May 14, 2009, Rockport to Sausalito, by Bob

I got up and was moving by 4:30. In the morning! After sleeping!! Those are definitely not my normal hours.

I motored until the wind improved, and around 11:00 I started sailing. I made good time. The wind gradually increased, then slacked off after it hit 35 knots for a few minutes. I was going downwind, so the apparent wind wasn't that high, and the true wind was 25-30 knots most of the time.

3:45 p.m.
Wind 24 knots from the northwest
Sailing with main and gennaker
Water speed: 8-10 knots
Speed over ground: 9-11 knots
Water temperature: 51.8°
Air temperature: 52°
Sunny and foggy (at the same time!)

I got to Point Reyes and took down the sails. The plan was to anchor at Drake's Bay, where Sir Francis Drake stayed, and visit the Farallon Islands the next day. I drove into the bay whey I had intended to anchor, and the wind was blowing 35 knots. It was also cold and foggy.

I had 2-3 hours of daylight left daylight left, so I decided to go on to the next anchorge, Bolinas Bay. It was windy, but only 25 knots, and foggy and cold. So I decided to go on to the next anchorage, Bonita Point. I pulled around the point and it was pretty nice. It was still foggy and cold, but the wind was down between 10 and 20 knots. I was getting ready to drop the anchor and I saw the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge under the fog layer, about 2 miles away.

I couldn't resist, so I made a turnabout (nautical term?) and motored under the bridge to Sausalito. I anchored in calm wind, clear sky, and 10 or 15 degrees warmer air.