Slight Detour on the way to Sierra Point
There is some talk about how it won't take very long to sail to Sierra Point Yacht club from McCovey Cove, so how about stopping off at Ballena Bay Yacht Club for brunch on the way? This talk is from bigger, faster boats than Dura Mater, so I suppose you do all go faster and arrive sooner. Well, maybe not you, Cliff ;-)
Anyway, Dura Mater will be in McCovey Cove at noon, then we will sail over to Ballena Bay YC. They are expecting us to tie up at E Dock in Ballena Bay. You are welcome to join the flotilla, or to continue without the detour to Sierra Point. We should arrive well before dark, and in time for the chili cook-off dinner. See you on Saturday.
Let's monitor Channel 69.
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2019 Cruise Down Part One
Saturday morning 11.16.19
Dura Mater exited Potrero Reach at the same time as did Bob Johnston’s Surprise! and Tony Bourque’s Circe. Greg Ashby was crew aboard Bob’s Blue Boat and Tony’s crew were Patch Garcia, Mary Lovely and Jim Quanci. Tony usually crews for Jim, Jim usually crews for Mary … you get the idea. They all know their way around a sailboat. Tony now has his own charter business and a captain’s license, so if you know a small group of 6 who might be interested in chartering a boat nicer than yours, click here:
www.sailblackbeard.com
Yeah, it’s a big, spacious 44’ Freedom. Luxurious, even. Almost as swanky as Dura Mater, though without her distinctive coziness.
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And boy, was it foggy on the bay. All over the bay! As I approached Blossom Rock under motor I listened carefully to VTS on Channel 14 and learned that a big ship was offshore 20 minutes from the gate and headed east. So I decided to cross the channel early, hoping to hug the bottom of the cityfront. As I approached the Bay Bridge I found Tom Boussie on JouJou, under sail and inching along in a nonchalant way toward McCovey Cove. Sailing slowly, but under sail!
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Well, that embarrassed me. Am I not a sailor? So I raised my sail, and tried to make way. But alas. JouJou has way better sails and had a better sailor aboard, too.
So I turned the engine back on and made my way toward McCovey Cove, discovering Mike Mannix and Linda Farrabee along the way motorsailing Harp. We all made our way to McCovey Cove, where Randy Leisure waited with Tortuga, and Sam Turner, a new SSS member with another pretty blue boat, Frances.
Appearing alongside was another new SSS member, Jeff Scott.
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Jeff is a colleague of Randy’s. Later in the evening, after a few Dark and Stormys, and after he won the annual Captain Ron movie prize for youngest sailor, Jeff confessed that he was inspired by the Captain Ron movie, wanted to impress people with his motoring skills at marina docks, and so that was the impetus for the purchase of a large beautiful sailboat.
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Regardless of Jeff's decision-making skills, he was on the water, in the fog, singlehanded, last Saturday. Gotta be impressed, and I was.
Bob Johnston had made reservations for us all to stop off in Ballena Bay for lunch at Pier 29 Restaurant. As we headed across the bay the fog got more and more dense, and we all made heavy use of our air horns, which I certainly enjoyed. We couldn’t see SF or Alameda shorelines, little buoys, big buoys or even ships until we were on almost on top of them.
Shortly before my chart plotter informed me that I was approaching the entrance to Ballena Bay Marina JouJou informed us via channel 69 that his engine had stopped. Circe immediately diverted from less than 100 yards away and caught Tom’s towline, pulled him the short distance into the marina, whereupon the fog lifted and the sun came out. Of course!
There were twelve of us at lunch and the food tasted good to me. Thanks, Bob, for organizing that.
After lunch we headed across the bay, leaving JouJou and her skipper behind, at his insistence. Deferred maintenance, Tom called it, and for his penance he bought and installed all this, then missed the party
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See the next post
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2019 Cruise Down Part Two
Over at Sierra Point Yacht Club in Brisbane Marina we met up with Alan and Joan Hebert on Alan’s Wildcat of Loch Awe, and Cliff Shaw on Rainbow. David Herrigel and Synthia Petroka arrived via land yachts.
Cliff and Greg both brought chili, for which they were rewarded with black aprons. I don’t have a photo ‘cause my phone was dead by that time.
Synthia was particularly organized in the way she collected chili samples
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The next morning found people walking the dock mooching breakfast bits from the bigger boats. Mike and Linda had cheerios
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Bob had frosted mini-wheats, which warrant no photo. Circe had warm croissants on offer, and the crowd finally landed, eight people wedged into her cockpit, upon the fair Tortuga, where Randy offered the always crowd-pleasing blueberry scones and coffee cake.
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And last, but not least, here is Surprise! sailing like the beauty she is, across the south bay toward home.
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