, then did a quick come-about and returned with the wind in our sails to the dock. 

Next, we signed up for the dragon boat ride, where we joined 20 other novice paddlers for a cruise around the marina in a 50-foot long canoe. We learned that dragon boat racing began in China 2,400 years ago and that the recreational Berkeley Dragons and the competitive Dragon Max team practice their skills at the Canoe Center on the marina. 

We wandered between the 30-plus tables set up along Marina Square, stopping at such diverse booths as the Berkeley Waterski Club, the Bay Nature Institute, the Bio-diesel Cooperative, and the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. We looked at tiny plankton through a microscope, petted the skins of walruses and seals, examined the odd, hairy-like teeth (baleen) of a whale. We checked out the food booths, sampling the fried calamari, clam chowder, and Thai barbecue while watching juggler Dana Smith and Lacey the Wonder Dog perform feats of inspiring acrobatics. We headed for the Cal Adventures Climbing Wall and then on to Adventure Playground, where we ran through the mazes, swung on the tire swings, pounded a few nails, and took several zips along on the trolley line. What fun! 

From there we explored a 70-foot giant nylon whale (sponsored by the Evelyn Roth Festival Arts program), and visited the inflatable planetarium run by Astrowizard Dave Rodrigues. We toured the newly opened Straw Bale Visitors Center, an 850-foot environmentally-friendly building constructed from recycled materials and powered by solar energy. We ended the day with our own personal rock skipping contest along Shorebird Park while we watched kayakers and sailboarders paddle and surf among the waves, accompanied by the hip swinging tunes of the All Star Cajun Band who were performing at Marina Square. 

The generosity of the participating groups was outstanding. We didn’t have time to explore the Berkeley Marine Police boat, take a complementary cruise on a Hornblower Yacht, or tour the historic Wallace Foss tugboat. But we made the most of a beautiful day on the water, sampling some of the many wonderful resources available close to home. The Berkeley Bay Festival occurs every spring. Next year, don’t miss it! 

The Berkeley Marina Experience Program can be reached at 862-3644 or on the web at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/marinaexp. 

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