The key wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I rigged a sun shade for the cockpit and waited for Lynn to show up. After a bit, I discovered I could open one hatch and reach in to his phone, so I called him at work. After he arrived, we went out running errands (get tools, extra fuel, and miscellaneous stuff from the chandlery).
By the time we got back to the marina, our dad, Leonard, and our Uncle Floyd had arrived. We went out for dinner, then returned to the boat, stowed our gear, and turned in.
I've sketched out the cabin plan below. The Quarter double Berth once had doors making it a small cabin. These doors have been removed, making the main cabin _very_ large. Leonard took the Quarter berth, Floyd had the port berth, Lynn had the main double berth, and I took the Vee berth.
_______________________________________________ | NavDesk Shelves&cabinets Closet \ | SnglBerth \ | \ | Engine V \ | & berth > | Table Sink Dining / | Quarter Reefer Table& Head& / | DblBerth Stove IceChest DblBerth Shower / |_______________________________________________/
On a boat this size, it's quite possible to have several boat-tending projects going on while under way. During our cruise northward, I worked on installing Lynn's newly purchased Loran unit. We used it in "anchor tending mode" this evening. It is supposed to constantly monitor its position and beep if it shifts too far. We discovered that the unit's slight drift combined with the current set on the anchor rode moved us about enough to trigger the alarm. It was weird seeing how the current pointed the boat one way while the wind blew strongly on the beam. A few times we were rocked by the wake of passing ships and Floyd reported seeing a searchlight flashing on our ports about 0630.
The third bridge we passed under had the closest clearance of our trip. We computed our mast to be 52 feet above water level and the bridge reported 65 feet. From the cockpit it appeared sure to hit.
We met or were overtaken by a few ships, but I had expected to see more traffic than we did. It was fun seeing some of the ships up close. Although I've seen a lot of shipping in Seattle, I suspect Lynn hasn't spent much time next to large ships and it was totally new for Leonard and Floyd.
We reached the end of Suison Bay at dusk and turned up the San Joaquin River. Almost immediately we found guest moorage at the Pittsburg municipal marina. I've noticed that marinas generally could improve their signs for inbound strangers. We didn't see the sign that said "Guest Moorage" until after we tied up the boat a second time. (The first time we tied up at the gas dock to give us a chance to look around.) Another problem is that there's no way to get a key to the gate after hours. You have to either stay on-board, or figure out how to get past the gate to get back to your boat. (We opted to do the latter so that we could have a sit-down dinner on shore.)
We then cruised down the Sacramento--often on a run or broad reach. At one point we touched either bottom or some submerged pilings, but we weren't slowed at all. (This sensitizes one to how cautious one has to be when drawing 7 feet.)
As we re-entered Suison Bay at Pittsburg, we had a choice of following our earlier path via many short tacks or to try two long tacks out to and then along the reserve fleet. (Fifty to a hundred Navy ships are anchored side-by-side in long rows off shore. They are a mothballed reserve.) We decided to try the latter. It did demand long runs with limited bouys in sight, but that was a useful exercise. We turned on the depth sounder a few times as we skirted islands, to make sure there was enough water. The wind died as we started past the fleet, so we started motoring.
It's fortunate that Lynn remarked on his suspicion of a cooling belt, because it helped me recognize the smell of anti-freeze. The belt broke and the engine was overheating. We went back to sail while Lynn replaced the belt. At one point I found us slowly backing up in the current while making way through the water. With the belt replaced, we got moving again. I took the helm for an hour while Lynn cooked up dinner.
With our greater experience and picking out navigation marks, we cruised further into the night. We nearly got out of San Pablo Bay before stopping at "The Sisters", just NE of San Rafael.
The wind was light and varied east of Treasure Island, so we motored up the Oakland Inner Harbor. Because we were a bit early, we stopped to top off the fuel. Lynn found a diver hanging out at the fuel dock and hired him to check out the transponder on the knotmeter. After 15-20 minutes work clearing some paint from the fitting, the meter finally showed a reading. We then moved from the gas dock to some (quasi?)public moorings at Jack London Square. Lynn's girlfriend showed up shortly thereafter.
We then headed to our home port (to disembark Leonard and Floyd), getting in about 1900.
As we were about to tack, we spotted what looked like a work boat anchored or drifting past some freighters anchored in the South Bay. We decided to check it out, so we turned dead down wind. As we approached her, we found a 16' open fiberglass sailboat, with no mast, centerboard, or tiller. After three or four passes by, we rigged the boarding ladder and lots of fenders on our port side. We also rigged a 50' line on our spare anchor (to be used as a grapple). We took the boat under tow by passing close by and setting the anchor in the bow. The Coast Guard answered our call and informed us that the boat had been reported adrift by the owner. They asked if we could tow her to their station at Yerba Buena. We were already heading that direction and agreed to do so.
It wasn't long before we discovered the anchor chain (to which we had attached the tow rope) was cutting the boat's hull because the molding on the gunwale was missing from the starboard side. We moved the anchor slightly aft and to port, hoping the boat would stream to our starboard and the chain would not abrade so much. This worked about half the time. When it didn't, the boat would cut to our port and run at an angle, the chain would fall into the ever growing cut in the hull, and water would splash into the boat. This wasn't going to work out. After some struggles, we brought the boat up to our starboard quarter and I was able to reach in and attach a light line to a bolt in the inside bow. But even though she was being towed from the bow, the boat still tended to point to the side.
We then moved the fenders to the starboard side and brought the boat firmly alongside. This gave us good control and reasonable motion for the boat. Unfortunately the cut in the hull and the boat's earlier motion had filled quite a bit of water. We tried to bail by tossing a bucket on a line in from our rail, but that didn't work. I stepped into the boat and after fastening more tow lines, started bailing. Lynn spelled me after a while and finished emptying the boat. With the boat snug alongside and dry, she rode quite nicely. We bent on more sail and really got moving to the CG station.
When we arrived at the CG station on the SE end of Yerba Buena, they met us with a rigid hulled inflatable and took the boat under tow. We cut back to the West of the island and got back on course.
This is a good place to comment on several lessons we (should) have learned during this small adventure. I'll try to tabulate them. (1) We should have called the CG as soon as the boat was known to be adrift. Instead we waited until we had her under tow. Had someone gone overboard, we were going the wrong direction. (2) We should have drifted (or motored as necessary) with the boat while taking her under tow. Instead we passed by slowly under short sail and set the anchor in the bow. (2a) A proper 5-10 pound grapple on a line would have been easier to use than a 50 pound anchor and chain. (3) We should have brought her alongside sooner and gone aboard sooner to rig better tow lines. (3a) You can never have too many fenders. Flat fender boards of closed cell hard foam would have been ideal.All of this had delayed us by several hours. It was well after dark when we met the CG and another hour's sailing only got us abeam of Alcatraz Island. We decided to head for moorage in Ayala Cove on Angel Island. After a bit of effort, we tied up to a mooring bouy.
Another short lesson here: It's difficult reaching down to a mooring bouy from the high rail of this boat. We again rigged the boarding ladder alongside, but it's still a hard job. I've seen special boat hooks with a device on the end to aid in passing a line around a hook. I'm going to give it a good examination the next time I see one.
By the time Lynn had paid the fees, I had changed to dry clothes and washed much of the salt out of my wet clothes. At least I was fully awake. We then headed out to the Golden Gate. We found fog. We stooged around Point Bonita (about 1/2 mile outside the Gate) for a good part of the day. At one point we went out to a bouy off the point (in part to set the Loran), but had to sail through fog back past the point. By mid-afternoon we gave up and decided to head back to San Francisco. (Throughout all this we could hear the breakers on shore. I can better appreciate how one could have coped without navigational aids in fair weather.)
As we sailed towards North Beach, Lynn pointed out some of the landmarks. His guidebook showed a public marina fairly close by, so we decided to see what space was available. We turned in and motored slowly past lots of boats. There was a nice space towards the end, so we called out to folks on the dock if it was available. Another guy was fetched and he said we could tie up. I had asked the first guy if "this was the public harbor or part of a yacht club", but he didn't seem to understand. The second guy confirmed it was the St. Frances Yacht Club, but mooring was nonetheless available. We were quite tired, but we did avail ourselves of the showers (and I think Lynn checked out the steam room).
The wind wasn't all that solid at first. It was light and a bit too variable. It seemed to take us quite a while to make any progress. After an hour or so, the wind steadied and the swells settled into a regular pattern. Finally we got a taste of real sailing. The boat handled wonderfully. We could lock the wheel and, with slight trimming of the main, hold our course with no further effort.
By 1600 we could see a cloud bank to the West. After a bit we could see mist forming around Point Reyes (about 5 miles away). I offered the suggestion that we had had enough fun and it would be a smart move to head back to familiar waters before the fog arrived. Lynn agreed and we turned back.
This proved to be a good move, because half way back to the Golden Gate the wind died. We ended up motoring back to the marina through the quietest water Lynn had ever seen on the Bay. (We tried to use the Loran to find the outer marker for his marina, but the unit would have directed us to a point 1/2 mile out in the Bay. I hope I had entered the position erroneously, but I suspect that one needs good piloting skills because I don't think Loran isn't all that reliable for navigation close to shore.)