Things to Do in San Rafael

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.

US Coast Guard–certified Captain Bob Cole stands at the helm of the 31-foot sloop Bolgeskrekk during Golden Gate Sailing Tours’ outings. Designed for all occasions, the tours cruise through the San Francisco Bay for birthdays, anniversaries, or sightseeing trips that explore the rich waters and history of the bay. Captain Bob—who is also Red Cross–certified in CPR and first aid—also holds hands-on sailing lessons for students of all ages and skill levels.

Live2kite's Richmond and Greenbrae locations facilitate wave-riding instruction while also supplying maritime hobbyists with billowing chutes, sturdy boards, and stylish apparel for kitesurfing, standup paddleboarding, and wakeboarding. Canopies by makers such as Ozone, RRD, and Slingshot float upon air currents, free from the interference of kite-hating trees. Rental gear equips wave riders for hours at sea, and lessons impart kiting and paddling basics as well as more advanced tricks and tactics for surfing atop dolphins.