Fathers Day 2010

Lynne, Andrew and I sailed up to the bay today and then back to the slip today. It was a great day on the bay. Fair winds and warm temperatures made the sail a great time and it was wonderful to have a day on the water with my lovely wife and wonderful son.

June 19, 2010

Lynne and I sailed back from South Beach Harbor to our slip. Lynne sailed most of the way. Winds were moderate and had a very leisurely sail back. setting sail at 1100 and getting back to the slip about 1515.

June 18, 2010

Set sail from South Beach Harbor at 1700 with Lynne, Dan Brown, Sean McEneaney, and Michael Barr for a tour of the waterfront. Winds were at 20 knts as we left the harbor. Once we got the sail up we went on a run towards Alameda point so that we could have some food after a long day. The winds, however, continued to build and by the time we were 3/4 across the bay they were 25-28 knts. I decided to tack back to SF at that point, but the chop had already built up, so when we turned back upwind we were in for a wild ride. Fortunately I had already put on one reef when we originally set the sail. but as we tacked up wind it became clear that we needed another one. The mates were great at handling the lines and we eventually got the reef in and were back to banging through the chop. Lots of water came crashing over the bow. The winds at one point were gusting over 35 knts. But all turned out well and we got back to the slip by 2100.

June 17, 2010

Doron and I sailed Wildcat over to South Beach Harbor marina. We left at about 1800 and arrived at about 2215. The winds were very light, but the temperature was quite warm, so we were in no hurry to get the boat over to San Francisco.

June 12, 2010

Went sailing with Lynne leaving at 1300 and returning at 1800. It was a very hot day and winds were light. Lynne did most of the sailing out of the estuary and over to ATT Park and back to the estuary and then I sailed Wildcat in from there. It was nice to be on the water when it was so hot out.

May29-31, 2010

We continued our Memorial Day trip on Saturday by heading up to Martinez. The winds were light as we headed across San Pablo bay. I set the sail, put on the autopilot and Lynne and I both took seats at the bow as we crossed the bay. The sound of the wind whipping around the mast and sail and of the water lapping against the hull was so delightful.

The wind died after we passed under the Carquenez Bridge and we ended up motoring up to Martinez to get a berth for the night. After checking in we motored over to Benicia Marina to top off the fuel tank and then headed up to the mothball fleet. We counted about 50 ships in the river and passed right by the battleship IOWA. Very impressive. We then motored back to Martinez for the night. When we arrived we saw one other visiting boat, a Hunter from Club Nautique. I hoisted by CN bergee and when they got back from dinner in Martinez the skipper came by for a chat.

The next day we sailed back to China Camp. The tide and wind were against us, so it was a lot of tacking. But tacking on my boat is very easy, so we have a fine time sailing back. Then winds died about 30 minutes outside of China Camp so we ended up motoring in. We were able to anchor just about where we were two nights before.

On Monday we headed back to Alameda. Once again the wind and tide were against us, but this time right on our nose. So we ended up motoring till we got to Angel Island. Ayala Cover was packed so we motored over to Richardson Bay to anchor for lunch. Once in the Bay we decided to motor down to Club Nautique and take a slip at their dock. We had a nice lunch and then headed back to Clipper Cove. Doron and Sandra had chartered a boat and we agreed to meet them and raft up. Just as we exited Richardson Bay the winds picked up. We were making 8.5-9 knts SOG on a beam to broad reach with an apparent wind of 18-20 knts. The boat handled fine and we were at Clipper Cove in no time. After an enjoyable raft up with Sandra and Doron and their crew, we headed back to Alameda for the night, arriving at about 1930.