March 29, 2009

My son Andrew and I put our repaired sail back on Wildcat and then we took her for a sail up the estuary.  We tacked up all the way to the bay and then come back on a run.  Not much wind but we still had a good time.

February 27 - March 1, 2009 CPM Sail

Well this past weekend was my test for the Skipper position on my quest for a Coastal Passage-making Certificate through Club Nautique's Sailing School. We had a good crew consisting of Ken Kolburn - Navigator, Mark Dietrich - Jr. Nav., Mark Howard and Mike Ball - Crew. Arnstein Mustad was our instructor. He has a reputation for being a demanding instructor, so we did a very thorough pre-cruise to make sure that he had not sabataged the boat. We found some loose nuts in the engine well and reported them to him. He was impressed with our thoroughness, but said that he had not placed them there. He nevertheless double checked all of the systems in the engine well to see if he could find where they come from. He found nothing wrong, but we noted the find on our pre-cruise report.

We sailed out of Ballena Bay on Friday and got out to the south bay about 2100, having eaten dinner at the slip due to low tide. After calibrating the Log and Compass we headed over to Angel Island for a mooring ball. we finally got on the mooring shortly after midnight.

The next morning we got up at 8, with the intention of getting going about 0900. At 0900 a ranger came out to the boat and asked us for our $20 mooring fee (after giving us a lecture about trying to leave without paying the fee). We then ran a mile in Richardson Bay to check the log calibration again and were ready to head out the Golden Gate. Due to the expected weather conditions we headed south to Half Moon Bay. The winds were blowing from the east at about 15 -17 knots so we decided to take the Southern Channel near the Coast. This cut off a fair amount of time on our trip to HMB. We had fair winds until Colorado Reef, just north of Pillar Point, at which time the winds abated entirely and we had to motor in. We did some radar motoring drills on the way in. We then headed back out to do some more drills because the winds had picked back up. The winds got up to 20 knts and while I was at the helm the instructor decided to run a engine failure - limited visibility drill. So I had to sail in with only a jib up.

We took a slip for the night and went into town for dinner and drinks. Pillar Point has a few good watering holes near the harbor and we all had a good night out. I also ended up watching Slum dog Millionaire on one of the other boats that was in our CPM fleet.

The next morning we got under way at about 8 am. After doing a number of motoring drills in the marina, we headed back to San Francisco. The sail up the coast was uneventful. As we neared the San Francisco Buoy the winds became fickle and out of the east, making it hard to make good time back through the gate. As we neared the gate however, the winds picked up again from the south. We saw a whale just outside the gate, and steered clear of it. By the time we got through the Gate, the winds were up to 20 knts and we were shortening sails. By the time we got to Alcatraz the winds were a steady 25 with higher gusts. By the time we past Alcatraz winds were gusting over 30 and we had to shorten sails again. after tacking back towards the Bay Bridge, the winds were a steady 30 with gusts to 35, and again we shortened sails so by now we were sailing with the equivalent of a storm tri-sail and a storm jib. Eventually it became obvious that we were not going to make it back to Club Nautique by 1430 unless we sent under power. The wind waves in the Bay grew amazingly fast since the winds were from the south an there was a fairly long fetch for the waves to build. Even in a 49 foot boat we were crashing through the waves and generating a great deal of spray, which kept me quite wet at the helm. But we made good time and eventually got back to the slip at about 1430. After the post cruise, we were ready to call it a day at bout 1800.

Although I certainly made a few errors during the CPM, I guess on balance I was not a bad Skipper as our instructor saw fit to pass me. Now I just have to take the written test and sail my last CPM trip as the skipper of a tag boat.

February 21, 2009

Today I chartered Belle Colette, a 49 ft Hunter, with the crew I will be sailing with next weekend on a CPM class, my good friend Doron, his wife, Sandra (who made a fantastic dinner for the trip) and Lynne.

We left Club Nautique at about 1430 after a lengthy ore cruise because it is a new boat and non of us had sailed her before. I was low tide and we just barely got over the bar out of the harbor. When we got out into the south bay the wind was only blowing about 6 kt. Just enough to do some crew overboard drills. We then calibrated the log and headed over to McCovy Cove to anchor for dinner. We had trouble getting the anchor to set but eventually we able to get a good enough hold for a short dinner stay. As notes above the dinner made by Sandra was excellent and enjoyed by all.

We then headed back about 1900. The wind had picked up and by the time we got the sails up we had 11 kt of wind. As we headed home a front came through and we we soon bashing on 21 kt winds. Doron and I had fun had great fun in the higher winds. The boat handles it fine except that like all hunters it heeled over quite a bit. Just as we were thinking of reefing the sails the rain picked up and we decided to roll up the sails and head back to port. The main came in fine but the jib gave us some difficulty. It was hard to roll in if it had any power in the sail. But we eventually got it rolled in.

Docking the 49 foot boat in 24 kt winds was also a challenge. When we came in we has to turn the boat into the wind and then back her into an end tie with another boat right behind her slip. Turning her back up into the wind took some back and fill manuvers to avoid the other boats around us and to turn this large boat around. But we eventually did it buy using a few back and forward manuvers to position the boat until Doron could jump off safely and attach a spring line.

John F. Finston

December 27, 2008

Took our last outing for the year 2008 on wildcat today. It was a typical winter day. No wind to speak of. We motored out with captain John and his inlaws Scott, Amy, Catlin and Shelly and our Brazilian daughter, Clara. Since there was no wind we motored up to the east span of the bay bridge and back. We enjoyed a great lunch prepared by Lynne who had stayed home to get ready for Andrew's birthday.

November 16, 2008

Went for a sail this weekend, leaving this slip at 1130, with Debra and John Constantine, Catlin and her friend Josie, Lynne and me around the bay. The winds were light so we motored out all the way to Angle Island before we found amy wind. We them raised the sails and sail up to the gate and back down to Ayala Cove where we picked up a mooring for lunch. After lunch we were able to sail back to the estuary on 10 knt NE winds. We motored back down the estuary and got back to the slip at 1850.

November 7-9, 2008

This weekend I went on another CPM as the Navigator this weekend. We had a wild time beginning Saturday afternoon. But I am getting ahead of myself. The weekend started on Friday afternoon when we were getting the boat ready for the weekend sail ahead. Our crew was to be Alain Espin, skipper, me as Navigator, Jim Collum as Jr. Nav, and Mickey O'Brien and Mark Dietrich as crew. I got to the boat, Unleashed, a 2006 41 ft Hunter, early to familiarize myself with the radar and get my charts and log set up. At about 1630 the skipper shows up and tells us that he has a family emergency and will not be able to go. So our instructor, Kay-John Kavanaugh had to assume the dual role of instructor and skipper.

We do a very fast check out and get the boat ready to head out. As the navigator I provide the course and tell the helmsman how to get us to our two destinations, first the the estuary to run the mile and calibrate the log and then on to Ayala Cove to moor for the night. In addition, as soon as we get out of the harbor and into deep water we conduct a compass deviation run to determine whether out ships compass has any significant positional errors.

So we get through all the preliminaries and I am at the helm when we get to Ayala Cove and we pick up a mooring for the night. So far so good. Since we are on a mooring we can sleep easy Friday night.

The next morning the skipper is in a hurry to get underway and only takes one of the crew up topsides to detach from the mooring. Bad idea because it is trickier than you would think, especially for someone who has not done it before and a line ends up in the water and is soon thereafter securely wrapped around the prop. Bummer. Well I volunteer to jump overboard into the frigid SF harbor waters to free the line from the prop. I am able to get into the water, but is is so cold that when I try to go under water, I loose my breath immediately and can not stay under long enough to get to the prop. Fortunately, one of the other crew members is a former fisherman from Maine and more use to cold water. He is able to free the line from the prop.

We get underway and are only about 20 minute behind schedule and get out of the gate at about 0845. Unfortunately there is no wind so we have to motor all the way up to Drakes Bay, a distance of about 20 miles. When we get there we anchor for lunch and the other tag boat, skippered by Deb Fehr, that is in our little flotilla rafts up to us for practice. Everything goes well and we are soon eating lunch.

After lunch we de-raft and we take Unleashed out for some crew overboard (COB, MOB or PIW) drills. We each get a shot at both a quick stop and quick turn technique and then head back to harbor. As Navigator I am at the helm and since the fog has socked us in, I am instruct

ed to bring the boat into the harbor by radar alone. Not a problem as far as navigation is concerned, but as we approach chimney rock I see a line of black clouds coming in from the North. I point them out to the instructor and note that I think we are in for a bit of nasty weather. I have never motored through a squall line before so I think it will be interesting. Well a few minutes later the winds pick up to a steady 25 gusting to 35 and we are surrounded by white caps and blowing seas. Then the rains start pounding us and for a short while we are hit by stinging sharp sleet. I stay at the helm and as we motor into Drakes Bay Kay-John and Mark go up to ready the anchor. As we get to where we want to anchor the winds are still blowing at about 25 knots with a fair amount of rain. Fortunately the anchor bites at first try and we are soon securely at anchor. But the boat is shifting from side to side on the anchor rode so we have to set an anchor watch for the night. Every hour one of us has to go up to the front of the boat and inspect the anchor line and let out 5 inches of line to keep the line from chafing in one spot. The wind is howling all night long. I, for one, (and the instructor) do not get much sleep that night.

To make matters worse, we need to get an early start the next day in order to get back to the gate before the ebb tide gets too strong. For those of you that are not sailors, when the waters of SF bay dump into the ocean, all of the silt and sand in the fast moving water gets deposited on a shoal (ie sand bar) about 2-4 miles wide just outside SF gate. The water is about 6 fathoms deep (24 feet), which is pretty shallow for ocean waters. So when large ocean swells come up to this shallow water the waves get pushed higher and become much steeper. On Sunday we had 12 foot swells in the ocean, which we knew would be much larger on the shoal. That makes for a rougher ride if one comes in at slack tide, but if you come in on an ebb, the water rushing out of the gate hits up against the incoming swells and makes the waves even higher and steeper, to the point that they can begin breaking on the shoal. There is a narrow channel of deeper water near the shore, but if the waves are big and the winds are strong, it makes for a scary return coming in through this narrow channel near the waves breaking on the rocky shore. For all of these reasons we decide to get an early start and raise anchor at 6 am so that we have a chance at getting back to the Gate at slack tide.

The sail down from Drakes was great. The swells were about 12 feet every 13 seconds, nice high but well spread out swells. The wind was 15-25 from our stern quarter. So the sail back was pretty comfortable. But we did not get back to the Gate at slack tide, which was at 0945. When we got to the Bonita Channel it was already 1100 and the tide was nearing full ebb. As I looked through the binoculars I could see that the waves were breaking in over the shoal. Then as I panned the shore I saw huge breakers pounding the rocks. As I swept the lens across the Bonita Channel I even saw breakers in the channel. Well this was going to be an exciting ride in! We battened down the hatches, started the engine and slammed down the throttle. We wanted to get though the rough spot as quickly as possible. Long story short, we motor sailed in with no problem at all and before long we were comfortably motor sailing thought the Golden Gate.

We headed over to Ayala Cove to moor again to eat lunch and get our debriefing from Kay John. I guess we all did a good job because he passed everyone on the trip. So my next CPM, in March will be as a skipper. Looking forward to it.

October 23, 2008

Picked up Wildcat at 1630 in Richmond at KKMI and motored back the the slip, a trip of about 15 miles. It was a beautiful warm day, but no wind for sailing. Even the slot was almost completely calm and flat, as reflected in the above picture (yes that is the City in the distance on the right). Not quite mirror flat but about as close as it gets in the bay.

October 17-19, 2008

This was a busy sailing weekend for me - another Type II CPM trip, this time as Jr. Navigator. For those of you unfamiliar with all of the jargon in the last sentence let me break it down for you. A CPM is a US Sailing class given by Club Nautique with the impressive full title of "Coastal Passage Making." The objective is to teach the students to be prepared to both navigate and skipper a sail boat in coastal waters. A Type II CPM is one where the boat is out in the ocean for the entire night - that's right we sail through the night and each take a shift at the helm and as crew (watch). Our skipper put together a good duty roster so we each were able to get some rest time during the evening as well. The Jr. Nav. is suppose to support and observe what the Navigator is doing and fill in if the Navigator needs some rest. The main responsibility of the Navigator is to maintain the ships log and to keep track of where our boat is, where it is heading and when it is likely to arrive. The Nav. must also keep track of other boats that are in our vicinity in order to avoid collision.

Our crew for this trip consisted of Bryan Hoadley, skipper, Terry Rodery, Navigator, Jim English and me as Jr. Nav, and Eric Charles as crew. We were lucky in that we had a good instructor, Dave Scott and a good boat Perriwinkle, a 41 ft 2006 Hunter. We left the dock about 1630 on Friday night and motored over to the Alameda estuary to run the measured mile to calibrate our ships log. Then we motored out to around Pier 39 before putting up the sails and motor sailing out the into the ocean. We zig-zagged out to the main shipping channel and then motored out along the north side of the shipping channel until we were past the San Francisco Bar (that is an area of shallow water and not a place to stop off and get a beer) and into deep water. Then we set a course for the Farallons. On the way there we were able to sail on occasion. Once we got to the Farallons and waived to the birds and sea lions we turned south to head for Half Moon Bay. The wind direction was not the best, so we did a few jibes until be got to the Western shipping channel, where we decided to motor through on a 90 degree angle. I went off shift and quickly went below to get some sleep.

When I woke up and came back to my duty station everything had changed. We were now sailing in the fog with 20 knot winds from the SW. We were about to enter the southern shipping channel and we learned from VTS (vessel traffic service) that there was a cargo ship coming up from the south and about to enter the shipping channel. That news resulted in a bit of angst. Our instructor, Dave, quickly asked the Navigator to determine how quickly we would pass through the shipping channel at our current speed and when would the incoming vessel reach our location. Based on the info provided, we cranked up the engine and began motor sailing so that our speed increased to almost 9 knots. Showing his greater experience, Dave then hailed VTS and reported our location and direction and that we were in fog with limited visibility. VTS gave us updated details about the inbound traffic, but more importantly, the inbound ship now knew we were out there as well. Long story short, the cargo ship passed to our aft and sounded a single horn as it passed us.

We eventually got into Half Moon Bay at 0730, quickly secured a place to anchor, and hit the bunks for a needed nap. We got up about 1115 and headed over to the dock to get a slip for the night. We then spent the afternoon doing close quarter maneuvers under power. A number of boats were down for the Pumpkin festival and there was a cocktail party at 1630 at one of the boats. Pete and Bethany were down in Nanaimo, and they came over to the cocktail party. We all went over to the HMB YC for a beer and then to Mezzaluna for dinner. We called it quits about 2130 since we had to get up at 0600 to head back to Alameda.

The next day was uneventful. We motored most of the way home until we got in the bay. Then we did some crew overboard drills and practice other skills before getting back to the slip around 1600.

After cleaning up the boat and doing the final check out, I headed over to Wildcat. I had to bring her over to KKMI in Richmond for a haul out. its about a 15 mile trip, which I did single handed. I got over there about 2000 in the dark. But all went well and Lynne drove over to pick me up and take me home.

October 16, 2008

The local Nonsuch Owners group got together at Encinal YC for drinks and dinner. Lynne, Caitlin and I motored Wildcat over from out slip and tied up at the guest dock. It was very interesting talking to other Nonsuch owners, all of whom obviously take a lot of pride in their boats. Pete and Bethany were there with Nanaimo as well. After dinner we motored back to the slip and got in around 2130.

October 11, 2008

This weekend for Fleet week we took Wildcat out with Caitlin and her friend Casey, Gail and Howard Berman and Lynne and me.  The wind was blowing at 20knts at the dock! It was also coming straight down the estuary, so we motored out to Jack London where the estuary bends a bit south and we we able to sail close hauled up to the end of the estuary.  Unfortunately be the time we go out to the bay Casey was not feeling well. So we made a right and headed to the protected Clipper Cove to watch the air show from its protected waters.  After dropping the hook on the north side of the cove we had lunch and relaxed.  The Blue Angles flew directly over us on a number of runs.  It was quite nice.  After the show we motored back down the estuary to the slip. Since Fleet week is probably the most crowed day on the bay (everyone who has a boat and has not forgotten how to use it tries to get front row seats on the water to see the show), there is also a huge crowd of boats returning after the show.  This year was no exception.  When we got back to the slip we had some more appetizers and drinks, but as soon as the sun went down the air chilled and everyone decided to leave and let me close down the boat.  As I was making entries in the log book I radioed Nanaimo to find out where they were.  Pete responded and said they were just returning to the slip. Since Bethany and Pete know Gail and Howard we went over to their boat to say hello.  I ended up staying an comparing notes on boat improvements with Pete for a while before heading back to Wildcat to close her up.  

Labor Day Weekend 2008

Rapture near TI

Rapture entering the Slot

One happy guy and some amused ladies

I told Bethany it would not fit!

Last weekend Lynne, Andrew, Catlin and I took Wildcat for a 3 day cruise around San Francisco bay. On Saturday we headed out at about noon for China Camp. We motored up the estuary and when we got to the bay we were hailed by Doron. He Sandra and their boys, Ori and Josh, were in a 40ft Caliber LRC, "Rapture" which they had chartered for the weekend. We sailed to the east of Treasure Island and soon caught up with Pete and Bethany in Nanaimo, who were also heading to China Camp.

Rapture and Wildcat headed over to Angle Island for lunch and Nanaimo headed straight up to China Camp. The wind was blowing across the slot at about 20 knots and since it was a SW wind we did not get much protection from Angle Island when we anchored.

We then headed up to China Camp. The wind was great until be got to the Richmand Bridge, then it became a bit spotty for a while before picking back up. When we got to China Camp at 1700 the wind was too high to raft up. I anchored in about 8 ft of water and Rapture was in 9.5 ft, with Nanaimo between us. At 1930 Pete came by to ferry us over to Rapture for dinner. I had our dingy ready so we got a tow over to Rapture. (see pic above). Sandra prepared a great dinner and we drank and watched Team America on Doron's laptop.

The next day we got underway at about 1200. We had heard on the weather channel that the winds were going to be howling. Well they were not. We slowly made our way accross the bay. We caught up to Rapture at the Richmand Bridge (see pics above).

Nanaimo took off for dinner at Sausalito while Rapture and Wildcat headed for a raft up at Clipper Cove. Just shy of Treasure Island, just before the rock wall on the north end, my autopilot, HAL, decided to break down so I could not disengage it and we were heading straight for the rocks. Fortunately Andrew was a great help in getting the sail down. I then was able to steer under power until we could disengage the wheel drive from the wheel. As I was taking out the screws I had this flashback to the science fiction movie, 2001, A Space Oddysey and the scene where Dave is disconnecting HAL. I kept expecting my HAL to start saying: "Look John, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over." Eventually we got to Clipper Cove and rafted up to Rapture. Nanaimo came in about 2130 and we rafted up for dinner and drinks. Drinks begat silliness as the pictures above clearly demonstrate. I was forced to try on a jacket that was obviously too small and then tested out the size of the berth in Rapture, with some pretty companions (note that I am not spilling a drop of my drink.

The next day we headed back to the slip at about 1330 and got there at about 1530 after refuelling at Jack London.

August 22-24, 2008

Wildcat had two outings this past weekend. On Friday I motored up by myself to Clipper Cove to anchor out over night. Pete and Bethany motored up on Nanaimo with Sandra Paz and we rafted up and had dinner and drinks until about 2300. The next day Andrew and his friend Rick Relinger drove over to Treasure Island and I picked them up at the guest dock and we sailed around SF bay, past Alcatraz, around Angel Island and back to Clipper Cove. I dropped the boys off and Nanaimo was still at anchor at CC. We rafted up again for another round and then motored down to Quinn's Lighthouse for dinner. Got back to the slip at about 9pm.

The next day I took Lynne's brother Scott and his daughter Katlin out for a sail up to Jack London and back. Very light winds and on the way back we met up with Nanaimo with B&P and Sandra and Doron on board. We raced back to the slip and Peter smoked me once again.

The pictures below are from Clipper Cove and motoring on the Oakland Estuary.

August 17, 2008

Spent the day today on maintenance items including:

1. Sanding down the cutting board at Lynne' request to make it cleaner looking.

2. Resecuring the float switch of the bilge pump to the hull (a bilge float switch that floats around in the bilge water is not very reliable).

3. Varnishing all the brightwork with Cetol High Gloss. This was much easier than I thought it would be.

Next on the agenda is checking the zincs and cleaning the rust of the stainless on the boat. Yes it is true - maintenance is never ending!

August 16, 2008

Lynne and I went for a sail with out good friends Vivian and Franz  and their daughter Simone on Saturday. We got on the water slightly after 1300 and sailed up the estuary to Jack London. There we pulled down the sail and motored up the estuary while we had a great lunch prepared by Lynne.

Once we got all lunch leftovers stored and everything put away, Franz and I hoisted the sail. Winds were blowing from 15 to 22 most of the time. We tacked around the south bay and eventually made our way over to just in front of South Beach Marina, where we turned around and headed for home on a very nice broad reach.

I had hoped to stay on broad reach all the way home, but the wind shifted a bit and we were alternating between a full run and sailing by the lee as we approached the turning basin. Of course as luck would have it there was a cargo ship in the basin and all traffic was held up. As i tried to turn up into the wind, the main sheet got twisted around the lifesling. I was motoring up into the wind, with the concrete docks about two boat lengths off my starboard side when another sail boat started sailing across my path. I had to turn off the wind (with my main sheet still tangled up around the lifesling). Well, long story short, there was enough wind and pressure on the sheet to rip the lifesling off the bar it was attached to. Fortunately I was able to retreave it and then staighten out the sheet. We ended up dropping the sail, which I should have done earlier, and motored in the rest of the way, stopping to top off the fuel tank and pump out the holding tank at Jack London.

Viv, Franz and Simone all appeared to have a good time. It was fun getting together with them and we hope to do it again soon.

August 9-10

Lynne and I got a late start on Saturday and motored out the estuary into the south bay. The winds were moderate as we sailed south and then turned to the northwest towards the delta/echo span of the Bay Bridge. We were on the radio with P&B and S&D who were sailing near the Gate and Angle Island, respectively. They reported good winds over by the GG bridge, so we headed in that direction. All of a sudden, as we approached the shipping channel coming out of Oakland Harbor the wind literally stopped. We sat around for about 5 minutes and then I decided to get under power, drop the sail and head over to drop the hook in Clipper Cove. Once we got to Clipper Cove we set the anchor and proceeded to have a drink and wait for the other two boats.

Nanaimo was the first to arrive. Pete pulled in and rafted up to my port side. Doron was next in and brought his chartered boat up to my starboard side, but then we decided the other boats were a bit too close. Pete took Nanaimo over to a better location and dropped his huge Manson anchor. Doron and I then rafted up to Nanaimo.

We ended up spending the night rafted together. I dropped my spare anchor off the back so that we would not drift too close to the marina docks or aground on the beach. Doron took off the next day at 7 am and Pete left at about 10 am. Lynne and I got underway at about 1100. We motored back to the slip after pumping out the holding tank at the pump out near the Alameda Sherrif's boat at Grand Marina.

July 26-27, 2008

Lynne and I motored over to South Bay Marina on Saturday the 26th of July to pick up three guests for a sail around the bay. The tall ships were in and docked around the bay and we were able to see a few of them. After we picked up Randa, Blaine and Evet at about 1330 we sailed across the bay towards the west end of Angle Island. It was a beautiful warm summer day. The winds were initially mild, but the picked up as we crossed the bay and were at about 18-20 as we approached Raccoon Straights. Once in the Straights the winds were fickle, but we were able to sail to the east end of Angle Island where we dropped the hook at the cove at the north east corner of the Island in its wind shadow. We had some snacks and drinks, and I took a dip in the bay (it really had turned out to be a hot day!) and then we crossed the bay and went behind Treasure Island on its east side. Once we passed under the Bay Bridge we put on the motor and motored back to South Beach to drop off our guests. Lynne and I then motored back to Clipper Cove and stayed the night on the hook. It was very relaxing. We each read a book and then got underway at about 4 pm. The winds were quite high and we had a fun sail back in to the slip. We got in about 6 pm and cleaned up the boat. Total 2 day distance about 25 miles.

July 4, 2007 Weekend

Lynne and I finally did an overnight sail on the July 4th weekend. After attending our town's 4th of July Parade, we headed down to Wildcat to get on the water and stay overnight. At first we were undecided on where we wanted to go; Clipper Cove was near by, but China Camp would be much more relaxing. We finally decided to go up to China Camp. A good choice for sure. The attached pictures are a few from the trip, two of the Richmond Bridge, one of Lynne sheilded from the wind, one heading up to China Camp and one of Pete and Bethany's boat, Nanaimo, which was there when we arrived.

The sail up was a typical San Francisco outing. We motored up the estuary because the wind was in our face. When we got towards the end of the estuary I put up the sail and tried to put in a double reef because I knew the wind was going to be blowing pretty strong in the middle of the bay after we got past Treasure Island (commonly called The Slot). However, the second reefing line was fouled so I had to go with a single reef. As expected, there was plenty of wind in The Slot - 20 to 25 with gusts to 28. But Wildcat actually handles such winds quite well. We were on a beam reach so the chop (2-4 ft) was hitting us broadside. While this might sound like it would make for a miserable sail, it was actually surprisingly comfortable. Wildcat would simply rise up and down with the waves. As we approached Richmond bridge the winds tapered and then gave out just before we got to the bridge. I put on the engine and started to motor. I would try to sail when a puff of wind came up (I was always hopeful that it would be a sustained wind), but eventually motored up to China Camp. When we got there we found Bethany and Pete already at China Camp in their boat Nanaimo. While we typically would raft up, I think we were both tired so we stayed on our respective boats. Bethany and Pete were heading up to the delta the next day and were going to get an early start.

The next day was absolutely beautiful. We lazed around and made breakfast and lunch. Lynne made a great lunch of salmon and Thai green beans. At 1500 we tried to rally to head back to Alameda for a party at Sandra and Doron's house. But lethargy set in, or maybe it was the beers and cocktails. We just could not get moving. So we stayed the night at China Camp. The only problem was that the water tanks ran dry on Saturday afternoon. We had plenty of drinking water, but limited water to wash pans, plates and utensils, so they piled up. Lynne made a great vegetarian dinner of tofu, cheese, corn and an Indian simmering sauce. We ended up doing crossword puzzles and reading. A very relaxing day.

The next day I made breakfast and fetched a pot of sea water to wash the dishes in. I heated it up to boiling and then put the hot water in the sink with some soap. It worked fine and in no time we had washed dishes. Lynne was sceptical so we put them aside until they could be rinsed with fresh water. At about 1100 we got under way. At first the winds seemed to be blowing pretty hard, and I knew we had to go through The Slot again, so I once again started with a double reef (I had fixed the fouled line that morning). But as soon as I had finally set the sails just right the wind died down to about 12-13 knts. Not enough wind to justify a double reef. So I shook out one of the reefs and we headed towards the the Richmond Bridge. The wind and the tide were both against us so going was quite slow. We tacked back and forth and slowly made our way back to the infamous Slot. When we finally got there the wind was once again blowing about 22-25 knts making for a quick sail across The Slot. At times we were hitting a SOG of 8-9 knts. I thought that we would have a great ride down the estuary, but as soon as we got under the Bay Bridge the wind stopped. So we motored down the estuary and into the slip. We got back to the slip at about 1600. Yet another great weekend on Wildcat. About 35 miles as the crow flies and plenty of variety in wind and water.

June 22, 2008

After a late start due to a late night the night before at Sandra and Doron's Red Door Studio (3am to be precise), I loaded up the visiting relatives and we made our way down to the Boat. Doron and Sandra met us at the boat, but when Sandra realized that Lynne had stayed home to prepare dinner for a dinner party with Helmut Relinger and Catherine McCarthy, she decided to take a pass on sailing.  I think the late night the night before may have played a part in her decision. We finally go out on the water at about 1230.  I wanted to get out to the Bay so that we could show our guests the City and Alcatraz, so we motored up to the Bay.  We stopped off at Jack London Square for some fuel - 12.4 gallons for $74.  I am glad I do not have a gas guzzler.  We sailed south towards Candlestick until we were about mid way between Alameda and San Francisco and then did two tacks to position ourselves for a direct shot under the Bay Bridge to Alcatraz.  The wind was blowing at 13-20 knts until we got to the Bay Bridge.  Then we hit a patch of no wind (a wind shadow from either the bridge or the City, or both, and had to motor a bit.  As we approached Pier 23 we noticed that a boat about 1/2 mile ahead of us went from sitting straight up to heeling over about 35 degrees as it got into the slot.  Doron and I immediately reefed the sail before we got into the heavy winds.  But as we approached the slot we noticed the chop was piling up and the boats ahead of us were now banging around.  We decided that our guests from out of town would not like to bash through the waves to get to Alcatraz so we instead put the boat on a broad reach for the end of Treasure Island.  The wind was now at 20-25 knts, but Wildcat handled it just fine.  Our guests did not even know that we were in weather that many other boaters try to avoid.  All went well until we had to jibe at the end of Treasure Island to turn back to Alameda.  Because the wind was so strong we decided to do a chicken jibe, but after we executed the turn and I tried to trim the sails, Doron, who was at the helm, told me that he had no helm control.  Fortunately, the rudder was stalled.  But it is an interesting phenomena with a Nonsuch, in high winds when you tack the boat you can stall the rudder and it is almost like you are hove to.  I say almost, because we were still making way about 2-3 knts, but simply could not fall off the wind.  We could have let the sail out all the way or turned up into irons, but since we were a bit close to shore I just turned on the engine to get the rudder out of the stall.  We headed back to home on a typical run down the estuary and got back to the slip about 1800.  As we went by Pete and Bethany's boat, Naniamo, we noticed that they were working on her.  So after putting Wildcat to bed, we headed over to Naniamo to see what Pete and Bethany were up to.  They had just come back in from a short sail and were giving her a good wash.  I checked out Pete's new solar panels.  He says that they fully power all the electrical while under way during the day and keep his batteries fully charged during the week when he is not using the boat.  He is thinking about doing the Ba Ha Ha Ha in 2009 and is getting his boat ready for cruising.  I am quite jealous about the additions to his boat and his plans as well. 

June 15, 2008

After a late start due to a father's day barbecue at our house, I was able to get on the water at about 3:00pm.  Lynne's brother Scott, his wife, Amy and her brother Jeff, and his wife, Nancy were out visiting and I was able to talk them into being my crew.   Scott and Jeff did a great job taking off the sail cover and getting Wildcat ready to go. I did the rest of the pre-cruise, and in no time we were on the water.  As soon as we got to Coast Guard Island I yanked the sail up and we were off, sailing up the estuary towards the Bay.  The wind was at about 13-16 knts and at an angle that permitted me to tack up the estuary.  After finally getting to Oakland Outer Harbor it was time to turn back to the slip.  Fortunately, it was a run back in.  We were able to relax and enjoy the setting sun.  Everyone had a good time as usual and we were back at the slip about 8:00pm.

June 15, 2008 - Father's Day

What a better way to spend father's day than to go for a short sail after a barbecue at home.  Lynne's brother, Scott and his wife, Amy and Amy's brother, Jeff and his wife, Nancy are out visiting us from Wisconsin.  We started the day with a barbecue in which I cooked some baby back ribs and hamburgers, Lauren cooked the corn and dished out the slaw and potato salad and Lynne served dessert.  After we had our fill of food, Amy, Nancy, Scott, Jeff and I went down to Wildcat for a sail.  Unfortunately it was already 3pm, so we only had time enough to sail up the estuary to the Oakland outer harbor and back.  The wind was blowing about 14-18 kts pretty much straight down the estuary so we had to beat our way up.  Fortunately, a Nonsuch is an easy boat to tack, so the sail was still allot of fun.  The nice thing about the wind direction is that the sail home was a broad reach to a run the whole way back.  The entire 11 mile trip took about 4 hours.  As usual a good time was had by all.