Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Awesome Waves & Brilliant Soundtrack

The misic is Kevin MacLeod, Drone in D from the album Tranquillity 5. It works for me! Happy Nude Year!

Monday, December 28, 2020

Time to Change your Underwear!

I had a great year of sailing the bay! Usually we travel about 6 weeks out of the year. This year there was no travel. I must have sailed well over 100 days. Twice a week was the norm. I loved it. Our Jeanneau 40 performed flawlessly and sailed fast. I fixed a bunch of items and checked off many of the boxes on our list. A gift of $5k help bring the boat up to almost bristol and I am one happy sailor. We head into 2021 with high hopes and sailing dreams! Happy New Year...Its only going to get better!!

Monday, December 21, 2020

One Dramatic Pic!

Click the pic for an even more icredible view! Way back in 2008, Tom Perkins and his awesome 289 foot yacht, the Maltese Falcon, came to San Francisco. The masts were so tall that they had to wait for low tide to get under the 224 foot tall Golden Gate Bridge! They were here for a few weeks via Hawaii to support the Leukimea Cup. During their stay, a camper on Angel Island started a fire the ripped thru 3/4 of the island. The pic was taken from the Golden Gate Bridge. They also had a hit and run when a private sail boat ran right into this massive boat. The boat was built as a homage to the great Clipper Ships of the 1800's. The sails would drop from the yard arms with the push of a button. When the boat tacked, the masts would rotate with another button push. Too cool!

Friday, December 18, 2020

Day 2 from NZ - Highlights from the America's Cup World Series

The wind speed is 12 knots and the boats are sometimes going over 40 knots!!

Sea Floor Flyover: SF Bay

I started sailing the bay in 2000 when we purchased our 30 foot sloop, Addiction. Since then I have sailed more than twice a week on the bay. About 2000 times I estimate. That is alot. I know the bay like the back of my hand! What I know nothing about is what is underneath me. This video gives me a better idea. The bay has been carved by the rivers that flow into from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east. It's fasinating to see what's down there!

Rain Song w Plant & Page MTV Unplugged

Wow! That was beautiful. The strings and bass are amazing. What a moment.

Friday, December 11, 2020

Best Waves in 10 Years at Mav's!

“Today is probably the best and the biggest day in recent memory,” Oliver Henrikson, a resident of the Outer Sunset neighborhood in San Francisco and local surf reporter for Surfline, wrote in an email. “The waves are 25 to 30 feet (40- to 50-foot faces), but the winds are light offshore (blowing from the land to sea) making for surface conditions that have been clean and buttery smooth all day. This combination of big swell and clean conditions gives surfers the best, most inviting chance to get a wave that could be the pinnacle of their winter season, if not entire surf career.”

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Wave of the Year!

Twiggy at Mav's on 12-8. They say these were the best waves in 10 years. Temp: 75, Wind Offshore: 8 knots, Excitement Factor in the Line Up: 10!!! More to come from this epic day in Half Moon Bay, CA! Click the pic to make it even more impressive.

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

Year in Review

2020 stared off with some great days on the bay! Then the pandemic hit. Did some solo sailing with very few boats out. Summer was windy as usual with 20-25 almost eveytime I went out (38 knots was the highest). We lost our golden Kona in mid Febuary and it was a sad period. But in May, a new crew member arrived: Hana. She was 10 weeks old and we started heading to the boat a few weeks later. It took her a while to get used to the water but now she loves it. We headed to the beach almost every sail for a romp in the sand and a bathroom break. We both had a ball. She has been amazing and is almost 10 months now. Here are some of the high lights of my sailing year: Fixed abunch of stuff: stove, kill switch for engine, navigation light, steering noise, and a bunch of little stuff. Over night in a new location: Aquatic Park. You need a $10 permit from online but what a lovely spot. Tons of swimmers in the morning. Overnights at Clipper Cove and Angel Island. Added 2 partners in July to reduce costs. Last overnight at Angel with my favorite crewmate Tex. He is moving back home to Tennessee. We sailed together for 20 years and had many an adventure. He was also my 1st mate on our 7 month voyage to Mexico and back to SF. I will miss him greatly. Replaced broken inverter in Feb. Thanks Tex! Awesome NYE in SF with the boat parked next to the Dead and Co. concert with a fab dinner and show at the Chase. 5 day trip to the Delta with Tex and puppy Hana. Nice to finally have a chartplotter onboard! Bringing the boat back to bristol. Waxed, buffed and varnished. She looks terrific. Long weekend with my buds and dogs joining in on the fun. We sailed one day and hit the beach the next. Looking forward to 2021! Baja Haha (my 7th), a month in Monterey, head to the Channel Islands for a month, BVI's, and much more. I have realized with that the pandemic that life is short. I hope to increase my days chartering with Croatia and Greece on the radar. I know next year will be a whole lot better and hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Holiday Greetings to All

Departing Tomales at the wrong time!

A dozen or so folks die here every year. The best time to enter or exit is a flood near high tide. Or never go there would be the safeest.

Waking Life Scene

Cool movie on youtube.

Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Perfect Wave!

I fell in love with surfing back east when I was about 10. I continued into my 30's and have surfed all over Northern California. Hence, all the surf vids. If you have never tried it, its not too late to start. Check out this amazing wave from Uluwatu, Bali.

How The SF Bay Was Formed

Many times out sailing the bay with friends, I will get asked about the geology of the Bay. Many of our hills and valleys are formed by the massive tectonic plates the surround the Bay Area. However, a large portion of the area was influenced by the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the rivers flowing from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here is a video that explains many of the influences that formed one of the greatest and most beautiful estuaries in the world.