A wicked trip to bolena isle

This duck seems calm enough.

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The crew is jovial... I relax in the cockpit before leaving.

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Mike enjoys coffee and a bagel.

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Finicky eater, someone musta slipped me a rasin bagel!

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Luckily Michelle doesn't mind a few rasins.

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The weather was a bit more interesting then us beginers would have liked.

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Windblown chop stretching off into the hills to the east.

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A reefed main and no jib seemed in order (the storm jib ordered a few days later!). Keeping a course was tenuous with no jib to balance the main. The seas felt big on this 22 foot boat, and frequently came across the fordeck to meet us in the cockpit.

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The seas rambled on, tossing us too and fro. here we're heeled to port on a port tack? I feel like a rubber duck rounding cape horn!

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Mike bundles up in Michelle's fowlie top, michelle having retired to the cabin earlier with a bout of seasickness.

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The chart says there's a sheltered cove and a marina on the southwest side of alemeda island. We decide we've had enough time away from dry land and head for the balina isle marina.

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The next day its calm and flat, must have been the bay's evil twin the previous day. There's hardly enough wind to fill the sails and it takes weight on the leeward side to keep them from chafing against the rigging. Without wind a haze hangs over San Francisco.

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Another picture of San Francisco from near Alemeda.

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I sit on deck relaxing and looking out over the lake-like conditions.

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Michelle is feeling much better now that she's over her seasickness. An old naval yard is in the background.

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Still wiped out from being seasick Michelle takes a nap.

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As allways, the dishes need to be done. Only on a boat there's less room to do them in. At least there's a full bay to rinse them in!

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Along the west side of the bay near San Francisco there are a number of cargo ships waiting to load or unload their wares and hailing from many exotic ports. Large container ship traffic speeding out of the Oakland harbor making 25 kts for the gate can be a hazard to small boats. Don't try to play chicken with these guys, you'll loose.

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Another cargo ship.

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Approaching the western coast of the bay.

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I relax on deck in the sunny warm weather. In the background is a much better view of the naval yard.

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A view of treasure island and the Oakland side of the bay bridge. Our goal yesterday, unatainable because of heavy weather; now unatainable because of light weather. The bay is a place of extremes.

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Another view of the bay bridge, much like the first. San Francisco, and its side of the bay bridge. One last shot before we motor home in the light airs.