SPRING 2025 NEWS AND HAPPENINGS
2025 is shaping up to be a massive year for Bay Area boardsports. We’re talking first-ever downwind SUP races from the Golden Gate Bridge to Berkeley, another killer King of the Cove big air event at Ocean Beach, the 5th Annual Expression Session at Sherman Island, the return of the Wild Wind Film Festival, world-class racing out of the St. Francis, and a big infusion of funds from Boardsports California to help upgrade your local launches. Add in swap meets, opening days, and gear demos—and the calendar is officially full.
At the same time, we’re in a time of major transition—politically, environmentally, and physically—and while the water can still be our sanctuary, the shoreline is increasingly contested. Environmental rollbacks, development pressures, sea level rise, and erosion are putting the squeeze on our launches. Whether it’s Crissy or Alameda, 3rd or Sherman, Toll Plaza, Candlestick, Berkeley, or Treasure Island—just about every launch is in need of a redesign, a defense, or both. This is the unglamorous, essential work of the SFBA: advocating with city, state, and federal agencies to preserve and improve access. But we can’t do it without your help. Support safety and access by becoming a member, and we urge you to get involved at your favorite local sites.
👉 Click Here to Become a Member of the SFBA Today!
WHAT’S ON DECK IN 2025
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Crissy Field Swap Meet
,p>Saturday, April 26 | Crissy Field, East Beach, SF
Hosted by the SFBA, in memory of Crissy Field sailor and street-sailing pioneer Jean Rathle.
It kicks off at 9am and rolls until the wind takes over. Bring all the gear: windsurfing, kites, wings, SUPs, downwind gear, streetsailing rigs—make room in your garage for the new stuff!
📎 Event Link
👥 Follow Crissy Field Yacht Club
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Alameda Swap Meet
Saturday, May 17 | Boardsports Shack, Crown Beach
Co-hosted with Boardsports California.
Bring your gear and cheer and enjoy a great lunch on the largest sandy beach in the bay, courtesy of SFBA & Boardsports. High tide is at 5pm, so come share some food and community and plan on hitting the water in the late afternoon.
📎 Event Link
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The 5th Annual Sherman Island Expression Session & Opening Day
Saturday, May 31 | 11am – 6pm
Co-hosted with RVWA
🔥 Raffle prizes, 🔧 gear demos, 🍽️ great food, and
💨 more stoke than one launch can hold!
This event—with free skills clinics, racing and freestyle events, incredible food, great raffle prizes, silent auction items, and a day-long party—has become the largest boardsailing event in California! Kenny Adgate will be teaching an advanced wing clinic and parawinging, Andy Forquer will answer all your downwind SUP foiling questions, Michael Vare will run the legendary “Largest Wing Race in America,” and freestyle wingfoil phenoms Henry, Luca, and Kai will help you finally land that 360. There will also be a number of manufacturers demoing their gear all weekend. This is the one event of the season you don’t want to miss
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Wild Wind Film Festival + Season Bender
This year, we’ve partnered with Kimmy and Michaela, the film fest’s fearless leaders, to launch a Bay Area category—with a $1,000 prize for the best film showcasing our local boardsports scene.
So if you’ve been filming, start editing. If you’ve been talking about filming, start filming. This is your shot to show the world the unique flavor of the Bay Area wind scene.
📎 Submission Guidelines
Event date and venue dropping soon. Last year sold out fast—don’t sleep on tickets when they go live.
MAJOR INITIATIVES
🌊 Access: What We're Fighting For
The reality is this: virtually every inch of Bay shoreline is under threat or due for a redesign. And where decisions are being made, we show up—so that launches don’t just survive, but improve.
We're working with:
• The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC),
• The Bay’s leading environmental engineers and scientists,
• City planners and developers all over the bay area...
...to develop best practices in launch designs and make sure recreation at launch sites is a design priority, not an afterthought.
💸 Investing in Site Improvements
Working with Jane Cormier of Boardsports California, we’re helping allocate $150,000 in site improvement funds for high-impact upgrades to Bay Area launches!
🚧 Current Access Challenges
🚨 Critical Sites
• Berkeley: A city-backed ferry terminal at the old Berkeley Pier would devour all parking used by recreational users. The city tried to push this through using questionable parking and financial data—and bypass environmental reviews in the process. The SFBA helped build a coalition of residents, recreational users, and businesses to delay implementation, but this is far from over. Meanwhile, East Dock at the Marina is closed due to erosion and lack maintenance—blocking access to the South Basin.
• Candlestick: COVID-era vehicle relocation filled street parking near the launch. The park now closes at 7pm and floods frequently. SFBA’s Elena Ufimtseva continues to push for improved park hours, erosion control, and shoreline access.
• Toll Plaza (Radio Beach): After clearing an encampment in 2024, the Port of Oakland closed public access entirely. Rather than manage the site, they fenced it off. We’re fighting for a fair reopening plan—but progress is slow.
• Treasure Island: The City proposed a two-way toll and designs that completely ignored their BCDC obligations. We partnered with the Treasure Island Organizing Committee to push back, and the toll is now on hold pending “further analysis.” But don’t get too comfy—this one’s likely to come back.
🟡 Moderate/Mid-Term Sites
• Alameda: Ongoing erosion + emergency riprap = unsafe shoreline. We’re working with Boardsports, the BCDC, and the East Bay Regional Park District on a long-term fix that preserves safe access.
• Crissy, Ocean Beach & 3rd Ave: Erosion, rising seas, and conversations about seawalls are heating up. We’re advocating for smarter shoreline strategies—ones that balance ecological resilience with recreational access. (For a sobering look at the future: Baykeeper’s Shoreview).
⚠️ SAFETY REMINDER
As we fight to keep access open, let’s also keep each other safe.
• Check gear before every session
• Know your weather, tides, and exit points
• Use marine radios, especially at exposed sites
• Give newer riders space and help when you can
• Stay humble in changing conditions
🧭 Stay Connected
We’ll be sharing updates, event invites, and calls-to-action throughout the year.
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From all of us on the volunteer SFBA Board:
have fun, be safe, make friends—and make a difference in 2025.
Andrew Sullivan, President
Emily Prescott, Vice President
David Lyons, Treasurer
David Wells, Secretary Ben Botkin, Board Member
Russell Frink, Board Member
Mette Hansen, Board Member
Madeleine King, Board Member
Elena Ufimtseva, Board Member