We sailed westward for a while and then tacked into the lee of pier 45, passing the end of pier 39 where the flags were fluttering in a breeze of about 10-12 knots.
I let out a bit more jib on that tack and picked up a little boat speed in the moderate winds, the strongest velocity being right along the shore. As we headed west, the city was enjoying cloudy bright conditions.
Some fishing boats were scattered over the bay, mostly around Alcatraz as the current was a declining flood, and the Army Corps of Engineers dredge was dumping a load of dredgings on the Alcatraz dump site south of Alcatraz.
We tacked back toward the shore again to avoid bounding through the wake of a fishing vessel that blasted toward the shore, and this tractor tug named Delta Linda steamed toward the gate, crossing in front of us, but fortunately going slow and not 'waking' us too severely.
We had some sailboat company out here as well, like this boat heading north and way to the north of our location....
... and this one heading west and way behind us.
Neighbor boat, Wild Goose, had left port shortly before we did, and I didn't see her out there anywhere, but then spotted her motoring out of Gashouse Cove, so perhaps she fueled up there. Don't know why she hadn't rasied sails since she didn't seem to be heading right back to her home port, though she was back in port before we were.
Neighbor boat, Wild Goose, had left port shortly before we did, and I didn't see her out there anywhere, but then spotted her motoring out of Gashouse Cove, so perhaps she fueled up there. Don't know why she hadn't rasied sails since she didn't seem to be heading right back to her home port, though she was back in port before we were.
We continued beating westward along the cityfront, and eventually this nice sailboat passed us, heading east....
...with her crew enjoying her downwind course.
A light plane flew low overhead at one point.
We had seen two race boats in the distance southwest and now they were flying downwind behind their kites-- two Melges race boats that seemed to be practicing a match race around the bay.
We did one tack toward the shore to avoid banging through the wake of an inbound container ship, but unfortunately we outran the wake and eventually had to tack into it, and it was still large enough to bury the bow of ANTICIPATION as she dipped behind the first wave of the wake and hit the second.\
As we were eventually tacking toward the gate on a breeze now out of the SSW, now with full jib out since the wind stayed moderate, this Catalina named Lawless crossed in front of us....
... her crew well bundled up.
After sailing a few dozen more yards to the southeast, she tacked to head for th gate also....
... and since she had more canvas flying, she gradually pulled further ahead of us and sailed out the gate.
We followed her out, shooting the gate between midspan and the north tower, and enjoying, as always, the views of our magnificent bridge and the spectacular Marin Headlands, though they were grayed out by the overcast skies.
We just sailed out a short ways and then came about and headed back inside, sailing more off the wind than Lawless as she headed back inside ahead of us. Behind us, another Catalina was returning from the ocean.
Off closer to shore, a traditional looking cutter, probably a woodie, was heading for the gate.
A bit later, we spotted this Ericson 32 heading for the gate under main only.
A bit later, we spotted this Ericson 32 heading for the gate under main only.
Way off in the north, ADVENTURE CAT was out on one of her trips to the gate with a few passengers aboard.
A Ranger 24 was sailing westward and looking good with full canvas flying.
The city was still enjoying cloudy bright conditions as we neared home port.
A Coast Guard patrol boat passed us to port....
... and a catamaran, named Serenity, passed us also, heading west. She was the same make of cat that we saw two of on Sunday.
I watched as this lovely smaller, blue-hulled sailboat first headed toward shore on starboard tack ....
... and then tacked away to the west on port tack, the solo skipper under the dodger and operating her tiller with what seemed to be a rudder connection right in the middle of the cockpit.
The SF Police fastboat blasted past to port as we sailed past the end of pier 39....
... where flags were fluttering in a breeze of less than 10 knots.
I was surprised to see another Ericson sailboat heading out onto the bay, since Corto Maltese, Olivier's boat is the only other Ericson in the marina as far as I know.
It was indeed Olivier's Ericson 34, but she was being skippered by Jim, one of his boat partners who used the boat only infrequently, and usually only on weekends.
We sailed past the marina and then doused the sails between the east seawall and pier 35 before motoring into port and landing fine in the now light ebb flowing through the marina. A very pleasant sail to the gate and back, taking a little over 2 hours to complete.
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