Tuesday, November 27, 2007
TUESDAY, 27 NOV. 07-- OUTING TO BAY BRIDGE AND BACK
Over the weekend, the breeze was either very light or non-existent, and afternoon currents were very strong, so getting out there was not an attractive proposition and we stayed in port. Same on Monday, but today a light northerly was blowing in the early afternoon so we decided to head out and hope to get in a little bit of sailing anyway.
Only a couple of knots of wind were blowing when we left port about 1:15 pm.
We headed out into the central bay and then pointed our course toward the D-E span of the Bay Bridge, hoping to sail around Treasure Island, and this Coast Guard patrol boat was headed in that same direction.
The city was locked in haze...
...and, while Alcatraz was enjoying some sunshine, Mt. Tam in the distiance was barely visibile in the haze.
Up in the north of us, a sailboat was heading eastward, toward the north side of Treasure Island.
The Naval Museum on Treasure Island was looking pretty clear as we ghosted along with a waning flood current assist.
Behind us, Telegraph Hill was hazed out, but we now started to experience a freshening northerly of 7-10 knots and began to make some serious headway toward the D-E span.
We spotted a couple of sailboats south of the Bay Bridge, one heading east and the other heading north.
We sailed under the D-E span and enjoyed a distant view of the beautiful lightouse on the south end of Yerba Buena Island.
The breeze south of the Bay Bridge was insufficient to give us any headway toward rounding the south end of Yerba Buena, especially since the ebb current had started, so we headed back toward the D-E span, after this tug siddled up to us and advised that a freighter was coming inbound though we couldn't see any at that time.
After passing under the D-E span again, we sailed parallel to the bridge with the waxing ebb current tending to drag us norhtward, and eventually we were approaching the SF shoreline with the Bay Bridge gleaming behind us.
We tacked back to the north after approaching the Ferry Building.
Behind us, the ferry DEL NORTE was blasting her way toward the Ferry Building terminal.
That freighter that the tug crew member warned us about was just ghosting toward the D-E span as we sailed past pier 23.....
...and she was followed by another freighter, also just ghosting eastward. We later saw another freighter heading out of the Port of Oakland and steaming through the D-E span and surmised that these two freighters were waiting for that one to get out of their way before proceeding.
Out in the west, a sailboat was sailing downwind against the now strong ebb current, and probably making very little headway.
We sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse sail and ready for landing, them motored around the pier, encountering this rower on the west side of the pier. He was rowing eastward against the current.
We motored into port and landed fine with the strong ebb current flowing, happy to have been able to enjoy a few hours of fall sailing with at least some wind to propel us around a small part of the bay.
Over the weekend, the breeze was either very light or non-existent, and afternoon currents were very strong, so getting out there was not an attractive proposition and we stayed in port. Same on Monday, but today a light northerly was blowing in the early afternoon so we decided to head out and hope to get in a little bit of sailing anyway.
Only a couple of knots of wind were blowing when we left port about 1:15 pm.
We headed out into the central bay and then pointed our course toward the D-E span of the Bay Bridge, hoping to sail around Treasure Island, and this Coast Guard patrol boat was headed in that same direction.
The city was locked in haze...
...and, while Alcatraz was enjoying some sunshine, Mt. Tam in the distiance was barely visibile in the haze.
Up in the north of us, a sailboat was heading eastward, toward the north side of Treasure Island.
The Naval Museum on Treasure Island was looking pretty clear as we ghosted along with a waning flood current assist.
Behind us, Telegraph Hill was hazed out, but we now started to experience a freshening northerly of 7-10 knots and began to make some serious headway toward the D-E span.
We spotted a couple of sailboats south of the Bay Bridge, one heading east and the other heading north.
We sailed under the D-E span and enjoyed a distant view of the beautiful lightouse on the south end of Yerba Buena Island.
The breeze south of the Bay Bridge was insufficient to give us any headway toward rounding the south end of Yerba Buena, especially since the ebb current had started, so we headed back toward the D-E span, after this tug siddled up to us and advised that a freighter was coming inbound though we couldn't see any at that time.
After passing under the D-E span again, we sailed parallel to the bridge with the waxing ebb current tending to drag us norhtward, and eventually we were approaching the SF shoreline with the Bay Bridge gleaming behind us.
We tacked back to the north after approaching the Ferry Building.
Behind us, the ferry DEL NORTE was blasting her way toward the Ferry Building terminal.
That freighter that the tug crew member warned us about was just ghosting toward the D-E span as we sailed past pier 23.....
...and she was followed by another freighter, also just ghosting eastward. We later saw another freighter heading out of the Port of Oakland and steaming through the D-E span and surmised that these two freighters were waiting for that one to get out of their way before proceeding.
Out in the west, a sailboat was sailing downwind against the now strong ebb current, and probably making very little headway.
We sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse sail and ready for landing, them motored around the pier, encountering this rower on the west side of the pier. He was rowing eastward against the current.
We motored into port and landed fine with the strong ebb current flowing, happy to have been able to enjoy a few hours of fall sailing with at least some wind to propel us around a small part of the bay.
# posted by charlie bergstedt @ 9:37 PM 
