jeremyrandall / sailing /

I must be missing some trip logs — I know there was sailing going on between May and July!

Today was sailing with Cathy, Bruce and Judy. Mike couldn’t make it. We motored to about Jack London Square, then put up the sails and short-tacked almost to the mouth of the estuary. The Alameda Sherrif boat was hovering around the berths on the Oakland side, so we stayed as far from the wharves and ships as we could. It was actually kind of weird how the Sherrif was always a little ways behind us, motoring slowly around. But they didn’t bother us, so who knows what they were up to.

We had a little wind, just enough to keep tacking, really. But even that disappeared. It was hazy out toward the main bay, so I figured that was pretty much it. We bobbed around for awhile, then started the engine and motored back. We saw quite a few boats out there, including several of those West Wight Potter kooks. Maybe someday I’ll grab one of those — they look fun.

I had changed the oil in the morning, and the engine was running quite well. I found my filter wrench, and am going to do another oil/filter change soon. I also did some of the rust treatment on the engine’s exterior, and need to do a little touch up paint around mid-week.

After putting the boat away, we went to Chevy’s for snacks.

Sat, Feb. 5th, 2005, 08:15 pm

Due to various circumstances, I am moving the boat back to Alameda! Now this is actually a pretty good thing. Richmond was awesome; Emeryville was expensive. The Alameda estuary has been one of my favorite places on the water, and it’s not too shabby off the water either.

Interestingly, I have secured the exact same slip that the boat was located in when I bought it in 2001. Having a chandlery within walking distance will be very helpful when it comes to working on projects. I plan to ride my bicycle to the ferry when I need to get to and from The City. And it shouldn’t be too bad to BART over from work.

As far as the obligatory new year’s resolution, I would like to (a) get the boat in better shape by getting back on track with my projects, and (b) get out sailing more often, even if it’s shorter trips on the estuary. In 2003 I managed to maintain a decent number of sailing days; 2004 was not my best year at all.

Wed, Dec. 29th, 2004, 01:46 pm

Okay, so this is not sailing, per se, but it was some pretty interesting boating on a fishing vessel…

So over the weekend I went on a whale watching trip with Tania, Pamela, Kirk and Jessie. Jessie was a last-minute add on, since she and her friend Audrey came up to SF for the weekend and stayed with us on Friday night. I was a bit nervous about getting seasick, so I made sure to eat a somewhat healthy dinner the night before. I also took a Bonine (seasickness prevention tablet) that morning. Jessie and I got up at 6am and left the house about 6:45am. The boat, Salty Lady left the dock at Clipper Harbor in Sausalito at 8am. There were at least 30 people on board, if not more. A guy named David was our naturalist and guide.

I suppose in hindsight, taking a trip out on the open ocean in October may not have been the best choice, at least for comfort. Since I have been on the water in the rain before, I knew it would be cold and it would be wet, so I brought rain pants and a foul weather jacket. Yes, it was cold and wet, but I still enjoyed being out there. Especially once I was sure that I was not going to get seasick.

The Farallone Islands are about 25 miles offshore, so it took about two hours to get out there. Most of the folks onboard (members of our group included) really didn’t have proper gear for the conditions. I faired okay, but found that a better pair of rain pants, a warmer jacket, and more layers would have made things better. Even though the swells were pretty mild, folks started to get sick. I wasn’t sure if I woud, but once other people started throwing up, and I did not, I figured I was probably okay.

The Farallones are literally big rocks sticking out of the ocean. They’re the last vestige of North America, as the continental shelf extends just past, then drops off into the depths. We didn’t see any whales, but there were tons of sea lions, pelicans and other water- and air-based creatures. After we circled the main islands, I headed inside for a nap. I woke up as we were circling the far northern islands, which are more remote, smaller and more desolate. I napped again as we spent more than two hours steaming back. We came in from the North, down the “Bolinas Channel” toward the Golden Gate.

I had thought we would be out until about 2pm, but it was 4pm when we pulled up to the dock. As folks shuffled off the boat, it was obvious many of them regretted the day’s adventure. Especially the couple of guys who had remained seasick for the entire 8 hours. I was surprised when Tania told me she had hated every moment of it. I thought it was a good day, despite the rainy weather. Jessie said she thought it was cool too, though she was tired of the cold.

Tue, Oct. 26th, 2004, 05:11 pm

The sailboat half a mile ahead of us is heeled way over, mast bouncing up and down in the gusts. I let the mainsheet way out, and climb up to the windward side. Carefully, I crawl to the mast and wrap my legs around it, to hold on and still use my hands.

Ahead of us the whitecaps are building a little, and gusts show their progress as moving wrinkles across the waves. I look forward as a gust comes across the bow. It’s a strange feeling, hanging on. The rail is in the water, and we’re still moving despite the loosened main. A shudder goes through the boat, but she’s hanging on, staying on her feet. It probably feels more ferocious than it really is.

Ease the halyard, lessen sail area, complete the reef. Crawl back and trim the sails. She leaps to her feet and bolts across the slot. I quietly hope the wind doesn’t get too much stronger.

Mon, Sep. 8th, 2003, 10:27 pm

Met up with Cathy and Reid this morning. They were on time, the others did not show up or call. We waited half an hour for them, then headed out.

There was a pretty good flood tide, and not a lot of wind behind Tiburon. We spent a frustrating couple hours make no progress against the current. I finally turned on the engine and motored to Racoon Strait. Once there we had plenty of wind. I turned the helm over to Reid, who is quite experienced, and a very good sailor. What a hoot! We made our way around AI, did a high-wind chicken gybe, and headed home.

Mon, Sep. 1st, 2003, 11:36 pm

Elisa and Lorraine and I went sailing for a few hours. We had a nice time, the boat did well in varying winds. The usual boating goodness.

Sun, Aug. 31st, 2003, 11:43 am

The boat work party last weekend was good. Only a few of us did actual boat work, the rest socialized and hung out. It was nice to see folks.

I replaced the galley faucet, and had some help scrubbing the hull and cleaning/oiling some of the exterior teak including the handrails. Amelia is looking good.

I really need to look into buying some fabric and see if I can make new cushions myself.

I did manage to stop by West Marine for a couple extra PFDs, and then went to the boat to clean out some of the old crap onboard, including old clothes, old catalogs, old tide tables, etc.

I’m hoping to get some more boat work done on Friday.

Wed, Jul. 9th, 2003, 09:22 pm

Today Cathy met me at the dock at noon and we went for a short sail over to Southampton Shoal and back. It was windy without being insanely windy, so we made good time and had some extra time to practice various sailing manuevers in the marina basin. We tried to rescue my floating winch handle that fell overboard, but it drifted under a dock after we made several unsuccessful attempts to fish it out of the water. Cathy insisted on buying me a new one, even though I told her it wasn’t a big deal.

Sun, May. 11th, 2003, 06:12 pm

Sunday I got up and did some cleaning. Stevan came by at 11:30am and we headed over to San Rafael to meet up with Captain Ellen, Joe, Joy and Roberta. Even though there were some morning rain showers, we all decided to go ahead and sail anyway. The wind was solid, rain stayed away, and we quickly made it over to Ayala Cove at Angel Island, with yours truly at the helm. AI is, as some of you know, one of my favorite places.

While the gang checked out the island, Ellen and I dug down into the bilge and replaced some of her rusted-out hose clamps. We’re such boat nerds.

Mon, May. 5th, 2003, 12:20 pm