The Fall Cruise this year was as enjoyable as usual and, as usual, altered to satisfy Mother Nature along the way. Like all my cruises, it started with a solo 2 day sail down through California Delta to San Francisco Bay where I had a slip reserved at South Beach Harbor to await the arrival of my son Steve. Steve would be flying in from Virginia for eight days of sailing, fun and relaxization. The first day was a copy of the typical up hill battle to Vallejo through Susan Bay against current, wind waves and W winds 15-20 knots on the nose. The second day started off equally as bad when about an hour into San Pablo Bay the wind reduced to 3-5 knots and the water flattened to a mil pond. Figuring any wind is better than no wind or the sound of an engine, I continued to sail and reached Angel Island at 1600. For those not familiar with the country side, that's 9 hours to travel 21 miles; Slow but, an enjoyable afternoon that as always, brought new sights. The most spectacular event witnessed was that of a very large seal breaking the surface of the water straight up about 20 feet from Pegasus with a salmon (about 10 pounds) in his month. As the seal was sliding back into the water he whipped his head back and forth slamming the salmon on the surface and breaking it in half. Blood immediately covered the water top while the seal, pleased with his actions, slid beneath the water with his portion of red flesh still in his mouth. A a large group of sea gull's fought each other for the other portion and some scraps afloat on the surface.
After spending the night at Angel Island, I enjoyed a pleasant morning crossing of the Bay and down the city front in light winds 5-10. I continued down south Bay while killing time before check in at South Beach Harbor. About noon, I sailed to within 300-400 yards of the marina and dropped and secured my sails, started my engine and began motoring toward the harbor entrance. As I approached the entrance I noticed that my engine was running but I wasn't. Having had a drive shaft break a couple of years ago I went right to that area first for inspection. It was ok but, the drive shaft coupling had come unbolted from the transmission coupling... (*&^%$&$) My son would be arriving in an hour and I was going rain on his parade. I immediately shut the engine down, set the sails and sailed as close to the harbor sea wall as possible to see if I could locate my assigned slip...no luck. However, I did see a large quantity of very pricey meg-a-yachts that I could do significant damage to if I tried to sail into the tight quarters of the harbor. My decision was to sail into the harbors long guest dock reserved for large vessels, tie off, contact the harbor master and let him figure out what to do with me.
My plan worked but didn't seem to upset the HM in the least. He immediately sent a skiff over to tow me to my reserved slip, thanked me for not trying to sail in then informed me I could not spend an extra day to fix my drive shaft as they were sold out. If I could not repair the coupling by noon tomarrow, he would tow me back to the harbor entrance the next morning and we would have fix it some where along the way. As soon as my son arrived we went looking for an auto parts or hardware store to find the bolts needed. As luck would have it, we found an ACE hardware store closing their doors for the day that had some soft bolts that would have to work for for now.
Morning
Lights. Steve and
I departed SBH on a beautiful morning before first light at 0630.
The City was just coming to life along the waterfront with winds 5-8knts,
clear sky and calm water. We headed out along the numerous wharfs
toward the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bar which was scheduled to
be at slack current from an ebb at 0830. Crossing the bar was typical
and always reminds me of trying to float a cork steady in a washing machine
- very confused. There never seemss to be a purpose or direction to
the wave action. We spotted our first waypoint, shipping channel
buoy "R8", about 4 miles west of the Gate) at 0930, turned left and headed
for the next waypoint 20 km south and 3 km offshore. At this point
a left turn in our route would take us to the harbor entrance markers in
Half Moon Bay. Happy hour tonight would be at Pillar Point Harbor,
a small commercial fishing village known locally for its friendly atmosphere,
fresh seafood and relaxing pace. Plans for the following day would
be made the following day.
About 30 minutes into our sail the wind started to moderate and the seas began to calm. At first I thought conditions were just the smoothing out caused by clearing the bar. We soon learned that although today would be good for sunning it woul not one of the better days for sailing. The raging Pacific had turned into a mil pond. Three miles east of us we could see the breakers of a lea shore. Breakers that the current kept encouraging us to join. The drive shaft coupling could not have been repaired down the coast before being needed as originally thought but, luck was on our side and it was ready to do service. With no wind, flat seas and an unforgiving Pacific lea shore east of us, our only reasonable alternative was to motor to Pillar Pt. Had the engine not been available the only alternative would have been to drop the anchor and hope it grounds and holds well in back of the breakers. I started the engine, set the throttle a little over an idle, drafted the assistance of Jose (my plain jane tiller pilot) while Steve and I kicked back and enjoyed snacks and the opportunity to discuss family events.
We pulled into Pillar Point Harbor among the local commercial fishing boats, paid our bills cleaned the boat and relaxed, we knew that it had to be 1700 somewhere and, prepared to honor the moment and toast the custom.
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It was decided that the following day's sail would be to Santa Cruz, 50 km south down the coast however, that plan was met with more weak winds. The Pillar Pt weather buoy, approximately 8 miles off shore, was reporting 8 knot winds from the NW however, after 5 hours of sailing we were not in a position to make Santa Cruz Harbor before night fall or even close to reaching a point of no return. We returned to Half Moon Bay and Pillar Pt Harbor and enjoyed the remainder of the day hiking the area, hot showers, fresh sea food dinners and of course, relaxation. Another activity enjoyed was meeting the fishing boats as they returned and talking to skippers and crew about their day and catch. They were all very friendly and seemed to enjoy telling us their stories as much as we enjoyed hearing them.
As the most dangerous aspect of sailing is trying to maintain a schedule we now had to reevaluate our plans of continuing down the coast with Steve's leave schedule (being retired, schedules rarely enter my plans.) My theory on Pacific Coastal cruising is that for every 8 hours sailed south allow 12 hours to return (if you make it back early you'll just have more time to relax.) If meeting a schedule is really important (like Steve's flight plans) then add an extra lay over day just in case weather or sea conditions are not good. When factoring these requirements into Steve's agenda, it was apparent we could no longer make Santa Cruz and return without the risk of impacting other "like-to-do's" on his agenda. The next day we awakened at a leisurely pace, had breakfast, watched the fisherman begin their day then headed NW. Our intentions were to see the Farallon Islands then sail west to the Gate. A plan that would keep us heading in a northerly direction.
San Francisco's weather buoy was reporting 14 kt winds from the NW, 1-3 foot wind waves and 1-6 foot swells at 10 seconds. Reported conditions sounded favorable to us as well as a couple of larger sail boats with apparently the same routes in mind. However, to us, the route meant being hunkered down below the dodger and wearing foulies on an other wise beautiful day. We shifted course slightly to the N and met the sea more on the forward quarter and could soon move back in the cockpit and enjoy the sail. At Point San Pedro we tried heading toward the Farallon's again and again was encouraged to stay on a more northerly course. Approaching the Gate and crossing the bar from about 5 or 6 miles off shore is always a Kodak moment. We headed for the North side of the entrance and caught one of the fastest floods of the month. Once inside the Gate we located a tie off near Molly Stone's so we could secure the night's dinner to be toasted at Angel Island.
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Molly
Stone Dinner. I always consider Angel Island my home while
in the Bay so we headed there with our provisions. After tying off
fore and aft to a couple of mooring balls, we finished our house work and
disused the days adventure over a couple of gin and tonics. As the
evening set in we toasted Molly Stone's favors then watched the deer and
other wild animals come down to the water front hoping to find food dropped
by visitors during the day (all visitors must be off the Island by 1700.)
When the coolness of the evening brought us indoors, we got out the charts
and started planning tomorrow's sail. Alternatives considered were
Drakes Bay, Farallon Islands, the Bay itself and the Delta. Farallon
Islands won. We would try again tomorrow to reach and possibly circle
the Islands then return to Angel Island.
Follow
That Ship. We started out the Gate on a slack tied the next
morning following a container ship in a thick marine layer. The combination
of fog and low clouds were high enough to provide the necessary visibility
to take evasive measures if needed. In an hour, horizontal visibility
increased to about 2 miles. But, after tacking back and forth across
the bar for 4 hours, into winds on our nose, we had only traveled 4 miles
off shore. Mother Nature was again depriving us from reaching the
Farallon's. We decided to throw in our hats and return to the Bay.
Between the combination of a very strong flood current and wind we entered
the Bay maintaining a speed in excess of 8 knots over ground. We
were flying and decided to carry this flood as far a possible while heading
east through Raccoon Strait, North past the Brothers and San Pablo Straits. 
In San Pablo Bay I dropped the main, kept the 155 % head sail to maintain
a 6 knots crossing while Steve fixed lunch fit for sailing Rock Star's.
It sure is nice to have a crew ;-) Destination: Vallejo Marina
and the restaurant at the end of their Visitor's dock for some Fish &
Chips. ...Scratch that plan... Vallejo Marina was being dredge
so we headed back down the Mare Island Straits for Benica's Marina (rib's
at Clay's tonight seems like a fare trade.)
Rock'n Lunch
As we worked our way down the Strait for Benica we knew that we could not make it before they closed at 1700. Benica is a City owned Marina with strict 9-5 hours. Their visitors dock however, is a long side tie area attached to their fuel dock so if space is available we can spend the night, pay in the morning and still have access to the many restaurants near by. First though, we would have to get there. Approaching the entrance to the striats, the portable toilet took flight and ended up in the middle of the cabin sole. Steve was at the tiller so I went below to secure it when I heard Steve call out that there was a ketch on his right, the Vallejo to San Francisco jet ferry on the left, a trash barge approaching on our nose while the "G1" entrance marker lay dead ahead. I explained that I had my own problems and if he didn't want to sleep in toilet discharge tonight, he would have take care of the navigation problems.... which he did very well (and very close.) As luck would have it the Visitors dock was empty when we arrived so we tied off, cleaned house then enjoyed a late happy hour and a few laughs that the day had brought. While sitting in the cockpit watching the sun go down, 4 more vessels pulled in with the same intentions. A 40 foot sail boat that had also been at Pillar Point Harbor and Angel Island when we were there; A retired couple on a 40 trawler heading for Mexico and two 30 foot sail boats (one towing the other.) After helping all the boats dock in the light cross winds we decided that there was no place like home for dinning tonight.
Returning to the California Delta is always a treat for me. It's a water world mixed with sea life, resident and migrating water foul, beavers, raccoons, river otters and once in a while, lost wales. Our morning ground wind failed in about an hour leaving us with flat water, no wind and clear sky's. A perfect day for an idling engine, a slow flood and Jose.
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The Fall Cruise this year was one I'll remember for a long time. We didn't have the best of conditions but did enjoy the best of time. This was one of those cruises that will never end just because we tied off. After house work, hot showers and a super dinner provided by Jo, we spent another night at Owl Harbor telling stretched out stories of our experiences. This is the time of year on the left coast to head off shore. Take a friend along; you'll enjoy it even more.
Lessons Learned
Some new additions for this years fall cruise were new rub rails, a dodger, Steve's hand held GPS, LifeSling2, and inflatable PFD's. My assessment of the new comers and the rolls they played on this year's cruise follows:
New rub rail:
This trip, Pegasus's cabin sole was almost dry and would have been
completely dry had it not been for a small leak in the water system (which
was immediately corrected.) The new rub rails (actually a cap for
the hull/deck joint on boats now days) worked perfect.
Dodger: Don't
leave home without one. I have been very pleased with my basic dodger
on the several sails down through the California Delta where chop, quick
wind waves plus wind and gusts on the nose are common in the shallow bay's.
However, the pleasure of sailing north along the Pacific Coast (bashing)
behind a dodger was outstanding. You can almost leave your foul weather
suit home (I still find the morning winds cool ;-)
GPS: The super
simple and cheap little hand helds are worth their weight in gold and will
be a part of my future cruises. No more worry about a fog moving
in too fast and not being able to find the horn or bell buoy's. The
only worry with the GPS is being careful you don't hit the buoy.
Compass, speed log and charts were along for the ride but generally not
used. I no longer consider GPS to be another tech toy. They
are very accurate, informative, reasonable and have earned their right
as a functional item for future cruising.
LifeSling2: I
rarely carry more than Coast Guard minimum rescue equipment requirements
because I sail alone most of the time and could never find a use for it.
However, this cruise I would was fortunate enough to have company and felt
a rescue devise that does not require a great deal of recovery practice
or knowledge would be a practical addition for coastal cruising. If you
can steer a boat, you can use a LIFESLING2. It's that simple.
In high sea's (which I have always successfully planned around) a MOB Marker
would also me handy. As usual, planning and waiting for the preferred
window and sailing smart and safe paid off so the equipment was not necessary
(I guess it's kind of like an insurance policy - have it but don't use
it ;-)
Auto Inflatable PFD's:
I started wearing these devices 2 years ago and find them very comfortable.
For coastal cruising it would be very useful if necessary to reach a lea
shore from several miles out. A feat for me that was maybe possible
40 years ago but, no longer. Steve used my second auto inflate and
was also very satisfied with its comfort compared to old style PFD's he's
used over the years (now if they could just make them as warm as the old
vest units ;-)