# How to get across the San Francisco Bay in a rowboat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344 "2010-07-28T18:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![turbowaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@turbowaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turbowaffle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/1 "2010-07-28T18:47:12Z")
I live in San Francisco, and I’ve been slowly assembling my earthquake kit for some time. I have the basic 72-hour kit, but I’ve been wanting to have a contingency, natural-disaster-get-out-of-dodge kit. I realized that if I wanted to go north (I have family about 50 miles north), and for some reason the Golden Gate Bridge was out of commission or not otherwise accessible to pedestrians, there’s not an easy way to get across the bay (assuming ferries aren’t running). I was thinking of keeping an inflatable raft, the idea being, worst case scenario, I could row myself across. However, I don’t know the first thing about navigation in the water. Where’s the best place to launch from? Where should I try to land? When would be the best time to try? Keeping in mind I’m in moderate physical shape, but only have about 30 minutes of rowing experience. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/2 "2010-07-28T18:52:17Z")
I’m thinking that a hot air ballon may be a better solution to just getting away from the dying masses and inevitable zombie take over. Better to just get out of dodge (away from the mass of people) and then work your way by land to your destination from where ever you end up. With no experiance on the water and the unknow threat of tsnami you would stand a better chance. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/3 "2010-07-28T18:56:41Z")
I think the tides will be a major problem. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/4 "2010-07-28T18:59:23Z")
How much is a hot air balloon? It only needs to fit me and a rottweiler. Okay, and maybe a sack full of supplies. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/5 "2010-07-28T19:00:52Z")
I’m thinking something along the lines of what the Ballon Boy farce was based upon. He didn’t spend a lot of money. Hell a lawn chair and helium filled party ballons may do in a pinch! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/6 "2010-07-28T19:07:25Z")
[Seems like IMHO material …] > [@turbowaffle](#): > > … but only have about 30 minutes of rowing experience. You’ll want to have a lot more than that for this plan to be feasible. You’ll need some reasonable ability to judge whether/when conditions are suitable. The well-known proclivity of earthquakes to roil the waters will be a meaningful complication, as Si Amigo notes. It looks like the Golden Gate National Recreation Area might be a good place to embark. Unless you live quite near water, getting your vessel to a suitable launching point may prove challenging (unless, of course, the earthquake provides assistance). ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/7 "2010-07-28T19:08:47Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > … a lawn chair and helium filled party ballons may do in a pinch! Under this scheme, you are hostage to the winds. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/8 "2010-07-28T19:10:13Z")
Once you get to the other side, you have the problem that you are now on foot. The OP does recognize the vunerability of existing transportation infrastructure if he did need to get out of town. Even if the bridges were still in service, traffic and maybe a lack of available fuel would cause problems. Take out a bridge or a major highway and you are stuck. The more practical solution I think is a bicycle with a trailer (Like a BOB trailer) to carry your kit. You are not limited to roads, fuel isn’t a problem, and you can weave through gridlock traffic if you need to. Yes, getting to Marin becomes a much longer trip over boat trip, but the bicycle is much more pratical IMHO. Hybrid option is getting an inflatable raft that can carry your bike too, but that might be getting a little out of hand. Also, the bay isn’t exactly safe to cross in a raft, is it? Maybe on a good day, but you can’t pick the weather for your disaster. And emergency personnel are going to be a little too busy on earthquake day to deal with some damn fool on a raft that is in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/9 "2010-07-28T19:13:28Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > > … a lawn chair and helium filled party ballons may do in a pinch! > > Under this scheme, you are hostage to the winds. Well he has 72 hours to wait for the best wind conditions and my point is that the main thing to do is get away from the hordes of people. Even if he ends of 50 miles to the south he could then circle around faster than trying to row across the bay only to hook up with another mass of people. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/10 "2010-07-28T19:17:32Z")
However, if I was set on going over the water I’d consider a kayak over a raft. In fact, you could make kayaking (or cycling, or both) a recreational activity for you so you have the strength and skill needed when the big one hits. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/11 "2010-07-28T19:19:00Z")
Quick answer: Cheap Sit on Top Kayak, not to be confused with sit IN kayak or canoe. Drysuit or pseodo drysuit for paddler. Paddles tethered to boat, Paddler tethered to boat. Good life jacket of course. Ability to GET BACK in boat should one fall off/out. Cross when the tides are ebbing or at least coming in. Abanon kayak once reaching the other side, with enough supplies to walk the rest of the way. Perhaps pack some decent shoes and a firearm. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/12 "2010-07-28T20:30:29Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Quick answer: Cheap Sit on Top Kayak, not to be confused with sit IN kayak or canoe. > > Drysuit or pseodo drysuit for paddler. Paddles tethered to boat, Paddler tethered to boat. Good life jacket of course. Ability to GET BACK in boat should one fall off/out. Cross when the tides are ebbing or at least coming in. Abanon kayak once reaching the other side, with enough supplies to walk the rest of the way. Perhaps pack some decent shoes and a firearm. Now those are sensible suggestions. Having done some boating in the St Lawrence River, I know one of the real dangers are ships of various sizes, many going much faster than one would think. If fog comes in, as it is wont to do, you had better be able to row/paddle pretty damn fast if a large ship come looming out of the fog right at you. Also a variety of yachts, motor boats and even submarines, as you know, are all over the area. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/13 "2010-07-28T21:13:42Z")
The currents in the Golden Gate (a copy of which may be found [here](http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/edc/tides/2010/sfbe_fr10.html) ) look fearsome, at least to me. While they’re not as bad as some of the 9-knot currents you can find in the Alaskan Panhandle—NOAA lists some of the craziest [here](http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/faq4.html)., I really wouldn’t want to be bucking a 5.5 knot current, even in a kayak. Agree with the other comments that large ships will make the voyage challenging too. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/14 "2010-07-28T21:25:50Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > The currents in the Golden Gate (a copy of which may be found [here](http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/edc/tides/2010/sfbe_fr10.html) ) look fearsome, at least to me. While they’re not as bad as some of the 9-knot currents you can find in the Alaskan Panhandle—NOAA lists some of the craziest [here](http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/faq4.html)., I really wouldn’t want to be bucking a 5.5 knot current, even in a kayak. Agree with the other comments that large ships will make the voyage challenging too. But you are not neccesarily “bucking” a five knot current. Imagine a river you wish to cross. Its a couple miles across. With no current, you could paddle across it in about an hour pretty easily. If there is a five knot current, when you paddle straight across it, you will be 5 miles down river, but still on the other side and it would not have been any harder to paddle across than if there had been no current. Now, with a bay you wish to cross and a most narrow point, and a fluctuating current due to tides, you would need to be more sophisticated in when and where you launched to make when and where you landed the easiest path when all was said and done, but its still doable. To me, it appears to mostly be a timing issue regarding the tides. I’d be more worried about how rough/choopy the water can get because of the tides and weather. Another major factor would be possible headwinds. It doesnt take much of a headwind to make paddling against it very hard. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/15 "2010-07-28T21:27:59Z")
I’ve been sailing SF bay for 14 years, and I most emphatically advise against this plan. We sailors call the area you’re contemplating crossing “the slot”. It is one of the windiest places in the world, both in terms of wind speed and regularity. The tides are also wicked, but the wind . . . Anyway, don’t do it for these reasons: - It’s really windy (did I mention that?) and you won’t be able to row that far in heavy wind. Trust me, it takes an hour to cross the slot in a 34’ sailboat in 30 knots of breeze. - The tides will either sweep you down the bay or out to sea. Or both, depending. - The shipping traffic will run you down. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/16 "2010-07-28T22:06:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I’m thinking that a hot air ballon may be a better solution to just getting away from the dying masses and inevitable zombie take over. Better to just get out of dodge (away from the mass of people) and then work your way by land to your destination from where ever you end up. With no experiance on the water and the unknow threat of tsnami you would stand a better chance. A balloon would be a terrible idea. They’re crazy expensive (a friend looked into buy a very small, used balloon; the cheapest he could find was about $7k), more or less useless in any adverse weather (extreme wind or rain wouldn’t be fun; I imagine that fires on the ground pose a serious problem to balloonists), and you may end up running out of fuel directly above the zombie horde or whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/17 "2010-07-28T22:10:25Z")
They make these things that mount on the back of a small boat. I think they call them “outboard motors” or something like that. Might be worth looking into. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/18 "2010-07-28T22:28:24Z")
Better yet, stick some cash in your 72-hour kit and pay **Dr. Woo** to take you across. ---
**Author:** ![turbowaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ebca7d/32.png) [@turbowaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turbowaffle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/19 "2010-07-28T22:43:16Z")
Thanks for all the responses. From everyone with practical experience, it sounds like a bad idea, even in a “worst case” scenario. Perhaps a better plan would be to store substantially more provisions and wait it out. Or get a hot air balloon. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344/20 "2010-07-28T22:46:02Z")
And what is this natural disaster that would make ALL of SF dangerous to stay in? A tsunami large enough to climb up Nob Hill? Zombies that were willing to take a chance on gay and hippie brains? I think, playing the odds, you’d be much safer staying home, and you might live longer by not worrying about things that have a .0000000003% chance of happening in your lifetime. (Sounds like the odds of NOT endangering yourself in a raft would be .0000000003%…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-across-the-san-francisco-bay-in-a-rowboat/548344.md?page=2)