Friday, February 23, 2007
FRIDAY 23 FEB. 07-- OUT TO PT. BONITA AND BACK-- GREAT OUTING!
Yesterday, we headed out for a sail, hoping to go the fuel dock to refuel, but the rain started as soon as we left port, so we aborted the mission.
Today, Quelan, a Vietnamese young woman from Southern California visiting her parents in San Jose, joined us for an afternoon outing. Another sfsailing.com contact. We headed out about 2:30 and pulled out a reefed jib to sail jib only over to the fuel dock. Wifh flood current resisting us, we sailed out to the lee of Alcatraz, then tacked back to the cityfront at Aquatic Park, tacking again to sail westward for a bit and then tacking again to sail into the lee of the Fort Mason piers, where we pulled in the jib after starting the engine. We then motored against the strong wind and flood current into Gashouse Cove where the fuel dock is located. The SF Police boat was just finishing refueling as we arrived and left so we could dock at the fuel dock.
After fueling up, we headed out and raised single-reefed main and put out small reefed jib and sailed westward with the city behind us enjoying mid-afternoon sunshine in clear air.
Quelan was at the helm as we sailed along toward the Marin Headlands.
Way behind us another sailboat was crossing the bay and it was nice to have some company out there.
Mt. Tam was towering over Sausalito and both enjoying brilliant afternoon sunshine.
The breeze shifted more into the west and softened so we pulled the jib out to full for more power and then tacked to the south, sailing toward the south tower of the GGB for a while as a kite surfer came blasting toward us from Crissy Field....
.... and passed astern, looking great!
Meanwhile a large, well-reefed sailboat was headed our way from Richardson Bay.
As we sailed along, the breeze shifted more into the southwest again and we were blasting southeastward on close reach starboard tack, watching another kite surfer off starboard blasting across the bay surface....
....passing in front of us and heading back toward Chrissy Field.
We sailed to inside Blackaller Buoy and then tacked toward the gate, hoping to sail out on port tack close reach, and watching this lone windsufer enjoying the strong winds at the gate.
The wind shifted more westward again so this tack eventually had us sailing parallel to the gate, so we tacked out as we approached the north tower, and sailed out north of midspan--- Quelan enjoying her first experience of shooting the gate as we blasted southward in good winds.
The Marin Headlands and the GGB looked spectacular as usual in the late afternoon sunshine.
The city looked beautiful as usual when framed by the GGB.
Sailing against the flood current and into seas building with ocean swells, the GGB receded behind us.
We sailed out to a point where we could look past Pt. Bonita to the north coast, and then came about and headed back toward the gate with flood current assist.
Seacliff and Twin Peaks in the distance were enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.
We were soon well inside the gate and enjoying views of the city as sundown neared.
A large sailboat sailing with jib only crossed in front of us, heading for Sausalito.
We sailed northward until the sun dropped behind the Marin Headlands, and then came about and headed for home port to watch the sundown through the gate.
The city looked great in sunset color.
A fog bank on the horizon is what was eventually gobbling up the sun....
...giving us some brilliant sunset colors behind the gate.
The sunset continued to develop just above the horizon in the southwest....
...brilliantly illuminating the underside of a cloud finger extending across the sky outside the gate.
Eventually the sunset became some firery oranges on the cloud finger over the Presidio.
As we approached pier 39, it was again magic time on the bay with the city lights brightening, and we eventually fell off to pulling in the jib.
We sailed past pier 35 and enjoyed a great view of Telegraph Hill and the financial district buildings at dusk, then headed up to the weather side of pier 35 while preparing to douse the main.
After dousing and tying up the main and finishing readying Anticipation for docking, we motored into port and landed fine, playing the flood current just right, and full of pleasure from a great sailing outing.
Yesterday, we headed out for a sail, hoping to go the fuel dock to refuel, but the rain started as soon as we left port, so we aborted the mission.
Today, Quelan, a Vietnamese young woman from Southern California visiting her parents in San Jose, joined us for an afternoon outing. Another sfsailing.com contact. We headed out about 2:30 and pulled out a reefed jib to sail jib only over to the fuel dock. Wifh flood current resisting us, we sailed out to the lee of Alcatraz, then tacked back to the cityfront at Aquatic Park, tacking again to sail westward for a bit and then tacking again to sail into the lee of the Fort Mason piers, where we pulled in the jib after starting the engine. We then motored against the strong wind and flood current into Gashouse Cove where the fuel dock is located. The SF Police boat was just finishing refueling as we arrived and left so we could dock at the fuel dock.
After fueling up, we headed out and raised single-reefed main and put out small reefed jib and sailed westward with the city behind us enjoying mid-afternoon sunshine in clear air.
Quelan was at the helm as we sailed along toward the Marin Headlands.
Way behind us another sailboat was crossing the bay and it was nice to have some company out there.
Mt. Tam was towering over Sausalito and both enjoying brilliant afternoon sunshine.
The breeze shifted more into the west and softened so we pulled the jib out to full for more power and then tacked to the south, sailing toward the south tower of the GGB for a while as a kite surfer came blasting toward us from Crissy Field....
.... and passed astern, looking great!
Meanwhile a large, well-reefed sailboat was headed our way from Richardson Bay.
As we sailed along, the breeze shifted more into the southwest again and we were blasting southeastward on close reach starboard tack, watching another kite surfer off starboard blasting across the bay surface....
....passing in front of us and heading back toward Chrissy Field.
We sailed to inside Blackaller Buoy and then tacked toward the gate, hoping to sail out on port tack close reach, and watching this lone windsufer enjoying the strong winds at the gate.
The wind shifted more westward again so this tack eventually had us sailing parallel to the gate, so we tacked out as we approached the north tower, and sailed out north of midspan--- Quelan enjoying her first experience of shooting the gate as we blasted southward in good winds.
The Marin Headlands and the GGB looked spectacular as usual in the late afternoon sunshine.
The city looked beautiful as usual when framed by the GGB.
Sailing against the flood current and into seas building with ocean swells, the GGB receded behind us.
We sailed out to a point where we could look past Pt. Bonita to the north coast, and then came about and headed back toward the gate with flood current assist.
Seacliff and Twin Peaks in the distance were enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.
We were soon well inside the gate and enjoying views of the city as sundown neared.
A large sailboat sailing with jib only crossed in front of us, heading for Sausalito.
We sailed northward until the sun dropped behind the Marin Headlands, and then came about and headed for home port to watch the sundown through the gate.
The city looked great in sunset color.
A fog bank on the horizon is what was eventually gobbling up the sun....
...giving us some brilliant sunset colors behind the gate.
The sunset continued to develop just above the horizon in the southwest....
...brilliantly illuminating the underside of a cloud finger extending across the sky outside the gate.
Eventually the sunset became some firery oranges on the cloud finger over the Presidio.
As we approached pier 39, it was again magic time on the bay with the city lights brightening, and we eventually fell off to pulling in the jib.
We sailed past pier 35 and enjoyed a great view of Telegraph Hill and the financial district buildings at dusk, then headed up to the weather side of pier 35 while preparing to douse the main.
After dousing and tying up the main and finishing readying Anticipation for docking, we motored into port and landed fine, playing the flood current just right, and full of pleasure from a great sailing outing.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 10:46 PM 
