What I Saw – by Jackie Philpott
Up The Napa River
Sailing friends Charlie and Barbara Jeremias live in one of those pretty little houses that line up along the western side of the Napa River. For a number of years, I organized annual cruise-outs for the Singlehanded Sailing Society. During COVID no yacht club would host us, even though we promised not to leave our own boats and breathe on anybody. After all, we sail solo. Instead, Charlie agreed to host us at his dock just north of the Brazos Bridge.
What a wonderful host he was! After crossing the San Pablo Bay and sailing up Mare Island Strait, our five boats arrived at Charlie’s dock just as the sun began to set. He was there to greet us, and it was good to see him. It was about this time of year and real cold. We all called it an early night and tucked into our warm cabins. The next morning Charlie brought a full coffee pot down to the end of his dock, plugged it in and left it for us. He waved from his front porch and we raised our cups to his health, drinking his coffee while sitting on our cabin tops tied up to his dock. It’s a beautiful stretch of river there, with a view of farmland across the water and the Vaca Mountain range in the distance.
This year I made a solo trek up the river, motor-sailing almost all the way to downtown Napa and back. The whole way across the San Pablo Bay from Richmond there was wind on the nose, so my new engine had a good run. It was cold again this year, every day was a long underwear day.
On our way up the Napa Dura Mater and I spent the night at the Vallejo Yacht Club, arriving in the early afternoon. The first person I met up with was Chris Baker and his very friendly Irish Setter Big Red. He informed me that “the Dodgers are up three to nothing!” Chris is an army veteran from Arkansas, and he told me I look like his mother. He showed me her photo and I had to agree, although in all honesty, she’s prettier.
Chris told me that last month he got into trouble with the club management because he put out water for the pigeons. He said, “When I die, if I come back as a pigeon? I would hope that someone would give me water.” I couldn’t argue with that. It was a profound thought. Big Red’s tail thumped on the deck and we all sat together in the sunshine and watched the birds for a while. It’s that kind of club.
The club wouldn’t be serving dinner this weeknight. I did have dinner aboard, but Chris offered me a bowl of his homemade chili anyway. I do love chili, and Chris’s was very good, with corn added and some jalapenos that gave it heat.
After a while more members started to arrive and I joined the usual suspects in the bar: Andrew Fortunka, Arv Voss, Carol and Jeff Ruszler and Maurice Campbell. Jim Glenn was there, too. Jim is the club chef, and over the last 15 years he was usually the person who would feed us at the end of the annual Vallejo 1-2 races from Richmond to this club. No matter how late we slow boats arrived – and we often arrived after dark – Jim would go back into the kitchen and make us something to eat. I told him how much we appreciated him over the years; and he laughed, and said, “Nobody is going to go hungry in my club.” Thank you again, Jim! Then it got dark and somebody turned on the World Series. I left the clubhouse and experienced the sleep of the righteous sailor.
Napa Valley Marina
Dura Mater and I left Vallejo early the next morning with the flood, and we arrived at the Napa Valley Marina before noon.
The Pink Mermaid
As I was wandering through the yard I noticed a pink mermaid decal on the bow of a pretty little crab boat, and knocked on her hull. Holly Freuhling and her boyfriend, Savior Papetti were below doing something, but Holly stopped to tell me about her business. She is the only female licensed commercial crab captain to work out of San Francisco. I know that crab fishing is hard work, but I never knew the details. Holly shared them:
“I’ve been doing this for three years with my own boat, but I did this with Savior for six years before that. First I would go out with him and do my other job on my laptop, then I became his crew here and in Alaska. I thought, well this is so fun! Then he had the opportunity to buy that little boat because it had a bigger permit. If he bought that little boat with the bigger permit he could transfer the permit to his bigger boat. He did that and I said, “Why don’t I buy that little boat from you?” Then I had to get my own permit. We found this boat up in Eureka and drove it down the coast together. It took us three days.
“I have a 250-pot crab pot permit. Due to humpback whales and other environmental issues, we are only allowed to use half of our gear, so I will have only 125 pots to use. We get to start dumping them three days before the start of the season, maybe this year on Dec. 15. What will happen then is that we will put all our pots in the water and the day the season starts I will go out and pull all my traps. I’ll probably get 5000 lbs. Then you put new bait in and come back the next day.
“Crab season used to go until the last day of June, but now it is closing early for the season. Last year we stopped on April 9, so I’m going to say that it’s probably going to be somewhere between April 1 and April 15.
“Nobody can dump commercial crab pots in the Bay, we have to go outside the Golden Gate Bridge. So, our commute, every morning, is that we get up at 3:30-4 a.m., go out and pull all of our traps. I usually fish right in front of Stinson Beach, south of Point Reyes, and we usually go three miles offshore in anywhere from 20 feet of water to 200 feet of water. I stay this side of Duxbury Reef.
“My boat is smaller and I don’t go out as far, but some of the bigger boats go to the other side of Duxbury. They will go all the way up to Bodega Bay and fish kind of south of there. You don’t have to fish in a certain territory, you just fish… The bigger boats do go way up there. They’ll fish the coast. The really big boats? They’ll follow the crab wherever they are. We just stick to where we put our pots. We might move a little bit, but we’re not gonna burn all that fuel chasing crab. Not for us little guys. The price of fish and crab is going down. The price of fuel has sky rocketed.
“All my pots are smaller, they are about 55 lbs. They are smaller pots than are on a lot of the larger commercial boats, but I use smaller pots so I can lift them myself if I have to. If I’m stuck and don’t have crew, I can lift them myself.
“Just because my pots are smaller, that doesn’t mean I collect fewer crabs. In the beginning of the season, I might have to burn through them more than other people. Some of the guys, they have pots that are a couple more inches around, but they put all these heavy mechanisms on them, then they are about 120 pounds each. “Their crew members can barely lift them. With smaller pots I can run this thing by myself if I have to in case, for example, somebody gets hurt. I will go out there with one crew member. Savior will always be out there on his own boat with his own crew.
“Savior’s boat’s name is Bite Me, and its type is similar to mine, but about five feet longer. It’s called a Buffalo Boat because of its big chest. His also has an enclosed cabin. My dodger is only enclosed on the port side. The other side is closed. That’s the one thing that I’m having a hard time with. I’m used to driving inside a cabin, and when I get to my pots, I’m nice and warm and cozy. I’ll get a new wall down the road. I need to make some money. My cabin has a nice little galley; it’s got two areas so two people can sleep.
“When I first got my buoys I painted them bright pink so I could see them. Most of the other guys don’t have pink buoys. And you’re supposed to put reflective tape on them so you can see them at night. So, I took that same little mermaid, my logo, and I did that with yellow reflective tape on each one. My buoys are very pretty. They are very sexy. And those are my colors: Pink and Yellow!”
I asked Holly to tell me about a typical schedule for a crab fisherman – er – fisherperson.
She said, “On Dec. 15 the season starts. On the 12th I will drop my 125 pots. You go out, you collect your crab, you come back in. The next day you go back out. At the beginning of the season, for about a month? There’s enough crab that you’re going out every day. Filling those pots every day. Some of the guys who go out there? They go way out and they spend the night out there. Then they’ll return the next morning. They can also load a lot more on their boats, maybe 20,000 lbs. So, they’ll stay out there until they’re loaded, then come back in.
On Saturdays I sell live to the public at the wharf. Every Saturday through March at Fisherman’s Wharf I sell from my boat.”
Savior said, “I used to compete with her, now I help her. I used to try to compete but there would be 100 people in her line and one in mine. Everybody wanted to buy from the girl.”
Holly laughed and said, “It’s just because I’m the only girl doing it. It became popular: You know – a woman doing a man’s job? That’s why I got the attention.”
I asked who determines the price of crab.
Holly and Savior sell their crab to the San Francisco Crab Fisherman’s Association (SFCFA).
Holly said, “The price is determined by Pacific Seafoods and they dictate how much frozen crab there is compared to the year before, and politics are involved… Last year we started low, like $2.50/lb. This year there’s talk of it starting at $3/lb., which is better. When I sell at the dock though, we start at $10/lb. for direct sales of live crab. Maybe about three weeks into the season we drop it down to about $8/lb., and then at the very end of the season, when there’s less crab, we bring it back up to $10. And that has been a consistent strategy for the last three years.”
I told Holly that I plan to sail over to the City and buy crab from both her and Savior after Christmas, and maybe readers of this magazine will do so, too. For sure, when you’re on the water out there on the other side of the Gate, watch out for Holly’s buoys and don’t get ‘em caught in your propellers!
A Family And “Like Family’ Marina
Who else did I meet at the Marina? Oh, just about everybody except Ernie, who works over at the RV and boat storage yard.
I had some more interesting conversations with people throughout the boatyard, and especially with Tom Giovannoni whose family owns the marina. He told me that one of his brothers runs a general store in Browns Valley, which is where the marina gets its sandwiches. Before I left Richmond, I had been told to look for those sandwiches sold at the Marina, that they were famously delicious. Well, I was there in the middle of the day and those sandwiches had already sold out.
Napa Valley Marina Chandlery
Next up after Holly was a chat with Cory Thurman, who runs the extensive and remarkably well-organized chandlery. Cory’s inventory is not computerized. Everything has an actual price tag on it. Everything. That is something I personally appreciate. When I go into a chandlery I don’t want to have to stand in line and ask the price for every single item. I have a budget, you know? If I have to choose between a new halyard or a seat that I can lean back on? I don’t want to have to keep asking, “How much is this?” I have been told that sailors are known to dither about spending money. Well, maybe I need to shop at Cory’s chandlery. She didn’t seem to mind me wandering up and down her aisles.
Kirby Long showed me around the property in his pristine BIG TRUCK, and we met up with Tom at the marina’s brand new 200-foot dock. Directly on the Napa River, the pier is available to big fancy cruise ships or even to you and your friends. The dock is only 35 nm from San Francisco, and is very easily accessible from up or down river. It can accommodate mega yachts with plenty of deep water. I can attest to that depth: At low tide on the morning of my departure it was 24.6 feet as DM and I swung close by it on our way up river.
I introduced myself to Dana Newton, the yard’s tech guy, whose desk is in the front office and Mike Meyers, who has a 25-foot Skip Jack. Kelley Howell is the yard’s fiberglass guru. It seems to be a family affair, or “like family” at the Napa Valley Marina.
I watched as Augie Giovannoni drove the yard’s diesel crane, climbing up and down over and over again until it was positioned just so at the edge of the water where a large yacht waited to have its mast stepped. He made it look easy as he precisely manipulated the crane closer in order to maneuver the heavy custom boom. Slowly Augie maneuvered the boom up between two boats on stands and then over a tree, slowly and precisely lowering it finally onto the boat where the riggers waited. Call me impressed.
After spending the night tied up at the guest dock, I woke up the next morning and started my breakfast with toast and coffee. I heard a tap tap on my cabin and there was Augie, telling me that he would be moving Dura Mater up the dock because they had to make room for San Francisco’s Adventure Cat. During the summer the big cat lives at Pier 39 in the City, but this is her winter home. I offered the fellas bacon and eggs but they were already on the clock at 8 a.m.
Early in the afternoon, after talking with everyone who made time to talk with me, I motored out of the marina, then turned off the engine and floated along with the building flood.
It was a beautiful cool day, on this day before Halloween. The wind was on our nose all day. The river curves all around, and if this had been my first trip upriver, I might’ve run up and down from DM’s foredeck to her cockpit trying to raise a spinnaker or drifter. But I’m smarter about all the curves in this river now, so we just drifted with the flood from the Marina until we approached the Napa Airport to starboard and started to go sideways in the rising flood.
On past trips I was lucky enough to capture photos of hot air balloons flying to port on the farmland, but this was the middle of the week and it was just us and the birds. Oh, and I can’t forget the fishermen. Are you wondering whether the Napa has enough water for your boat? Well, check out your chart plotter: At Channel Marker 32 at 12:50 it was 18 feet, with the same depth at the bridge. At Channel Marker 34 it was 12 feet, and at Channel Marker 42 my depth finder read 14 feet 4 inches.” Go on up. See for yourself.
Downtown Napa
Not long after leaving the Napa Valley Marina I arrived at Napa’s Promenade and tied up to the public dock there. Walking around, I was unhappy to learn that the Napa General Store had closed. That was my favorite restaurant. However, I am adaptable, so I ate at the restaurant Angele instead. https://www.angelerestaurant.com/
What did I order for my late lunch? A round of roasted camembert cheese with jam and walnuts on top. Yep. It was a delicious special of the day and it tasted like dessert to me. It wasn’t my idea: The waiter made me do it.
Napa Valley Yacht Club
After lunch I called the Napa Valley Yacht Club and Bob Fowles answered. As port captain of the Club, Bob generously agreed to meet with me later the same day and gave me a very nice tour. It’s a well maintained and compact club, only a short walk to downtown Napa. Bob told me that the club has approximately 125 members and they host 12-15 cruise-ins per year. Cruise-Ins are almost always from the Sacramento area. It is an all-volunteer club and 15 members are certified bartenders. Members are hoping that the city of Napa will extend their lease when it runs out on April 1, 2028.
If you are interested in going upriver to the NVYC there is a minimum charge of $50/night, or $1.50/foot which includes water and electric. There are, alas, no showers. It was a good thing I was alone on my boat.
Bob told me that the club has made donations to the Sea Scouts, the Maritime Academy and Coast Guard. Coast Guard boat inspections are made upon request at no charge. Now that doesn’t scare me, but it may scare you… into making sure your flares are up to date and you have PFDs for everyone aboard.
Vampires At The Napa Valley Yacht Club
Who rents the Napa Valley Yacht Club? Well, for one, meet Ron Kurash, aka Mr. Vampire. Lynka Adams and Ron Kurash were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on this Halloween night. They met in New York, where Ron was a set designer and they got married on Halloween, so this was a special day for them. Ron and Lynka live in “old town” Napa and they had intended to rent the Napa Distillery, but somebody crashed a car, started a fire and burned that building badly back in July. Instead, here they were, with “60 friends from around the world.”
The Napa Valley Yacht Club dock is 185 feet long and it’s in excellent condition. Unfortunately, when I turned on my depth sounder early the next morning it squawked at me. It was low tide and the water at the dock was only 4 feet 4 inches. I walked DM backwards toward the middle of the river, shoved her bow out and stepped aboard. Once we were just a few feet away from the dock we were fine.
The next morning the wind had shifted 180 degrees and was… right on our nose. Again. Downriver we arrived at the Brazos Bridge to find that it was CLOSED. That was the first time in three trips that I have seen it lowered.
I used my VHF radio to call the bridge operator on Channel 13:
“Brazos Bridge, Brazos Bridge, this is the sailing vessel Dura Mater. Do you read me?”
There was no answer.
I tried again: “Brazos Bridge. Brazos Bridge, this is the sailing vessel Dura Mater, do you read me?”
There was still no answer. I would not be able to escape the Napa River. I would have to live at the Napa Valley Marina. I considered my provisions. There might be no sandwiches at the chandlery. There would be plenty of beer and bait.
Then a disembodied voice came over my radio: “Dura Mater, you have to blow your air horn.” I remember that Charlie had told me he and his neighbors liked to listen to the VHF radio; sort of like a local SSB community.
I thanked the voice and went below for my air horn. It is generally not used much, but it sure came in handy this time. Remember those Coast Guard inspections? There is a childish pleasure in making such a loud sound. I pushed that little red button and – Bob’s your Uncle – the fella working on the bridge waved to me, got into his truck, backed up off the bridge and raised it for us.
As I motored under the Brazos Bridge, the nice fella honked his horn at me twice and I blew my horn twice in return. Thank you, Sir!
Motorsailing under the Mare Island Bridge I turned sharply to port and entered the Vallejo Municipal Marina, where I met Donte at the very short fuel dock. He couldn’t have been nicer. The signage to the fuel dock after entering the Marina could be clearer, and Donte told me that new signage is planned for the new year. Both gas and diesel are available there.
Back In The Bay
As I arrived back on the other side of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge I was reminded of why we call it Red Rock when I took this photograph.
I have two additional photos that require mention. First of all, for the science fiction fans out there, I’d like to bring to your attention a local author, Julian Morris-Haaker. He works at Whalepoint, my favorite Ace Hardware store in Point Richmond.
Also, a word about the Events Committee for the Richmond Yacht Club’s annual Great Pumpkin Sailing Regatta. Not all yacht clubs sponsor regattas, and no yacht club on the San Francisco Bay hosts as many as does RYC. How do all those decorations get designed and installed? It all happens because of volunteers like MaryLou Clarke, Susie Hodges, Sue Estey, Barb Craig, Pat Tostenson and Eileen Lewis. And they do it with aplomb. Thank you to Annie Hershfield Cohen for the photo.
Finally, a mea culpa to Don Wilson of the Sportsmen Yacht Club.
Don sent me this email:
Subject: Uf-Dah!
I was misquoted by you concerning the Uf-Dah which I own. I said I believed it meant “oh shit.” I did not ever say it meant FU. I would like you to clear this up in whatever matter seems appropriate.
My response to Mr. Wilson is here:
Dear Mr. Wilson,
Duly noted and I will post a correction and apology. I lived in Wisconsin for many years where people did think it meant “oh f**k” which is still a long way from “f**k you.” You, Sir, are a gentleman and I apologize to you in all caps. Please give my regards to your fellow Sportsmen.
APOLOGETICALLY,
Jackie Philpott
Bay & Delta Magazine.
Until next month, thank you for reading. Write me at jackie@yachtsmanmagazine.com if you have anything you would like to share. Enjoy your time on the water and let’s all be careful out there.
