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Despite the fact that there was basically no wind and we were intermittently confronted by the stench of the seeming to-have-not been-pumped head, it was a wonderfully relaxing day on the bay. No terrorist bombings of the bridges, no people lost overboard, no near misses with other boats, in fact hardly any other boats even in sparring range, save for a group of racing boats with silver Kevlar sails that suddenly trampled us in their haste to get home after the race was over. Lots of warm sunshine, cool people aboard, and beautiful views, particularly the view of the sky while lounging on the deck and trampoline: a magical mini rainbow smiling just for us!
Left the end tie at 9:15. Casting off is a little different with the twin engined-catamaran. The boat is held to the dock by the head and backed into the wind and away from the dock at about a 45deg angle, then the bow is cast free from the cleat, as the boat continues to back to mid channel. Approach is just the reverse.
We had some trouble getting the main up as the fairleads
on the reefing gear were not running free in the boom (professional analysis
and problem solving by Kevin R and Greg D). After we got it cranked up; however,
the Concerto-in-Sea (the name of the catamaran) took off like a rocket and we
were tacking the SF side of the bay in 15 minutes from Richardson Channel. The
GPS showed we were doing 8-1/2 knots over the ground and nary a drop of splash
on deck.
Concerto-in-Sea tacked out under the Golden Gate and then turned against an ebb tide to blast over to Alcatraz. It was strange seeing the red bouy leaning over pointing out to sea and blowing right by it like there wasn't a tide running.
Most everyone took a trick at the helm and lunch was had
underway. We tacked across the bay in 15 to 25 minutes a couple of times and
then headed up thru Raccoon Straight. The wind died at the east end and we got
a close view of the rocks before gybing back out into mid channel. The sky had
been lowering all day and it started to rain. We motored up the Straight looking
for wind in the slot again. The rain beat the chop to flat and we had plenty
of wind for a couple of tacks in the Slot. The rain let up as we headed home
and we rigged for the dock perfectly dry at 16:30.
Everyone seemed well equipped for the weather except Wet Debbie who forgot her foulies.
We rented a PDQ 32 for the day on Saturday. Not much sun to be found. In fact, it was a bit cold, but still well worth the time. Too bad we didn't have more wind, only about 12 kts max in the late afternoon. The best we could get out of her was about 8 kts on a beam reach, sigh.. and our drinks stayed where we put them. This time out we didn't stop for lunch.. ate on the run so to speak. Not a problem, given the lack of heel.
The crew was, as usual, fantastic... friendly, helpful, all around good eggs.
I've never rented a PDQ before. Seemed like a well thoughtout boat. Plenty of room below for two couples, but only one head. Also, I didn't much like the galley down. I would have preferred a galley up, with a second head.
There were lots of Coasties out there, along with various other patrol boats. Felt good to have them running around, especially by the Gate. We poked outside for about an hour, saw several pods of dolphin and the usually "seal" life. One thing for sure is that we were prepared to be boarded. Turned out we weren't, but the boat had been boarded a couple of weeks ago; we found the boarding sheet... no violations, apparently. The sunset was nice, but muted by the fog edging its way into the bay.
We decided to sail out the Gate for a time. The weather inside was fairly cold and foggy, and the outside wasn't much better. Finally, it started to clear, and the seas started to calm a bit. After an hour or so, we headed down to Ayala Cove on Angel Island for lunch. Yet again, this boat made my life simple as it willingly backed into the slip. A very helpful woman took the line as we approached dead slow. Her help wasn't really necessary, but it's always nice when someone is willing to help.
We had a very nice lunch on a shady picnic table, then after a brief nap, we headed back out, around the corner and into the slot. We were already reefed from the morning, which was good because the wind increased to a steady 26 kts, with plenty of white caps. We tacked near Pier 39, then headed up toward Fort Baker to drop off two of our party. Unfortunately, another of our crew developed a severe headache, so we dropped him off as well. Then, we continued on a brief broad reach back into the edge of the slot, then made an easy gybe toward Richardson Bay, Sausalito, and home.
Kevin did fine docking the boat. He claimed it had been five years since his previous attempt, but it went smoothly. All in all, a fine day.
We chartered a Beneteau 44 out of Sausalito. The crew consisted of eight women and one guy (who was dating one of the women). I like this kind of ratio!
Anyway, we were sailing on a flood, but I thought it would be nice to give the gals a thrill and get out under the Gate. We normally don't go very far, because the insurance coverage ends past the demarcation line of the two land-ends of Pt. Bonita and Seal Rocks. After stuggling with the flood for an hour or so (sailing very long and not very helpful tacks back and forth in front of the Gate), I finally told people we would give it one more try and then hang it up.
As we headed up for one more try, a dolphin appeared on our stern quarter. This turned out to be a good omen.
Almost immediately, the wind cooperated and we made it out the Gate! Deirdre was driving (and quite well for someone who had never done it before), when I saw a whale breach about 300 yards to port. It came quite a ways out of the water and landed with a huge splash. I yelled whale, and took over driving, so Deirdre could get a look. Then, the whale popped it's head up out of the water. It must have poked out about 20 feet or so. Even from our distant vantage point, it seemed huge.
The head slipped back under the water, we saw the length of the body, and then the aft section perfectly, as it slipped beneath the water. It appeared to be headed inside the bay, but we never saw it after that. Of course, it's well over 250 feet deep in that area, so it might have done anything at that point.
While the rest of the day was extraordinary, this was a fantastic moment.
This was an interesting day! I was fortunate to have several crew who had previously done some sailing. It's always easier when people want to and are capable of participating fully. We discovered that Hansa (our Catalina 36) was already single-reefed when we attempted to raise the main, and I elected to leave the reef in. (It's always better to wish you weren't reefed and unreef, rather than wish you were reefed and have to do it in poor conditions.)
We sailed into the brisk wind and tacked back and forth until we sailed under the Gate in the middle of a light ebb. There were a few decent-size swells inside the bay, and outside there were a few more. After we poked our way out, we turned around and poked our way back. The swells were turning into five- to six-foot waves near the south stanchion, and we used them to beat the force of the ebb and carry us back into the bay.
We sailed pretty much on a dead run all the way down the City front to Pier 39, where we gybed and headed across to the lee side of Alcatraz and the waiting slot. A question came up about MOBs, so I demonstrated the LifeSling recovery method. Then, we moved on to Raccoon Straight with the intention of taking a slip at Ayala Cove. We gybed down the straight with the intention of turning on the engine, heading into the wind to drop the sails, and then motoring in to the cove. At least, that was our intention!
Unfortunately, Hansa's engine would not start. In fact, it wouldn't even turn over. At first, I suspected that we had a low battery problem, the that didn't turn out to be the case. After several attempts and several troubleshooting investigations (was it warmed up with the glow plugs, was the choke all the way in, were both batteries selected), I decided that there was something relatively seriously wrong and we would be best served by returning home. As we continued to tack back and forth on our return trip up Raccoon Straight, I gave the office a call to see if they could suggest something. I finally got in touch with Paul just as we were entering Richardson Bay under sail. He also suggested several troubleshooting tips, none of which were any different than what we already tried, but it was good to hear that we had tried them all.
At that point, Paul and I talked through the procedure for picking a landing spot. We both decided that attempting to sail into the slip area would probably result in damage to our or one of the other boats, so I elected to dock under sail where the Hawiian Chieftain normally rests. It was just coming out as we were coming in. The winds were light and a bit shifty (sneaky more like it), but along with a great deal of help from the crew, we sailed down the channel, made a left turn up the fishing channel, and came to an uneventful rest just where we planned. Paul was waiting for us at the dock as promised, and the landing was uneventful (as I knew it would be).
Then, what to do with the boat.... We couldn't leave it there because the Hawiian Chieftain would be returning shortly. After some discussion, we decided to try and both sail and warp the boat back to the slip. While it was a good idea, we just didn't have the wind to cooperate and had to retie ourselves in the same place. Two members of the Ka'Iulani stopped by to see if they could help, and one of them managed to bridge the starter soleniod, and the engine started. This allowed us to motor back to the slip, and the day was done.
Again, a wonderful day. We got settled and got going about 10 am. Given that it's always prudent to travel around the bay counter-clockwise (to avoid going against the flow), we headed up toward the Gate. After a few tacks, we got out and had a great time tacking back and forth for about an hour. Then, we headed back down on a run toward the San Francisco city front with Tammy driving. Even though she was a complete novice, she really got the hang of it quite quickly.
We gybed across behind Alcatraz and moved along the windward side of Angel Island toward Raccoon Straight. Even though it was after 1pm at this point, we couldn't find a slip in Ayala Cove. Of course, it didn't help that a big powerboat cut in front of us to grab a slip. Anyway, I decided to pick up a mooring buoy instead. We could just as well have lunch on the boat, instead of our usual picnic on shore.
While we were successful grabbing a single buoy, I decided to switch to a different one, because it looked like we would swing over someone else's mooring line. After a great deal of effort, we picked up the new buoy, then I backed down to a second one, and we were successfully moored for lunch. (The novice crew was extremely helpful and kept a up a great attitude while I shuttled back and forth to line us up right. We were a big short on long lines for the job.
We had a pleasent lunch with some great conversation. Toward the end of our expected stay, two park employees motored up on their dingy. Of course, they wanted us to pay the nominal fee, but they also wanted to get their picture taken. After some negotiation and picture taking, they let us slide on the fee, because we were just about to leave anyway.
Since it was getting kind of late and this was supposed to be a half day sail, we headed back up Raccoon and turned into Richardson Bay on our way back to the slip. All in all, a great day! -- Jonathan
Plenty of wind and sun greeted us for this awesome day of sailing on the SF Bay. After checkout procedures were complete our crew of six pushed off at 10:30am in HANSA, our Catalina 36. We headed for the Golden Gate Bridge right away but with a strong flood tide making a bridge approach difficult we opted to beat across the slot to San Francisco. With Ajay at the helm, we cruised along the waterfront for a great view of Girhardelli Square and Fort Mason.
We beat across the slot again toward Angel Island hoping for a lunchtime slip at Ayala Cove. But with four other boats ahead of us we opted to go around the corner to Paradise Cove for an anchorage. Crewmembers Kevin and Fran dropped the anchor, which immediately took hold as we drifted back. We had plenty of sun and a view of the east side of the island. Following lunch, we used the windless to raise the anchor (now entombed in mud and seaweed). Concerned the mud would harden; Fran went forward and scraped the anchor clean with a small spatula.
The afternoon weather and seas were excellent! With Will at the helm we headed toward Red Rock in 25-knot winds and choppy seas. Eventually gusts to 30 knots forced us to put a reef in the main. The ride was tremendous and everyone including Manisha and Jonathan were grinding the winches seeking optimal sail shape!
The skipper brought along his digital camera today, commenting it was time to get more sailing pictures for his web site (coming, I promise). So we took bunch of shots including one of the Chevron tanker that began creeping up on us! Will guided us back to Raccoon Straights where we tacked in choppy seas and headed back to the slot. The seas began to wash over the bow (cleaning the final bits of mud off the anchor) when a rogue bit of chop caught Ajay unawares. Thank goodness for extra paper towels!
Our equipment from Modern Sailing Academy was in excellent condition today and handled beautifully. What a great day! Strong winds, good seas, excellent equipment, and Manisha, with her ever-present humor, kept us all in high spirits! -- Fran, 1st mate
What a great day! As we pulled into the parking lot of Modern Sailing Academy strong winds greeted us, promising plenty of power for our day sail. Seven people boarded Hansa (a Catalina 36) at 10am. With skipper Jonathan at the helm we swiftly got through the checkout and pushed off toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite an initial touch and go in the slip area (due to very a very low tide), we left uneventfully.
Today we had several new hands on board, all eager to learn the ropes. I don't think they were disappointed! Our able 1st mate Steve was joined by crew members Tracy, Jim & Stacy, Fran and Kevin. We easily maneuvered out the gate, even with a flood, and sailed alongside Baker Beach before executing a jibe and returning to the bay.
A brief lunch stop was made near Sam's Restaurant in Tiburon where the sun was shining. It could have been longer, but eventually the diesel fumes from the ferry and other powerboats prompted us to push off again. Our well-coordinated crew made our departure seem effortless!
The waters were calm in Raccoon Straits and the winds cooperative as we headed north to Red Rock and the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. With the wind at our back we sailed up to and around the Sisters, and back through the channel with the Brothers Lighthouse on our port side.
Everyone who wanted time at the helm got it today under excellent conditions! In the late afternoon Steve took the helm to guide us back to our slip in Sausalito. He did a great job! Many thanks to all the hands on board today who provided the muscle power for all the maneuvers. -- Fran, one of the crew
Sorry, no mariachi bands... just plenty of sun (and unusually hot weather), several whales inside the bay, a couple of dolphin just past the Golden Gate Bridge, a smattering of sea lions here and there, and a very large log floating in Raccoon Straight with the requisite seagull in residence made for a very nice sailing day on the bay. We ran under full sail the entire time, which is also unusual for the bay. The wind speed indicator reached 23 kts, but it was on a downwind leg, so we never really needed to reef. The seas and wind outside the Gate were calm and steady. We could have gone out to Mile Rock without a problem, but we were getting hungry and decided to make our way back to Angel Island for lunch.
There were several slips open, so we pulled into one of the 40-footers (we were sailing on a C&C 36 called Abracadabra), and spent a couple of hours eating lunch on the island and then relaxing on the boat. When we finally shoved off around 3pm, we decided that instead of beating against the opposite combination of wind and ebb, we would head down toward Red Rock. It was a good choice. The wind was perfect.
We finished up the day by sailing back through the straight and on home to the Sausalito Sailing dock. The last straw for the day was an excellent though spicy meal at Avatar's (combination Indian and Mexican bard). -- Jonathan, skipper
Holly, Tim and Skipper Steve departed after our boat check and an unsucessful attempt at Shanghing Kevin (Jonathan's Mate). We found some good air and decided to duck out under the bridge with the last of the current. Then we reached along the beach up to the Golden Gate Yacht club to join the I.R.S. party. Holly had been told that all the people there were IRS agents and so she didn't want to talk to anyone.
While at the party, Tim proposed marriage and Holly came back to the boat carrying a box containing a HUGE diamond an platinum ring. After we left the raftup we managed to get in a fight with the main halyard that was wrapped around the light fitting on the front side of the mast with the main halfway up. No we weren't practicing our dance steps. We decided to warm things up and reached clear up to Paradise before turning back to go around Angel Island. When we got over to the back side (where it is usually dead) We could see it was howling in the slot and threw in a reef. Battling massive current around Alcatraz and winds up to 35k, we dodged the tankers and got wet in the process.
Just about the time we got out of the Slot things calmed down and then Holly decided to "feed the fishes". Being a good sailor, she used then leeward rail.
Feeling better, we were close hauled into the channel at Richardson Bay. The wind gave us a nice break to get the main down and we arrived at dock for a perfect landing about 6:30.
Skipper got a handsome handshake from Tim and a hug from Holly. A truly romantic day!" -- Steve, skipper
"We on the second larger boat, beat across and beat Steve's iddy biddy dingy-sized vessel across the Gate to the yacht club. Of course, we were first in. We even beat the bard in. Oh well. We had a nice time chatting, munching, and walking, then back to the boat for a very nice sail out the Gate, though not too far, then down toward the Richmond bridge. It looked like we'd be able to make Raccoon Straight in one shot all the way from the bridge, but we ended up tacking back and forth about a million times. No matter. The crew, inexperienced as they were, performed like veterans. It's been a rare day on the bay when the crew was finer. (I do apologize for misleading anyone into thinking that the BBQ at the Golden Gate Yacht Club was full of IRS agents.)" -- Jonathan, skipper
"The day brought forth a typical summer day in the morning. The fog train was flowing solid thru the slot, but then the wind was supposed to be blowing out of the NW at 25. It was not. Southwest and variable. Karen P. and I had rigged the Tartan 30 with a 110% jib and decided it looked nice to poke our nose out the gate. We sailed almost to "Mile Rock" and the wind line was looking heavy with White horses on top of the 10' swells. We turned and surfed back between the South stanchion and the Fort. As we came back inside the bay the wind let up having shifted more westerly and we had a fine broad reach until it died completely just past Ayala Cove. Naptime! A little work from the Iorn Genoa pushed us to the north side of Raccoon Straits where we found very mild wind. We dropped a reef in the main as our nose dipped into hurricane gulch. We made a couple of fast sailing beam reaches out to the slot and back before heading in. A fine sailing day and neither of us got wet." -- Steve, skipper
"The gray skies on the drive up the coast from Redwood City did not portend the days events on the bay. The sun started poking through as I walked down the row of slips to find Steve (the skipper for the day) already hard at work getting the Tartan 30 ready for the day. After a few minutes the four people signed up for the trip showed up. Steve gave me the duty of introducing the rest of the crew to the boat and general safety concerns.
We hit the usual relatively high winds at Hurricane Gulch, but these soon turned to very unusually light air in the Slot. We languished there for quite a while before picking up a zephyr and heading into Point Richmond for a late lunch.
Unfortunately, we had a bit of trouble identifying the channel, and we ran aground for a brief period. It was an instructive experience, with the skipper and me trying various techniques to get us out of the mud. First we tried backing the boat.. no go. Then we tried moving the crew to the starboard side.. no go. Then we tried raising the main. This had an effect, but nothing dramatic. Then we tried moving the crew forward to the pulpit. This also had an effect, when was enhanced by using the engine. Finally, a very friendly powerboat came along side and offered to help. We gratefully accepted the tow rope, but almost immediately worked ourselves free (probably a combination of them pulling us to the port side and the previous actions).
Upon reaching the guest dock at Point Richmond, we had a leisurely lunch. A slight rain began to fall so we got going for home (this time carefully noting the channel markers). The wind picked up and we had a very nice sail up Raccoon Straight and back to Sausalito. All in all, it was a very fine day, with a very fine crew." -- Jonathan, 1st mate for the day
