Extras

Departing shot . San Francisco, California

Brookings to Portland

After leaving Brookings, the weather went very mild, would have been perfect for heading South. We saw one meter swells and insignificant wind waves most of the way to Astoria. Wind never exceeded 12 knots and was 8 most of the way.

I was concerned about timing the approach to the Columbia River Bar but with the tide in our favor and mild atmospheric conditions we saw one meter and I had to guess exactly when we crossed. Entering the mighty Columbia we averaged about 8 knots for the 18 miles to Astoria.

So after 5000 miles this year from Guatemala , Caribbean side we were finally in a river where weather takes a back seat!

 We encountered a bit of on the nose blow for about  after leaving Brookings. Just before nightfall the wind went to 20 knots gusting 30 when we were 5 miles from Port Orford. We pulled under the Rock for the night and as we anchored it calmed down. A good nights sleep and the 8 hours gave us a fair approach time to the Columbia River Bar.

 Calm off Oregon in the Fall.

 Astoria Bridge

Sunset at the winter home on Hayden Island in Portland.

Brookings ,Oregon

We went non stop from the Gate to Brookings, a quaint town on the California  Oregon border. The sail was a motor boat ride as we only sailed for 5 hours. Going North along this coast is always tough so I am not complaining about motoring. Usually one gets beat to pieces.

 The harbor at Brookings is full of long liners ,trollers ,  trawlers and crab boats.

 Crab pots being readied for the December 1 opening of crab season.

 Beach

 Brave lads. The water temperature at 62 and the boys catching a surf.

Le Chat Beaute tucked in the transient dock.

AC Again

 Queenie, Wayne and Ellie at the Cup Village at pier 27 with the airplanes in the back.

 One of the luxury tax dodges seen around the Bay for the Regatta.

 Unlike past AC events , San Francisco was a paradise for those wanting to see the races up close. Shore side was actually the best place to witness the drama. We walked with Debby and Jeff of Sailors Run from Sausalito over the bridge and watched one race from the Presidio. I think the best venue of all.

 This view from Presidio gave a 100% view of the action.

 A rare and beautiful 6 mile walk back to Sausalito.

Fort Point

More AC stuff

 Old school AC 76 was a constant site on the Bay during the races.

 The Challenger for the Cup. They sailed a great regatta but in the words of Kiwi Grant Dalton " in a regatta the faster boat will win"

 Wayne and Ellie Smith joined us for a week to watch the races. We had a great time catching up. They now live in Roatan on Zeppelin and do dive /sail vacations. We did a lot of diving with them last year.

Another beauty on the Bay

Through the Golden Gate

Well we finally left the Bay area. I t has been a wonderful 3 months watching the Americas Cup and hosting friends aboard so they could see the races as well.. We are now headed North to leave the boat in fresh water in Portland, Oregon. I know .....we should be going south! Next summer up towards Alaska!

Martinez

 We were in Martinez, CA to catch the Amtrak and while waiting there was a car show /get together in the downtown. Martinez is a bay area city with a huge refinery and it was nice to see a quaint and vibrant downtown area.

 The paint on this goat was fabulous.

A Riviera with another very deep paint.

Sausalito Art Festival

 The Races have been taking up to four days a week to watch but we still have found a little time to view other things. The art festival attracted artists from all over the country and there was music all day. W e chose to see Dave Mason perform and he was terrific. Dave was one of the founding members of Traffic.The chairs and table chairs above are wood burl.

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 Dave Mason

Mason

Americas Cup II

 Above is USA 76 a slow , past generation AC boat. Still very nice and elegant on the water.

 Team  NZ moving among the spectator fleet.

 Most of the time we like to watch the prestart and the start which is very close to the Bridge.

 Wayne and Ellie from SV Zeppelin joined us for several of the races. They now live on their boat and do sail and dive charters in Roatan, Honduras. Wayne and Ellie are both divemasters and Wayne is one of the most knowledgeable divers I have met.

 Some boats in the spectator fleet are truly works of art , as is this historic schooner.

Alcatraz and the spectator fleet on a midweek race. On the weekends the boats on the water number close to 200 and it is a mad house.

AMERICAS CUP

 the weather for summer in the bay rarely exceeds 72 degrees F. Fog is quite common , but rain is nonexistent. Basically, the coldest winter I ever spent was my summer in San Francisco. That quote by Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain about sums up our experience.

 Team USA out practicing.

Palace of Fine Arts

 A couple of times for the AC Races we have taken the bus over from Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge to view the races from the Marina Green. Probably the best place to view the races. Not the same as being on the water but definitely accomplished what they tried to achieve by making the regatta spectator friendly.

The above photo is of the Palace on the short walk from the bus.

 The park like setting we walk by on the way to Marina Green.

Legion of Honor Museum

 Between the races for the Americas Cup we decided to check out a few of the cultural attractions of the City. In conjunction with the races , Impressionists on the water is showing at the Legion. Unfortunately, no pictures allowed inside museum but the view from the grounds is superb.The art display included Renoir, Monet and Pissarro. My favorite painting, by Renoir, Luncheon of the boat party was not there but some exquisite Renoirs were.

 Rodin's Thinker is at the entrance portico. Below a view of Marin Headlands from the parking lot.

Sacramento Delta

 We needed to warm up from "winter" in Sausalito so we went up the Sacramento River to the Delta. About 45 miles from the Golden Gate. Beautiful clear skies and warm.

 The hyacinth seems to move around a lot here.Great view having coffee in the morning looking at the tule grass and Mt. Diablo.

 The delta is heavily diked for water use. The good part for me was the gravel roads atop the dikes I could run on. The crop to the right is field corn to be used for silage.

LCB at anchor among the tule.