Mandeville Tip Fireworks

[sailcoyote]

Hi All,

I have attached a Google Earth image of Mandeville Tip for the fireworks. We go every year and always enjoy it. Having read some notes on here regarding this event, I figyred that I would give everyone an overview of the various anchorage spots and what to wartch out for.

The blue lines denote the main channel.

1. This area is sparsely populated. It is a little rough as it is to windward of the island. Also, many boats passing through here will not observer no-wake considerations.
2. This area is also sparsely populated. It is still in the wind however.
3. This area is heavily populated. There are raft-ups of 30 boats and is the area where the yacht clubs and owner associations usually are.
4. This area is full of smaller raft-ups and single boats. It is the closest to the fireworks barge and heavy traffic can be expected Saturday afternoon and night.
5. This is the location of the fireworks barge.
6. This area is sparsely populated. There are a couple of raft ups but none with many boats.
7. This area is far from the madding crowd. You can still see the fireworks over the levee. There is limited anchorage here so it may be tough to find a spot.
8. This is party alley - you can find me here. It's great for a dinghy run to to see all the crazies that populate the area. Probably not a good place to take the children sightseeing.
9. This is the most desired spot. If you arrive Saturday you probably won't be able to find a spot here.

Now then - after the fireworks. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. All the locals come out for the fireworks in their ski and jet boats. After the show it's full throttle back to wherever the came from. It's quite something to see if you are near the channel. After an hour they have all gone and it's safe to be on the water again.

Peter

[iliohale]

Thanks for the tips and map, very helpful. So based on your notes, area 6 seems like a pretty good place to anchor for the show but is out of the way of the crazies? Is that correct?

Gary & Nancy
iliohale

[sailcoyote]

Yes, 6 is the probably the best place to anchor.

[bigdaddiobrown]

Advice on when these areas fill up?  We were thinking of poking around some, trying to rough our itinerary, but would like to be settled before the 'crowds' show up.  With little ones we definately are looking for something like area 6, but didn't know when to be there.  For example, can we make it back from Stockton on Saturday morning and still get a decent location, or do we need to be there Thursday or Friday...?  We have a potential alternate way to get to Stockton, but not sure I want to leave the boat alone either...thanks for the feedback
Jeff and Betsy
Oxygen

[admin]

Hi Jeff and Betsy,

My understanding is that the Stockton Sailing Club people, who know about these things, are planning to leave their harbor around noon on the 4th to head over to Mandeville.

You could scout out the locations, check out area 6, on your way up the river so that you know where you are going when you head back down from Stockton.

Stink Eye, Laser 28

[sailcoyote]

There is always space in area 6 so if you arrive late you should be fine. Last year there were quite a number of sailboat raft-ups there so you could always join them and make some new friends.

We will have power boats running out from Betherl island on Saturday so if you need anything let me know. My cell number is 707 373 8314