Regards, Dave Lang p15 Hull#554 "Go West"
-----Original Message-----
From: BrennanPM@aol.com <BrennanPM@aol.com>
To: wwpotter@tscnet.com <wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Sunday, October 10, 1999 9:35 PM
Subject: My day on the Bay
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>I have been lurking on the sidelines enjoying the discussions of many
aspect
>of potter sailing and thought I would contribute a story about the
>misadventures of this new potter sailor. I bought my boat a few months ago
>and have sailed it frequently on a nearby reservoir, but decided recently
it
>was time for something more salty. I took it out on the Oakland Estuary
and
>then for a couple of short trips on SF Bay. Finally I decided on something
>more ambitious for this weekend - a more extended excursion on the Bay
>accompanied by my brother-in-law today, Sunday. And because I enjoy the
>little boat so much I decided on a warm up cruise on Saturday.
>
>I launched the boat Saturday from Alameda's Encinal ramp before noon and
>headed out alone in the general direction of the Bay Bridge. This is Fleet
>Week and the Blue Angels were scheduled to perform at 3:00 and so there
were
>a number of boats. Only a light wind but I was able to move along pretty
>well. As I got close to the bridge the water became choppy and I decided
>that since I am a real novice it was time to head back. Unfortunately the
>current was running toward the bridge and I was not able to make any
>progress; in fact I started to get pulled toward the bridge and decided
that
>I might as well enjoy the show. Unfortunately I was very close to the
center
>anchorage and have a black mark on the rub rail at the transom where I
bumped
>it. Now I was in the middle of the action - boats everywhere and the Blue
>Angels overhead. One jet went by directly overhead about 100' above the
>water. I was definitely distracted and when I got back to paying attention
>to my surroundings I found I was on a course that would take my directly
>across the bow of an approaching freighter. I came about and headed away
but
>still I was uncomfortably close to the ship. The wake from a fully loaded
>container ship is really impressive and I saw a swell of more than six feet
>rapidly approaching directly astern. Too late to do anything but watch it
>come and hope for the best. Actually nothing happened; the potter went up
>the swell like a cork and down the other side without any problem.
>
>And then the air show was over and most of the boats started heading for
>home. I joined them and passed back under the bridge making sure I was far
>away from any of the towers. The wind was failing and I was making almost
no
>progress. Other boats weren't doing any better until they started there
>motors. I have been following the recent discussion of the merits of
various
>outboards with interest because I need to get a motor for my boat. That's
>right, I was out on the bay without auxiliary power. Hours passed and I
was
>not getting anywhere. Finally I was close to the Alameda Naval Air Station
as
>the sun went down and the wind died completely.
>
>One of the fun things about boats is all the gadgets you can get for them.
I
>thought I might have gone overboard equipping my little boat, but now I was
>glad I had a new VHF radio. My first call on it was to the SF Coast Guard
to
>ask for help. After they asked for my status they told me to anchor and
>standby. In about 20 minutes they came back and asked for my status again
>and then asked why I was anchored! After they were sure that no one was in
>any danger they advised that it is not Coast Guard policy to assist unless
>there is imminent danger. They did however offer to put out a call to
other
>mariners requesting they contact me to offer assistance. After another 20
>minutes I heard the Coast Guard call followed by silence. I checked
another
>of my new toys, a GPS receiver, and found I was only about 2.5 miles away
>from the launch ramp. I got out the oars (yes, my potter came with oars
and
>oarlocks) and started to row. A potter rows somewhat like a bathtub but I
>was able to make over 2 knots on a somewhat zigzag course while keeping an
>eye on the GPS (what a great gadget).
>
>Finally got back to the ramp at about 10:00 p.m. and called my
brother-in-law
>on my cell phone (had forgotten to take it with me) to cancel today's sail.
>During the day I had found a need for and used
> A VHF radio,
> A hand held depth sounder (another new toy),
> An anchor,
> Battery operated running lights,
> Oars,
> GPS receiver
>I won't leave the dock again without all of them, along with my next
purchase
>- an outboard motor.
>
>I got a lot of experience yesterday and learned a valuable lesson - never
>count on the wind, even on San Francisco Bay. I also found the potter to
be
>a great boat; it performed flawlessly and I have more confidence in it than
>ever. Look forward to seeing some of you on the Bay.
>
>Pat Brennan, P-15 #621 (No name yet, but I am considering "Tyro")
>