PETALUMA RIVER
Pictures taken March, 2000 and Sept. 2005
Highway 37 overcrossing Petaluma River mouth (2005)
Lakeville (Gilardi's, 2005)
Haystack Landing, looking downstream and to the southeast
Last updated March 14, 2000
Petaluma Marina, just southeast of Highway 101 Bridge (2005)
Harbormaster office near launch ramp
Railroad swing bridge, normally in open position
Highway 101 Bridge over Petaluma River
View south from D Street Bridge. HWY 101 bridge in the distance
View upstream of Turning Basin from D Street Bridge
Turn left for docks along the left side
Yacht club is blue bldg on the left. Shallow water marked with buoys
Local Knowledge:
High water at D Street Bridge is delayed
2 hours 10 minutes from Golden Gate, Low water is 3 hours 10 minutes
from Golden Gate. The Petaluma River is a serpentine river with
many turns. Take these turns wide where the water is deeper. At Cloudy
Bend, please heed the Red nun buoys.
In San Pablo Bay, it has been reported that Petaluma Approach
Channel Marker #13 seen shoaling at low tide. Approach slowly,
preferably with depthsounding, and stay in channel center.
Local Notice to Mariners, November 2005: San Pablo Approach to Petaluma, 3 feet depth low tide at Markers 13 & 14 (where the waterway doglegs toward Petaluma River Mouth).
Dredging of the River by the Army Corps was done in
2002.
In the Turning Basin, there is a shoal marked by a floating buoy.
Every month, a commercial 100-foot cruiser visits the Turning Basin
without problems. She times her arrival for local high tide. This means
most recreational vessels, prudently skippered, should have no
problems at high tide. Be sure to check Cruise-In Visitor webpage.
Local Notice to Mariners, April 2005:
Blackpoint Railroad Drawbridge. Sheer fence on swing pan is missing; steel
protruding 2 inches.
November, 2005: New boards and rubrails around turntable as well as abutments.
December 2005: The additional boards have slightly decreased passable girth. It is less than
the prior width. A barge was temporarily lodged between when these boards were added.
Haystack landing Railroad Bridge- All navigation lights are extinguished
Highway 101 Bridge over Petaluma: Construction of additional bridge span. November 2005.
Local Notice to mariners, January 2006: On the San Pablo Bay Approach to petaluma River, Reported shoaling between Green #13 and Red #14 daymarks. LNM says 3 feet at low tide. Chart
18654.
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