SFBA Membership

[Tony Soprano]

Hello, if you have ever kiteboarded in the San Francisco Bay, it would be great if you signed up to be a member of the San Francisco Board Sailing Association.

http://sfba.org/index.php/membership/donate


SFBA in a Nutshell

The San Francisco Boardsailing Association (SFBA) is a California not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1986…..
To ensure that Windsurfers and Kiteboarders (Boardsailors) have unrestricted access to San Francisco Bay;
To create and improve boardsailing launch sites and facilities; and
To promote and enhance boardsailing safety and related education.

To this end, SFBA ….
Initiates, builds consensus for and contributes to launch site access improvements and enhancements;
Actively sponsors safety, outreach and special events;
Participates in the planning processes for special events, development, reuse and redevelopment of public and private properties adjacent to San Francisco and Tomales Bays; and
Engages in all activities which may impact, threaten or enhance the recreational uses of Windsurfing and/or Kiteboarding in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area

In pursuit of these objectives, SFBA representatives work closely with local, state and federal officials to address all proposed shoreline development and special events which might impact Bay access and/or wind quality, and to create opportunities for improving access and facilities. Throughout its history, SFBA has remained active at the following sites:

Central Bay
I.Crissy Field
II.Fort Baker
III.Treasure Island

North Bay
I.Corte Madera Marsh
II.Larkspur
III.Marin Rod and Gun Club
IV.Tomales Bay

South Bay
I.Candlestick Point Park
II.Oyster Point
III.Flying Tigers - SFO
IV.Coyote Point
V.Third Ave - Foster City
VI.South Bay – Palo Alto

East Bay
I.Berkeley Marina and HS Lordships
II.Emeryville
III.Albany Beach
IV.Pt. Isabel
V.Crown Beach – Alameda

Regional Initiatives
I.Bay Area Water Trail
II.WETA – Water Emergency Transportation Authority development Impacts
III.34th America’s Cup Impacts to Access and On-Water Use

SFBA also hosts and sponsors Boardsailing and Kiteboarding training and safety events, and conductsan annualtraining for US Coast Guard and USCG Auxiliary personnel in the rescue of Boardsailors and Kiteboarders. Because USCG personnel already know how to save lives, these early-season training events focus on the best ways to retrieve our fellow windsurfers and kiters and it gives new USCG rescue personnel their very first hands-on experience in the handling and safe retrieval of equipment.

SFBA posts safety information at as many access points as possible, and provides Bay Area boardsailing and kiteboarding information online. SFBA Board of Directors and Site Stewards are readily available to assist anyone with safety or access questions through our Contacts button on this website.

SFBA operates with 100% Volunteers and its activities are funded by membership dues and donations. Your annual membership dues (think donation or contribution) go entirely to support boardsailing and kiteboarding in the Bay Area.

NOBODY GETS PAID!!

Your contributions fund everything from the new Crissy East Beach Webcam (http://173.164.254.148/1/siteproxy.html) and the 3rd Avenue Webcam; to underwater hazard marker buoys; to launch site porta-potties; to women-only kiteboarding training events; to safety events; to outreach events, membership parties and BBQs; and launch site improvements. Under the stewardship of SFBA, members and foundations have also directly contributed funds, professional expertise and personal time for everything from site improvements (piling removal, shoreline access, launch ramp feasibility studies and designs, etc.) to beach cleanups to introductory instruction to advanced coaching to the enhancement of training center facilitiesand donation of a windsurfing simulator.

The SFBA Board of Directors tirelessly give their time and would rather be windsurfing and kiteboarding than meeting with various agency officials, writing letters to government agencies, participating in public hearings, addressing development pressures and special event impacts, fussing with web and facebook sites, building consensus for site improvements and finding funds for site improvement planning, design and construction. If you would like to donate time or resources to the preservation and enhancement of boardsailing access and safety, please contact SFBA at president@sfba.org .

[metabon]

I would like to become a member, but the SFBA site has been hacked, it's full of pharma link spam. I assume this is not part of the fundraising effort, but it makes me uncomfortable with clicking any payment links.

Also, what's the "Sustaining" membership?

[Thor29]

When I tried to get information from the SFBA about what if anything they are doing about the disappearing upper launch at 3rd Ave, I was ignored. All I ever seem to hear about is Crissy Field. If the SFBA really wants new members, they need to do a better job of communicating. Maybe try posting more info on this forum about ongoing campaigns. Anyway, I guess I am too selfish - if they aren't going to save my favorite kiting area, then I'm not interested in joining. (And yes, I know the situation is complicated. But that's what political organizations are for. It wasn't easy for Save the Bay to keep the Bay from getting filled in but they did it).

[Tony Soprano]

When I tried to get information from the SFBA about what if anything they are doing about the disappearing upper launch at 3rd Ave, I was ignored. All I ever seem to hear about is Crissy Field. If the SFBA really wants new members, they need to do a better job of communicating. Maybe try posting more info on this forum about ongoing campaigns. Anyway, I guess I am too selfish - if they aren't going to save my favorite kiting area, then I'm not interested in joining. (And yes, I know the situation is complicated. But that's what political organizations are for. It wasn't easy for Save the Bay to keep the Bay from getting filled in but they did it).

Wow, wow and wow.

Here is the last SFBA News letter, maybe you missed it.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/242773089/SF ... r-2014-q-4

Another news letter is comming out in this quarter.

Here is the discussion about upp 3rd errosion

https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/for ... =1&t=12270

Statement of the SFBA

I agree that this is a problem, but of very substantial scale. My background is in coastal engineering and shoreline retreat on the open coast. The beaches on the West Bay in this area are highly disturbed, and the shoreline is both retreating and adjusting, as well as responding to sea level rise. There was a pretty good look done at Coyote Point as part of the County's efforts to build a beach there. Essentially, the shoreline was pushed out with fill over the mudflats. (It is also altered by other nearby fill areas, like that to the up coast of the power lines.) All of this alters both the supply of sand and the wave energy. David Lyon has poked around a bit, and I asked two technical experts--Bob Battalio, ESA's coastal engineer, and Peter Baye, who has worked on beach restoration (e.g Aramburu Island in Marin County) for a little informal help.



There are two problems. First, long term erosion and sea level rise has eroded not just the beach, but areas up wind (up wave energy direction), so shoaling of waves occurs closer to the beach, bringing more wave energy and accelerating erosion. Second, but not so clear to me, the shoreline was perhaps filled many years ago and is now seeking a new equilibrium. Unless we understand the issues, and have the City behind us, any restoration efforts are doomed.



The good news is that the agencies who regulate the shoreline now understand that soft solutions--eg. restored beaches--are better habitat than rip-rap. So there are some prospects for eventual support and solutions, but the price tag is in the millions, and the time scale is in the five to ten year horizon.



Sorry to not have better news.



Jim McGrath
Vice President San Francisco Board Sailing Association
Board Member San Francisco bay conservation and development commission

[Tony Soprano]

I would like to become a member, but the SFBA site has been hacked, it's full of pharma link spam. I assume this is not part of the fundraising effort, but it makes me uncomfortable with clicking any payment links.

Also, what's the "Sustaining" membership?

Hello, I sent you an email with our webmaster contact info.

We have not received other reports of a problem. It seem to be running smoothly.

Please make check payable to SFBA, and mail to:

SFBA
1592 Union Street, Box 301
San Francisco, California 94123

With the following information:

Last Name, First Name
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip
Evening Phone, Day Phone
Date
E-mail Address
SFBA Chapter Affiliation: North Bay, SF, Eastbay or Peninsula

[cleepa]

It seems funny to me that the Parks are willing to spend so much effort dredging and restoring the 2.5 miles of Alameda Crown Beach every few years, but aren't willing to put in a few hundred yards of rip-rap to save the 3rd ave beach. I do realise that the 3rd ave beach does not see as many visitors as Crown Beach, but the relative efforts required for the two beaches seem to be roughly proportional to their use. And while the new facilities at 3rd lower launch are nice, it also seems that that money might have been better spent on preserving one of the primary beginner locations in the Bay Area instead of installing conveniences.

[Sonny]

It seems funny to me that the Parks are willing to spend so much effort dredging and restoring the 2.5 miles of Alameda Crown Beach every few years, but aren't willing to put in a few hundred yards of rip-rap to save the 3rd ave beach. I do realise that the 3rd ave beach does not see as many visitors as Crown Beach, but the relative efforts required for the two beaches seem to be roughly proportional to their use. And while the new facilities at 3rd lower launch are nice, it also seems that that money might have been better spent on preserving one of the primary beginner locations in the Bay Area instead of installing conveniences.

What Foster City did to improve 3rd AVE and resolving the erosion problem are two different things. The money used for 3rd can only be used for what they did, you should hang out at 3rd and get educated before making judgement.

[Thor29]

Yes, I did miss the newsletter, after all I am not a member. Like I said, you guys need to get better at communication. For instance, if someone e-mails the contact e-mail listed on your website, maybe someone could actually reply. In the meantime, posting new developments on this forum would help a lot.

I totally sympathize with cleepa - I tried asking regulars at 3rd Ave what was going on with the erosion of the upper launch and everyone just shrugged and told me that it is a foregone conclusion that the launch is doomed.

I respectfully request that if the SFBA wants more of us to join, then perhaps they could use this forum more often to announce new developments. It also wouldn't hurt to do a little outreach once in awhile. Announce a beach cleanup with BBQ or something like that. And by announce, I mean here on this forum and not on your website or on Facebook where we won't know about it.

[Thor29]

Yes, I did miss the newsletter, after all I am not a member. Like I said, you guys need to get better at communication. For instance, if someone e-mails the contact e-mail listed on your website, maybe someone could actually reply. In the meantime, posting new developments on this forum would help a lot.

I totally sympathize with cleepa - I tried asking regulars at 3rd Ave what was going on with the erosion of the upper launch and everyone just shrugged and told me that it is a foregone conclusion that the launch is doomed.

I respectfully request that if the SFBA wants more of us to join, then perhaps they could use this forum more often to announce new developments. It also wouldn't hurt to do a little outreach once in awhile. Announce a beach cleanup with BBQ or something like that. And by announce, I mean here on this forum and not on your website or on Facebook where we won't know about it.

[Tony Soprano]

Yes, I did miss the newsletter, after all I am not a member. Like I said, you guys need to get better at communication. For instance, if someone e-mails the contact e-mail listed on your website, maybe someone could actually reply. In the meantime, posting new developments on this forum would help a lot.

I totally sympathize with cleepa - I tried asking regulars at 3rd Ave what was going on with the erosion of the upper launch and everyone just shrugged and told me that it is a foregone conclusion that the launch is doomed.

I respectfully request that if the SFBA wants more of us to join, then perhaps they could use this forum more often to announce new developments. It also wouldn't hurt to do a little outreach once in awhile. Announce a beach cleanup with BBQ or something like that. And by announce, I mean here on this forum and not on your website or on Facebook where we won't know about it.

BayAreakiteboarding .com administrator posted an online signup sheet for the e-newsletter December 14, 2014
https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/for ... =1&t=13370

The news letter was posted on BAK October 10, 2014

https://www.bayareakiteboarding.com/for ... ter#p91847


People can most easily sign up via texting. All they have to do is

Text the word SFBA to 22828

A text back will come back asking them for their email which will sign them up.

Save July 10th for a Big SFBA 30th aniversary party in the city.

‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ with SFBA
Celebrate 30 Years of Access Protection and Safety Promotion with the
San Francisco Boardsailing Association (SFBA)
Save the Date!
Friday, July 10th, 2015
Broadway Studios
435 Broadway, SF CA
Events begin at 7PM….