As I was raising the main sail, PRIVATEER came steaming out of port and headed out into the central bay without raising sails as yet.
The city was enjoying brilliant late sunshine as we sailed away from her.
In the west, PRIVATEER was now under sail and heading across the bay.
We sailed northward until we were near the northeast shore of Treasure Island and then we did a chicken gybe and headed east for the lee shore of Treasure Island as this race boat blasted past us to starboard with rail in the water.
East of Treasure Island, a barge is anchored and carries one of the prefabricated deck sections for the suspension span of the east section of the Bay Bridge.
This push-me tugboat was steaming to the south and now was pushing to the north one of the empty barges. Perhaps she was taking it somewhere to load another prefabed bridge section on it.
One of the temporary platforms is now sprouting the beginnings of the supports for the bridge deck.
We sailed under the east span of the bridge into the south bay where winds were light and variable, and some large container ships like this one were being either loaded or unloaded.
I was wondering where that crane that came in on that boat from China last week had gone and now saw it there in the Port of Oakland. Perhaps the crane is going to be working on an expansion of the port.
Way south of us, this lovely saiboat was heading west out of the Oakland-Alameda estuary.
This crane was doing pile driving on the next temporary support for the deck of the suspension span on the east Bay Bridge. The banging of the pile driver was echoing off Yerba Buena Island. Here's a brief video clip.
Winds were very light and we ghosted around Yerba Buena, enjoying the views of the cute lighthouse there as she enjoyed the late sunshine.
On the shore of the island, I was expecting to see the colony of harbor seals that usually are lying there, but saw only one sea creature, and it looked like an albino sea lion. I wish I had taken a more closeup photo of the creature, but didn't spot it until looking at the photo later.
As we sailed through the D-E span of the Bay Bridge, this jib-only sailboat was heading east along the shore of the island.
The Bay Bridge was gleaming in the early evening sunshine.
The Naval Museum on Treasure Island was brilliantly illuminated by the angled sunshine of the evening.
We sailed northward on the west wind which gradually shifted into the southwest and this nice catamaran passed in front of us heading northward.
A Coast Guard patrol boat blasted past us sending up so much spray as to almost hide the boat.
The sun was starting to go down and was now reflecting off the downtown buildings as here....
... and here was reflecting off one of the downtown hotels.
Soon we were blasting directly toward the gate on the southerly breeze, going against the flood current and making fast headway as the sun began to set in the west, dropping behind Point Bonita on the Marin Headlands.
Soon the snn was about to disappear.....
... and we caught the last rays of the sun now almost hidden behind the headlands.
It was tempting to continue on to the gate, but I decided to come about and head for home, passing Aquatic Park where the Ghiradelli sign was already shining brightly in the darkening sky.
City lights were beginning to show up as dusk fell over the city.
ADVENTURE CAT had sailed past us and was now dousing her main as she motored into the west marina of pier 39.
A dusky marmalade sky spread over the western sky above the horizon.
We sailed past the east marina and then headed into the wind to douse the jib and then the main. After tying up the main, we motored into port as skies darkened. Another fun outing on the bay!
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