Tuesday, April 10, 2007
SATURDAY 7 APRIL 07-- 2 BRIDGE KISS-- BLUSTERY WINDS-- RACE BOATS
Saturday started out foggy with a misty morning rain. By early afternoon, skies had partially cleared and a moderate wind was blowing.
We left port about 4 pm when the winds were still blowing with moderate velocity, but put up a single-reefed main in anticipation of stronger winds likely to come up as they usually have in recent weeks.
We headed out into the central bay and gybed the main and sailed main only downwind along the cityfront to the east for a while, watching a double-masted catboat and a Hans Christian cutter heading northwest just off the shore of TI.
Just off to port, a small boat was sailing main only to the southeast, and even after we pulled out the jib to full, they were keeping up with us or going a bit faster.
We were enjoying views of the financial district in the hazy sunshine as we sailed toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, making moderate headway in the moderate winds.
Eventually the J-boat off port pulled out its jib to full and passed in front of us to sail closer to the cityfront....
...and soon we were even with them as we both headed for the bridge.
The Bay Bridge was enjoying the hazy sunshine of the late afternoon as we approached the A-B span, then sailed under it, reefed the jib and headed back upwind.
A small sailboat passed to starboard as we sailed to the northwest on the westerly breeze.
As we entered the central bay, we encountered winds now much stronger-- around 20 knots-- and seas that were starting to have substantial wind waves, and as we sailed toward Alcatraz, we started to see race boats flying spinnakers, like this one...
... and ESCAPADO.
We tacked into the lee of pier 45 eventually, and then headed off the wind toward the weather side of Alcatraz, intending to sail to the weather side of Angel Island, but after passing Alcatraz, we noticed that there were many race boats heading back into the bay from the ocean, so we pulled in the jib and headed back toward the cityfront to watch the race boats finish, and here is GRUNTLED-- a Moore 24, I think-- passing Alcatraz after finishing the race.
Another boat of the same design was heading northeast and passing south of Alcatraz.
Here's an Etchell, I think, named STREZA, as best I can make out, sailing along the cityfront.
Other race boats were heading for the finish line, like this one....
as i found out later, this was a Moore 24 race to the Farallons and back.
....while others were still out on the ocean, approaching the gate and headed our way on the gleaming bay waters.
Here's a Moore 24 finishing the race on starboard tack.
We tacked after approaching the cityfront shore, and watched other small race boats heading for the finish line, like this one, with wind surfers and kite surfers darting about this area of the bay.
Here's one windsurfer that blasted past behind as as we sailed westward on the choppy bay waters that made well-focussed photography difficult.
A couple of tacks took us close to the gate and we watched this small race boat bearing down on us as we were on port tack heading toward Horseshoe Cove.
We sailed out the gate near midspan on starboard tack, enjoying views of the bridge despite the grayed out conditions.
The sun was barely visible over the headlands in the overcast skies.
On the other side of the gate, ADVENTURE CAT was approaching the gate on starboard tack....
...and sailed out toward Kirby Cove as we were heading back inside.
Off to starboard, near the shore, another small race boat was heading for the finish line.
As we sailed eastward on a downwind course, we hoped to spot some diehard windsurfers or kite surfers still playing out on the water, but alas, they had all gone ashore by this time, so we did a chicken gybe and sailed main only toward the north for a while so as to have the right wind angle for a single starboard tack broad reach to home port, as the city was locked in early evening haze.
The wind was still blowing about 15 knots or so as we sailed past pier 39, and then sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse the main, having already pulled the jib in earlier.
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Saturday started out foggy with a misty morning rain. By early afternoon, skies had partially cleared and a moderate wind was blowing.
We left port about 4 pm when the winds were still blowing with moderate velocity, but put up a single-reefed main in anticipation of stronger winds likely to come up as they usually have in recent weeks.
We headed out into the central bay and gybed the main and sailed main only downwind along the cityfront to the east for a while, watching a double-masted catboat and a Hans Christian cutter heading northwest just off the shore of TI.
Just off to port, a small boat was sailing main only to the southeast, and even after we pulled out the jib to full, they were keeping up with us or going a bit faster.
We were enjoying views of the financial district in the hazy sunshine as we sailed toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge, making moderate headway in the moderate winds.
Eventually the J-boat off port pulled out its jib to full and passed in front of us to sail closer to the cityfront....
...and soon we were even with them as we both headed for the bridge.
The Bay Bridge was enjoying the hazy sunshine of the late afternoon as we approached the A-B span, then sailed under it, reefed the jib and headed back upwind.
A small sailboat passed to starboard as we sailed to the northwest on the westerly breeze.
As we entered the central bay, we encountered winds now much stronger-- around 20 knots-- and seas that were starting to have substantial wind waves, and as we sailed toward Alcatraz, we started to see race boats flying spinnakers, like this one...
... and ESCAPADO.
We tacked into the lee of pier 45 eventually, and then headed off the wind toward the weather side of Alcatraz, intending to sail to the weather side of Angel Island, but after passing Alcatraz, we noticed that there were many race boats heading back into the bay from the ocean, so we pulled in the jib and headed back toward the cityfront to watch the race boats finish, and here is GRUNTLED-- a Moore 24, I think-- passing Alcatraz after finishing the race.
Another boat of the same design was heading northeast and passing south of Alcatraz.
Here's an Etchell, I think, named STREZA, as best I can make out, sailing along the cityfront.
Other race boats were heading for the finish line, like this one....
as i found out later, this was a Moore 24 race to the Farallons and back.
....while others were still out on the ocean, approaching the gate and headed our way on the gleaming bay waters.
Here's a Moore 24 finishing the race on starboard tack.
We tacked after approaching the cityfront shore, and watched other small race boats heading for the finish line, like this one, with wind surfers and kite surfers darting about this area of the bay.
Here's one windsurfer that blasted past behind as as we sailed westward on the choppy bay waters that made well-focussed photography difficult.
A couple of tacks took us close to the gate and we watched this small race boat bearing down on us as we were on port tack heading toward Horseshoe Cove.
We sailed out the gate near midspan on starboard tack, enjoying views of the bridge despite the grayed out conditions.
The sun was barely visible over the headlands in the overcast skies.
On the other side of the gate, ADVENTURE CAT was approaching the gate on starboard tack....
...and sailed out toward Kirby Cove as we were heading back inside.
Off to starboard, near the shore, another small race boat was heading for the finish line.
As we sailed eastward on a downwind course, we hoped to spot some diehard windsurfers or kite surfers still playing out on the water, but alas, they had all gone ashore by this time, so we did a chicken gybe and sailed main only toward the north for a while so as to have the right wind angle for a single starboard tack broad reach to home port, as the city was locked in early evening haze.
The wind was still blowing about 15 knots or so as we sailed past pier 39, and then sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse the main, having already pulled the jib in earlier.
\\\
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 9:23 PM 
