Marinas in Suisun Area

Pddayo

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Dec 8, 2019
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C-28
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Seaquel
12 degrees this morning in North Idaho and I got a hair-brained idea to haul my boat down to Suisun area in California and berth her there for the winter. My daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids (1yo boy & 4yo girl) live in Vacaville so a nice marina that is somewhat close would be ideal. I’ve looked online and there are several nearby with the closest one being Suisun City Marina. Today is Sunday so haven’t checked availability yet but wondered if anyone is familiar with this Marina or any others close by that they could recommend. Thank you in advance.
Pat
 
There are a number of marinas in that area. We liked the marina at Pittsburg. Heard good things about the one in Martinez.
One thing to check is if “live aboards” are allowed. A number of the marinas restrict overnighting to only a few nights a month.
PS: Also ask about trailer storage. The marina in Pittsburg didn’t have any place to park the trailer once the boat was in the water so we would have needed an expensive RV storage spot.
 
In 2018 we cruised up to that marina from SF Bay. Once into Suisun Slough it feels like the old delta used to. The marina is not big, nor is it fancy, but we found the folks to be nice and enjoyed our stay. We were only supposed to stay for 2 nights but ended up staying 5 because of strong winds thru the Carquinez Straits. And Suisun can get very windy too. Neither the slough nor the marina are on the “must see” list of Bay Area boaters and that’s a shame because it is a fun and interesting cruise. Some good restaurants in the area too, including an especially good breakfast place right near the marina office. You will no doubt want to do some cruising while there. Keep a good eye on your charts while navigating thru Grizzly Bay and note that to enter Suisun Slough you’ll pass by the original natural entrance to the slough and instead enter thru an engineered cut. And while visiting the area, Benicia has a nice marina within walking distance of their quaint little town. Makes for a nice stopover if so desired. Oh... and the launch ramp next the Suisun marina is big and easy to use, at least when we were there. Not crowded and more than ample parking. We had our suv and trailer parked there for 3 days with no problem, but I wouldn’t leave them there for any major length of time. Definitely talk with the folks in the marina office for more info and ideas. Enjoy!
 
Suisun Marina will be the closest to Vacaville and as Rob mentioned, it's a fairly decent little town with a number of shops and restaurants within walking distance. A litter further out and directly on the delta would be Delta Marina in Rio Vista. Only a few shops/bars downtown and not nearly as quaint as Suisun. Many other marinas just past Rio Vista but the drive might not be worth it. Going the other direction would be the Glenn Cove marina in Vallejo which is fairly small with decent wind shelter but nothing in walking distance other than the small coffee shop. It's off of the major highways/roadways so pretty quite but extra drive time needed. Benicia is a bit farther but is a really nice town and waterfront area with some pretty nice restaurants in walking distance. Vallejo marina, decent marina but unfortunately not in a city I would recommend.
 
One other thing you might want to consider, Suisun Marina is within walking distance of the Amtrak station. Amtrak operates several local trains that run daily between San Jose and Sacramento - with several stops in between of course. Allows for a fun excursion!
 
Thank you Mark and Rob.
I like the idea of Amtrak. I think there is a stop very close to where my daughter lives. That’d be great!
 
If you haven't been to it, the Jelly Belly candy factory is nearby, and the factory tour (if open during the current pandemic) is worth doing.
 
Thanks Brad. We took my granddaughter to the Jelly Belly factory a couple of years ago. It was interesting.
 
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