SATURDAY, 10 JANUARY 08 -- ANOTHER MORNING 'SUCKER WIND'

Late Friday night the winds were blowing out of the north at about 10-15 knots and I hoped those winds would still be here in the morning so we could go out around 9 am for a morning sail. I wanted to go out early since we would have had to be back in port by around 2 pm because of the negative afternoon tide. But when I woke up around 8 am, there was no wind at all, so I went back to bed and conked out for another hour or so.



When I got up then, there was a nice steady easterly breeze of about 5-7 knots blowing, so I hustled to have some breakfast and get ready to head out for a sail. By the time we were heading out of the marina, the breeze had shifted into the north and was already starting to soften a bit down to 3-4 knots.




As we motored out of the marina exit, this center-cockpit ketch was sailing east against the already waxing ebb current.




I put up the full main and headed out into the central bay and headed southeast on broad reach port tack, pulling the jib out to full. We managed to sail past pier 29 where the Pacific Star was still tied up.



Then the wind quickly died away and we were then at the mercy of the ebb current now pulling us northward.




Looking back, we could see that the flags on the end of pier 39 were still fluttering in a breeze of a few knots.




I decided to motor down the cityfront for a while and hope a new breeze would come up, and watched as the California Hornblower steamed toward home port.




From time to time, the flag on the condo on Telegraph Hill would show a few puffs of breeze but nothing sustained.





Further in the northeast, this blue-hulled sailboat was sailing with the current and making headway.




We motored past the pedestrian pier where a few people were hanging out.




We motored past the pier where the California Hornblower tied up and saw the new public pier 1.5 where some boats were now tied up. The publicity of Latitude 38 worked to bring some business to this free public pier.




Here a small sailboat was motoring toward the pier, apparently intending to tie up there.




I turned off the motor and began sailing/drifting back toward home port, still hoping for some sailing breeze to come up, but none did. Meanwhile, this sailboat way out on the bay seemed to be making headway with the current and finding enough wind to keep her kite full.




Coit Tower and the housed on Telegraph Hill were enjoying the warm mid-day sunshine.


I turned on the engine again as we drived past pier 31 and motored into the area between piers 33 and 35 to douse sails and get ready for landing. Then we motored around pier 35 and into the marina, landing fine in the strong ebb current.