Next Steps

This section provides identified priorities of the boardsailing community, in partnership with the SFBA and Bay Area Water Trail for site improvements to enhance access safety and quality for kiteboarders and windsurfers.

Overview of Recommendations

Recommendations are based upon input from the boardsailing community (Appendix A) and an analysis of the opportunities and constraints at each site (refer to Section 3.0). Feedback received during the public draft phase of this document will also be incorporated into the final document.

Strategic Priorities

Maintaining quality access and, where feasible, creating new access should be a priority for shoreline managers and regulators to encourage safe and sustainable boardsailing. Most recommendations are intended to enhance access at existing boardsailing locations, though continued growth and popularity of the sports may encourage provision of new access at suitable locations.

If implemented appropriately:

• San Francisco Bay could become a safer and more sustainable destination for boardsailors.
• Provide an important recreational amenity for a growing number of Bay Area residents.
• Will help cultivate a new generation of Bay stewards.

Implementation and Assessment

Recommendations to be provided in this section are intended to be conceptual, with an understanding that detailed site engineering, geotechnical constraints, and cost considerations may result in changes to the suggested design or approach to site enhancement.

Progress toward that goal will be assessed on a regular basis and shared in a public forum, such as the quarterly Water Trail Implementation Meetings and on the SFBA website and social media.

Issues impacting boardsailing access have been documented in Section 3. Based on this analysis, access issues have been categorized into three priority issue area - safety, infrastructure, and shoreline conditions - that the boardsailing community seeks to have addressed. SFBA and the Water Trail are committed to work collaboratively with shoreline owners and manager and other stakeholders in addressing identified concerns in an appropriately and timely manner.

Community

Boardsailors are among the most active users of the shoreline space in many of the locations discussed in Section 3, particularly during summer months. This frequent use and an already established sense of community at many sites makes boardsailors ideal stewards to monitor and encourage appropriate site use and to provide stewardship of site facilities and the local environment.

Safety

As boardsailing gains popularity, there is a growing need to introduce new boardsailors - and boardsailors new to a site - in a way that encourages sensible and safe behavior. Building as sense of community among boardsailors at each launch will continue to be critical in order to share best practices and discourage unsafe behavior that can jeopardize long-term use.

This is particularly critical to kiteboarding, as the equipment poses a greater potential for injury to the rider and other site users if not controlled properly. SFBA, concessionaires, online forums, and The 411 - a collective of local site stewards that was formed to improve safety and communication - all play an important role in building a community that proactively encourages safe practices and discourages use in more hazardous locations or conditions.

Stewardship

Those who recreate on the Bay are tangibly invested in quality access, clean water, and a thriving environment. The San Francisco Bay Plan notes that recreational activities on the Bay can “inspire an appreciation of the Bay and motivate people to participate in the responsible management and protection of the Bay”.

For decades, boardsailors have helped to maintain access at individual sites, while also advocating for broader policy, infrastructure, and habitat protection to enhance their “playground”. The SFBA and Water Trail are committed to supporting local community users to build-off of their success to assist in appropriate site maintenance, shoreline clean-ups, and encouraging environmental best practices.

Enhancement Priorities

There are many needed enhancements to water access across the Bay Area. This list is not intended to be comprehensive, but to provide a few of the higher priorities for enhancement based on the level of site use, boardsailor input, and conditions or severity of concerns at the site.

ENHANCING ACCESS

Albany Beach

Albany Beach, also known as “Race Track”, is a very important kiteboarding launch due to its sandy beach, exceptional winds, and central Bay location. Recent construction of the Bay Trail and other site improvements have and will significantly change how the site has historically been used. Encouraging design enhancements and site user eduction will be critical to ensuring safe, shared use of this popular beach.

ENHANCING ACCESS

Baywinds Park

Baywinds Park, also known as “Third Ave”, is the most heavily used boardsailing site on San Francisco Bay. Shoreline erosion has significantly narrowed the beach area in recent years, pushing boardsailors to rig closer to the riprarp along the Bay Trail and increasing potential risk during launching and landing. A multi-benefit project to protect and expand this beach access is critical to continued user safety and sustained use of this site.

ENHANCING ACCESS

Coyote Point

Coyote Point has been a popular boardsailing site for decades; however, recent projects have significantly impacted the quality of winds and access. Addressing access issues and planning for modified use of the site in response to altered wind conditions could help ensure a quality access experience.

ENHANCING ACCESS

Crissy Field

Crissy Field is a world-class boardailing site that has been heavily used by boardsailors for more than 40 years. The site’s current design was completed in close coordination with the boardsailing community, which resulted in a quality access design and user experience. Given the importance of this site for boardsailing, ensuring the redesign of Crissy Field continues to provide a safe and quality access experience is a top priority.

ENHANCING ACCESS

HS Lordships

Located in the southwestern portion of the Berkeley Marina, adjacent to the former-HS Lordships restaurant, an informal path has provided informal access for more advanced windsurfers for decades. Providing a formal ramp / path and rigging area would significantly improve access quality and launch safety.

ENHANCING ACCESS
Judge Sutter

Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline, also known as “Toll Plaza” or “Radio Beach”, is a sandy beach north of the Bay Bridge toll plaza in Oakland. The beach has become popular as one of the few sandy beaches with convenient access in the East Bay. As this regional shoreline undergoes development into a more formal park in coming years, this beach provides an important opportunity for kiteboard access protection and enhancement. 

ENHANCING ACCESS

Treasure Island

Treasure Island currently provides water access from a small ramp at the northeastern corner of the Island, but access is hazardous and only suitable for advanced boardsailors. Redevelopment of the Island offers a unique opportunity to enhance access to the strong, steady winds that are prevalent in this area. Building and expanding on SFBA funded engineering site assessments for improved launch infrastructure could make this a world-class boardsailing site. 

ENHANCING ACCESS

New Access

As the popularity of kiteboarding and windsurfing grows and as the population of the Bay Area continues to rise, facilities capable of meeting demand - particularly for beginner and intermediate boardsailors - will be essential to enhancing safe and sustainable boardsailing on the Bay. SFBA and the Water Trail are committed to work collaboratively with shoreline owners and manager and other stakeholders in identifying suitable new access locations and ensuring designs are and minimize potential impacts to sensitive habitats or wildlife. Below are examples of several locations that SFBA and the Water Trail are aware of that could be enhanced to provide suitable new boardsailing access locations.

APPENDIX

Appendix A. Boardsailor Survey Results (available at sfba.org)
Appendix B. Bay Area Water Trail Plan