The charter ketch PRIVATEER was returning from an outing with a few people aboard and about to douse sail with the skipper strolling forward over the cabin top.
We sailed out a ways and then gybed and pulled out the jib to full for downwind power, sailing past the space between piers 33 and 31 and noticing that boat we saw on Tuesday tied up to the pier there where the Alcatraz ferries dock. So perhaps it is the Alcastraz sewage pump out boat to be used instead of using the ferries themselves for sewage pump out.
As we continued sailing toward the A-B span of the Bay Bridge in mostly light winds, just ghosting along, I was enjoying looking at my favorite building brilliantly illuminated by the late afternoon sunshine.
As we approached the Ferry Building, the tower began chiming the 5 o'clock hour.
This K41 sailboat sailed out of the south bay and headed north, sailing a bit off the wind, and looking good!
As we approached the A-B span, this large stinkpot named OUR DESTINY motored past us to starboard, discomfiting us with its stinky exhaust.
We ducked under the A-B span and then came about and headed back north without shortening the jib since the winds were moderate. As we sailed along, this small sailboat passed to starboard.
The sailboat is operated by BAADS, the Bay Area Assn of Disabled Sailors. First time I've seen this boat out on the bay as far as I can recall.
We were leaving behind the Bay Bridge, brilliantly illuminated by the afternoon sun with an outbound container ship steaming under the D-E span.
A bit later, we spotted another sailboat sailing out of the south bay and heading northward, sailing a bit off the wind and with full canvas. Her jib looked to be a 90 percenter.
The wind was a bit more westerly than we usually have, so we were sailing toward Angel Island, and sailed well past the buoy on Blossom Rock and then tacked toward the shore, sailing toward the lee of pier 45, but pushed more eastward by the waxing flood current. The flags on the end of pier 39 were fluttering in a breeze of about 15 knots and we were sailing on the edge of being overpowered.
We tacked as we approached the entrance to the west marina, and sailed away to the west again with a breeze more southwesterly as they usually are. Behind us the city was drenched in late afternoon sunshine.
As we sailed westward, PRIVATEER was now returning toward home port again, sailing along the south shore of Alcatraz as the island basked in the sunshine.
She appeared to have just a couple of passengers aboard.
As we continued westward sailing well past Alcatraz, I spotted a 29er race boat blasting eastward with its kite flying.
We eventually arrived in much lighter winds and so tacked back toward San Francisco to get back into stronger winds as a sand dredge operated just south of the outbound sea lane.
We sailed to near the shore of San Francisco in front of the St. Francis YC where a couple of dingys were practicing their racing skills.
We tacked toward the west again to conitinue our beating toward the gate, watching as some sailboarders blasted over the water, like this one. All seemed to be making their last run of the day, since they all disappeared.
The San Francisco Police's fast boat blasted past in front of us.
Off to port, a Coast Guard patrol boat steamed eastward at high speed.
This ketch was sailing eastward but then gybed to sail across the bay. We've seen her on the bay before recently.
We sailed westward out into the stronger flood current and then tacked back to the south again, passing just in front of this pair of women rowing their outrigger canoes eastward. Several other canoes were also part of the fleet.
We tacked toward the gate and hoped to sail out on port tack, but the strong flood current, together with a shift in the wind more westward, kept us from sailing out, pushing us northward as the sun was dropping behind a bank of fog over the headlands.
We tacked as we approached the north tower of the bridge, and found just enough breeze to sail out the gate near midspan as skies in this region of the bay darkened by the fog hiding the sun.
We just ducked out the gate and then came about and headed back inside, sailing northward on port tack. The wind on the bay had now softened dramaticaally and we were just ghosting along, eventually gybing toward home port as the sun began to drop toward the tops of the Marin Headlands.
A break in the fog and clouds allowed the sun to peek through at times
The almost full moon was brightening in the sky as we ghosted toward home on starboard tack, tempted but resisting shaking the reef out of the main.
Adventure Cat was out for her sunset sail.
Sunset in the west began to take on some dramatic elements.
The sun peeked through at some point....
... and then the fog hid the sun as it illuminated the edges of the fog blobs.
The combination of fog and high clouds created some dramatic patterns in the west.
Finally the sun was allowed to peek through again, just before sinking below the headlands.
As we approached home port, the sun was still illuminating the tops of the towers of the city's financial district...
... and then dusk fell over that part of the city....
....while some sunset color developed in the west.
City lights began to turn on....
... and I was surprised to see some sun reflections on buildings in lower Pacific Heights adjacent the Presidio.
Sunset color and light began to fade in the west.
Pier 39 flags were fluttering in a breeze of a few knots as we sailed past.
We sailed past the east marina and then doused sail between the seawall and pier 35 before motoring into port and landing fine by playing the flood current well. Another great fun outing on the bay was over, but the pleasure lingers on, especially as we review our photos of the outing.
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