We signed up Dan McBride to start out the year. Dan is a high school buddy of mine from Delaware who lives in the Bay
Area. Has a great sailing resume and loves to sail! We look forward to some fun times on the Addicion with him.
Had a bunch of fun sails in January. My folks were out here in January and I got
them out for a couple of nice sails. They are in or past their 70's (my Dad is 81) and they still love to get out there and
fly in the breeze! We also had a major maintenance day and got the boat in shape for the new year. Did a little sail after
and then over to RWC to see Tower of Power and The Average White Band with Tex.
In
February the weather turned summer like and had some amazing sails. Here were the top two:
I went for a beautiful sunset
sail yesterday. The wind was 18-20 when I got out about 3pm. Sierra (my Golden) and I set out for Angel Island. The conditions
were perfect for the flash. At 5:30 we were near Alcatraz and the sun was perfectly framed by the Golden Gate Bridge. As the
sun lowered in the sky it hit the horizon and in the final seconds a huge green flash was emitted. It was breathtaking!. I
let out a huge cheer and great feeling of joy filled my body. Sunsets are cool but green flashes are awesome.
Went for a solo sail on the bay on Friday and it was amazing. We have been
hit by a warm spell in Nor Cal and 70's and sunny have been the norm. There was very little wind the day before so I was not
sure there would be any on Friday. I got out out behind Alcatraz about noon and there was a wind line ahead. It was not much
and I was doing 2 knots. I fired up the Yanmar and went to the second wind line and hit the kill switch. Now I was doing three
knots. Up ahead I could see that the wind had died. I tacked and then hit 4 knots on the meter. Then a huge wave of fog started
moving thru the gate. And with it the wind! Then the wind speed went up to 15 knots and I was doing 5-6 knots. I turned on
the auto pilot on a beam reach and took off for an amazing run up towards the Richmond Bridge. There were very few boats on
the water so I cranked up the tunes and enjoyed an hour long run to the north. Finally the wind started to fade and so I tacked
towards Angel Island. As I got in the lee it faded even more. No problem, the sun was so warm and the conditions so nice I
headed out on the deck for some sun. As I got out of the lee it picked up again and it was up to 20 knots as I headed home
with the wind on the quarter. I was doing 7 knots easy with the wind on my shoulder. Sailed down the channel and into the
harbor. That was one amazing 3.5 hour sail. Does it get any better than this???
In
March I took out my sister and her family for a nice day sail. I picked them up at Pier 40 and it was light for lunch on
the south side of the Bay Bridge. I looked on the otherside of the bridge and everyone was heeling. We headed that way and
it really picked up! Soon we were well over 6 knots and Julie was loving it as she was captaining the boat. One of our crew
was not feeling so well so we turned to head in. Back in around 4 and then off for a swim and dinner at Aqua with the family.
Also in March I had a great welcome back sail with Dave. He has been in LA
for 5 years and he finally returned. We talked about his future and had a very nice sunset sail and got back in after dark
and headed to Chevy's for dinner.
One last March sail of note was
on the 24 and 25th. Our friends had put their beloved dog Alpine down due to old age and cancer (Sierra's brother). I decided
to head out and dedicate a sail to Alpine. It was blowing a good 20-25 at 4pm and I motored slowly out the channel. I unfurled
the jib and she hit her stride and off we went. It got dark pretty quickly so I stayed near the end of the pier so I could
easily find my way back. I got back to the channel markers no prob. It was the second set of that I had a problem with.
There was no way to tell them apart from the all the other lights on shore. I strayed out of the channel but it ws high tide
so I did not have any problems. Got in OK and then had a very lovely dinner aboard with some wine and salmon from the local
deli.
I never sleep thru the night on the boat and this night
was no different. I was up around 3:30am and wide awake. Read some sailing stories and then at 5:30 decide it was a nice
morning for a sunrise sail. Hit the channel for some great colors and some wind! I put out all the sail and it ws a nice
12 kt breeze from the north. I put on the auto pilot after clearing the pier and fixed up some coffee and pancakes in the
cockpit. Very nice. The wind was just right for the pilot to steer for the day. I headed up towards the Richmond Bridge
and then up Racoon for a wonderful day sail. At around 3pm it really picked up and so I had to steer us home. On the way
in we hit 8 kts in a gust. Got in after dark and savored the day as I cleaned up the boat.
In
May I had a great sail with Paul in the late afternoon. We set out about 4pm after some maintinence. It was blowing pretty
good so we started out with just the jib. Made it over to Angel and had dinner as the sun set. Really nice in the cockpit.
Made it back after dark and had a shot of Patron to finish the day and toast to a great sail. Did another late day sail solo
and hit it just right. Came into the channel about 9pm and very dark. Slept on the boat and got up early for a sunrise sail.
My foot caught on a dock cleat and cut my foot open and ended up getting some stitches. Did not stop me as had a date with
Laurie and Wayne for a sail out of Ballena. Had a very nice sail with lunch in Clipper Cove and then up towards Angel. Nice
boat and nice sail with some great friends.
Took out a friend of Kendell's
for a day sail. She ended up bringing 3 friends so I invited three of mine (Tex, Geoff and Dave R.). It was very windy and
a couple of the ladies did not take well to the waves. Mixed up some margs and off we went for some fast sailing and 8 on
board.
Next it was Eric, Carol and Big Dave for a day sail.
Another windy day but Eric had a Ha Ha under his belt and we enjoyed the day. Dave brought some great beer and we sailed
it out to Angel. Back to the dock and over to Chevy's.
Julie
My niece julie came out from NH to visit and go for a sail. We left shortly afternoon
on Sunday and headed to Angel Island. The wind was very high as we go out so we went with jib alone. Once we got into the
lee of Angel, the wind calmed down and we put up the main. We had a very nice sail as the sun was bright and the beer was
cold. We decided to head on in to Ayala Cove and see if there were any moorings available. We found two and tied right up.
We were not headed into the swell but it was so calm I did not give it much thought. We had a fine meal of garden burgers
and salad. We had a nice evening aboard and hit the hay early. Next morning we were up for a nice looking morning. We had
breakfast and we off by 10 to pick up Tex. We hooked up with him at Gas Light and he brought the ice which we needed. took
off towards the gate and the wind was perfect. We ended up just taking between the gulch and St Fran for the afternoon.
It was about 25 minutes each way so it made for some nice sailing. We had lunch as we sailed and broke out a nice bottle
of Merlot. The fog was awesome and as we ropped off Tex to head to Sausilito for the night, it started to drop onto the water
and across the bay. We headed across and it was a bit dicey as vis was down to about 500 feet. We zipped over with great
hopes that if a tanker was nearby he would be sounding his horn. We made it no problem and as we got 2/3's of the way it
opened up into a very sunny finish. we headed into to Sausalito for dinner at a Thai restaurant and some backgammon. Up
the next morning we had to depart early for a pick-up at Pier 40. But first we had some banna pancakes loaded with other fruit
that was very tasty. we arrived at 11am to pick up Daffy Dave for a tour of the bay. The wind was about 15 as we headed
for Angel and a game of Bocce. we met a guy named Andy and did some tunes on the dock. He was very good and then Dave did
Tin Man which he had done in the cove 5 years ago on another trip. We headed off for South Beach as we had a ball game to
go to. Fixed a feast and then off to the game. The Giants were playing Texas and we needed a win. We were in the bleachers
and I wanted to get closer. After the 6th we moved over by 3rd base and eventually got to the third row. The giants had
a couple calls go their way and won 5-3. On Wednesday we said good by to Dave and then sailed back home. we are leaving
for France in a few days and needed to get home to take care of some biz. Great connections and a great trip
Off to France and London for early July. Upon my return did a Sunset/Sunrise
sail with some great wind and tunes.
Another sunrise sail with just
the main and it made me appreciate what a powerful jib we have (it was in the shop). With the main up in 15k, I could only
do 2.5 kts. When I have the jib unfurled I can do 7 easy. Nice morning with a no hurry pace.
We
got the jib back on and I did my thrird sunrise sail in a row on Sunday morning. It's so nice out there with very little
traffic and lots of wind. Got out at 6am and it was looking good. In the slot it ws 18-20 kts. Got over to Racoon Straits
and hove to for breakfast. Banana pancakes and coffee. Outta sight!! Really blowing all the way behind the island which
is very rare but good direction and lots of push. Might have one more this weekend too!!
Delta Trip
10/07/2006Our adventure begins on the 24th
of September, 2006. Tex, Dave and I met at the boat at around midnight to load the boat and get ready for an am departure
to Potato Slough. We did not need to rush off because the tides would not be favorable until about 10:30am. Had a nice raspberry
pancake breakfast and off we went. Very little wind so we motor sailed towards the Richmond Bridge. It was a slow day but
spirits were high as this was our third trip to the Delta. September is a great time to go as it is very quiet up there this
time of year. We make it up to the Carquienez Strait around 2pm. Still slow going and I am sure we are not going to make it
to Antioch on this day. We end up off Benicia at aound sunset and head into their yacht harbor for dinner and rest. We tie
up at the fuel dock and begin BBQing our fresh salmon dinner. Along with some fine wine, salad and some veggies we feast on
the boat. After clean up we all notice how peaceful the boat is. It seems the tide is falling and we are sitting in about
4 feet of mud. We look at the charts and it will be high tide around 7am and just in time for our departure. We all sleep
well and get started early.
The wind is blowing and off we go. We are getting good speed
and the Bencia bridge has just passed. There is the mothball fleet off our port bow. The Navy keeps all their old ships in
the bay, just in case they might need them again. It is an impressive sight. We follow the channel makers. We round a bend
and the water is 50' deep and we are hitting 6 kts. We stray out of the channel for a little bit as we get closer to our detination.
We pass a bright yellow marker and continue on. We soon find out what the yellow maker was for as we are hard agound in some
soft sand. We get the sails down and I jump in the water with the anchor to begin our kedging efforts. Slowly we get back
to deep water and we are sailing again. We hit sand one more time as we head out and then we stick inside the channel for
the rest of the trip. Getting stuck up here is not that big of a deal but it costs us an hour of our time to get everything
sorted out.
We continue up New York Slough and stop in Antioch for a pumpout and a break.
We shove off and three hours later we are secure in beautiful Potato Slough. There is one other boat and they are at the other
end of the anchorage. We go for a nice swim and then get ready for a pasta dinner and backgammon.
Wednesday morning we have a light
breakfast of granola, fruit and yogurt. We then have a nice morning swim and hang around the boat for the day. Inflatables,
kayak and a hammock in the bow make for a very relaxing day. The weather is perfect and the water refreshing. We have some
great conversations and enjoy our piece of heaven. At 3pm we take off for Antioch. We need to begin our home trek a little
closer to home as it will be an all day sail to SF. We follow the channel markers under motorsail and before we know it the
sun has set and we still have an hour to go. We approach Antioch in the dark and see the lights of the harbor. We settle into
our slip after feeling our way in and head off for a very fine meal at Humphrey's. Named after the wayward whale that swam
up to the Delta about 15 years ago. He eventually was lured back to the Pacific after some folks played the sounds of other
humpbacks eating and having sex. The cool part about the story is that on Friday afternoon about 5pm they set Humphrey on
a course under the Golden Gate Bridge and of course the media was all over this. The local radio was abuzz with the news and
as he headed out the Gate traffic came to a stop on the brige as everyone stopped to watch him swim away. What a great sendoff!
After
a fine meal we headed to bed and a great nights sleep.
Up at 6:30 for our return home.
The wind is up but it is on our nose so we motorsail some more. As we exit New York we are barely moving so we begin tacking
and watching the charts and the channel markers. We hit C-Strait and the wind has picked up to about 16 kts and the going
is slow. I check the tides and we are getting a
.7 kt favorable push in the right direction. Oh joy! We need
another 3 or 4 but it was not to be on this day. We fight our way to the Richmond Bridge and finally the wind is on the beam
and we are hitting 7-8 kts without any Yanmar assistance. We make it home shortly after sunset. Another successful and safe
Delta trip under our belt. Thank-you Addiction for a great adventure to the mighty San Jouquin River.
