Treasure Island Access

From: Eyes4Hire@aol.com-DeleteThis.com
Date: Mon Mar 25 2002 - 22:51:11 PST


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Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 01:51:11 EST
Subject: Treasure Island Access
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I am working on a letter to let the planners at Treasure Island know what we
have and what we need at TI. If anyone has any comments, let me know. If you
want me to e-mail a MS word doc with the pretty pictures included, send me an
e-mail directly at eyes4hire@aol.com-DeleteThis.com or thorner @sfba.org (i.e. do not hit
reply and send your request to all the members of the maillist).

Peter

>>>>>>>>>>>

Stephen Proud, Director of Development March 25, 2002
Treasure Island Development Authority
410 Avenue of Palms, Building 1, Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA 94130

Claudine Cheng, Chair
Treasure Island Development Authority
410 Avenue of Palms, Building 1, Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA 94130

Karen Knowles Pearce, Chair
The Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Citizens Advisory Board
410 Avenue of Palms, Building 1, Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA 94130

Re. Windsurfing Access at Treasure Island

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing on behalf of the members of the San Francisco Boardsailing
Association. The SFBA is a 1,600-member non-profit organization that promotes
public access and safety for the windsurfing and boardsailing community. The
SFBA encourages all efforts to protect our existing access at Treasure Island
and to improve that access as Treasure Island is further transformed from a
military facility into publicly accessible lands held in public trust for the
benefit of all the residents of the Bay Area and the State.

Windsurfing and the more recently originated sport of kitesurfing open up
thousands of acres of the Bay for recreational use when the users have access
where strong and frequent winds meet the shore. Treasure Island is an ideal
windsurfing location given that it is located in the middle of a wind channel
that flows from the Golden Gate to the shores of the East Bay. There are a
limited number of locations where access for wind powered recreational access
can be provided. In this regard, Treasure Island is truly a regional asset.

Based upon the standards set by the Draft Reuse Plan and the law regarding
public trust lands, windsurfing is an ideal use. The Draft Reuse Plan calls
for, among other things:

\267 Emphasizing marine-related uses and creating areas for water-oriented
recreational uses.
\267 Emphasizing uses that take advantage of Treasure Island's unique position
in the center of the San Francisco Bay
\267 Pursuing uses that will enliven the water's edge and improve public
access to the Bay.

Historical Use

Windsurfers have been launching from the boat ramp area on the north end of
the island for more than 10 years. In the last two years the location has
been used by kitesurfers as well. During the summer of 2001, peak use was at
least 40 windsurfers at one time. Launching from Treasure Island offers easy
access to the water near Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the San Francisco
waterfront.

The boat ramp area is not an ideal launching area for windsurfers but it is
the most practical place to launch at this time because it is close to the
parking area. The wind in the boat ramp area is blocked by a jetty that
partially encloses the area forming a small cove. The effect on the wind is
visible in Figure 1 - wind swells are visible to the west of the jetty, but
there are no wind swells immediately to the to the east of the jetty.
Windsurfers are often forced to swim in and out of the small cove due to a
lack of wind. Kitesurfers are able to avoid this wind shadow once their kite
is launched because they can fly the kite well above the top of the jetty.
The boat ramp area is considered a good launch by the kitesurfers that I have
talked to.

Figure 1: Existing Launch Area

 

 B = Boat Ramp P = Parking Area

 
Ideal Launching Area

For windsurfers, the ideal launching area would be on the northwest side of
the island facing towards Angel Island. The wind appears to be the strongest
in this area and it hits the shore at an ideal angle. A launch closer to the
west side of the island would allow windsurfers to more easily return to the
Treasure Island if the wind levels dropped significantly while the tides are
rising.

Figure 2: Potential Launch Areas

 

 1 = Ideal Launch Area 2 = Downwind Exit E = Existing
Launch Area

The wind at a launch site is ideally blowing parallel to the shore
(sideshore). A windsurfer's most comfortable and most efficient direction of
travel is perpendicular to the wind. If the wind is dead onshore, it can make
it difficult for windsurfers to sail away from the shore as the wind is
pushing them straight back onto the shore. The winds at Treasure Island are
generally from the west, favoring the north end of the island as a launching
area. The areas immediately east of the jetty and immediately east of the
island are usually shadowed from the wind are not practical areas for
windsurfing.

Because a sailing vessel can never travel straight into the wind (upwind),
windsurfers must move to the west by zigzagging while pointing at an angle
that is close to direction the wind is coming from. In the face of westerly
winds, most windsurfers launch heading to the north and then head back and
forth alternating between a northerly and a southerly course. They can move
west toward Angel Island and Alcatraz by zigzagging toward the west, heading
northwest and then south or southwest as they alternate directions (see
Figure 3). Moving upwind is generally not difficult when the wind is steady,
but it can become difficult when light winds combine with incoming currents.
For this reason, it is generally better for a launch to be located further
upwind.

Figure 3: Sailing Upwind

 

Down Wind Access

When the tide is rising and water is flowing into the Bay, the currents
primarily flow from west to east. When the current and the prevailing
westerly winds are both coming from the west, it can make it difficult for a
windsurfer to stay upwind. Often as the wind drops late in the day,
windsurfers will have a reduced ability to stay upwind or travel upwind. Even
the most advanced windsurfers occasionally are forced downwind by the wind
and current conditions. A good windsurfing site should to have a safe place
for windsurfers who have been pushed downwind to return to shore. Ideally, a
windsurfing launch should have an exit ramp located downwind. If a windsurfer
finds that it is difficult or impossible to maintain an upwind position, they
can safely exit. On Treasure Island the area marked"2" in Figure 2 would be a
likely location for a downwind exit.

Windsurfing Facilities

Windsurfing access would require the following facilities:

\267 Parking Area - A parking area should be ideally be located within 100' of
the launching area. A parking area that is ideal for use by windsurfers will
also be attractive to other users like walkers and fishermen because of its
proximity to the water. Because high winds can make other users cold or
uncomfortable, the number of non-windsurfing users will tend to drop during
peak use by windsurfers and increase when the winds are lighter and
windsurfers are less numerous. The parking could be surfaced with turf
instead of concrete or asphalt. At Crissy Field, turf areas are used for both
parking and rigging. This approach has provided enough room to accommodate
the peak demand for parking on most days while allowing the size of the paved
area to be reduced.

\267 Rigging Area - Windsurfers require a flat open area where they can
assemble (rig) their sail and attach their board. At the Third Avenue launch
in Foster City an area that is approximately 50' by 50' can serve as the
rigging area for about 50 windsurfers before overcrowding becomes an issue.
Sails can be 14' to 16' feet tall when fully rigged, so a comfortable rigging
area would not be shorter than 20' wide on the narrow side. Grass or turf can
be an ideal rigging surface and can also be attractive to other users when
windsurfers are not present. Rigging on a hard surface leads to excessive
wear and tear on windsurfing sails.

\267 Ramps/Docks - Windsurfers will need to cross the steep and uneven rock
face to reach the water. Access can be via a ramp or via a floating dock.
There should be a primary access area near the northwest corner (Figure 2 -
No. 1) and a secondary access to the east for egress (Figure 2 - No. 2). If
narrow ramps (3-4' wide) similar to those at the Third Avenue launch in
Foster City are used, then more than one ramp in each access area might be
necessary to allow for simultaneous access into and out of the water. An
alternative would be a wide ramp similar to the ramps used at Oyster Point
Marina and Coyote Point Park. A dock access would probably be similar to the
docks located at the Berkeley Marina South Sailing Basin.

The rigging of a kite for kitesurfing requires an area where the lines for
the kite can be laid out parallel to the wind direction. The kite lines are
typically 50-100' long. Most kitesurfers lay their lines out and launch their
kites along the shore just to the west of the jetty (Figure 2 - No. 2).
Launching the kites in this area allows kitesurfers to enter the water at the
boat ramp and could allow for entry to the west of the jetty if a ramp is
installed there in the future.

Vehicular Access

Effective windsurfing access requires vehicular access to a point close to
the launch area. A fully rigged windsurfing board and sail typically weighs
40-50 pounds and can be difficult to carry in windy conditions. Because the
strength of the wind can vary significantly, most windsurfers have multiple
boards and multiple sails to choose from and will select the appropriate
board once they have had a chance to stand at the waters edge to evaluate the
wind. While incentives to reduce vehicle use make sense, any traffic
reduction measures should be designed so that they do not effectively
preclude access to the waters of the Bay by locking out recreational users
who rely on vehicular access to the shore. While these users rely on
vehicular access to reach their launching points on the shore, it is this
direct access that enables them to participate in non-motorized sport when
they are on the waters of the Bay.

While almost all windsurfers do arrive by car, windsurfing access and
improved windsurfing access at Treasure Island can actually reduce peak
traffic on the Bay Bridge and reduce overall traffic in San Francisco and on
the Peninsula:

\267 Reduced Peak Traffic - A significant number of windsurfers plan their
workday so that they can depart work to go windsurfing before the PM traffic
rush starts. These same windsurfers often remain at a windsurfing site until
after peak PM traffic rush has concluded. This pattern benefits the
windsurfer who avoids traffic and the other drivers who have less cars to
contend with during the rush hour.

\267 Reduced Peninsula Traffic - Advanced windsurfers who live or work in the
East Bay often travel across the Bay Bridge to reach launches at Crissy Field
(San Francisco), Coyote Point (San Mateo) or Third Avenue (Foster City). To
the extent that these windsurfers choose to windsurf at Treasure Island, they
reduce traffic between Treasure Island and the other launch sites.

Advantages of Location

>From what I have learned to date, it appears that the site conditions allow
for a natural division of the island into different use areas. I have been
advised that most of the major development is likely to occur closer to the
Yerba Buena side of the island where the seismic issues are more manageable.
As I understand it, the likely wetland restoration area would be on the east
side of the island. It is possible for restoration areas and recreational
areas to be collocated with careful planning as demonstrated at Crissy Field.
To the best of my knowledge, the area that is ideal for use as a windsurfing
launching area is an area that is slated to be an open recreational area.

Recreational Access to the Waters of the San Francisco Bay

In the last few years, recreational access to the waters of the Bay has
suffered some serious setbacks. While some municipalities have chosen to
ignore the need for recreational access to the waters of the Bay, the
McAteer-Petris Act established that the Bay is the, "most valuable single
natural resource of an entire region." Access to the shoreline and to the
waters of the Bay is a cornerstone of the Bay Conservation and Development
Commission's authorizing legislation.
The City of San Francisco has the right and the duty to manage the shoreline
not only for the benefit of the people of San Francisco, but also for the
benefit those residents of the Bay Area who are not lucky enough to live in
San Francisco. The access opportunities at Treasure Island offer a chance to
offset some of these losses and address access on a regional scale:

\267 Third Avenue - Foster City had reduced the available parking for
recreational users of the Third Avenue launch and has allowed a golf driving
range to continue to operate in a location that endangers recreational users.
The operation of the golf range has resulted in multiple windsurfers being
seriously injured and in numerous cars being damaged. Some windsurfers have
taken to wearing helmets in the parking and rigging areas for their personal
protection.

\267 Flying Tigers/SFO - San Francisco International Airport (SFO) restricted
access to an existing windsurfing launching area known as 'Flying Tigers'
during the Gulf War and never restored public access after other security
measures were relaxed. Subsequent to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a security
zone was established for the waters in the vicinity of SFO. That zone
significantly reduces the sailing area for windsurfers launching from Oyster
Point Marina. SFO's planned runway reconfiguration could further reduce
sailing areas and ultimately prevent launching during low tide conditions at
Oyster Point and Coyote Point due to increases in sedimentation. Initial
estimates by members of the NOAA science panel suggested that 30 to 50
million cubic yards of sediment could be trapped behind new runways on bay
fill.

\267 Seal Point Park - In San Mateo, a new park was designed with a
windsurfing launching area located over 1,000' from the nearest parking area.
While the City of San Mateo claims to have provided recreational access to
the waters of the Bay, they have effectively precluded recreational access
for windsurfing by limiting vehicular access. Very few windsurfers have the
ability, let alone the inclination to carry 40-50 pounds of gear a quarter of
a mile (presumably while dressed in a wetsuit) in order to have what is
supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing recreational experience.

Thank you for your consideration of this information. I hope that the San
Francisco Boardsailing Association will be consulted as plans for
recreational access move forward. I would be glad to answer any questions or
make a presentation if it would assist the Commission, the Board, or the
staff.

Sincerely,

Peter Thorner
President, San Francisco Boardsailing Association

phone: (415) 454-3522 x 104
e-mail: thorner@sfba.org-DeleteThis.com

Please send written responses to : Peter Thorner
    143 Third Street
    San Rafael, CA 94901

Cc: Joe LeClaire, Bay Conservation & Development Commission
    Gerald Green, San Francisco Planning Department
    Ruth Gravanis, Treasure Island Wetlands Project
    Mary Ann Conaroe, TIDA
    Jay Wallace, Treasure Island Development
    Save The Bay
 



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