Sailing on San Francisco Bay

We had a great sailing day today. I can’t believe how few times this year have been sailing days, but now that the summer weather and wind seem to have set it, I’m hoping to get out there much more often.

We left Alameda around noon. On the previous trip the engine had been running a little hot, so I replaced the thermostat. Today it was still running hot and the water flow from the exhaust was anemic. We pulled in to Fortmann and replaced the impeller in the water pump (and added a bit of transmission oil). Once that was done and we ran the engine for a bit, water flow came back to normal and so did the temperature.

We motored most of the way out of the Estuary. We saw a sailboat tack right in front of a moving barge, which was really scary to watch. The sailboat missed the barge by about 20 feet. We were reminded by another sailboat that there are folks out there who don’t know the basic navigation rules and are a menance to themselves and others!

The wind was moderate to high; we sailed all day with a reef in the main, out of Alameda, across the bay toward Hunter’s Point, back up toward the baseball park in San Francisco and to the Bay Bridge before heading back. Steph, Linhy and Steve and I enjoyed a clear and gorgeous day out there!

Steph got a great picture of the classic wooden schooner Dauntless a few moments before it passed us like we were standing still (we weren’t!):

I’m planning to sail next Saturday. Email me if you’d like to go.

I went for a bicycle ride around Richmond today, including a quick tour of the boatyard at KKMI. Immediately upon entering the yard I came across Pegasus 55, one of Phillipe Kahn’s “old” race boats (which is for sale) and one of the BMW Oracle America’s Cup boats. I’m a total “boat nerd,” as I really like seeing these types of things.

Here are a couple shots of the aforementioned vessels:

Had a nice first sail of 2006 today with Maeve and Steve. There was a light breeze blowing so we put the sails up pretty soon after leaving the dock. It never filled in much, so we spent the afternoon in light air, sailing past Jack London Square and back, tacking close hauled both ways as the wind changed directions. The weather was warm, for this time of the year, and the sun was out. Not a bad way to start out the year in my opinion.

Hi folks. We’re basically on winter hiatus right now, since it has been cold and rainy. I suppose if enough people were hardcore enough to sail in the rain, we could plan a trip, but that tends to be somewhat unpopular. I happen to enjoy the downtime, as it gives me a chance to do some work on Amelia.

All that being said, if I see there is a nice forecast for an upcoming Saturday or Sunday, we may try to plan a trip. I’ll email the list if that is the case.

Tried to sail with Steve C, but the wind didn’t fill in at all. Motored around the estuary a couple laps, which was good for the engine. Took some pictures after the sun went down.

Removed the winches, lubricated them, reinstalled them. The boat is pretty much ready to go, just waiting for some non-rainy weather.

Spent the night onboard. It was peaceful, but cold. Probably won’t do that again until the weather gets warmer.

Bicycle ride to the marina and some boat maintenance work…

Sun, Nov. 13th, 2005, 10:37 pm

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

Springtime has been blooming here in the bay area, which means I have been getting in to the new sailing season! Two weeks ago I took the boat out with Tom P, Tania and Lisa. We motored out of the “estuary” and sailed over toward SBC Park and the SF cityfront, then around TI and back.

This week Cathy C and I headed out for “Opening Day on the Bay.” We mostly motored around the estuary. The weather was indecisive when we left in the early afternoon, but got progessively better. We were not out too long, but enjoyed the wind and water, and seeing the many boats out to celebrate the start of the season.

Mon, Apr. 25th, 2005, 08:19 pm