We headed out of port around 2:15 pm and put out full canvas before heading out into the central bay where this lovely sailboat headed east passed us as we sailed westward toward Alcatraz against a moderate flood current.
Quite a few sailboats were out on the bay in the west, and it appeared that some of them were involved in a small regatta.
As we continued on toward the west, this center-cockpit sailboat crossed in front of us.
Way off in the north, a race boat flying a spinnaker was heading northeast. The clear air shows in this photo with Red Rock and the hills of the north bay clearly visible in the background.
Alcatraz was vividly basking in the afternoon sunshine as we approached....
... and a few visitors were out on the plaza and walkway watching our approach.
Our course westward would not allow us to clear the southern shore of Alcatraz so we tacked away to the south, heading for the shore of the city where some sailboats in the regatta were headed for the leeward mark, like this one....
... and this one.
Here one of the small race boats is approaching the mark while another is already beating back upwind.
Off to starboard, that odd looking catamaran that we saw for the first time a week or so ago was sailing downwind. The January issue of Latitude 38 has a feature article on this boat. It was hand-built by the owners in a neighbors backyard as separate pieces and then carried to a nearby boatyard for final assembly. The couple that built it are planning to sail it to Hawaii next spring.
The city was basking in the brilliant sunshine as we approached the shore near Aquatic Park.
Off to starboard, these two race boas were sailing upwind and looking good.
This J24 was also sailing upwind and might have been a part of the regatta also.
We tacked toward the west again and this lovely Catalina was sailing downwind to the east.
The Airship Ventures Zepplin was flying around the bay and eventually passed directly overhead.
Behind us, this center cockpit sloop was heading for the cityfront.
Off to starboard, a rowboat was leisurely heading north toward Alcatraz.
Behind us, the race boat Bufflehead was headed north, perhaps heading home from the regatta.
Along the cityfront, this lovely cruising sailboat was heading downwind behind her kite.
As we continued westward, we spotted a neighbor boat named TUTU heading back toward home port and flying her blood red kite. She was definitely LOOKING GOOD!
Behind her, this lovely Catalina was also heading east across the bay.
This nice center-cockpit ketch passed in front of us.
Further in front of us, this sailboat, a Pacific Seacraft, I think, was heading toward the gate.
We just barely sailed past the Harding Rock buoy with the light flood current pushing us toward her. Past Harding Rock the breeze softened so we tacked back toward San Francisco.
Off to starboard, this sailboat was also heading south on a parallel course.
Along the southern shore of Angel Island, this lovely sailboat was looking good as she sailed easward behind her kite.
That Pacific Seacraft sailboat was how heading back toward Tiburon and we could now sea that her name was Eau Claire.
That center cockpit sloop that passed behind us earlier was now also headed west now.
This Express raceboat named Shenanigan was sailing northward, flying her kite on a beam reach with the spinnaker pole pointing foward.
Way off in the east, another race boat was heading east behind her kite.
Ahead of us, CRAZY JANE was heading toward the shore on starboard tack....
... and we watched as she tacked and headed our way on port tack.
Off to port, another boat was heading dead downwind doing wing and wing.
The buildings on Russian Hill were vivid in the clear air and sunshine.
A ways off in the east, we spotted a man standing on a surfboard and passing along. He seemed not to have many clothes on despite the chilly air.
We sailed in front of these two Lasers heading east...
... and then tacked to the west again, noticing that that several sailboats were between us and the gate. Some may have been involved in the regatta.
As we sailed westward, CRAZY JANE crossed in front of us so she was making better headway than we were.
Olivier and Brooke were bundled up against the afternoon chill as we sailed westward.
Now the area between us and the gate was denuded of boats.
The north tower of the gate was gleaming in the late afternoon sunshine as we sailed toward Horseshoe Cove.
In the cove we tacked to the south again and headed for the gate, but had to tack to the west again as an inbound tanker was headed our way. So we were sailing on port tack as we shot the gate just inside the north tower.
The old lighthouse just inside the north tower was brilliantly illuminated by the late afternoon sun.
The GGB and the cliffs of the Marin Headlands were vividly colored by the angled sunshine.
We tacked to the south for a while as Olivier prepared the kite for raising and then we headed downwind again to raise the kite and then raise the sock let the kite fly.
Now were were heading back inside the bay on beam reach starboard tack.
We were making good headway toward home port despite the light breeze, the kite giving us additional boat speed with its large area, with Brooke at the helm.
Off to starboard, two men were paddling away on their surfboards.
Ws we sailed southeastward, the sun began to go down behind the Presidio Hills.
We gybed and headed northward out into the central bay and off to starboard the city was enjoying the last rays of the sun.
The sun was now going down into a cloud bank on the southwestern horizon....
...leaving behind a colorful sunset sky.
We eventually gybed again and headed back toward the city on starboard tack broad reach in a softening breeze as a pink color developed over the city.
We were buffeted by some big freighter wakes with the sails banging back and forth and making little headway, as the sunset developed behind us....
....and city lights began to brighten on shore.
The sunset began to fade, the breeze softened down to almost nothing...
... so we had to douse sail and begin motoring home as the half moon brightened overhead.
After docking Corto Maltese, I headed back to my boar and Olivier and Brooke joined me a short time later for some wine and cheese and crackers. So the day turned out much more enjoyable than it seemed it would when we spent most of the day without breeze.
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