A Week in San Francisco

Well we have been in San Francisco for a week and are really enjoying this!. The bay is an incredible playground full of fascinating islands and ringed by the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Sausalito, Tiburon, etc. After our first night in the heart of San Francisco at Pier 39, we sailed across, past Alcatraz Island to Sausalito, where we anchored in front of the Sausalito Cruising Club. While checking our email at Pier 39, we met Clark Beek, a well known circumnavigator, who's sailboat was struck by a huge container ship and nearly sunk a year or 2 back. He has written about this and also about cruising in Peru in Sail magazine (great articles!).

Sausalito (Richardson Bay) is a very shallow anchorage, full of local boats, live-aboards, and a few cruising sailors. As we came in to the anchorage we saw Forbes and Cameron, a schooner we had anchored next to in Cadoro Bay back in Victoria as well as a Vancouver boat we had last met up with in Fort Bragg. There was also a boat from France and even one from Russia (a huge red racing yacht with a hammer and sickle theme, but flagged in the US). Rani has found some more Punjabis to chat with, running a local restaurant where we had dinner early in the week. Prior to our Indian dinner we took in a matinee of Woody Allen's new flick, Vicky Christina Barcelona – a very good movie. Sausalito is a very well heeled place, built up a steep hillside lush with vegetation. Plenty of BMWs and Mercedes cars, houses that average over a $million (with taxes to match!), and an interesting contrast to the rag tag live-aboard 'fleet' amongst which we are anchored.

From Sausalito, we dinghied ashore and explored the nearby Marin Headlands state park, visited a Nike cold war missile base, and drove to Alameda with a friendly German sailor, named Torsten, to do some grocery shopping and drop off our mainsail for modifications (a 3^rd reef and some patches). Torsten and Elke are a German couple cruising on a trimaran, which they bought here and have spent the last year upgrading for the trip. They left this morning for Half Moon bay and plan to sail to Mexico and then over to Australia where they will sell the boat and return to their homeland in about a year and a half.

On the weekend we sailed from Sausalito around Angel Island, landing at Quarry Beach to do some hiking in this state park. Angel Island provides incredible 360 degree views of the bay area being only a few miles from San Francisco and Alcatraz. The island is a mixture of wilderness and historical forts, hospitals, and quarantine stations. It was a major embarkation poiint for US troops in the war in the Pacific against Japan. From Angel Island, we sailed to the aquatic basin in downtown San Fransisco. This open ocean swimming and rowing basin allows non-motorized boats to anchor for up to 24 hours and we stayed there over the weekend, leaving early this morning. Yesterday we toured the ships at the maritime museum (see pics below) and trecked over the hill to the Museum of Asian Art (see more pics below). This museum, housed in a stunning neo-classical building, covers the art of dozens of nations and happened to be free on this first Sunday of the month.

We swam today to clean the boat bottom in moderately chilly water (60 degrees) and came out with teeth chattering. We are now back in Sausalito in our old anchorage and will head out for some Italian food tonight. That's all for now.

San Francisco from Angel Island Buoy


Golden Gate from off Alcatraz Island


'Surf' landing at Aquatic Park, San Francisco


Maritime Museum tall ship (Balclutha - 19th century)


Aquatic Basin (Ladybug is white dot just below bridge)


Rowers in Sausalito


Rani, L'il Bugger, and German Trimaran Milonga - Torsten on deck


Sausalito


Sausalito from the Marin Headlands


Chris in the Marin Headlands


Marin Headlands air traffic control system


Nike missile from the cold war

Torsten and Elke on Milonga


Ladybug at the Aquatic Park


Alcatraz from sea level


The Maltese Falcon - 300 foot long private yacht owned by a local venture capitalist

Following pics are from the Museum of Asian Art - very cool place!







Carved from elephant ivory







Funeral statuary

A slew of pictures from the little camera

We finally borrowed a windows laptop to download the pictures from our small camera...



Bradey's Beach, Bamfield



Bradey's Beach scene (Bamfield)



Bradey's Beach scene (Bamfield)


Heron in peaceful water at Bamfield


Wouwer Island, Barclay Sound


Retrieving L'il Bugger after she untied herself



Up the mast inspecting rigging and adding a flag halyard


Rani up the mast getting experience with heights and rigging


Effingham Island, Barkley Sound - Thanks for the shirt, Maureen!


Carson Mansion in Eureka


Lubricating the steering



Fisherman's Memorial - Eureka


Mural outside the performing arts building, Eureka


Chasing gulls at Salmon Creek near Bodega Bay


Teeter Totter at Salmon Creek Beach


Dune scene near Bodega Bay



Elephant Seals in Drake's Bay



Hiking out to Chimney Rock on Pont Reyes (Drake's Bay)


Point Reyes



San Francisco Cable Car




Our room mate at Pier 39



In San Francisco at Pier 39 Celebrating

Through the Golden Gate at last! (Plus pictures from California)

Our last post was from Bodega Bay done from a little espresso cafe where I insisted on stopping for a well earned ice-cream after our long hike. Little did we know at that time that the day was far from over. We had left our dinghy on Doran Beach where our boat was anchored. The sun was setting as we approached the beach and I saw that the surf was breaking with some force at this point. I mentioned to Chris that I was afraid of getting in but he reassured me that we could time the waves to avoid being swept over. After watching for a couple of minutes, we pushed off and within seconds a huge wave ( probably only just over 2 feet in reality ) came rolling in and the next moment I was under the Li'l Bugger ( our cute dinghy ) and all our gear was swimming in the water. Luckily the water was not very deep so we sprung into action; Chris lunged to retrieve his backpack before it floated away ( it contained both our computer and a camera ). We pulled the dinghy to shore and rescued our groceries. I found out later that Chris nearly got concussed as he tried to stop the dingy with his head when he saw me go under it, poor dear.

Someone came over and suggested we launch from a spot closer to the breakwater and even gave us a hand in dragging Li'l Bugger up the beach. I had to beg people for some garbage bags to store our computer and camera in case of another dunking. I think I was regarded rather suspiciously by one camper even though I was dripping wet and wearing a life vest , but he did give me a couple of plastic grocery bags.

Our next launch was more successful and we recuperated back on the boat by washing in fresh water heated on the stove and sipping hot chocolate while warming by the kerosene heater.

We sailed to Drakes Bay the next morning and found it to be one of the most beautiful anchorages imaginable. Steep cliffs rise from the ocean, pasture lands roll down to the beach and the golden colour of the land makes a sharp contrast to the azure blue of the water. Sir Francis Drake sailed here in 1579 and stayed 5 weeks to effect some repairs on the Golden Hind. It was settled by the Spanish and then Mexicans in the 1840's. There is still active dairy and beef farming.

We were better prepared with the dinghy this time as we placed all our gear in a dry bag and dressed minimally. We landed perfectly and then hiked up the hill from the beach, crossing fields full of cow patties, ducking under barbed wire cow fences and crossing over gulches. Along the way we saw a variety of wildlife including a mother elk, 2 fawns, and several gorgeous reddish owls.

There is an historic Life Saving Station at Point Reyes which used to be a US Coastguard station and is now available for use by non-profit organisations as a retreat or conferences. We had a quick peak and then hiked over to see the elephant seals of which there were huge numbers slumbering on the beach.

Our return trip to the dinghy was a lot quicker as the tide was out and we walked along the beach. We watched the waves carefully and executed an almost flawless launch ( we didn't flip, yay!!! ).

On Sunday, we sailed a bit further towards San Francisco, stopping for the night at Bolinas Bay, which proved to be rather rolly at night. We set out a stern anchor to keep Ladybug pointing into the swells and ended up sleeping on the cabin sole and quarterberth to avoid being tossed out of bed.

Today, Monday, we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge flying our colourful spinnaker in perfect conditions - calm water, blue skies, sunshine, no fog at all and hardly any other traffic. It was brilliant! Chris was ecstatic and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. We ran in towards Pier 39 and the wind came up suddenly. We were busy taking photos and before we could get the chute down we had it wrapped around the forestay. Chris was yanked off his feet while trying to take it down (I thought he was going to go flying into the sky on the end of this huge balloon! ).

We have been walking about the city of San Francisco all afternoon, visiting Chinatown, Coit Tower, and the Italian district. We plan to stay in the area for 5-7 days but probably not at the pier as it is terribly expensive at $45 per night.

Some pictures from the last week or 2:



Chris's first solo haircut attempt - stylish to a tee!



Rani's first solo haircut attempt- note the novel and artistic 'hedge row' effect. Joanne - HELP!



Fishing boats at Fort Bragg




Humpback off Drake's Bay




Bonita Point Light just outside San Francisco Bay




Rani at the Gate




And Chris Too (Note the brand new anchor light mounted on a nicely painted broomstick)!

Bodega Bay

We arrived in Bodega Bay yesterday and anchored off the Doran Beach. We sailed from Eureka on Saturday overnight to Fort Bragg - a small fishing port with a truly tiny entrance (100 feet wide at the most) under a road bridge. We had thought of going straight to San Francisco but our autopilot belt separated and we got tired of hand steering. We stayed at the marina in Fort Bragg for 2 days and got a few jobs done (rebedding the traveller and fixing the belt...). We also met some friendly fisherman who recommended some snug anchorages on the way to San Francisco.

We then day sailed to one of the recommended anchorages - a small cove (Fish Rocks) that is 12 miles south of Point Arena. Yesterday we day sailed to Bodega. Rani is relieved to reduce the night sailing which often proves interesting due to sail changes, etc.

Bodega Bay is a beautiful crescent shaped bay surrounded by golden hills. We hiked through the town to Salmon Creek State Beach and Bodega Dunes. The fog lifted as we walked along the nearly-empty beach listening to the thundering surf and watching shore birds feeding at the water's edge. Rani met a Punjabi woman, working in her son's grocery store, who is from a village near where Rani grew up in India. She got a lovely hug and enjoyed speaking in her native language.

We hope to leave for San Francisco tomorrow, sailing under the Golden Gate. We will probably spend a week or so there. Pictures to follow eventually!

Eureka Continued

We are in Eureka still waiting for a fair wind to head south. This has given us a chance to explore more of the town and get a few repairs done. I am writing this blog from a public square in Eureka's old town where there are at least 3 open wifi connections.

We visited Eureka Zoo and the Sierra redwood forest yesterday by bicycle. Our folding bikes worked fine, but Rani is just learning to ride a bike and had a few issues with stopping at traffic lights and cross streets - a minor detail, which she solved by hopping off and walking the bike. I'm afraid I was a little impatient with the whole hop-off-and-walk thing as there must be 100 cross streets between us and the zoo. I ended up making supper and doing the dishes as penance for my impatience and Rani is practicing her cycling in the marina parking lot while the laundry cooks.

Today we had our first chance to try out our hair cutting skills. I am relieved to tell you that I did a better job on Rani's hair than she did on mine, or I most likely would be dictating this blog entry from a hospital bed. One of the skills we learned was to layer the hair, but I think Rani took this a bit literally with me and I have 3 very nice rows of hair on the back of my head. I will wear my ball cap for a week or 2... Pictures to follow if I am allowed to post them.

The latest thing to break on the boat is the top batten from the mainsail. This is a fiberglass rod that prevents the sail from flapping around. The local marine store had nothing close, but a fellow there suggested that a safety flag for a bicycle would probably work. Sure enough, the flag pole is exactly the right diameter and stiffness. At $5.75 for enough length to make 2 battens it's quite a steal! The other project on the go is to install an anchor light. This light will (hopefully) allow other boaters to see us when we are anchored at night and will be installed on a broom handle hose-clamped to the rear rail of the boat.

I'd better get home with the groceries - about a mile walk and a 10 minute row away....