SAILING ON S.F. BAY

SUNDAY 04 FEB. 07-- QUEEN MARY2 VISITS S.F. BAY

Chris came down again from Quincy, and we were also joined by Michael and Barbara as we left port around 1:45, raised full canvas and headed out into the central bay. With only a few puffs of breeze, we were at the mercy of the waxing ebb current which pulled us westward as we barely ghosted away from the shore.





We were drifting past Alcatraz when the JEREMIAH OBRIEN steamed past, eventually heading out the gate with a mass of people aboard to watch the QM2 enter the bay.

















This beautiful schooner motorsailed past between us and the cityfront.


















This Islander motorsailed past between us and Alcatraz.
















We continued drifting westward, worried that a breeze would never come up, and we'd eventually have to motor all the way back to home port, but when we were about a half mile from the gate, a lovely northeasterly breeze came up and we were finally sailing, along with our boat neighbors out there.











Lots of sailboats were out there near the gate as we now blasted westward.














STARDUST was sailing back inside the bay and passed to starboard, looking good!

















We passed JUBILEE as we approached the gate.















We sailed out the gate a short distance, and could eventually see the QM2 still way off in the distance, 3 or 4 miles out, so we came about and headed back inside the bay, watching this trimaran heading out the gate.














We sailed past this nice-looking ketch inside the gate....


















...and this lovely sloop.










We sailed about a mile inside the gate, fell off and shortened the jib as the wind picked up in velocity, and then headed back toward the gate to await the arrival of the QM2 which was about a mile outside the gate now.


















Lots of boats were out there, outside the gate, waiting for the QM2.



















Many of the boat were headed back toward the gate, like NONCHALANCE....









c







.....this Catalina....

















.....and the GASLIGHT.













As the QM2 appraoched this Coast Guard fast boat, cleared the way, and a SF police boat asked us to fell off to the south as well.













Soon the mammoth QM2 was approaching-- totally dwarfing everything around her.


















She passed within a couple hundred yards of us, looking majestic to say the least.
















Her size was astounding as she approached the gate, escorted by hundreds of boats.

















As she went under the GGB, she cleared the bridge deck by about 30 feet or so, and it must have been amazing to watch her pass while standing on the bridge deck.















Once inside the gate, she continued on to the east with her hundreds of escort boats.









We had to tack to avoid sailing inside the gate between the south tower and Fort Point, and the ebb current dragged us westward, so that we had to fight our way back into the bay against the current, eventually pulling the jib out to full for more power.







Once inside the bay, the sun behind the south tower created a dramatic scene.
















We sailed past this lovely sloop off port...





















....and this catamaran closer to the cityfront.


















It was late afternoon as we and this sailboat sailed past Aquatic Park.

















Behind us the sun was beginning to set.

















The breeze died just before we finished passing Aquatic Park, so we turned on the engine and began motorsailing the rest of the way toward home port, with the sun going down over the JEREMIAH O'BRIEN.