Sailing today was with regular crew member John, and three women visiting from Poland: Ela, Justina and Evelynka.

I arrived a bit early in order to change the headsail on the furler and change the engine oil. It was the usual multitasking of those things, hosing down the boat, cleaning the hull some and finding small odds and ends that needed attention. I had come by a week or so beforehand to make sure the fire extinguishers were fully charged. I also made sure the insurance and towing policies are in effect. I haven’t needed to use the towing service since the first year I was sailing, but I think it’s great to have in case of an emergency.

We motored out, as usual, and enjoyed lunch (including John’s famous rice dish) before we reached the main bay. Once we got out of the estuary we found lots of wind. We sailed — with a reefed main, as usual for this time of year — toward SF, under the bridge, up the Cityfront and back toward Alameda. It wasn’t a super long sail but the visitors declared it their “best day in California.” Nice!

We actually had some decent wind in the estuary and sailed all the way back, which is a treat on the calm waters of the channel. We passed a ginormous container ship being turned around in the basin; I’ve seen so many of them yet I’m still impressed of the sheer size of such vessels. Lots of pictures were taken throughout the day.

Upon return we did the usual housecleaning and maintenance and hosed Amelia down again. She looked lovely glistening in the evening sun.

I’m a bit sore now; hopefully getting back into practice will take care of that!