Thursday, February 15, 2007
TUESDAY 13 FEB. 07-- BEAUTIFUL 2 BRIDGE KISS!
After more heavy rain on Monday evening, skies started clearing on Tuesday morning. A nice westerly was blowing in the early afternoon, and we headed out around 1 pm.
As we left port, a small yellow-hulled sailboat was in the process of tacking.
Skies were overcast and the flags were fluttering nicely in the westerly breeze.
We put up full main and headed out into the central bay, where in the west skies were starting to clear.
We headed northeast toward Treasure Island, pulling the jib out to full, and watching the thick cloud layer over the financial district.
Behind us, another sailboat was leaving the pier 39 marina.
After sailing to the northeast a short distance, we gybed and headed toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, watching the clearing skies in the west start to move eastward.
The Ferry Building was bathed in sunshine due to a break in the clouds as we approached.
Skies were also starting to clear in the south, behind the A tower of the Bay Bridge.
We sailed through the A-B span of the Bay Bridge and then gybed, thinking we might head for Yerba Buena to sail around Treasure Island, but found the wind direction unhelpful, so headed back through the A-B span, sailing toward the shore of the city with the Bay Bridge receding behind us.
As we tacked away from the shore to the north, the bow and arrow sculpture on shore
was illuminated by cloudy-bright light.
The Ferry Building and the financial district were still under cloud cover as we passed.
A beautiful Beneteau passed to starboard, looking good, and heading toward the Bay Bridge.
A Coast Guard patrol boat that we earlier saw anchored south of the Bay Bridge, steamed past to starboard, heading west, but then diverting
toward the north as another Coast Guard vessel approached from the other direction.
The breeze softened as we returned to the central bay, and a few tacks left us ghosting past pier 39 where the flags were fluttering in a breeze of only a few knots.
A very few minutes later, the breeze started to freshen again and soon was blowing in the 10-15 knot range, as we tacked away from the lee of pier 45 with the city receding behind us enjoying mostly sunshine.
After sailing out to the northwest toward Alcatraz, we tacked back toward the cityfront, and surprisingly, this pilot boat actually changed course to go behind us rather than blast us with a wake by crossing our bow-- first time we've ever encountered this kind of courtesy from a pilot boat.
Alcatraz was basking in full sunshine as we continued tacking westward.
As the wind kept freshening, we were on the verge of being overpowered, even sailing a bit off the wind, so we came about and shortened the jib, before coming about and heading west again, watching this sailboat under spinnaker approach.
As the Tartan sailboat passed, noticed that they were flying the symmetrical spinnaker without a spinnaker pole--a rather unusual sight.
Behind us, a sailboat that looked like it was probably an OCSC training boat was heading for the cityfront.
In the north half of the central bay, the breeze softened again, so eventually we were just ghosting westward, enjoying the view of Mt. Tam towering over Sausalito.
That little yellow-hulled sailboat was now motorsailing along the shore of the Marin Headlands.
We tacked before reaching Yellow Bluff, letting the jib out to full for more power, and heading across the bay in light winds that eventually freshened dramatically, shifted into the west and left us screaming toward the gate on starboard tack close reach, and eventually sailing out the gate just inside the south tower of the GGB, where we encountered growing ocean swells and wind waves that we were soon crashing through-- exciting sailing!
We just ducked out the gate and then came about and headed back inside on broad reach port tack, enjoying the view of the GGB and the Marin Headlands now in full brilliant sunshine!
As we sailed past Horseshoe Cove, we enjoyed the view of the Marin Headlands which are now starting to green up due to the recent heavy rains.
After sailing to the north for about a half mile, again arriving in lighter winds, we gybed and headed for home port, on broad reach starboard tack. We sailed to near the entrance of Aquatic Park, then fell off to dead downwind to pull in the jib, and sail the rest of the way on main only to avoid gybing back and forth again.
The city wsa basking in late afternoon sunshine as we passed pier 45.
The pier 39 flags were fluttering in a breeze of about 5 knots as we sailed past.
We doused the main near the marina entrance and, after readying ANTICIPATION for landing, we motored into the marina and landed in the slip with some substantial surge pushing us around again. It felt great to spend three-and-a-half hours on the bay in great sailing conditions and to complete a 2 bridge kiss.
After more heavy rain on Monday evening, skies started clearing on Tuesday morning. A nice westerly was blowing in the early afternoon, and we headed out around 1 pm.
As we left port, a small yellow-hulled sailboat was in the process of tacking.
Skies were overcast and the flags were fluttering nicely in the westerly breeze.
We put up full main and headed out into the central bay, where in the west skies were starting to clear.
We headed northeast toward Treasure Island, pulling the jib out to full, and watching the thick cloud layer over the financial district.
Behind us, another sailboat was leaving the pier 39 marina.
After sailing to the northeast a short distance, we gybed and headed toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, watching the clearing skies in the west start to move eastward.
The Ferry Building was bathed in sunshine due to a break in the clouds as we approached.
Skies were also starting to clear in the south, behind the A tower of the Bay Bridge.
We sailed through the A-B span of the Bay Bridge and then gybed, thinking we might head for Yerba Buena to sail around Treasure Island, but found the wind direction unhelpful, so headed back through the A-B span, sailing toward the shore of the city with the Bay Bridge receding behind us.
As we tacked away from the shore to the north, the bow and arrow sculpture on shore
was illuminated by cloudy-bright light.
The Ferry Building and the financial district were still under cloud cover as we passed.
A beautiful Beneteau passed to starboard, looking good, and heading toward the Bay Bridge.
A Coast Guard patrol boat that we earlier saw anchored south of the Bay Bridge, steamed past to starboard, heading west, but then diverting
toward the north as another Coast Guard vessel approached from the other direction.
The breeze softened as we returned to the central bay, and a few tacks left us ghosting past pier 39 where the flags were fluttering in a breeze of only a few knots.
A very few minutes later, the breeze started to freshen again and soon was blowing in the 10-15 knot range, as we tacked away from the lee of pier 45 with the city receding behind us enjoying mostly sunshine.
After sailing out to the northwest toward Alcatraz, we tacked back toward the cityfront, and surprisingly, this pilot boat actually changed course to go behind us rather than blast us with a wake by crossing our bow-- first time we've ever encountered this kind of courtesy from a pilot boat.
Alcatraz was basking in full sunshine as we continued tacking westward.
As the wind kept freshening, we were on the verge of being overpowered, even sailing a bit off the wind, so we came about and shortened the jib, before coming about and heading west again, watching this sailboat under spinnaker approach.
As the Tartan sailboat passed, noticed that they were flying the symmetrical spinnaker without a spinnaker pole--a rather unusual sight.
Behind us, a sailboat that looked like it was probably an OCSC training boat was heading for the cityfront.
In the north half of the central bay, the breeze softened again, so eventually we were just ghosting westward, enjoying the view of Mt. Tam towering over Sausalito.
That little yellow-hulled sailboat was now motorsailing along the shore of the Marin Headlands.
We tacked before reaching Yellow Bluff, letting the jib out to full for more power, and heading across the bay in light winds that eventually freshened dramatically, shifted into the west and left us screaming toward the gate on starboard tack close reach, and eventually sailing out the gate just inside the south tower of the GGB, where we encountered growing ocean swells and wind waves that we were soon crashing through-- exciting sailing!
We just ducked out the gate and then came about and headed back inside on broad reach port tack, enjoying the view of the GGB and the Marin Headlands now in full brilliant sunshine!
As we sailed past Horseshoe Cove, we enjoyed the view of the Marin Headlands which are now starting to green up due to the recent heavy rains.
After sailing to the north for about a half mile, again arriving in lighter winds, we gybed and headed for home port, on broad reach starboard tack. We sailed to near the entrance of Aquatic Park, then fell off to dead downwind to pull in the jib, and sail the rest of the way on main only to avoid gybing back and forth again.
The city wsa basking in late afternoon sunshine as we passed pier 45.
The pier 39 flags were fluttering in a breeze of about 5 knots as we sailed past.
We doused the main near the marina entrance and, after readying ANTICIPATION for landing, we motored into the marina and landed in the slip with some substantial surge pushing us around again. It felt great to spend three-and-a-half hours on the bay in great sailing conditions and to complete a 2 bridge kiss.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 12:13 PM 
