Monday, September 03, 2007
SATURDAY 1 SEPT 07-- EVENING TRIP AROUND ANGEL ISLAND
We headed out around 6:30 pm on a warm saturday evening, hoping to make a trip around Angel Island.
Winds were moderately strong as we left port with flags over the city fluttering moderately, but flags over the pier 39 building fluttering more strongly.
We headed out into the central bay, sailing north, with the financial district behind us enjoying brilliant and warm sunshine.
SPIRIT, a Catalina sailboat, was heading east as she crossed in front of us.
As we entered the central bay, we noticed that a Coast Guard fast boat with flashing lights was hanging around a sailboat with no sails up for some unknown reason, and as we looked back, we saw that the two were still there and charter ketch PRIVATEER was heading out for a sunset sail.
Financial district buildings were illuminated by slanted sunlight as we continued to the northeast with the building ebb current dragging us northward in seas that had been whipped up to 3-4 foot wind waves.
Another sailboat passed well in front of us and was also headed east toward home port.
A small empty tanker was headed out to sea from the north bay, widely skirting Angel Island to avoid a much larger inbound tanker.
As the sun was going down behidn the Tiburon hills, we sailed past the navigation platform well to the east of Angel Island, staying in the wind and out of the stronger current closer to the island.
The Tiburon hills were in silhouette as we started to head up toward Raccoon Straits.
We had to motor into the breeze a couple of times before we managed to sail into the east mouth of the straits and eventually found much stronger breezes there for about half of the way through the straits. A few tacks took us out of the straits and soon we were headed toward home port sailing on a close reach in a southerly breeze that dramatically freshened between Angel Island and Alcatraz so we were making great headway. South of Alcatraz the breeze started to soften gradually and, as we sailed between pier 45 and pier 39, we
We headed out around 6:30 pm on a warm saturday evening, hoping to make a trip around Angel Island.
Winds were moderately strong as we left port with flags over the city fluttering moderately, but flags over the pier 39 building fluttering more strongly.
We headed out into the central bay, sailing north, with the financial district behind us enjoying brilliant and warm sunshine.
SPIRIT, a Catalina sailboat, was heading east as she crossed in front of us.
As we entered the central bay, we noticed that a Coast Guard fast boat with flashing lights was hanging around a sailboat with no sails up for some unknown reason, and as we looked back, we saw that the two were still there and charter ketch PRIVATEER was heading out for a sunset sail.
Financial district buildings were illuminated by slanted sunlight as we continued to the northeast with the building ebb current dragging us northward in seas that had been whipped up to 3-4 foot wind waves.
Another sailboat passed well in front of us and was also headed east toward home port.
A small empty tanker was headed out to sea from the north bay, widely skirting Angel Island to avoid a much larger inbound tanker.
As the sun was going down behidn the Tiburon hills, we sailed past the navigation platform well to the east of Angel Island, staying in the wind and out of the stronger current closer to the island.
The Tiburon hills were in silhouette as we started to head up toward Raccoon Straits.
We had to motor into the breeze a couple of times before we managed to sail into the east mouth of the straits and eventually found much stronger breezes there for about half of the way through the straits. A few tacks took us out of the straits and soon we were headed toward home port sailing on a close reach in a southerly breeze that dramatically freshened between Angel Island and Alcatraz so we were making great headway. South of Alcatraz the breeze started to soften gradually and, as we sailed between pier 45 and pier 39, we
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 11:50 AM 
