No, all of our charters are private, so you have the boat to yourself no matter how big or small your group is. It’s just you and our crew, so we encourage you to make this time your own. People talk about their loved one’s life, share memories, pray, sing, some bring guitars or music. We have all faiths on board, often having clergy of all faiths or Buddhist chanting on the boat. All are welcome.

Yes, you may bring anything biodegradable to put on the water. People often place flowers or rose petals on the water after the ashes. It makes a beautiful ceremony and adds a really nice touch.

We do ash scatterings quite often and have a few nice locations mapped out. The location will depend on where you leave from and how much time you have booked for your trip, as well as the weather conditions. We can discuss on the phone possible locations and if you have one in mind please let us know. We are happy to accommodate your wishes.

If you would like to go near the Golden Gate Bridge the best place to sail from is Sausalito. We can also get there from San Francisco, but it takes a little longer. The Alameda location will get you to Treasure Island in 2 hours. From San Francisco, you can get to Angel Island in the 2-hour minimum.

Give us a call and we will work with you to get you the best trip possible at the lowest price.

Yes. We welcome passengers of all ages, from babies to adults that are into their 90s. For small children and elderly, we suggest one of our two larger boats, the Bay Wolf and Osprey, where they will be comfortable. Each of the boats has an assortment of PFDs to fit children of various ages.

If you have children under 4 years old, then call us and we can discuss. Sailing with kids under 4 can be stressful for the parents - it can work, or it can be challenging. Young children on boats require parents’ constant attention. Give us a call and we can discuss.

Children 5 years old and older are fine if there is at least a 1-1 adult/kid ratio and if the kids listen well to instructions (safety instructions are important). Kids from 5-18 can often be involved in the sailing of the boat. We have a lot of experience with kids on the boats.

You are welcome to bring whomever you like. We welcome all faiths and beliefs.

Sailing San Francisco Bay year-round provides many excellent sailing days. Rain in the summer and fall is very rare. Winter has some of the most pleasant days on the water in SF Bay as the winds are typically more moderate than the summer.

If it is raining, we can reschedule for another time or cancel the trip and give a refund. Some charter operations force you to sail in the rain or cancel with no refund. If it is raining, you do NOT have to go sailing. If it is a light drizzle, many groups with people from out of town want to go out anyway, and as long as it’s safe to go out that is fine. We are always keeping an eye on the weather and will check in with you about the forecast for your trip.

In the Winter, if it is raining, we can reschedule for another time or cancel the trip and return all of your money. Some charter operations force you to sail in the rain. If it is raining, you do NOT have to go sailing. If it is a light drizzle, many groups with people from out of town want to go out anyway. We will keep an eye on the weather and check in with you on this.

Two hours is the minimum for ash scattering memorials. From Sausalito that will take you directly out to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Two hours goes very quickly, so many people choose longer trips to be able to spend some time with their family while commemorating their loved one. Particularly for groups that have family visiting from out of town, you may want to choose the standard charter length of three hours to tour around and experience more of the bay.

The prices listed are for the whole boat. You can bring from 1-6 passengers on Mahalo and 1- 20 passengers on Bay Wolf and Osprey. All of our trips are private charters – no need to spend your time with a bunch of strangers.

Please dress in layers (long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, wind jacket is the minimum of what we'd suggest, more if you get cold), long pants or wind pants are recommended. Any extra warm clothes can be stowed inside the boat if you don’t use them. Hats that can be tied on are also good. Hat lanyards are available on the boats.

Please wear soft-soled shoes such as tennis shoes or sneakers; no heels or leather soled shoes like cowboy boots, which will become slippery on the wet decks. Also, don’t forget your cameras & sunscreen!

For winter or evening trips dress warmly. We recommend a warm jacket, gloves and a hat that doesn’t come off easily. You can also wear long underwear and or wind-pants if you get cold easily. Think “Spring Skiing.” Remember it will be cooler on the water than on the land because of the wind.

Yes, there is an enclosed cabin with a small sitting area on Osprey and Mahalo. All of our boats have a head (bathroom). There is also a dodger outside that helps keep people dry and warm while in the cockpit. Most of the sailing time is spent on deck or in the cockpit. The cockpit or the deck are the best places to see the views and the sailing experience. Spending time in the cabin greatly increases one’s chance of developing seasickness so it’s best to stay above decks.

Since Covid has been an issue, we’ve been requesting people limit their time below decks because it’s the least Covid-safe place on the boat. You can get out of the wind in the recessed cockpit seating area.

Yes, feel free to bring your own food and beverages if you wish. No red wine (rosé is fine) and no hard liquor (includes seltzers with >10% ABV). For food we recommend one-handed foods (sandwiches, bagels, chips, etc), as they’re easiest to eat on the boat. We have some cups, plates, cutlery and napkins on board, but please bring your own if you’re providing your own food for large groups. We can also refer you to a caterer who will deliver to the boat.

Give us a call and we can easily help you choose a trip to suit your group. We just need some contact information and a credit card for the deposit.

On the phone we will ask you for an estimate of the number of passengers on the trip. We understand this often changes, so you can get back to us on the exact count. We will also ask where you want to sail out of, since we sail out of 3 locations.

That’s it. Very simple!

We have three convenient locations.

San Francisco – Both Osprey and Bay Wolf can do pickups in San Francisco at Pier 40 (next to Oracle Park in South Beach at the corner of Townsend and Embarcadero).

Alameda- Osprey is located at Marina Village in Alameda – beautiful spot, with a spacious free parking lot right next to the boat.

Sausalito – Bay Wolf and Mahalo are based in Sausalito and both have convenient, free parking.

When you book your trip, we will email you more information to easily find the boat.

Mahalo in Sausalito has a large free parking lot that always has a lot of space. Parking is right next to the dock. It is a short walk down the dock to get to the boat.

Bay Wolf in Sausalito has free street parking on a very quiet side-street. We will email the directions to you when you book your trip. It’s a short walk down a gravel road to get to the dock.

Osprey in Alameda has a free parking lot with lots of space. The parking lot is right next to the dock. It’s a very short, easy walk to get to the boat.

Pier 40 San Francisco: There are several lots within a few blocks of the dock. Often street parking is available. There is also a short-term loading zone right at Pier 40. A good parking lot is at the intersection of Bryant and Embarcadero, which is just north of Pier 40 (toward the Bay Bridge) where the parking lot is actually on a pier: Impark 541 The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94105. It is behind Red’s Java House.

Our cancellation and refund policies are as flexible and generous as we can make them.
There are a few options:

1. If the date is not working out for you, we can always change the day of the trip for you at no cost, with the full deposit transferred to the new date. We prefer at least a week’s notice but will work to accommodate you best we can.
2. In case of rain that cancels the trip, we can move the day of the trip or offer a 100% refund. We usually wait to make the call within 24 hours of the trip time. In California we often have rain forecasts that dry up as the day approaches. Many forecasted wet rainy days that turn into perfect days to be out on the water.
3. If you decide to put the trip off, and don’t have a new date yet, we are happy to provide you a gift certificate to keep the full value of the trip. For the gift certificate there is no expiration, and it is fully transferable, so you do not lose the value of the trip.
4. If you would like a refund (if the trip is more than one week in advance) we offer an 85% refund, or if it’s last minute and we have turned down other trips for that time slot the refund would be 50%. For trips canceled with less than 24 hours notice, we do not offer refunds. For trips that are canceled for weather we offer a 100% refund.

Many of our competitors have much more restrictive policies for any changes (e.g. no refunds if changes made within 30 days, 80%-100% cancellation fees, etc). We don’t believe in these types of business practices. Our motto is “Sailing With Friends.” We try to treat you well.