Eve Karp
Congrats to my fellow BCC graduates!! Aren’t you excited to charter on your own? The guys in my class definitely were; we exchanged phone numbers on the last day and agreed to find a date to go out sailing together. We finally found one that worked, and started planning our first sail without an instructor.
Our objective was to reach the city by noon, circle Alcatraz, and return before the office closed at five. Sam called in to save a Catalina, and Markku checked the tides on NOAA to confirm that they would be in our favor. He also drew up a sail plan on his Navionics app.
The Friday before our trip, we looked up the forecast to get an idea of the weather we could expect along the peninsula and up by the city. More importantly, we needed to be aware of the winds and whether we would need to reef.
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Sunday morning, I climbed on board with my latte and a backpack full of snacks, water, and non-drowsy Dramamine (just in case). We filled out the pink check-out form and one of the chartering agreements, dropped them off in mailslot on the backside of the office, and were good to go!
With Markku standing at the helm, Sam and I wiped the morning dew off the cockpit benches as best we could in hopes of a dry place to sit. Word to the wise: when you go out sailing, wear your fast-drying gym clothes and a grippy pair of shoes.
The air was completely still. The waters ahead of us looked like a glass surface, and the mist hid the East Bay from our sight. We motored up the channel, staying closer to the red markers.
Generally speaking, when navigating the Redwood Channel, it’s a good idea to maintain distance from the green markers. Firstly, that is the usually the downwind side, meaning that if you run aground while sailing, the wind will push you further towards land. Besides, the green markers become a bit arbitrary closer the entrance to the West Point Marina. I once ran aground near one of those markers while still about ten feet inside of the channel.
Once you experience the multitasking required to sail, motoring for an extended time can become monotonous. By 9:30, we discovered the autopilot button. As there were no boats, kayakers, or other possible things to crash into around, we figured why not try it out?
Unfortunately, the boat couldn’t calibrate properly (or maybe it was us?) so after a few minutes of sharply zigzagging, we turned the setting off and I silently contemplated taking the anti-nausea medication.
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Closer to the SFO airport, we noticed an intriguing area in the Navionics app marked “Anchorage for Explosives”. A quick check on Cruisers Forum revealed that is an area reserved by the Coast Guard for large vessels carrying explosive materials such as oil. So unless it’s otherwise unavoidable, find a better place to heave-to.
North of the Bay Bridge, the helmsman had to start paying closer attention to the surroundings. There were way more sailboats around us, plus commercial ferries, and the occasional kayaker. Further along, we spotted two dolphins and the resident sea lions of Pier 39.
Just beyond the pier, the bottom half of the Golden Gate Bridge came into view; the wind picked up, so we raised the main and brought out a full jib. We continued on towards bridge, eventually tacking to steer clear of a race, and then bearing away to head to Alcatraz.
As we took selfies with the crimson towers behind us, I truly understood why we’re not supposed to take the Spinnaker boats outside of the Golden Gate. The fog hid and revealed boats as they passed under the bridge; at any given moment, a fast-moving and harder-to-maneuver cargo ship could have appeared. On top of that, the wind and water conditions were far more intense than back in the South Bay. While I was bearing away into the direction of Alcatraz, the wheel suddenly became stuck and I couldn’t push it any further to the right. Luckily, Markku knew what was going on.
“Release the wheel, then try turning it again”, he called over the wind. Turns out, the current up here is so strong, water can become trapped on the side of the rudder and prevent it from moving.
The other thing to be aware of in this section of the bay, is that the various land formations will cause the winds to shift. As we circled Alcatraz, the wind died and then picked up suddenly from a different direction. A situation like that poses a risk for an accidental jibe.
