Cruising San Francisco Bay
Spent all day Saturday installing a third battery which will be devoted to starting the diesel in my 29.5. I also installed a new three-bank regulator and a three-bank battery isolator for the alternator. All check out fine so my first mate, Kat, and I left at sunset from our berth in the north-east end of San Francisco Bay and broad reached in ten knots of clear, low 70's weather south to Clipper Cove on the east side of Treasure Island. A beautiful night cruise with the lights of Berkeley and Oakland to port; the lights of San Francisco, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bidge to starboard; and the lights of the Oakland Bay Bridge and Treasure Island dead ahead. Our 29.5 with both sails flying was a dream to ride, like floating on a cloud. We dropped anchor in Clipper Cove at 9 pm amidst some 20 other boats, power and sail, that were already there. Kat made some salad and stew while I secured the boat and we sipped some wine and ate our stew by candelight in the main salon. Slept like babies while hanging on that Bruce buried deep in the Yerba Buena mud. On Sunday morning we had cantaloupe, coffee and bananas then hauled in the Bruce, hoisted the main, let the jib go and headed into the South Bay with no particular desstination in mind. It was a clear bright day with temperature in the 70's, eventually getting into the 80's, and a breeze of about 12 knots or so. In the early afternoon we put into Brisbane Marina on the west side of the Bay just below Candlestick Park (I think they call it 3Com Park now) and had salad and fruit for lunch. Leaving there we ran across the Bay in 15 know winds to San Leandro Marina getting in just before sunset. We spent the night there which was a delight because the facilities are superbe and the first night is free. An unbeatable bargain since we were going to be there only one night. We took an early evening stroll around the marina then went back to the boat where Kat cooked up some pasta and an incredible sauce which we had along with French bread, a spinach salad and, you guesed it, some candlelight and a bottle of wine. After breakfast on Monday we took advantage of the bright clear morning to install a lazy-jack kit. With Kat on the winch, I went up the mast with drill, tap, and hardware and installed the wires. What a breathtaking wiew of San Francisco and the Bay from up there. With a cool breeze, it was actually a very pleasant chore. Back down on deck we installed the hardware on the boom, threaded the line and, voila, Silent Dancer now has a lazy-jack system. It works beautifully. We left around two-thirty for home up in the North Bay but we now had a price to pay for starting so late. The afternoon winds from the northwest increased to over twenty knots and the shallow Bay became a huge washboard of short, choppy swells. Without a dodger, Kat and I were thoroughly soaked by the time we got home five hours later. But what a ride! Double reefed and only half the jib! Once we were securely back into our home slip, we washed the boat down, lit another candle and drank a toast of White Zinfandel; so pleased with ourselves, our boat, and the great weekend the three of us had just shared.
