Newport Raft Up And Weekend Sailing Adventure

What a wonderful weekend of sailing the bay and making Newport friends. The weather and wind were perfect on maybe the last summer weekend of the year. Saturday dawned with blue skies and some fog. We headed out for a delightful sail over to Angel Island. Dolphins and pelicans were dancing in the green waters of the bay. The wind was gusting to 20 knots which is about perfect for our boat. The fog really streamed in about 1pm and I was a little worried we might have problems. As soon as I thought we had a problem, it dissipated and cleared out as the Golden Gate shone brightly in the distance. We made our way towards the Bay Bridge on a splendid reach and then came around to Clipper Cove. We found Stu and Wendy anchored and waiting. Soon we had 5 Newports rafted up and anchored in this tranquil cove. No wind and the sun setting. Kona (my golden) and I swam to the beach for a romp in the sand. Back on board we had a great group in the cockpit of the Addiction for apps and wine. BBQed some shrooms and veggies and more congregating in the cockpit after dinner. What fun! Up at sunrise for a paddle to the beach with Kona. He loved it and was so cute on the beach. Good boy! After coffee and french toast, we head over to the Treasure Island Marina to pick up Drew and Marc. Another fantastic day. We head for Raccoon Strait and again the wind is perfect. We motor to lunch once the wind dies near Tiburon and head for Paradise Cove, my new favorite anchorage. We anchor for lunch then swim over to the beach and see our new friend Scott and his son James. We play on the beach with Kona and he is having a ball. The temps are in the mid 70's and the sun is hot! Just awesome. We head back out for a wonderful sail back to TI. It's hard to believe how nice it is on the bay. Drop off the crew and then head back to my home port with a sunset sail to end our summer sailing season. What an incredible year in sailing it has been! And a very memorable weekend as well. Thanks to my fellow Newporters for making it a great raft up (my first!).