Mild and Wild

Denver, CO - As reported by Captain Steve: the trip from Coos Bay, OR to San Francisco, CA started very mild. Steve, Dave Melin, and his son, Mike, left Coos Bay Sept. 17 with light wind, so they motor-sailed the first day or so.

The wild part came as they crossed the shipping lane north of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. It was night, foggy, and the wind had increased, so they were sailing. But, as we've discovered often happens in fog, the wind picked up to 25 knots. As luck would have it, not one but two aircraft carriers were heading north in their direction. The rule is to NEVER cross in front of a freighter or other large ship due to its speed. So, they crossed behind the first one, bounced in its wake, and the second one veered its course to give them some room.

They anchored in Drake's Bay for the night, safe and sound. The next morning, Sept. 21, Litha passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and anchored off Sausalito.

Steve is enjoying the view of sunsets over San Francisco from the cockpit. He's met the couple who'll join us on the next leg of the journey to San Diego. I will be joining him Oct. 10.

Coo Coos Bay

Coos Bay, OR - Our crew had to leave, so Steve and I spent six days in Newport listening to the wind howl 20-30 knots and the sea lions bark. We left Sept. 10 for Crescent City, CA when the forecast called for 10-20 knot north winds and seas 4-7 feet.

The forecast was accurate, but that night the mainsail was sheeted in a little too tight and anyway, it ripped. We headed for Coos Bay which was closer and where there is access to services, such as a sail maker.

After nine hours rolling in the swells and tacking to and fro and basically killing time for daylight to enter the Coos Bay channel, we made it through the fog and into the marina.

We removed the sail, rented a car, and drove the sail to North Sails in Portland, OR. Since I don't want to spend another night like that one, I bought a one-way ticket to Denver. The sail was mended the next day and Steve is sailing south with a couple friends -- better sailors than me -- and we'll rendezvous somewhere in southern California next month. Good luck guys. I'm taking the princess clause.

Detour

Newport, OR - The weather determines everything in sailing. We left Anacortes when the weather forecast called for northwest winds 10-15 knots for the next three days. We motored into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and sailed across in the afternoon when the wind picked up. We got in to Neah Bay at the tip of Cape Flattery at 9pm and had a calm night.

The next morning, the forecast called for light and variable winds in the morning, so we left at a leisurely 9 am and motored around the cape and until 3pm when the wind picked up and we could sail. We were visited by humpback whales breaching and spouting. One came right next to the boat. The seas were so calm we grilled chicken on the stern of the boat and ate in the cockpit. The swells picked up at night and we had rolly night filled the sound of the sails flapping and the boom banging around.

The next morning, Wednesday, the wind picked up to 15-20 and kept going. The swells were coming from northwest and southwest, creating a washing machine effect. We started looking at possible harbors for going ashore, especially when we heard the forecast was now calling for 20-30 knots with gusts higher.

No one felt much like eating that night. It was a rocky, rolly night and the guys put two reefs in the main and pulled in the jib and we were still going 8 knots. We headed toward Newport and saw the outter channel buoy just after dawn. Ah, the protection of the north jetty. Safe harbor. That was a bad night.

The forecast calls for 25-30 knots from the north for the next few days. We're staying put. We have some repairs to make and Richard and Bruce had to leave to get back to work. The adventure continues.