The fog and chill on a January morning didn’t deter board member Michael Dumont from greeting curious passersby as he stood on a gleaming ramp to the new Sausalito Community Boating Center.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone,” he said. He motioned over to Dunphy Park. “I’ve seen people walk their kayaks and paddleboards to the water and trip on the rocks because there’s no good place to launch.”
Dumont smiled. “And now, we are that good place.”
The recently opened boating center (SCBC) is situated between the Cruising Club and Galilee Harbor in downtown Sausalito. The nonprofit provides not only public access to the bay but also preserves the community’s maritime history and small craft heritage through affordable direct experience.
SCBC board member Raylene Gorum, who grew up in the Bay Area, has lived in Galilee Harbor for about 10 years but doesn’t know how to sail. “I would like to learn,” she said, noting that few people have the opportunity to sail unless they know someone, belong to a private club or are privileged to own a boat.
Dumont, too, is dedicated to making sailing something anyone can take up, at any age. “I only learned to sail in the last six years,” he said. “I wish it had been accessible to me growing up.”
Now that he’s fallen hard for the hobby — he did a 20-day Atlantic crossing with friends in 2023 — he and his wife Annette have become active board members at SCBC. They fell in love with the community when they had the opportunity to live aboard at Bridgeway Marina.
Longtime houseboat resident and volunteer Maria Finn is thrilled to see the center open at last. “I want to be out on Richardson Bay, but I don’t want to own my own boat — it’s a lot of work and money,” she said. “It’s a perfect solution to have a community boating center and share boats.”
Gorum agreed. “We are democratizing access,” she added. “This is the people’s yacht club.”
Reviving the Marina
It’s been a long 10 years, with progress slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and now SCBC is open from sunrise to sunset. The center is also part of the Bay Area Water Trail, a regional program that encourages nonmotorized small boaters to safely enjoy the San Francisco Bay.
Locals may remember the camaraderie of the old Cass’ Marina and its affordable rentals. In its heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, the marina offered more than 20 boats to rent and provided sailing lessons. The business shuttered in 2009.
When the City of Sausalito called for proposals for revitalizing the dock, Heather Richard, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain, pitched the idea of affordable access for all. Her vision inspired many, and in 2014, the new nonprofit was granted a 10-year lease to create a place for affordable access to the bay.
Turning the abandoned marina into something safe and viable has taken time, with milestones to pass including acquiring architectural drawings, receiving permits and getting approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission. SCBC received two critical grants: $175,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which funded their shovel-ready project, and a $65,000 grant from the Bay Area Water Trail for ADA compliance and site improvements.
One hurdle was that the Sausalito shoreline is a great place for eelgrass to grow. Protecting the aquatic plant, an important food source for diving birds and a surface for spawning herring, was critical. “You can’t have a big metal overpass blocking the sun,” Gorum said. “Our ramp is designed so daylight can go through to let the eelgrass grow.”
Another step was restricting access to the docks at night and installing an entry gate. When someone asked Gorum if she could make the gate beautiful, she jumped at the chance. “I like unusual canvases,” she said, adding, “I like art that’s found in the wild. There’s no fee to see it.”
Trained as an architect, Gorum creates large-scale public art, including the Marin City underpass mural. The gate, which depicts elements of a boat, water and shiplap, was fabricated by Marin Made. “It’s all local,” she said. “Even the aluminum is from Petaluma.”
Harvesting Herring
The nonprofit’s annual big fundraiser and community gathering, the Herring Festival, will be held in April at their location in Dunphy park. “It’s herring and friends,” added Dumont, noting that they sometimes can’t count on enough herring, so they pair the evening with locally sourced seafood.
Tying the SCBC festival to the ecosystem deepens and underlines the community’s connection to the bay. “That’s where environmental stewardship starts — seeing ourselves in relationship with the natural world,” said Finn, who is also the author of the cookbook Forage. Gather. Feast. “That’s why I’ve long advocated eating our local herring. It’s sustainable, abundant, good for you and connects us to the bay in a visceral, intimate way.”
And, it turns out that the herring run, typically in early spring, is a good time of year to gather and have a party. “Herring feed the whole bay,” Gorum said. “The sea lions, the birds are all having a party, too.”
Opening access
The official first day of SCBC will be April 27, which is “Opening Day on the Bay,” the start of the San Francisco Bay sailing season. Their first programming, offered through Sausalito Parks and Recreation, will include rowing classes, sailing lessons and land-side water safety, such as basic navigation and wind and weather education.
The boating center is proud to have its own fleet of el toros, sandpipers and local wooden gems. “The Charlie Merrill is the flagship sailboat,” said board member Steve Ross, adding that it was built in Sausalito. “Our Butterflute is one that you can row and sail.”
The organization welcomes boat donations although they must be in good condition and suitable for sailing instruction or to rent. They prefer boats that have a historical connection to Sausalito or support their mission to preserve the art of wooden boats.
Education is an important part of SCBC. They are working to become accredited as a U.S. Community Sailing Center, which emphasizes ecological programming. “One student has been conducting independent observations of oyster growth, hanging a few strings and small cages off the dock,” says Annette Dumont, an ecologist who works for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Bringing school groups to SCBC will provide a hands-on experience with marine science. “Richardson Bay is part of the biggest estuary on the West Coast. It’s an incredibly diverse, rich and fascinating place,” Finn said. “The more everyone learns about it, the more we will want to protect it.”
To be a sustainable, long-term member of the community, SCBC is seeking partnerships with area recreational groups, local schools and existing maritime businesses. SCBC also welcomes volunteers to help with programming, maintaining the docks and boats and participating in second Sunday work parties.
“It’s everyone’s boating center,” Gorum said. “Help make it awesome!”
SCBC Events
SCBC Herring Festival
- Saturday, March 22
- Sausalito Center for the Arts
- Visit Sausalito Community Boating Center
SCBC Grand Opening
- Opening Day on the Bay
- Sunday, April 27
- SCBC at Cass Gidley
- Visit Community Boating Center
Public-Access Boat Launches
Black Point/Petaluma River Public Fishing Access, Highway 37 and Petaluma River Bridge, Novato
Buck’s Landing on Gallinas Creek, 665 N San Pedro Rd., San Rafael (canoe and kayak)
China Camp State Park, San Rafael
McNears Beach Park, 201 Cantera Way, San Rafael
Mill Valley Bay Front Park on Pickleweed Inlet, 498 Sycamore Ave, Mill Valley
Miller Park BLF on Tomales Bay, 23240 CA-1, Marshall
Tomales Bay Resort on Tomales Bay, 12938 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Inverness
Check with appropriate authorities for boating requirements/limitations and tidal conditions before setting out.
