Wow! What a shot!
Wow! What a shot!
Whoah.
I was thinking exactly this, last weekend. "I wonder what the Potato Patch looks like today? Man, I'm glad i'm not a San Francisco Bar Pilot".
According to surfers who remember these things, last Saturday was a 10 year event. It is a sobering reminder the San Francisco Bar, that horseshoe shaped shoal 2-7 miles to sea, that surrounds the entrance to San Francsisco Bay, is only 25-35 feet deep at low tide. And more shoal at places like the "Potato Patch," (Four Fathom Bank) just west of Point Bonita.
And the 27 foot shoal at the northwest end of SE Farallon Island is where LOW SPEED CHASE met her tragic end in a monster breaking wave in April, 2012.
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
On the subject of antique boat show, I learned a while ago that you can still buy tufnol blocks. These were standard issue on about a bazillion boats built during the early 60's. I kind of like the look.
https://marinestore.co.uk/Tufnol_Blocks.html
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
I ran into my bar pilot neighbor yesterday who was grinning ear to ear because he knew I was going to ask him how it's been out there. Insane, he said. He was also glad to be off on Saturday when informed of the multi hundred short handed sailboat race that would be taking place.
Pilot footage:
https://www.facebook.com/john.atkins...8226788258559/
The above short video was taken last Saturday morning from the Pilot Boat DRAKE, 105 feet LOA, steel construction. The DRAKE was in the San Francisco Bar Entrance Channel (Main Ship Channel) dredged to a depth of 54 feet, or 20-30 feet deeper than the rest of the Bar.
The tide was near max ebb, and there was additional fresh water runoff, something to consider for this
weekend's 3BF.
In addition, Saturday's swells were coming from the west southwest, right down the maw of the Main Ship Channel. Their 20 second period meant the waves were well spread apart, and not every wave was breaking.
If, in rough figures, the 54 foot deep dredged channel was breaking, as filmed from aboard the DRAKE, the formula for wave height is Depth= 1.3 x Wave Height. 54/1.3 = 42 feet. Confirmed by the nearby Scripps Wave Rider Buoy, which showed a 50 foot wave about that time.
Interesting, the Scripps Wave Buoy is anchored with a giant rubber band, and is set up to survive radical wave heights.
A fellow SF Bar pilot, in his 30th year of service, can only remember ~ 8 times when the SF Bar Entrance Channel was similarly breaking and had to be closed, as it was last Saturday morning (Jan.21, 2017).
The DRAKE, after cresting the filmed "35 foot wave," did not attempt to return to San Francisco until the next morning. They remained hove-to in deep water offshore all day Saturday and Saturday night.
Last edited by sleddog; 01-26-2017 at 02:47 PM.
Oh, HELL no. No No No No No.
I ain't coming back in through that. No way.
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
A low tide walk at local Seacliff State Beach revealed some unusual sights. A massive amount of timber had washed down the San Lorenzo River, out to sea, and down the coast.
Two hapless kayakers attempted to launch through crashing 8 foot surf. "Why?" we asked. "We think we can make it out" was their reply, before being repulsed with broken boats. A reminder of the saying "fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
It was open season on the Green Flash, viewed between broken parts of the Cement Ship, the old SS PALO ALTO.
I motored 50 NM to the Bay down the San Joaquin river, etc. on Thursday 26th. I anticipated a fairly quick trip and was amply rewarded. My boat motors over the water at about 5.8 Kts. I hit 10.3 Kts SOG under the Carquinez bridge. Avoided a LOT of logs, boards, goodness knows what, on the way down. I usually push on after dark, but had I not made it into San Pablo Bay by 6:00 PM I would have stopped due to all the dangerous debris in the rivers.
It was slow going on the way back but, surprisingly, things picked up nicely with the flood after the weapons station and I had a pretty fast trip home too.
Hi Mike,
Always good to hear from you and the good ship JACQUELINE. Glad you had a safe trip down and back, and enjoyed the 3BF!
For a small harbor, Santa Cruz gets its share of excitement. Two nights ago a boat caught fire, spreading to neighbors. Final tally: two boats (one a sailboat) destroyed (melted), a third sunk, and fourth heavily damaged, as were the docks. All the boats were apparently live-aboards. (Housing is tight in these parts.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_nwYbpUBv0
Last edited by sleddog; 02-01-2017 at 03:56 PM.