Congrats to my fellow BCC graduates!! Arent 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.
Sunday morning, | 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 | 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.
Sunday morning, | 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 | 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. | 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 | silently contemplated taking the anti-nausea
medication.
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, | 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 |
was bearing away into the direction of Alcatraz, the wheel suddenly became stuck and | 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.
The return journey was all smooth sailing, until | pointed the bow towards Coyote Point to stop at the
pump out station. Between snacking, basking in the sun, and discussing upcoming travel plans, we lost
track of time. It was now mid-afternoon. The wind was blowing at its strongest and | was having trouble
maintaining a course. It didnt matter if | turned into the waves or didn’t move the wheel at all, the
boat winded a wide path in the direction of the channel entrance. There was no way we’d make it into
the channel, much less be able to stay inside.
Working quickly, we furled the jib; | turned on the engine and headed up into the wind. The wind and
waves seemed to grow even stronger — | could barely keep the boat pointed into the wind. Sam and
Markku reefed in record time, despite the boat bouncing over wave after wave.
Even with a reefed main and no jib, we weren’t comfortable attempting to enter the channel. We headed
back into the wind to drop the main. By the time | secured the last sail tie, my sunglasses and Sam’s cap
had gone overboard.
We finally entered the channel under motor. When you enter the marina, to the left are rows of slips and
up ahead is a fueling station. Sail towards the fueling station; the pump out station is just to the left.
As we pumped out a thought came to me: in addition to a pair of back-up sunglasses, | really wish that I
had brought hand sanitizer.
Our sail back south of the San Mateo Bridge was incredibly fast: we rigged up a jibe preventer and a
whisker pole to sail wing-on-wing. According to Navionics, the boat was averaging eight knots. In what
felt like just minutes, we were pulling down the whisker pole, and untying the Bowline knot in
preparation for a final jibe into the channel.
After a full day of sailing, I’d say we got our money’’s worth, both in terms of on-the-water time and
acquired learnings. Remember, when you are in the fourth day of Basic Coastal Cruising, reflecting on how
much you’ve learned since the first day of Basic Keelboat, just know you will learn so much more on your
first no-instructor sail.
A big thank you to Sam and Markku for the adventure; to Dana and Bob for their guidance; and to our
BCC instructor Alexander.