I must be missing some trip logs — I know there was sailing going on between May and July!
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Springtime has been blooming here in the bay area, which means I have been getting in to the new sailing season! Two weeks ago I took the boat out with Tom P, Tania and Lisa. We motored out of the “estuary” and sailed over toward SBC Park and the SF cityfront, then around TI and back.
This week Cathy C and I headed out for “Opening Day on the Bay.” We mostly motored around the estuary. The weather was indecisive when we left in the early afternoon, but got progessively better. We were not out too long, but enjoyed the wind and water, and seeing the many boats out to celebrate the start of the season.
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Today was sailing with Cathy, Bruce and Judy. Mike couldn’t make it. We motored to about Jack London Square, then put up the sails and short-tacked almost to the mouth of the estuary. The Alameda Sherrif boat was hovering around the berths on the Oakland side, so we stayed as far from the wharves and ships as we could. It was actually kind of weird how the Sherrif was always a little ways behind us, motoring slowly around. But they didn’t bother us, so who knows what they were up to.
We had a little wind, just enough to keep tacking, really. But even that disappeared. It was hazy out toward the main bay, so I figured that was pretty much it. We bobbed around for awhile, then started the engine and motored back. We saw quite a few boats out there, including several of those West Wight Potter kooks. Maybe someday I’ll grab one of those — they look fun.
I had changed the oil in the morning, and the engine was running quite well. I found my filter wrench, and am going to do another oil/filter change soon. I also did some of the rust treatment on the engine’s exterior, and need to do a little touch up paint around mid-week.
After putting the boat away, we went to Chevy’s for snacks.
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Due to various circumstances, I am moving the boat back to Alameda! Now this is actually a pretty good thing. Richmond was awesome; Emeryville was expensive. The Alameda estuary has been one of my favorite places on the water, and it’s not too shabby off the water either.
Interestingly, I have secured the exact same slip that the boat was located in when I bought it in 2001. Having a chandlery within walking distance will be very helpful when it comes to working on projects. I plan to ride my bicycle to the ferry when I need to get to and from The City. And it shouldn’t be too bad to BART over from work.
As far as the obligatory new year’s resolution, I would like to (a) get the boat in better shape by getting back on track with my projects, and (b) get out sailing more often, even if it’s shorter trips on the estuary. In 2003 I managed to maintain a decent number of sailing days; 2004 was not my best year at all.
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