Marine Getaways

Six fun ways to get on the water this summer. BY

MATTHEW POOLE

Kayaking Tomales Bay

If you live in Marin County this should be on your local bucket list: paddling around Tomales Bay in a sea kayak. People, there’s no excuse not to. Even if you’ve never paddled before, these boats are very steady, and the tour guides at Blue Waters Kayaking are very experienced at helping beginners. Besides, you’ll be too busy marveling at the scenery — harbor seals, osprey, pelicans, Sasquatch — to recall any concerns. If you’re a new or novice sea kayaker, I recommend Blue Waters Kayaking’s Inverness morning paddle, which is ideal for beginners (and the safest weather-wise).

COMPANY Blue Waters Kayaking

WEBSITE bluewaterskayaking.com

LOCATION Inverness

LENGTH 3 hours

BRING See “What to Bring” on website

PARKING Free

KIDS 13 and older can be on a public tour

Ferry Trip to Angel Island

You’ve always wanted to do it, and this is the summer it happens: riding your bike around Angel Island, soaking in the beautiful scenery. But fi rst you have to get there, and lucky for you the Angel Island Ferry company only charges $1 per bicycle after the fare. Here’s the plan: load up two small backpacks with snacks, drinks and a blanket, rack the bikes atop the car, park at one of the nearby all-day lots (additional cost), then buy two $15 round-trip ferry tickets (cash or check only). After the short, scenic trip across Raccoon Straight, you have more than 8 miles of biking trails to explore. End the ride with a picnic at Angel Island’s pretty Ayala Cove and hey, you just had yourself a wonderful day.

COMPANY Angel Island Ferry

WEBSITE angelislandferry.com

LOCATION 21 Main Street, Tiburon

LENGTH 12 minutes

BRING Warm clothing, cash for ferry ticket and parking

PARKING Paid parking lots, downtown Tiburon

KIDS Yes; ages 2 and under free

Sailing on the Bay

It’s probably the smartest $45 you’ll spend at Pier 39 — taking a leisurely sail around the bay on a giant catamaran, getting Instagramworthy views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the city. Adventure Cat’s big catamarans are the Roll-Royce of sailboats, super stable, with large cabins that protect you from the elements. The more adventurous members of your group can sit on the deck trampolines and watch the waves pass underneath. The optional $60 sunset tour is muy romantico and includes two complimentary beverages (beer, wine, soda) and light snacks. Be sure to bring a jacket and camera.

COMPANY Adventure Cat Sailing Charters

WEBSITE adventurecat.com

LOCATION Pier 39, Dock J, San Francisco

LENGTH 90 minutes

BRING Warm clothing, soft-soled shoes

PARKING Pier 39 garage

KIDS Yes; 5 and under free

Stand-Up Paddleboard Lessons

What a great answer to “Did you do anything fun this weekend?” You: “I sure as heck did. I took a stand-up paddleboarding lesson in San Rafael and it was a blast!” The staff t 101 Surf Sports are the best in the Bay Area at teaching you the basics of the sport, from terminology to proper technique. The calm waters behind the shop are ideal for learning how to paddle, and the water’s warm enough that you won’t need a wetsuit. 101 Surf Sports offers a discounted hour-long group lesson every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in San Rafael, including all the gear you’ll need, and you’re free to paddle as long as you want after your lesson.

COMPANY 101 Surf Sports

WEBSITE 101surfsports.com

LOCATION 115 Third Street, San Rafael

LENGTH 1 hour

BRING Towel, sunscreen, change of clothes

PARKING Free at lot

KIDS Minimum recommended age for kids is 10

Golden Gate Whale Watching Tours

It’s been a banner year for spotting whales in the bay, which is way easier than heading out into the open ocean. Every March through October San Francisco Whale Tours offers $59 whale-watching trips departing from Pier 39. Think of it as a scenic bay cruise with a chance of spotting humpbacks tossed in. At a minimum you’ll see harbor seals, sea lions, seabird colonies and possibly porpoises. Marine naturalists are always on board to narrate the trip and answer questions. It’s the kind of spiritually uplifting excursion that makes you realize that we Northern Californians are very lucky to be living in one of the most incredibly diverse regions on earth.

COMPANY San Francisco Whale Tours

WEBSITE sanfranciscowhaletours.com

LOCATION Pier 39

LENGTH 2.5 hours

BRING Warm clothing, binoculars

PARKING Pier 39 garage

KIDS 2 and under free, $35 ages 3–15

Deep Sea Fishing

If you’ve never angled for rock fi sh from a Bay Area charter boat, be forewarned that it is an extremely complicated four-step process:

1. get on the fi shing boat; 2. grab a pre-rigged fi shing pole; 3. lower your line into the water when everyone else does; and 4. reel in the fi sh. Everything else, from taking the fi sh off he hook to cleaning , fi lleting and bagging it, is taken care of by the friendly deckhands, which makes deep-sea fi shing pretty much idiot-proof (tip: alert the deckhands before you depart that you’re a newbie). New Rayann skipper Johnny "Fresh" Atkinson loves taking fi rst-timers out fi shing, so give him a call, then dust off our cioppino recipe.

COMPANY New Rayann Sport Fishing

WEBSITE newrayann.com

LOCATION Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito

LENGTH 4-6 hours

BRING Fishing license, cooler for fi llets, cash for tip

PARKING Free at Clipper Yacht Harbor lot

KIDS Bring ’em

Chelsea Holifield Mountain Play celebrates its 106th season with Grease

Set in the natural landscape of Mount Tamalpais, the Mountain Play continues its century-plus tradition of celebrating musical theater on Marin’s most famous peak. First produced for the stage in 1971, Grease remains a cultural keystone, an ode to the spirit of teenage love and an iconic look at the shifting role of women. Last seen on the mountain as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 2017, Sonoma native Chelsea Holifield returns to Mountain Play as Sandy in Grease. May 19–June 16, Cushing Memorial Amphitheater (Mill Valley). 415.383.1100, mountainplay.org

KEY: ● throughout summer; ■ free; ♥ family-friendly. Please verify all dates with event organizers

Thursday Friday Saturday

The 43rd annual Union Street Festival, between Gough and Steiner, June 1–2 (S.F.), unionstreetfestival.com ■ ♥

● ■ ♥

Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again, through September 2 (S.F.), sfmoma.org

Catch Wink at MTC, June 13–July 7 (Mill Valley), marintheatre.org

Clusterfest at Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, through June 23 (S.F.), clusterfest.com

The Mountain Play presents Grease (sing-along), through June 16 (Mill Valley), mountainplay.org ♥

Clusterfest

The 65th annual North Beach Festival, June 15–16 (S.F.), sresproductions.com/events/ north-beach-festival ■ ♥

Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, June 21–23 (Sonoma), sonomaraceway.com

Daria Martin: Tonight the World at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, June 27–February 19 (S.F.), thejcm.org

Native Expressions at Museum of the American Indian, through June 29 (Novato), marinindian.com ♥

What makes it fun for you? My favorite part is the challenge aspect. There are not a lot of theaters that are so large and so open to the elements. Beauty and the Beas t was my first time doing any kind of outdoor theater at that level and I enjoyed fighting off he mosquitoes and dealing with the heat.

In outdoor theater, there is always a plane going by or someone’s phone rings. How do you make that part of the performance on the mountain? Not a lot fazes me. I’ve had a lot of experience with unruly audiences. I played

Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano at Book Passage, 1 p.m. (Corte Madera), bookpassage.com ■

Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show in San Francisco and people screamed the entire time. You get used to it. There is also an aspect of including people in what you are doing. There are little moments in time to make each performance your own.

Everybody knows Grease and has an opinion about it. How do you find your Sandy? I am very excited to fi nd out! Grease was one of my parents’ favorite movies. I grew up knowing all the lyrics and dancing along with Olivia Newton-John in the fi lm version.

Get ready for the third annual Comedy Central Clusterfest. This year the lead act is Amy Poehle r with her friends as well as a long list of comedic talent including J ohn Mulaney, Patton Oswalt , Issa Rae and many more. The festival consists of three days of stand-up, music and the opportunity to become part of some of Comedy Central’s best shows. There will be a Drunk History Pub, where you can sip spirits while you schmooze with historical figures featured in the show’s skits. Office fans rejoice: the Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is relocating to San Francisco for the weekend — now’s the time to get that selfie at Michael “best boss ever” Scott’s desk. And look forward to performances from talented musicians such as the Bay Area’s Mustache Harbor, whose mission is to build a mustache army and create a soft rock explosion. June 21–23, Civic Center Plaza and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, clusterfest.com

April Dawn Alison at SFMOMA, July 6–December 1 (S.F.), sfmoma.org

The French Market Marin, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (San Rafael), goldengateshows.com ■

Mendocino Music Festival, July 13–27 (Mendocino), mendocinomusic.org ♥

Brit Floyd World Tour 2019: 40 Years of the Wall at the Warfield (S.F.), thewarfieldtheatre.com

Fun, games and music at the Marin County Fair, July 3–7 (San Rafael), marinfair.org ♥

Golden Gate Park car-free Sundays (San Francisco), golden-gate-park.com ● ■ ♥

Farmers’ Markets

CORTE MADERA FARMERS’ MARKET (CM Town Center) Wednesday noon–5 p.m. marincommunityfarmersmarkets.org

DOWNTOWN SAN RAFAEL FARMERS’ MARKET (San Rafael) June–September, Thursday 6–9 p.m. sanrafaelmarket.org

FAIRFAX FARMERS’ MARKET (Fairfax) April–December, Wednesday 4–8 p.m. communityfarmersmarkets.com

Festival Napa Valley, July 12–21 (Napa), festivalnapavalley.org

Corte Madera farmers’ market (Corte Madera), shoptowncenter.com ● ■

Tuesday Night Live at 142 Throckmorton, 8 p.m. (Mill Valley), throckmortontheatre.org ●

Enjoy an afternoon of Music in the Vineyards, July 31–August 25 (Napa), musicinthevineyards.org ♥

MILL VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET (Mill Valley) Friday 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. marincommunityfarmersmarkets.org

NOVATO FARMERS’ MARKET (Novato) May–September, Tuesday 4–8 p.m. communityfarmersmarkets.com/markets

POINT REYES FARMERS’ MARKET (Point Reyes Station) June–November, Saturday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. pointreyesfarmersmarket.org

For a full list of locations, visit marinmagazine.com/markets.

ROSS VALLEY ORGANIC FARM STAND (Ross) June–October, Tuesday noon–7:30 p.m. communityfarmstands.com/ross

CIVIC CENTER MARKET (San Rafael) Sunday 8 a.m.–7 p.m. agriculturalinstitute.org

TAM VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET (Mill Valley) May–December, Tuesday 3–7 p.m. marincommunityfarmersmarkets.org

KEY: ● throughout summer; ■ free; ♥ family-friendly. Please verify all dates with event organizers

Thursday Friday Saturday

Happy Fourth of July. High Sierra Music Festival, July 4–7 (Quincy), highsierramusic.com ♥

Fillmore Jazz Festival, July 6–7, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (San Francisco), fillmorejazzfestival.com ■ ♥

Early Rubens at the Legion of Honor, through August 5 (S.F.), legionofhonor.famsf.org ● ♥ Wanderlust Festival, July 18–21 (Lake Tahoe), wanderlust.com

Rüfüs Du Sol performing at the Greek Theatre, (Berkeley), thegreekberkeley.com

Movies in Creek Park

The Breastfest at Marin County Fairgrounds, 1 p.m.–5 p.m. (San Rafael), thebreastfest.org

Movies in Creek Park run every Saturday night from June 1 until October 26. Seating generally begins around 7 p.m., with pre-movie slideshow, announcements, trivia and nightly raffle. For full listings visit moviesincreekpark.com.

Tattoos in Japanese Prints at the Asian Art Museum, through August 18 (S.F.), asianart.org ♥

TreasureFest market, ends July 28 (Treasure Island), treasurefest.com ● ♥

July 6

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT

Pet Night: br ing your wellbehaved pets to the movies.

July 15

MAVERICK Western Night: cowgirls, cowboys and pioneers welcome.

July 20

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

July 27

18th Annual Beatles Tribute: live concert, tribute/cover band and community party (no fi lm).

Open to the public day at Fort Miley Adventure Course, 1–4 p.m. (S.F.), pliprograms.org ● ♥ Swim, boat, kayak or SUP at the Baykeeper Bay Parade (S.F.), baykeeper.org/bayparade ♥

The Isley Brothers wrap up the Stern Grove free concert series at 19th Ave and Sloat Blvd, 2 p.m. (S.F.), sterngrove.org

Art for Life: Ed Hardy and the Tattoo Renaissance at the de Young, through October 6 (S.F.), deyoung.famsf.org ● ♥

The Wood Brothers perform at Terrapin Crossroads, August 21–22 (San Rafael) terrapincrossroads.net

Tanabe Chikuunsai IV: Connection at the Asian Art Museum, ends August 25 (S.F.) asianart.org

Frank Lloyd Wright

Civic Center tours, every Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. (San Rafael) marincounty.org ●

KEY: ● throughout summer; ■ free; ♥ family-friendly. Please verify all dates with event organizers

Thursday Friday Saturday

Sonoma County Fair, ends Aug 11 (Sonoma), sonomacountyfair.com ♥

Lord Huron performing at the Greek Theatre, (Berkeley), thegreekberkeley.com

Petaluma Music Festival (Petaluma), petalumamusicfestival.org ♥

NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, for ages 21-plus, Thursdays 6–10 p.m. (S.F.), calacademy.org ●

Young the Giant performs at the Greek Theatre (Berkeley), thegreekberkeley.com

Second Friday Art Walk, from 5–8 p.m. (San Rafael) artworksdowntown.org ■

Outside Lands Music Festival, August 9–11 (S.F.), sfoutsidelands.com ♥

Broadway Under the Stars at Jack London State Park, through September 8 (Glen Ellen), transcendencetheatre.org

Check Out After Dark at Exploratorium (S.F.), exploratorium.edu ●

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Friday concert series, 6:30–8:30 p.m., through August 30 (Santa Cruz), beachboardwalk.com ● ■ ♥

Blues, Brews and BBQ, noon–6 p.m. (Napa), donapa.com ■

Bryan Ferry is performing at the Fox Theater (Oakland), thefoxoakland.com

For the Love of Food

Marin is an exceptional place to expand your gastronomic horizons. Here are several food truck gatherings and food tours throughout the county.

BON AIR CENTER FOOD TRUCKS (Greenbrae) Every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday bonair.com/events

OFF THE GRID FOOD TRUCKS AT MARIN COUNTRY MART (Larkspur) Every Sunday marincountrymart.com/calendar

WEST MARIN FOOD AND FARM CHEESE LOVERS TOUR (Point Reyes Station) Wednesdays through Sundays foodandfarmtours.com/project/cheese-lovers-tour

WEST MARIN FOOD AND FARM OYSTER LOVERS TOUR (Marshall) Select Mondays, Fridays foodandfarmtours.com/project/oyster-lovers-tour