Sunday, November 18, 2007
SATURDAY, 17 NOV. 07-- SAILING WITH STARLETS!!!!
A bevy of starlets hailed us from the pier as we were beginning our preparations to leave port for an afternoon outing around 12:30 pm, and asked if they could come aboard.
We were, of course, more than pleased to invite them aboard as they were all young, pretty and photogenic! Alas, they were not interested in joining us for our sailing outing, but merely wanted a photo of the gang on a boat to earn 50 points for their 'treasure hunt'-- and actually they were not starlets, but Sonoma State students-- I was going to say 'coeds', but I suspect that term is out of vogue.
It was sunny and warmish in the marina as we headed out, and skies over telegraph hill were partly couldy with a breeze of about 3-5 knots.
We headed out into the central bay, hoping for a burning off of the dense fog layer filling most of that part of the bay, and watched as this Catalina named WHILE I CAN motorsailed westward along the cityfront.
We headed out to the northwest, and ahead of us, ADVENTURE CAT 2 was heading toward the lee side of Alcatraz which was still visible through the mist.
Further to the west, another Catalina was heading westerly into the mist.
We sailed out to the west a while, then tacked back toward shore, and eventually tacked to the west again, planning to beat westward along the cityfront to stay clear of the fog as much as possible, eventually seeing this sailboat come ghosting out of the mist.
Instead of retreating, the fog bank came scudding back in and soon Alcatraz was hidden in the mist, and the city behind us was beginning to be erased as ADVENTURE CAT was heading out and raising her main sail.
We gave up on our outing and headed back toward home port, watching the CAT head toward Alcatraz, soon to be enveloped in the fog bank.
WHILE I CAN was retreating eastward as well.
In the east, we spotted a few other boats still in sunshine and headed west toward the fog bank, but likely to retreat same as we were. Had there been stronger winds, or ebb current instead of waxing flood current, we might have continued sailing down the cityfront toward the Bay Bridge, but didn't want to risk being enveloped in fog even close to the cityfront, or having to motor back to home port against the flood current. So we doused sail after passing the marina, readied for landing and motored into port, making a satisfactory landing even with the flood current pushing through the marina. A most unsatisfying outing in frustratingly foggy conditions that are historically unusual, if not previously unheard of, for mid-November on SF Bay.
Last year, we had one day of fog in early November, and the previous year, 2005, we had no foggy days in November, the last foggy day being on the 29th of October. If, as it seems, global climate change is producing increasing wind velocities on the bay in summer and longer persisting fog patterns in the fall, this is a highly unwelcome development. If the trend continues, it is likely to have an unwelcome negative impact on the boating industry in the Bay Area.
A bevy of starlets hailed us from the pier as we were beginning our preparations to leave port for an afternoon outing around 12:30 pm, and asked if they could come aboard.
We were, of course, more than pleased to invite them aboard as they were all young, pretty and photogenic! Alas, they were not interested in joining us for our sailing outing, but merely wanted a photo of the gang on a boat to earn 50 points for their 'treasure hunt'-- and actually they were not starlets, but Sonoma State students-- I was going to say 'coeds', but I suspect that term is out of vogue.
It was sunny and warmish in the marina as we headed out, and skies over telegraph hill were partly couldy with a breeze of about 3-5 knots.
We headed out into the central bay, hoping for a burning off of the dense fog layer filling most of that part of the bay, and watched as this Catalina named WHILE I CAN motorsailed westward along the cityfront.
We headed out to the northwest, and ahead of us, ADVENTURE CAT 2 was heading toward the lee side of Alcatraz which was still visible through the mist.
Further to the west, another Catalina was heading westerly into the mist.
We sailed out to the west a while, then tacked back toward shore, and eventually tacked to the west again, planning to beat westward along the cityfront to stay clear of the fog as much as possible, eventually seeing this sailboat come ghosting out of the mist.
Instead of retreating, the fog bank came scudding back in and soon Alcatraz was hidden in the mist, and the city behind us was beginning to be erased as ADVENTURE CAT was heading out and raising her main sail.
We gave up on our outing and headed back toward home port, watching the CAT head toward Alcatraz, soon to be enveloped in the fog bank.
WHILE I CAN was retreating eastward as well.
In the east, we spotted a few other boats still in sunshine and headed west toward the fog bank, but likely to retreat same as we were. Had there been stronger winds, or ebb current instead of waxing flood current, we might have continued sailing down the cityfront toward the Bay Bridge, but didn't want to risk being enveloped in fog even close to the cityfront, or having to motor back to home port against the flood current. So we doused sail after passing the marina, readied for landing and motored into port, making a satisfactory landing even with the flood current pushing through the marina. A most unsatisfying outing in frustratingly foggy conditions that are historically unusual, if not previously unheard of, for mid-November on SF Bay.
Last year, we had one day of fog in early November, and the previous year, 2005, we had no foggy days in November, the last foggy day being on the 29th of October. If, as it seems, global climate change is producing increasing wind velocities on the bay in summer and longer persisting fog patterns in the fall, this is a highly unwelcome development. If the trend continues, it is likely to have an unwelcome negative impact on the boating industry in the Bay Area.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 4:57 PM 
