Wednesday, November 22, 2006
TUESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER-- CLOUDY WITH NO BREEZE, THEN SUN AND A GREAT BREEZE
With an extreme low tide in the midafternoon, we had to be back in port before 3:30 pm to avoid running aground behind our slip. So we headed out around 11:30 and put up full canvas and headed down the cityfront against the waxing ebb current. We had a few whiffs of breeze for a while and managed to make a bit of headway past pier 35.
Skies over the city were cloudy and, as you can see, the flag on Telegraph Hill is limp.
Off in the northwest the skies were beginning to clear a bit....
...as they were in the west.
Now the breeze died out and we were at the mercy of the ebb current carrying us backwards. Before we drifted back west too far, we turned on the engine and motored back to the east, slowly, hoping that a breeze would come up.
The flag on Telegraph Hill started fluttering in a bit of southeast breeze, so we hoped we'd soon feel that same breeze on the bay. But, no dice. After we shut off the engine, we again drifted backwards with the current.
The large motoryacht REVERIE was still tied up at pier 35. If you and 11 friends would like to charter this luxury motor yacht for a week, simply wire a mere 525,000 Euro to the charter company. Details at http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=luxury-yacht-reverie-1058
We again turned on the engine and motored down the cityfront, passing pier 27, and then felt a light breeze coming up. We turned off the engine and sailed away from the cityfront, but the breeze was insufficient to stem the strengthening ebb current, so we were soon drifting westward with the current again. We were about to give up when a light breeze from the west came up and kept freshening, so we were now making headway against the current and began gybing back and forth along the cityfront.
This lovely freshening breeze was delightfully accompanied by clearing skies.
As we sailed past pier 9, Telegraph Hill was now enjoying full sunshine.
We ghosted past the pedestrian pier....
...and then the Belle...
....and then the California Hornblower.
Some pretty cloud formations lingered in the south over the east span of the Bay Bridge.
We continued gybing back and forth to the southeast toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, and enjoyed views of the sunny side of the financial district.
Love the view of the Ferry Building from this vantage point
The sun was brilliantly illuminating the bow and arrow sculpture on the cityfront.
The Bay Bridge was gleaming.
The buoy in front of the Beta tower of the Bay Bridge was leaning strongly in the direction of the current.
The breeze along the cityfront started to die out, and we were being swept northward by the current as we sailed away into a stronger breeze that enabled us to make progress toward the A-B span again.
After a couple of gybes, we managed to sail under the A-B span....
...but we couldn't make any further progress, so we hardened in the sails, headed up and sailed toward the cityfront with the crabbing us sideways.
Again we were enjoying views of the financial district in brilliant sunshine as we sailed westward toward the shore....
...and then tacked to the north, passing a new pedestrian pier that has recently been added to the top of the breakwater. First time we've seen this pier.
Sailing with the current and in a fresh breeze, we were making great headway to the north-- perfect full canvas sailing!
We continued sailing to the north and then tacked to sail toward pier 39 and a single tack took us right past the end of the pier on starboard tack close reach.
.
The breeze in the lee of pier 45 was softer, and as we tacked away toward Alcatraz, the city behind was enjoying the great sunshine!
The ebb current was very strong, and it appeared that the breeze was softening, so we gave up on sailing around Alcatraz, came about and headed back toward home port.
With an extreme low tide in the midafternoon, we had to be back in port before 3:30 pm to avoid running aground behind our slip. So we headed out around 11:30 and put up full canvas and headed down the cityfront against the waxing ebb current. We had a few whiffs of breeze for a while and managed to make a bit of headway past pier 35.
Skies over the city were cloudy and, as you can see, the flag on Telegraph Hill is limp.
Off in the northwest the skies were beginning to clear a bit....
...as they were in the west.
Now the breeze died out and we were at the mercy of the ebb current carrying us backwards. Before we drifted back west too far, we turned on the engine and motored back to the east, slowly, hoping that a breeze would come up.
The flag on Telegraph Hill started fluttering in a bit of southeast breeze, so we hoped we'd soon feel that same breeze on the bay. But, no dice. After we shut off the engine, we again drifted backwards with the current.
The large motoryacht REVERIE was still tied up at pier 35. If you and 11 friends would like to charter this luxury motor yacht for a week, simply wire a mere 525,000 Euro to the charter company. Details at http://www.charterworld.com/index.html?sub=yacht-charter&charter=luxury-yacht-reverie-1058
We again turned on the engine and motored down the cityfront, passing pier 27, and then felt a light breeze coming up. We turned off the engine and sailed away from the cityfront, but the breeze was insufficient to stem the strengthening ebb current, so we were soon drifting westward with the current again. We were about to give up when a light breeze from the west came up and kept freshening, so we were now making headway against the current and began gybing back and forth along the cityfront.
This lovely freshening breeze was delightfully accompanied by clearing skies.
As we sailed past pier 9, Telegraph Hill was now enjoying full sunshine.
We ghosted past the pedestrian pier....
...and then the Belle...
....and then the California Hornblower.
Some pretty cloud formations lingered in the south over the east span of the Bay Bridge.
We continued gybing back and forth to the southeast toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, and enjoyed views of the sunny side of the financial district.
Love the view of the Ferry Building from this vantage point
The sun was brilliantly illuminating the bow and arrow sculpture on the cityfront.
The Bay Bridge was gleaming.
The buoy in front of the Beta tower of the Bay Bridge was leaning strongly in the direction of the current.
The breeze along the cityfront started to die out, and we were being swept northward by the current as we sailed away into a stronger breeze that enabled us to make progress toward the A-B span again.
After a couple of gybes, we managed to sail under the A-B span....
...but we couldn't make any further progress, so we hardened in the sails, headed up and sailed toward the cityfront with the crabbing us sideways.
Again we were enjoying views of the financial district in brilliant sunshine as we sailed westward toward the shore....
...and then tacked to the north, passing a new pedestrian pier that has recently been added to the top of the breakwater. First time we've seen this pier.
Sailing with the current and in a fresh breeze, we were making great headway to the north-- perfect full canvas sailing!
We continued sailing to the north and then tacked to sail toward pier 39 and a single tack took us right past the end of the pier on starboard tack close reach.
.
The breeze in the lee of pier 45 was softer, and as we tacked away toward Alcatraz, the city behind was enjoying the great sunshine!
The ebb current was very strong, and it appeared that the breeze was softening, so we gave up on sailing around Alcatraz, came about and headed back toward home port.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 8:03 PM 
