Transportation
Ephemerisle cannot be reached by land. You must arrange for transport and lodging by boat beforehand. While daytrippers are welcome, please make sure that you arrange a means of getting to and from the event beforehand. Most ferries to shore end at dusk and don't start again until dawn. If you miss the last ferry, you could spend a cold, sleepless night.
In most years, Ephemerisle has been at Mandeville Point, about 11 miles from the city of Stockton. Note when calculating travel time that some of the roads are interrupted by bridges that may be raised to allow for boat traffic.
There are basically three options:
- Catch a ferry
- Launch your boat/structure from a nearby boat ramp
- Bring your own boat all the way by water
Getting a ride on a ferry
Volunteer ferries are typically operated by the islands, and depart and return to one of the nearby marinas (which are listed below). Check with the leaders of your island to see if there is a volunteer ferry for your island. Ferry schedules vary depending on the person operating the ferry. Do not expect a ferry to tow your floating land or art unless you explicitly arrange this in advance.
The best place for info on how and where you can catch a ferry is the Ephemerisle Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/105172679576340
Launching a boat/platform
Towing home-built structures not designed for the water is very, very slow. There are strong currents in the channels and traffic from big ships, so coming by kayak can be risky and only should be attempted by experienced kayakers.
These are the closest usable boat ramps to Mandeville:
- King Island
- Paradise Point
- Lighthouse Marina
- Korth's Pirate Lair [Not ephemerisle friendly]
Check the Marinas pages for more locations and details.
Please note: You will have no problems launching or retrieving regular boats at local marinas, so long as you have a regular-looking seaworthy vessel. However, most marinas will not allow the launch of home-brew structures, any sort of onsite assembly, or other non-standard activities. If you are bringing a home-brew structure, we recommend asking for advice in the Facebook group.
Sailing from SF Bay (and back)
Ephemerisle can be reached by water from the SF Bay.
It's about a 60 mile trip (16 hours by sailboat) from Berkeley. It tends to be a lovely two day sail there with the wind at your back all of the way out there. And it tends to be something of a nightmare trip back with pounding waves directly into the wind the entire way back.
Make sure you've got a depth sounder! Everyone runs aground in the delta.
Make sure you've got a good working engine. The trip back is very, very difficult without an engine.
If you're planning on making the trip, definitely read more details.
