Wine Upon the Waves

Ah, the siren call of Discovery Bay. Kathy and I were just there last weekend for the “Paddle for Fame,” which set an authorized world record for largest amalgam of nonmotorized watercraft. And last Saturday afternoon, we were back at the scene of the sunburn (we’re both still peeling), namely: the Discovery Bay Yacht Harbor, this time for a 2-hour BYO-wine cruise of Discovery Bay aboard the “Rosemarie” piloted by Captain Frank Morgan.

Yep, Capt. Morgan.

The idea for this little wine&brine jaunt is that every passenger brings an unopened bottle of vino, in order to share sips, stories and general schmoozing, as cruise the residential waterfront maze that is Disco Bay.

No kidding: Within DB proper lie dozens of smaller manmade inlets, coves, baby bays, curlicues and twisty-treats along the narrow waterways, most lined with residences on either side. It was an amazing tour, sipping wine, waving and raising our glasses to passing boaters and landlubbers lounging on their waterfront patios.

Under cloudless blue skies, the California vibe was complete, as Venice, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills mashed up here in Contra Costa County. Million-dollar+ properties jostling next to weekends-only fixer bungalows; teak-trimmed yachts and inflatable loungers, construction design ranging from over-the-top to under the radar: It’s a fascinating side of CoCo that Kath and I could only have seen from the water.

Now, if the cruising aspect was inspired, the wine aspect was, uh, not so much. As newbies (or as my idiot neighbor across the street once called me and Kathy, “Nubians”), Kath and I took the whole “bring a wine to talk about with others” thing seriously. We packed a pair of Cline Zinfandels into the padded wine luggage to take aboard: Big Break and Bridgehead vineyard designates, from sites right here in our Oakley ‘hood. We thought that these local sites might provide some light conversation, should anyone be mildly interested in the juice.

OK, don’t get me wrong here. Our fellow passengers were unfailingly nice and sociable; we shared plenty of laughs. But the uneasy feeling that began when we spotted the first Safeway bag, turned in to downright resignation when it became apparent that many, if not most, of the cruise-goers purchased their offering at a supermarket mere minutes before setting sail.

And swapping $58 worth of old-vine Zin for a swig of Barefoot Cellars, Crane Lake or Woodbridge was, well, enough to put the “Oy!” in “Ahoy!”

But we’ll know better next time.