Re: Today's "sail" in SF Bay

JBlumhorst@aol.com
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 01:13:59 EST


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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We set out from Alameda marina/Grant Street Launch about 11:00, just before
the rain started. There was very little wind, so we started motoring out the
estuary, thinking we would motor out into the bay and look for the Potters
sailing from Balena Bay. By the time we were halfway out, it started to pour
-- a pounding, cold rain (thank God Costco had rainsuits on sale for $20 this
week!). The clouds were really black up ahead to the north, so we turned
around and started back towards the marina.

Then we decided, what the heck, we're already cold and we're out here, we may
as well have fun anyhow, no matter what the weather is doing -- so we decided
to go out to lunch at Jack London Square. So we turned around again, and
headed back up the estuary.

By the time we had motored back to J.L. Square (for the second time that day),
we could see sunshine out on the bay. The rain had eased, and the water was
glassy, with no wind to be found. Since the forecast called for 10-20 mph
winds in the afternoon, we decided to skip lunch at the restaurant and go
sailing. It about 12:45 by the time we made it out of the estuary into the
bay. We took out the binoculars and looked towards Balena Bay. We could see
the pier at Balena Bay, but there were no potter sails to be seen.

It was still pretty calm, but we could see dozens of sailboats heeled to the
west of Alcatraz Island, with the sun sparkling up on their sails and shining
strongly around the Golden Gate. So we kept motoring, passing under the
Oakland bridge. Finally, we felt the breeze come up, first lightly from the
south, then clocking (or is it veering, I can't ever remember) around to the
WNW and filling in to about 8 or 10 miles per hour. We spent a beautiful hour
sailing around in the sunshine, practicing our tacks and jibes, trying (not
very sucessfully) to run wing-and wing and enjoying the fine wind and sun.
The wind was just right for our first time out sailing our P-19 by ourselves.
We kept looking for Potter sails down by Balena Bay, but never did see any.

Around 3 'oclock we noticed dark clouds building to the NE, and decided to
head back to the esturary. Just about 3:45, a light rain caught us inside the
esturary, and we furled the jib and motor-sailed for a while with just the
main. The the wind started to build, and we chickened out and brought down
the main. Good thing we did, because five minutes later the wind built up to
about 15-18 mph and it rained cats and dogs. It was cold and miserable, with
the rain stinging our faces and hands.

We got back to the Grant Street Launch around 4:30 and waited about 15 minutes
in the store there til the rain stopped. Then we hauled the boat out.

It could have been better weather, but we congratulated ourselves on our first
time taking our boat out by ourselves. We were pleased that we didn't do
anything like forget to put down the centerboard, or rig it wrong or fall
overboard. The hour and a half of sun and wind was worth the rest of the
miserable weather to us. One thing we did learn: the Alamda Marina is too
far up the estuary for a P-19 with a 4 HP motor; it took nearly an hour to
motor out to the Bay. We're going to look for a more convenient place to keep
the boat.

We missed you, Harry and Jon, if you were out there. It would have been more
fun if we had gotten together. We hope you got to sail in the sun and the
wind today, and not just in the rain and cold.

Judy and David Blumhorst
Danville, CA
P-19 #266 "Redwing"

PS. The rainsuits we got at Costco for $20 were a great deal. We would not
have been able to continue today without them. However, the hoods tend to
allow water to drip down the front of the collar. We're going to get
mariners' rainhats before the next time we go out.