We headed out of port around 4:30 pm, and spotted a neighbor boat, a J92 named PUKA DWAI, raising main sail with PFD-bedekked kids on the foredeck. I raised full main, put out a small jib and headed out into the bay.
Sailor Bird was sailing downwind with reefed main.
The canal launch out of pier 39 mainra was returning to port.
A small sailbot sailed past the marina, looking bad with fenders dragging in the water.
Further out on the bay, this well-crewed J24 was also heading downwind toward the Bay Bridge.
The flags on the end of the pier were fluttering in a breeze of 15-20 knots.
A large, fully-canvased sailboat was also heading downwind and looking good.
SHOESTRING passed to starboard with reefed main and full jib.
The magnificient racing machine named SORCERY was blasting toward the cityfront on starboard tack.
We sailed out to the west a ways, taking spray from the wind-whipped waves, and then tacked into the lee of pier 45, before tacking to the west again but falling off the wind to head for the weather side of Alcatraz and the weather side of Angel Island. A nice looking Catalina passed to port, crossing the bay in the other direction...
....with a woman at the helm of the boat.
After bouncing through the large waves on Alcatraz shoal, and blasting across the rest of the bay, we eventually arrived in much lighter wind on the west side of Angel Island where the buildings were basking in the late afternoon sunshine.
I had pulled the jib out ot full for more power in the light winds, and strangely, the wind on the west side of the island shifted into the east and we had to change the sails to sail toward Raccoon Straits on starboard tack beam reach and around the point to sail down the straits on broad reach starboard tack. I spotted three motoryachts anchored out on the northwest side of the island-- very unusual.
A small sailboat with a bimini-shaded cockpit passed to port, heading up the straits.
One of thoese anchored-out motoryachts had a group of people partying on the aft deck.
The wind freshened as we sailed down the straits and soon we were passing beautiful Ayala Cove. It was still quite full of boats at both the buoy field and the small marina.
A family was enjoying a picnic on the lawn in front of the administration building on the island.
We continued down the straits and eventually spotted a large sailboat trying to sail north in the lee of Angel Island and getting nowhere because of lack of wind and ebb current resistance.
Careless of the wind and the current were two sailboats anchored out in the cove on the northeast side of the island.
I reefed the jib down to a postage stamp size and came about and headed back up the straits where the winds had now freshened dramatically so we were blasting along as this Catalina was sailing down the straits.
I watched as DOUBLE DARE motored out of Ayala Cove and raised main and jib in the rather strong winds in the straits, so it took them quite a while to get the sails up.
A single port tack took us up and out of the straits and we then headed toward the gate as this Catalina sailboat named Tahiti sailed toward the straists.
The GGB was hazed out a bit as we began beating toward the gate.
Well out on the bay, a reefed Catalina was crossing the bay with the city behind looking ghostly in the haze.
Off to port, this lovely dark-hulled sailboat was sailing westward and looking good.
A Santana 22 flying full canvas crossed in front of us and soon retreated the other way as she encountered stronger winds further out on the bay.
The smiling crew of the Beneteau named Kapalina was enjoying their outing as they headed toward the gate.
Along the shore of the headlands, the race boat ACABAR was also heading toward the gate.
As we blasted toward the gate with just the right amount of canvas flying, behind us, ADVENTURE CAT 2 was also headed toward the gate and taking the northern route....
...while ADVENTURE CAT [the original boat] was taking the southern route to the gate and being accompanied by a race boat flying jib only.
ACABAR eventually tacked into Horseshoe Cove on her way to the gate.
We were tempted to tack into Horseshoe Cove as well, but decided to continue across the gate toward the south tower as that Catalina crossed in front of us, heading out the gate.
I was surprised to see so many sailboats out at this time of the evening, all shooting the gate like this lovely sailboat...
...and ACABAR as well.
As this video clip shows, we were bouncing through ocean swells as we headed toward the south tower of the bridge while that jib-only race boat sailed out the gate and ACABAR was headed back toward the bay.
ADVENTURE CAT was headed out the gate on the north side as we tacked to head out on the south side of the gate and I watched to see if we would beat her out the gate, which we did, as this jittery video clip proves.
ADVENTURE CAT and another sailboat were sailing along the rugged cliffs of the headlands while we were heading toward Kirby Cove.
Behind us, ADVENTURE CAT 2 was sailing out the gate on starboard tack.
SUNSHINE DAYDREAMS was heading back inside the bay as we continued out to the west.
We eventually came about and headed back inside and I pulled the jib out to full again for downwind power. The GGB looked magnificent in the evening sunshine.
A two engine airplane [a DC3, I think] was flying low in the sky.
A well-loaded outbound container ship was headed toward the gate as we sailed toward home port.
The sun was dropping behind the hills of the headlands as we reached toward home port in gradually freshening winds that eventually propelled us at 8-9 knots toward home port.
The city was enjoying hazy sunshine as sundown neared.
This Beneteau was headed toward the gate.
TALISMAN was crossing the bay from the north and we had to fall off to give her right of way since we were the windward boat on starboard tack.
A beautiful sunset began to develop behind us and we blasted toward home port in winds of about 20 knots.
It was near dusk as we sailed between pier 45 and pier 39 and we noticed the charter schooner Bay Lady motoring westward along the cityfront.
The flags on the end of pier 39 were pegged out in the strong winds as we sailed past.
We sailed into the lee of pier 35 to douse sail and then motored around the pier and were greeted by a lovely sunset with color stretching eastward over the bay.
We saw many sailboats hearding toward the Bay Bridge for the KABOOM fireworks, but we motored into port with our lack of interest in those proceedings, and landed nicely in the now flooding current. After three consecutive days of sailing, I was feeling mighty good and filled with sailing pleasure-- such a tough life while on 'permanent vacation.'
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