Sausalito or Bust

We took off around 11am on Saturday for Sausalito.  We had dog sitting going on so Kona and Max joined us for the adventure.  Tex jumped on board and we were off.  The wind was in the low teens as we exited the channel.  We made it over to Craig's Cove on Angel and I took the boys for a swim.  The cove had about 8 boats and was as crowded as I have ever seen it.  We took off after a short nap.  Made it over to Clipper Yacht Harbor and settled in.  At 6pm we needed some food.  We walked over to the local restaurant and watched a little of the Warriors game.  They won in fine fashion and we proceeded to toast them. 

Sunday we were up early...and so was the wind.  Some reports said winds to 40.  We shall see.  After a nice egg scramble, we head out with Julie and Mike.  Just before departing, Kona had gotten muddy and proceeded to jump in a woman's car and well let's just say I had to clean it up.  We headed towards Angel and circumnavigated this beautiful island.  We tried for a slip on the island but all were full.  Instead we headed for the backside of Tiburon.  As we were cruising by one of the anchored boats, the skipper asked if we know David Houston?  I replied that I did know him and that he was on board!  An old sailing friend of Tex's.  We rafted up and toured Rick's boat.  Kona did not understand what was going on and he barked the whole time.  We anchored for some lunch and then sailed to the Strait of Raccoon.  We could not make headway with the 35 knot winds and adverse tide.  We would have to go down wind and back to Emeryville. 

No big deal. We would drive our crew back to the docks in Stown.  Cooked up a fine meal at the dock and then it was off to drive them back.   Up early in the morning and cleaned up the boat.  It was another memorable trip to my favorite boating destination.

New Sailing Book - The Come Back

I just started reading a new book about the 2013 America's Cup in SF.  It's a close look at how Team USA made some technical and personnel changes to the boat the propelled them through 8 victories in a row as they were on the brink the whole way.  He claims that some of their moves were illegal.  The book is written by G. Bruce Knecht and available on Amazon.

The Joys of Sausalito

Way back in 2006, I started taking an annual trek to Sausalito in December.  I had been there many times before but not on a regular basis.  I would stay at Schoonmaker Marina and enjoy the location and amenities.  The best part was their little beach and tiny bay.  Bocce, Kona swimming and meeting new folks.  During the day we would take off for day sails with friends and family.  I continued this great tradition for 7 years.  My last couple trips were fantastic with great wind, bike rides to Tennessee Valley and much more.  My last trip there was December of 2013.

 I am so looking forward to our 2 day trip.  We depart today and return on Monday.

 Today I return after a much too long sabatical.  Times are good and lots of folks are back into boats.  Schoonmaker is full up so we will head to Clipper, a bit further down the road but nice as well.  The things I like about this town are many.  Here are a few: my favorite peak, Mt. Tamalpias is looming large where ever you turn.  Richardson Bay is loaded with illegal anchor outs but it is still a beautiful place.  The small town of restaurants and shops is tourist heavy, but it sure is cute.  The views of San Francisco, about 4 miles away,  And lastly, the history of this little hamlet is amazing.  Juan de Ayala, was the first sailor to enter the bay.  In August of 1775, he set his anchor down in the now famous Ayala Cove on Angel Island.  He spent months exploring and charting the bay with his crew aboard the San Carlos. When he visited Sausalito, he meet a very warm and friendly native tribe called the

Liwanelowa.

Pics of the Week

Heading out for a sailing sojurn to Sausalito over the holiday weekend.  My buddy Tex and I will be livin' large up at Clipper.  We will do a day sail on Sunday and invite a few friends.  Full report next week.

Fear of Flying

The stop in New York on the World Series Tour was both good and bad.  The course laid out in lower Manhattan was trouble from the start.  Too many tall building cut the winds in large portions of the course.  Some boats were under 5 knots for portions of the race.  It did, however, generate a lot of interest and exposed many New Yorkers to the high tech world of the AC.  I just hope they have good winds once they get back to Bermuda for the LVC and the finals in 2017.  It will be tough to top 2013 in SF where the winds were strong and the boats flew around the course at 40+ knots.



Race begins just after the 13:30 min. mark.

Kona to the Rescue

I have owned my event planning company for almost 25 years. We recently did an event in Sf for a local company.  My client gave me a very special table cloth with their logo on it for the registration table.  My client's instructions were to not loose this tablecloth.  We had the event and it was very successful.  At the end of the event, my client said goodby and a few minutes later, I went to retrieve the cloth.  It was gone and I suspected that my client took it with her.  Monday morning, I get a call from her asking me for the cloth.  Oh boy.  I called the caterer and the venue and no one had seen it.  I head up to the venue with Kona (golden retriever) tagging along.  We search high and low and came up empty.  I asked the manager where the event folks have their office, maybe it was there.  I look around the desks but see nothing.  Then Kona starts pulling me across the room.  He picked my scent on the table cloth and there it was under a desk in the corner.  Wow, thanks boy!  I returned it to my client and she hugged me three times.  Kona got a big treat and I was so happy I brought him along that day.  Good boy!

Pics Of the Week

Had a nice sail Sunday with a group from Got Wind and Water, a local Meet Up Group.  We had a bit of southerly wind that got us out to the end of the pier.  Then more of a NW wind got us to our lunch spot at Angel, Craig's Cove.  Kona and I got to romp around the beach and then a lazy rounding of Angel got us slowly back into the wind for a run to the barn.  Great sail and lots of fun.

Look At That!

Very Cool

Heading out today with some folks from Got Wind and Water, a local Meet-Up group.  For folks that want to go sailing but don't want the expense and time of ownership, this is a great way to go.  Owners offer rides on their boats for a small fee or free.  Check your local area for a sailing meet up group and go sailing.  Here is info on our local group with over 1000 members.  Click here.

My Own Bonehead Move

I was coming in late one night about 11pm.  The wind was driving me towards the last channel marker before a hard turn to starboard and into the harbor.  I was flying the jib only downwind.  When I turned the wheel to starboard, a huge gust hit the boat.  I turned the wheel hard the other way as I knew I was close to the marker.  She is all the way over but I am heading towards the cement marker.  Luckily I hit the mark sign and not the post.  Two stantions hit the sign and bent the stantions and sign pretty good.  My biggest worry was hitting the shrouds and pulling the mast down.  I got lucky.  I am reminded of the incident every time I go out.  It cost me about $20 to replace two stantions.  Could have been so much worse!

Your Favorite Gadget of all Time?

Time Mag has put togehter their list of the most influential gadgets of all time.  From the Wii to the Walkman, you will find all your fav's here.  Some of the one's I smiled at were the transistor radio from 1954.  That changed my life.  Now I could take the music with me!  Granted I did not start carrying my music until about 1966 at about age 8 or so.  The Walkman was a big hit in the 80's.  And who can forget the first Mac in 1984?  My first laptop was an early Mac in 1999. The iPod changed my life again in 2002!  Music is the theme here.  And the number one gadget...the iPhone.  Read the whole list here.

Download the Rag

You can download it or read online.  Go here.

Pics of the Week

Had a couple great sails over the weekend with David, Ryan, Drew, Mike, Jilli and Diane.  Plenty of wind and lots o' laughs.  Plus an awesome wine taste in Napa!

Flyboard!

Head to the 1 minute mark for take off.  More info here.