Lodging

Ephemerisle is not a festival. There are no tickets, no gates, and no central authority whatsoever.

But Ephemerisle is on the water, which makes attending a very non-trivial task.

You are responsible for getting yourself to and from and for everything you'll need to live and survive for your stay. There are few to no resources adjacent to the event site, and none on the water. Think carefully about what you'll need, and plan ahead!

Sleep on someone else's boat/barge/platform

The most common way to attend Ephemerisle.

Islands

Ephemerisle is an event centered around the idea of Islands. The Island you join, or if you don't join an island, will in part define your experience for the week.

If you're bringing your own boat or BYOL, you might want to join an existing island or create a new island with it's own culture/experience.

Find a spot on someone else's island

The most common way to attend Ephemerisle.

1. Read the survival guide - Start by reading this entire survival guide. The more informed you are about Ephemerisle, the more likely you'll be welcomed.
2. Post in the facebook group introducing yourself.
3. The more you become a part of the community, the more likely someone will make a spot for you in the limited space on boats.

Add your boat to an existing Island

What is an Island?

1. Get a boat - Buy, build or rent a boats/floating object you can sleep on.
2. Find an island - Unless you make prior arrangements with an island there's a real possibility you'll be stranded as an "island of one". See creating an island. Reach out to the leaders of any island you might wish to join. It's a good idea to also post publicly in the facebook group introducing yourself and announcing your intentions.
3. Getting to the event - Make sure that your boat (or other floating thing) is capable of getting to the event. See the transportation section below. Getting to the event is a non-trivial task. It's about 3 miles from the nearest marina. And it's a 60 mile (16 hour) sail from the SF Bay.

Create your own Island =

1. Get boat(s) - Buy, build or rent one or more boats/floating objects you can sleep on.
2. Invite your friends - You may find Titan Island's manual a useful guide.
3. Get to the event - Make sure that these boats (or other floating things) are capable of getting to the event. See the transportation section below. Getting to the event is a non-trivial task. It's about 3 miles from the nearest marina. And it's a 60 mile (16 hour) sail from the SF Bay.
4. Anchor safely - Make sure that you're capable of safely Anchoring your island.
5. Complete Self-Reliance - Make sure you're capable of being completely self-reliant out there. (food, medical, toilets, etc.)
6. Announce Your Island - optional, but it's a good idea to announce it in the facebook group.
7. Treat Neighbors with Respect - Once you arrive, it's good to talk to your neighbors to make sure you're anchoring a safe distance away from them. This is just common boating courtesy.

Lodging

If you want to come to Ephemerisle, you're going to need to arrange a place to sleep. If you do not prearrange a place to sleep, you will be lucky if you are given a ride back to land. If you are unlucky, you will suffer and sleep on a cold, wet deck, shivering while people walk over you.

How do you arrange a place to sleep?

Join a Crew

The easiest thing to do is join a crew for a boat or island. Typical cost for a berth for the week is between $400 - $600.

Bring your own boat

Anchor by yourself or join an island! Contact an island commodore about adding your boat to the island. If you join an island, you should speak to commodores well in advance of the event, as they will have requirements you'll need to prepare for, and they'll need to factor you into their anchoring plans ahead of time.

Rent a boat

You may be able to rent a boat from a private person either in Stockton or in the Bay Area. If you're not already capable of handling a boat (certified, typically), you may need to hire the owner or someone else to captain your boat. Then contact an Island Commodore to add your boat to their island (if you rent a private owner's boat, you probably will not be permitted to raft up to an island).

Watch for events where people are building art projects, the Break Water Makerspace or fundraising and get involved - and make connections.

Other

There are many creative solutions making a place to sleep. Many of the attempts to build land and sleep on it fail because the conditions in the delta are windy with a strong current and waves. Consider speaking with someone who has successfully done this in the past: (intentionally left blank.) If you plan to build land at Ephemerisle, be sure to organize a means to transport your materials to the event (speak with a captain ahead of time) and be sure to have a back up plan for a place to sleep. (I recommend having a captain who is okay with you sleeping on their roof.) Also, make an arrangement for other facilities as well, like bathroom use and a kitchen. Learn more at: BYOL.