SAILING ON S.F. BAY

THURSDAY, 13 DEC. O7-- NICE AFTERNOON AND SUNSET SAIL!


In the early afternoon, a light westerly wind was blowing and the sun was shining brightly through a thin layer of cloud covering part of the sky.





We headed out of port about 2:30 pm, hoping to have enough wind to sail out to a position for watching the sundown through the gate and to then sail back to port, though at that time, the breeze was only a few knots in strength.









Out on the central bay, this sailboat was headed west, sailing with the waxing ebb current.












We headed northeast on a broad reach with the moderate ebb current dragging us northward as we sailed along, with the city receding behind us.












The air was a bit hazy, and out in the west, a sailboat was enjoying some time at the gate.












In the north, by the shore of Richmond, a couple of sailing yachts were visible, one headed west, after leaving port, and the other headed east, going back into port.












Over by Angel Island, a sailboat was sailing southward, heading toward us.














Way in the west, in the hazy air, we spotted a couple of other sailboats, one headed toward Sausalito and the other heading east across the bay.












Angel Island was enjoying the hazy mid-afternoon sunshine.













As we ghosted toward the northeast, this catamaran ferry, named MENDOCINO, blasted past, heading toward Vallejo probably.












A bit later, that sailboat over by Angel Island was passing the lee shore of Alcatraz....












....while that ketch out of Richmond was heading west toward Raccoon Straits....














...and that golden-hulled other sailboat was continuing toward the Richmond marina.














The city was almost hidden in haze as a sailboat passed, heading east.














We eventually headed up to the north as the breeze freshened out of the southwest and sailed almost all the way to the stationary navigation platform on Southhampton Shoal where a flock of birds was holding a convention.











Behind us, the far away city was still enjoying some hazy sunshine.














We came about and headed southeast on close reach starboard tack with a now-almost-southerly breeze, and then tacked over toward Angel Island, passing the buoy just east of the island.











The sun dropped behind the hill on Angel Island as we sailed westward toward it.













We then tacked to head southeast again out into the central bay, where the sun was beginning to set over the gate, but still had 10 or 15 minutes until sundown.












Wanting to catch the sundown through the gate, and zipping along on a good breeze, we decided to tack back to the northwest to kill some time while awaiting the sundown, and soon caught the sun dropping behind Angel Island again.










We then tacked back to the southeast and headed out into the central bay again, as the sun was dropping further toward the surface of the sea, outlining this outbound freighter.











The atmosphere over the southwestern horizon enlarged the setting sun to a size almost the height of the Golden Gate Bridge off the surface of the sea.












The setting sun stayed a hazy round ball as it began to drop into the ocean.....













....... but soon was distorted in shape by the atmospheric lens .....













...and again outlined that outbound freighter as it started to disappear in a blaze of sunset glory! [You can see the entire progress of the sundown and sunset in the photos on my photo album for this outing at this url:
http://cbergstedt.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album28









After sundown, a colorful sunset sky lingered above the horizon and over the Presidio Hills.












A sliver of moon was shining ever more brightly in the sky at dusk.













The sunset began to combine brilliant oranges with pale pinks....













...and the sun was brilliantly illuminating a jet contrail above the Presidio Hills.














City lights began to brighten at dusk-- magic time on the bay!!!!














The sunset color eventually receded toward the horizon as we sailed past Alcatraz.













The lights of the financial district buildings were bright and beautiful as we approached the shore of the city.













In the dark sky of the southwest, the sliver of the moon glowed like a silver bowl.









We motorsailed the last eighth of a mile or so to the cityfront, dousing sail as we went, then prepared for landing just west of pier 35 and motored into the marina filled with the pleasure of over 3 spectacular hours out on the bay and nature's grandeur!