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6-21-00
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1200
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It was hot as usual when I
arrived at Owl Harbor by car. I hadn't been to the Marina for 2 weeks
and Pegasus was due for a cleaning and provisioning before sailing
to the Bay. My plan is to wander down through the California Delta
for a few days while slowly making my way toward San Francisco Bay and
Alemeda. Once on the Bay, I thought I would try my luck at halibut
fishing at the Berkley Flats (I'm an expert now after reading an article
in Latitude 38 on how to catch halibut from a sail boat.) On June
24th, I'll crew on Dogstar (another Triton)
for Larry Suter at the
always enjoyable Triton One Design races then return to the Delta on Sunday
the 25th.
The winds are very light, (<5 MPH) although the wx man say's a Pacific High is forming with a low pressure area over central Nevada which should bring our seasonal Delta winds by evening. |
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1430
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The wx man proved right for a change. The winds increased to 10-15 and steady. With the stores stowed and the topside scrubed, I secured Pegasus inside and out then release the dock lines to ride the remainder of an ebb. If I can make some distance this evening, it will give me more goof off time on the Bay. |
| 1450 |  As
I entered the San Joaquine River from Sevenmile Slough, the wind picked
up so I set a reef in the main and pulled out my self tending jib to the
end of its club. A perfect setup for zipping through the Deltas twisting
waterways. The pacific high was proving to be an asset today.
At Threemile Slough, where the River turns south, I layed back on a broad reach for the next several miles. The wind steady and Pegasus was reaching forward at every chop and swell like a race horse in training. This Delta sailing at its best. |
| 1645 | The current was starting to slack as I approached the Antioc Bridge. I like to clear New York Slough with the current but that was not to be this time. With the wind and current both on my nose, Mother River has mandated that I now work for my pleasures so I started a series of short tacks through the next several miles of the narrow shipping channel. At times, the current and wind was so strong and the channel so narrow that my tacks provided no headway at all. Often I tacked from shore to shore seeing the same visual aid as I reach the banks. Oh, for more head sail. |
| 2030 | Committed to a "no motor"
day, I continued to make my way west at a slow pace until finally sailing
into the Pittsburg Marina, tired and hungry. It took 6 hours to complete
a sail that I generally make in 3 to 4 hours.
I called Jo and let her know I was off the water and got a report that one of the feral cats that had taken up residence in our yard for the last year or so was in fact a proud mother of 2 little kittens. She had taken the opportunity to parade her prize possessions around the patio as a form of show-and-tell for all who were interested. Jo was definitely interested as well as I was after hearing of the event. Who knows, maybe one of those little guy's would like to be a boat cat ;-) With Pegasus secured and my chores completed, I concentrated on dinner down below as the wild wind howled topside. The wind had increased to 25-30 with no noticable intentions of slowing down for the night. After dinner I hunkered down in the cockpit savoring a cup of hot tea while watching the lights and listening to the sounds of wind. Pittsburg's Marina is a combination of old and new facilities. The town, once known for it commercial fishing and canneries, has a strong Italian heritage which mostly came from Isola Delle Femmine, Sicily, between 1870 and 1911, to fish for striped bass, catfish, sturgeon and salmon. The first fishing boats used by these fishermen were lateen rigged feluccas similar to those used in Sicily. These were later replaced with 26 foot sprit rigged fishing boats with retractable keels and removable rudders. It is said that one noted Pittsburg boat builder, Frank Seeno, built between 5,000 and 6,000 of these double-enders during his lifetime. The commercial fishing industry faded away in 1957. |
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2300
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I think I'll fade away myself ;-) |
| 6-22-00 |
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| 0400 | The wind never subsided during the night. At times, guesting to well over 30 MPH while I laid in the bunk wondering what the remainder of the trip would be like. Would I have any lazy days to see the sights along the route? Would I have the opportunity to catch a halibut? and, most importantly, could I make it to Alemeda in time to enjoy a day of racing? I still have over 40 miles and 3 open bays (Susan, San Pablo and San Francisco) to cross. My cruise was starting to feel like work rather than play. |
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0500
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At first light I cast off the lines and again headed into the channel against 20-25 knot winds and the end of a flood. After 2 miles of very wet sailing I decide that this was not fun and turned around and ran for the lea of a small Delta island covered with reeds and a few trees. I could not envision 8 hours of bashing to windward with no dodger. |
| 0530 |  As
the sun started to rise above the reeds I considered my options;
I could wait out the change of tide and see if the ebb added enough benefit
to continue on or; I could continue running back to Owl Harbor then
drive down to Alemeda for the race and, sail another day under more desirable
conditions.
I decided the Pacific High would win this time. I would soften to pleasure and comfort and run with the wind. I shook the reef out of the main and removed the working jib from the club. This would be a run for fun. |
| 0825 | As I approached the Santa Clara Shoals (about 3 miles from Sevenmile Slough) the many bends in the river soften the winds. By the time I reached the mouth of Sevenmile Slough, the wind was less than 5 MPH. I had covered a distance of 18 miles in 2 hours and 55 minutes. The same distance that the evening before took me almost 6 hours. Now that's what I call fun sailing ;-) |
| 6-24-00 |
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| 0930 | Larry, Niel (a friend of Larry's) and I departed the Encinal Yatch Club docks on Dogstar heading for an afternoon of raceing. We did not return until 1930. When asked how we did I always reply: "Any day you can spend sailing or racing with friends, you've won (however, I don't think we placed very well as far as racing goes ;-) eyhos. |