Piedmont, CA Outdoor Activities

While speedboats are as fast as their name suggests, no vessel on San Francisco Bay is faster than the RocketBoat. It flies across the Bay’s waves to the high-energy guitar riffs of a rock-‘n’-roll soundtrack. The RocketBoat is just one of Blue & Gold Fleet’s 17 vessels, all manned by expert captains and crews that ferry about 2.5 million passengers annually. On their sightseeing cruises, passengers drink in panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and Pier 39, where sunning sea lions occasionally can be seen rubbing sunscreen on each other’s backs. Meanwhile, Blue & Gold’s ferries carry patrons to Sausalito, Tiburon, and other waterfront locales—including AT&T Park during baseball season—whereas their motorcoach tours chauffeur landlubbers to Northern California landmarks. All their services adhere to award-winning sustainability practices, which safeguard local ecosystems more effectively than arming every tree with pepper spray.

Captain Dennis Garrison always felt more at home in the water than he did on land. He was born in the beach town of Playa del Rey, where he spent his days fishing, jet-skiing, and sailing along the coast of Southern California. His love of the open sea and knack for navigation eventually led to stints with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

Unable to ignore the roaring of the surf and the call of gulls after retirement, Garrison founded his own sailing company—Imagine Sailing Tours. Drawing on 30 years of nautical experience, he shuttles passengers towards scenic coastlines and popular sites throughout the San Francisco Bay area. He helms a majestic Irwin Citation 34 yacht, pointing out passing dolphins and seals as he steers towards Angel Island, Half Moon Bay, or AT&T Park. Upon arriving at destinations, Garrison leads activities such as snorkeling trips in Monterrey Bay, wine tastings on Treasure Island, and pottery-spinning classes on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. The skilled seafarer also offers sailing lessons for passengers who’d like to try their hand at steering the ship themselves.

Since it was founded in 2006, San Francisco Fencers Club has weathered a furious storm of praise. For the past three years it has been named a top contender for The Bay Area A List's Best Sport and Social Club, and it took the number one spot in 2010. It has also nurtured many star pupils, some of whom have earned top spots at the World Cup, snagged national medals, and been accepted to top schools, including Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, Duke, and Vassar.

Behind each champion stands the club's team of seasoned coaches. These teachers keep class sizes small, so they can help students achieve technical excellence while emphasizing the importance of having fun and making friends. Classes take place atop contemporary, sprung, wood fencing floors, and points are tallied by an electronic scoring system, as opposed to a giant abacus hanging from the ceiling.

Welcome to Groupon San Francisco! For our inaugural deal, $15 gets you a bay cruise with Adventure Cat. That’s a relaxing 90-minute sail through the bay on a catamaran for 50% off the regular $30 price.

Armed with gear from City Kayak, guests paddle past scenic San Francisco sites such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and South Beach Harbor during guided or unguided treks. Visitors can navigate their way beneath the Lefty O'Doul drawbridge and catch home-run hits soaring out of the baseball stadium and into McCovey Cove, or advanced paddlers can traverse strong winds and tidal currents en route to Treasure Island. City Kayak also schedules classes, which teach students basic sea-kayaking skills, self-rescue techniques, and how to eskimo roll, an escape maneuver that one could use to avoid the songs of tone-deaf penguins. City Kayak rents out gear such as wetsuits and booties for tours and also sells a collection of kayaks, paddles, and accessories to equip paddlers for future travels.

Spinnaker Sailing’s crew helps people to experience the San Francisco Bay providing lessons, yacht and sailboat charters, and fractional- sailing boat-sharing memberships. During lessons, staffers challenge students to turn theory into hands-on action, using American Sailing Association guidelines to transform landlubbers into landlubbers who can sail. For those who prefer to outsource steering, Spinnaker Sailing’s captains load up to six passengers for private cruises aboard skippered 30- to 50-foot yachts. Parties can request to sail around Angel Island or stop in at Sam’s in Tiburon to grab drinks or dinner. Meanwhile, Spinnaker Fractional members share luxury Beneteau boats, indulging in the benefits of boat ownership without being bogged down with the cost of insurance, fees, and vessel upkeep.