Fort Bragg to San Francisco

Interlude in Fort Bragg After six tiring days at sea during which time our crew of three had dealt with boisterous seas and strong winds for much of our offshore passage from Port Angeles we were very happy to recharge our batteries at the lovely fishing port of Fort Bragg. Just 120 miles north of San Francisco and situated on the Noyo river basin it provided a friendly haven for us as we did laundry, caught up on e-mail and made some minor repairs. It is a working fishing port with skilled labour close at hand. We had some welding done by Bob Kelly at the foot of our furler which was done skillfully and for a very reasonable price. We also had Jimmy Tompkins, a knowledgeable mechanic who was most helpful come on a Saturday and make adjustments to the seal of the transmission housing thereby fixing a minor leak which was of concern to us. He did some additional tests and assured us that the engine was in good working order. Shops were within walking distance and there was an excellent grocery with a Laundromat next to it. John and Mel had a list of small parts and adjustments they were going to make on various parts of the running rigging and sail tracks.  Mel found himself down at Mendo Mills, hardware store looking at buying a centre punch he would only be using for 10 minutes to punch holes in the boom to fit some cheek blocks.  Steve, the helpful store clerk reached into his own tool kit and lent him his centre punch, quite content that it would be returned the next day. Later that evening the owner of the restaurant Mel had dinner at drove him back to the harbour!  Mel’s a musician and great at getting the low down on local attractions. He came back to the boat armed with flyers of music gigs we should get in while staying at Fort Bragg. Next evening we rented a car and headed off to Mendocino to attend a Jug Band concert. Jug Band! – Yes you heard right. There were four musicians tucked into the corner of a small ice cream parlour and deli with a few tables one of which we managed to secure just before the concert started. There was a fiddler, guitar, mandolin and of course the jug player. What an evening. Of course Mel then found the flyer for the ‘Rejuvenation Musical Festival’ happening the next day, also in Medocino.  What the heck! What’s one more day. Back we go to Mendocino, this time in the daylight. A spectacular coastal drive to a village where time seems to have stood still. The village is perched on a cliff overlooking a rugged coastline and is bejeweled with wonderful old wooden architecture. The music festival had attracted a neo-hippie crowd and the village green looked like a Hollywood set from the sixties. Everyone was very mellow and much of the music had a Bob Marley feel to it. Quite surreal.    Jimmy Tompkin - Competent Mechanic                                                                              Fort Bragg Narrow entrance to Fort Bragg - Try this in the fog! Jug Band at Frankie's Ice cream Parlour/Deli Cape Mendocino Why you stay well clear of Cape Mendicino Mel on the edge Rejuvenation Music Festival at Mendocino Frankie's Ice Cream Parlour/Deli Driftwood sculptures in garden at Mendocino  The Last Leg – Fort Bragg to San Francisco Sunday September 18, 2011 After a lazy start we finally let loose the mooring lines and headed out to sea once again. At 1300h we were at the whistle buoy and heading south.  By 1430h the wind had come up to 12k and we were under sail and cruising along between 5-6k. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with good visibility to see the coastline as we traveled a route between 5 – 10 miles offshore. By 1600h the winds had come up to 18-20 k and we were whistling along at 6-7 k with the Hydrovane set when we encountered a pod of humpback whales. Our first sighting was a massive breech by a whale about half a mile off our beam. We were really excited at first as we saw blowing and large backs breaking the surface. One whale swam a parallel course to the boat and raised its head out of the water to get a look at us.  We seemed to be drawing their attention. Then suddenly we saw two whales swimming directly at the beam. It seemed like they were going to ram us. I launched myself at the wheel to unloose the bungee we use to keep it set while the Hydrovane is on and quickly released the wheel and turned to one side just as both whales dove right under the keel in unison. It was a scary moment. It was as if they were playing ‘chicken’ with the boat. We decided to put the engine on in neutral to see if the noise would back them off. It worked! They disappeared into the night and within 15 minutes we were able to turn the engine off and continue our sailing. I had the 2100h -2400h watch and Mel the 2400h  0300h watch.  I had just settled nicely into my quarter berth when I noticed that the boat had really sped up and that there was an exaggerated heel to it. I jumped out of bed a popped my head out of the companion-way. The boat was way over on her side and Mel was struggling with the 140% jenny that had released from its 100% set and was catching gusts of 30 k pushing Sea Reach deep into the water and over on her cheek. She did not broach and no water came on board but it’s the closest I’ve experienced to a broach. We hollered at John to get up as we needed to put another reef in and get things back under control. Why do these things always happen at night when everything is more complicated to deal with? The rest of the night went smoothly and by the following morning the front had passed on and we were in glass calm seas and light winds of less than 8 k. We motor-sailed the rest of the way to Drakes Bay and set anchor by 1600h. Drakes Bay is at the entrance to San Francisco Bay and is a good place to wait for optimum conditions for crossing the notorious bar at the entrance to San Francisco Harbour. We had a very pleasant night there with the exception that a swarm of flies came onboard from feedlot onshore. We had to go on a hunting rampage the next morning to rid ourselves of the pesky insects. Siesta Time Point Reyes Humpback approaching Seareach September 20, 2011 – Crossing the Bar After much deliberation over charts and the Coast Pilot we decided that we would make our entry through Bonita channel, staying out of the shipping lanes and inside the infamous ‘Potatoe Patch.’ Conditions were perfect for this route with swells of 3-5’ at 15 sec intervals and with the flood tide in our favour and very light winds from the N. We were very careful with several waypoints to keep us on a tight course as we had chosen a narrower entry route. It was a great thrill to motor under the Golden Gate Bridge and watch the cityscape of San Francisco loom out of the horizon as we approached. We knew that Sausilito was a left turn after the bridge so we followed the shoreline until we came to an anchorage. We asked someone at anchor if there was guest moorage available close by and he pointed us to Schooner Maker Marina where we found a dock to tie to and then went to speak with the Harbour Master. It is a lovely facility with a beech front available for swimming and an excellent restaurant close by. We were delighted with ourselves. Moorage for one night $52. We had made it. The first leg of our expedition was completed.  Reply  Forward