Bananas will no longer be allowed onboard…
We recruited five unsuspecting crew for this epic down wind race from Richmond to Stockton. The full crew list for this epic down wind race consists of Aaron, Calvin, Eugene, Janelle, Keith, Mark and Robert. The Delta Ditch race starts in Richmond then run through the northern part of San Francisco bay, passing the Brother’s Island to San Pablo Bay, through the narrow, twisting channels of Carquinez Straits to Suisun Bay, passed the mothball fleet then snake through the meandering San Jauquin River to Stockton. We had conceived this race as a fun (and fast) way to tour the...
Read MoreBBS 2009 – day 1, race 1
Race#1 For the first race of the BBS, the race committee designated a course on the NC starting area for a double sausage with a final windward finish. The weather mark was set just west of Angel Island with an offset mark and the leeward gate located just windward of the starting line. Current was on a waning ebb going towards slack at 11:25 which means there’s more residual ebb current to the north and possible flood current close to SF shore. The wind is around 12-15 knots but patchy in spots and it appears to be slightly lighter on the extreme right and left of the course, so...
Read MoreStone Cup, St. Francis Yacht Club, May 16, 2009
The forecast called for a heat wave and that usually means light winds unless “Sacramento sucks” – a local sailor’s insider joke that perfectly describes the wind behavior for the Bay as hot air in the Sacramento Valley rises and create the vacuum that draws the cool ocean air through the Golden Gate into the Bay. The crew is supposed to picked up at 08:45 at St. Francis Yacht Club and then out for some practice before the race. As I drove up the club parking lot a bit early, I walked to the water’s edge and watched the Single Handed Farallon’s racers...
Read MoreAn Accomplished New Years Resolution!
Happy New Year! As tradition, we went out on New Years Day for a sail. In looking at the weather forecast during the days preceding the sail, I had anticipated a cold and partly cloudy day and indeed, at 1000 hour on New Years day, it did not inspire any urgency on my part to go out on the cold and foggy bay to go sailing. But tradition demanded certain sacrifice and besides, I had invited a few folks from work to come sailing as well and didn’t want to disappoint them in any case. So Keith and I met up at Max’s Opera Cafe for a hearty lunch at 1100 hour and fortified ourselves...
Read MoreSBYRA Summer #5 SLYC
For a simple triangle course, the San Leadro SBYRA race was really three races in one. After a postponement for no wind, the breeze built up quickly with determination. The race committee selected course number 8 which calls for rounding channel marker 8, channel marker 3, temporary buoy “A” to starboard and then finish. The only problem is this is yet another SBYRA race where the first mark is a reach, not a beat. We had a decent start just ducking behind Paradigm as we didn’t want to be caught between Paradigm and the RC boat with our 144% genoa – Paradigm can...
Read MoreStillwater Cove
On an unusually bright and clear summer morning for San Francisco Bay, we arrived at the boat at 0715 to finish the last remaining tasks of preparing to set sail for Stillwater Cove. Onboard, Mist’s crew consists of: Ashley (Keith’s daughter), Joan, Jim Hoffman, Keith and Robert. After loading several cart loads of provisions, (enough for a TransPac with a crew of 10) we cast off the dock lines and headed out the marina at 0845 on a building ebb. With a mild 5-10 knot breeze from the West, we set the main and continued with motoring in order to make time to the Golden Gate...
Read MoreStillwater Cove… Float Plan
Since Keith had planned to attend his daughter’s event at the Equestrian Center in Pebble Beach on the week of the 23th-28th in July, we decided to take the boat down for a little ocean cruise. So here are some of the links for info, preliminary planning for the crew to review and comment… Here’s a few links to monitor weather in the ocean: NWS Coastal forecasts: PIGEON POINT TO POINT PINOS TO 20 NM Monterey Bay forecast Wind speed and wave height Surface wind plot from SF to Monterey (Naval Postgraduate School) Graphical forecast from the Navy (See wind build...
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