It was 4:45 pm when we rounded the corner of the marina seawall and saw this lovely sailboat heading east under sail and making good headway! She was LOOKING GOOD!
I raised full main while slowling motoring directly into the northerly wind and then pulled out a full jib. After passing the northeast corner of the marina seawall, we began sailing toward Alcatraz on a close reach starboard tack.
The flags on the end of pier 39 were fluttering nicely in the northerly breeze and we were sailing great, heeled over and going 6-7 knots. The current was basically slack so we were not being set to the east as we sailed to the WNW.
Way off to starboard, this small sailboat was headed toward the Bay Bridge and seemed to be doing wing and wing.
The city was illuminated by the warm late afternoon sunshine as we sailed away from her.
Behind us, this lovely ketch was sailing along the shore, sailing more off the wind than we were.
We eventually fell off the wind somewhat so we could sail to the leeward side of Alcatraz as the island was bathed in the warm=colored sunlight near sundown.
We were far enough north to see the sun begin to set through the gate-- here bisecting the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Off to starboard this Santana 22 was also doing wing and wing nd looking good.
As we continued westward, the sun began to drop into the sea and orange-up the horizon.
It was about half submerged when we caught this telephoto shot.
From a distance, the setting sun looked like this.
She gradually disappeared beneath the surface...
... but lingered like a bright line on the horizon for quite a while, swallowing up a motoring sailboat outside the gate and putting a sailing sailboat into a warm shadow.
I watchd as the last rays of the sun were visible, leaving a glowing sunset sky behind.
We continued sailing westward until this sailboat from the north crossed the marmalade sunset sky, then came about and headed home on broad reach port tack.
A marmalade sunset sky persisted in the west as we sailed toward home port.
Lights on shore came up-- magic time on the bay.
City lights shone out in the dusky sky as we sailed past Alcatraz.
Flags on the end of pier 39 were still fluttering against the sunset sky as we sailed past the east marina.
We doused sail just in front of pier 35, and then motored into the marina as the brilliantly lit Coit Tower presided over the night sky. They have apparently left some of the red flood lights on as well as we could see the red streak on the north side of the tower.
We motored into the marina and landed okay despite some substantial surge as the tide was turning from flood to ebb. It was great to be out there on the water with some good winds again.
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