SATURDAY, 7 MARCH 09 -- 7 GREAT HOURS ON S.F. BAY-- WATCHING SAILBOAT RACES AND DOING A 3 BRIDGE KISS!!!

Saturday morning started out with an easterly breeze of about 5 knots. We had to be out of the slip by 12:30 pm to avoid low water in the marina, and when we left port around 12:15, the wind had died away to just a few breaths. As I raised the full main just outside the marina, I hoped the wind was shifting into the west and we would see at least the 5 knots that was predicted. We headed out into the bay and tried sailing to the northeast in the remaining puffs of breeze, but the breeze then died out completely and we were drifting westward with the strong ebb current.



We drifted past the end of pier 39 where the flags were dead still.




Beautiful clouds drifted over the city as the bay waters flattened into almost a mirror?




Behind us, the PRIVATEER charter ketch headed out on a charter sail, motoring to the northwest.




Off in the wet, beautiful clouds drived over the headlands and the bay and we could see lots of sailboats in the west, some of them sailing with spinnakers, so it appeared that there was a breeze headed our way from the west.




We had drifted to between pier 39 and pier 45 when the initial westerly breeze hit us and we began to do some beating to the west toward the gate, and soon passing some race boats like PEERLESS here. She is sailing downwind with poled out jib, doing wing on wing.



v
Further in the southwest, a fleet of race boats were headed our way behind their colorful spinnakers, and I was thrilled with the prospect of watching and taking photos of the race boats during this regatta. [You can see hundreds of my photos of the racing on my photo album website at this url:
http://cbergstedt.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php




A short time later, the lead boats in this fleet were approaching us and flying their asymmetrical spinnakers-- the leader on starboard tack and the second place boat on port tack. All the boats were gybing down the shore to stay out of the stronger ebb current further out in the bay.




Behind the two lead boats, a gaggle of other boats were bunched closer togther.




The CAL MARITIME boat was the lead boat and looking good as she passed us.




A boat named WICKED was approaching on port tack at this time.




A bit later, these three boats passed, sailing on starboard tack, the boat in front being named PHANTOM MIST.



I headed back downwind toward the leeward mark and furled in the jib to avoid having to deal with jib sheets, so that I could watch and take pictures of the boats heading both downwind toward the leeward mark and upwind toward the windward mark.




Here, the lead boat, CAL MARITIME, was heading upwind after rounding the leeward mark....




... as was WICKED, both heading out into the bay to take advantage of the strong ebb current.




After all the boats passed the leeward mark, we headed back to the west again to head for the windward mark, and eventually CAL MARITIME passed us again, heading downwind, but getting a twist in the spinnaker around the forestay in the process of gybing from port to starboard tack. It took the crew a while to get the twist out of the kite.




A bit later, we spotted this small race boat, a 29er, blasting our way and passing close behind us-- exciting sailing.




We continued toward the windward mark and eventually began sailing back and forth just to the west of the mark -- Blackaller buoy. It's great fun watching the boats approaching the mark, setting the kite and then dousing the jib. Here, Crazy Jane is approaching the mark....




.... and crew work is beginning for setting the spinnker-- readying the pole....




... and setting the spinnaker for blasting downwind.





Two race courses were being used on the bay, one on the central bay being used by the Melges fleet with a couple of the boats blasting downwind here.




Between the two fleets a couple of the professional photographers were chatting with each other-- LYONS IMAGING and H2OShots.




Here TNT is approaching the windward mark with spinnaker pole already set ....




...approaching the mark here behind a cruising boat foolishly heading right into the race course.




... and setting the spinnaker for blasting downwind in the good winds.




The crew on boats approaching the windward mark become intensely focussed on getting the spinnaker out and readying for the spinnaker set. You can see dozens of photos of windward mark roundings on my photo album sight at the address mentioned above.




On the course in the middle of the bay, the Express fleet was heading downwind with kites flying.




Futher out on the bay, the Moore 24 fleet was heading downwind on the other race course.




We broke off from watching the race boats and headed for the gate, still sailing main only, and watching as this catch sailed out the gate.




We sailed out about midspan, and just sailed out a short ways before coming about and heading back inside the bay, eventually gybing onto port tack to head for Raccoon Straits and pulling the jib out to full for our downwind sail.




Off to port, this Huner sailboat named Final Answer was sitting there, flogging both sails, and shaking the hell out her rigging, looking REALLY BAD!




The Marin Headlands have turned quite green now with the latest rains.




As we sailed toward Raccoon Straits, we passed a group of kayakers heading west.




As we approached Belvedere, we saw a group of dingy racers playing around there.




We gybed back and forth down Raccoon Straits, eventually passing well to the north of Ayala Cove, where a few boats were tied up at the buoy field as well as at the docks of the small marina.


After exiting the straits, I looked to the north and it seemed like there were good winds all the way to the Richmond San Rafael bridge, so I headed that way, hoping to be able to do a 3 bridge kiss. Initially, we were barely making headway against the still strong ebb current, added to by run-off ebb from recent rains, and I was about to give up when the breeze strengthened to 10+ knots and we started making fast headway to the north.




An almost full moon was starting to brighten in the eastern sky.





Before too long, we were sailing past and to the west of Red Rock....




...passing the sea lane buoy with a couple of harbor seals resting on it....




... and soon sailing under the westward span of the Richmond San Rafael bridge. We fell off and reefed the jib down to double reef size and then headed back under the bridge. It had taken us only about one hour to sail from the straits to the bridge against the ebb current-- a quite quick trip.




With good strong winds and a waning ebb current, we were making great headway to the south, taking some spray in the wind waves, sailing close to the wind in a southerly breeze. As we sailed past Angel Island, this nice Cal sailboat passed us to starboard.




We headed toward the Bay Bridge to complete a three bridge kiss as the sun was starting to set and reflecting off some of the financial district buildings.




We caught a few peeks at the sun as it set behind the city.





We eventually fell off to head for the D-E span of the Bay Bridge, passing this trimaran heading north.




Some sunset color extended over the city and the bay as we peeked through the Bay Bridge toward the city.




We came about and began sailing back toward the D-E span, now going against the waxing flood current, thankful that we had good winds still to make good headway against the current. As we headed for home port, the skies started to darken and the sign on the Ferry Building lit up.




By the time we approached the lee of pier 35, it was twilight and the city lights were shining brightly against the darkening sky.



We sailed past pier 33 and then tacked into the lee of pier 35 to douse sail and get ready for landing. We then motored around pier 35 and into the marina, landing fine by properly playing the flood current in the marina. We had been out on the bay for about 7 delighful hours, so I was a bit tired, but also fill up with sailing pleasure!