So I finally did my first coastal sailing trip. And I’m pleased to report it went great and was a lot of fun. I am trying to remember and process all of the details. It was just a very intense two days, with so much going on.
To facilitate this post I’m going to use the log itself.
May 18th, 2002
0820 – Depart Richmond Marina Bay
It was calm this early in the morning, which is the norm. San Francisco weather is very predictable in the summer (spring tends to count as summer). When the inland valleys heat up during the day, colder air offshore is sucked inland. Which is why it’s almost always howling at the Golden Gate in the afternoons.
The crew for this trip was Bruce, Judy, and Ralph. An interesting bunch. Bruce and Judy are about my parents’ age, and Ralph is in his late 30s. Bruce and Judy presented me with a boatswain’s whistle! What a neat and thoughtful gift!
Before long we were putting out of the harbor under power, and Bruce and Ralph were chatting about travel and politics and the middle east.
0850 – Abeam Richmond R6. Cleared the breakwater.
0905 – Abeam Southhampton R2
0909 – Bruce tells the first of many bad jokes and puns.
0947 – Golden Gate Bridge
I considered passing under the bridge to be the “real” start of the trip. We were just a few minutes past max ebb (0932) and the current was helping us fly out the Gate. The wind was picking up, and we tacked back and forth, motorsailing out toward the bar. We all had some concerns about how big the swells would be, and if any of us would get seasick. Ralph and I had taken Bonine (it’s kind of like Dramamine), Judy was wearing one of those bio-rhythm wrist band things, and Bruce figured he wasn’t prone to it, and would be fine.
As it turned out, the swells were not super huge, and the seasickness element was at bay for most of us. Judy was looking a little concerned. I took some sights and started my chart work, being careful not to stay below for too long at a time.
1050 – Abeam SF R8
1100 – Abeam SF R6
1107 – Abeam SF R4
1114 – Abeam SF R2
Passing the channel buoys was a highlight for me. We were south of the red buoys, in deep water just outside the main shipping channel as it crosses through the bar. I have read many accounts of how bad the bar can be in bad weather, and actually seeing the buoys and the channel myself was exciting. As we had expected, the swells were calmer as we got farther out. At the end of the channel, we were about eight miles out from the Golden Gate bridge.
1120 – Change course. 153M
Now was the “easy part.” Set sail on a nice reach, and head down the coast. The sun was shining, visibility was good, and Amelia was sailing along happily in NW winds. I was getting such a kick out of the view of the coast from so far away. Almost immediately I started feeling like I could really get used to working the boat offshore. There is so much water between you and the land, everything seems to settle into an easy, self-contained rythm. The four of us chatted and told stories. We had snacks, sodas and sandwiches. Life was good.
1220 – Course change off Pt San Pedro. 160M
1325 – 136M
1350 – 143M
We slowly made our way down the coast. By this time “Handy,” the self-steering windvane, had been running the boat for some time. Judy had been a little sick shortly after we left the channel, but she was doing okay now. I was lying on deck behind the mast relaxing. The lack of good sleep the night before, and rigors of beating out the Gate finally caught up with me, so I went below for a quick nap. Bruce and Ralph later told me I had been asleep for over an hour, though it had only felt like 15 minutes to me! Of course, that did explain why the time between log entries increased!
1515 – Off HMB
We spotted the HMB buoys and headed in under power. After tooling around the harbor looking for the harbormaster’s dock (they were not answering VHF or phone!) we tied up at the fuel dock and checked in. We were assigned a slip surrounded by a bunch of fishing boats. Gibbs describes Half Moon Bay as “looks like one of those harbors in a back east magazine- all fishing boats and stuff.” That pretty much sums it up.
We hung out and relaxed for awhile. We all ate snacks to hold us until dinner. Dinner ended up being at a little restaurant. It was not bad — I had fish tacos and clam chowder. I think Bruce and Ralph had blackened cod, and Judy had crab cakes.
Bruce and Judy relaxed on the boat and Ralph and I went to the Harbor Bar to sample the night life for a little while. I was so tired, I couldn’t wait to crawl into my berth.
Stay tuned for day two…
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