Distant Vistas yet to come

Glenn & his "Ramar of the Jungle" Hat under the Richmond San Rafael Bay Bridge

Cockpit Looking Forward

We made Benecia at about 4 PM, taking a berth at the Benecia Marina. We were invited by new friends to the Benecia Yacht club, which had a private party going on the main floor, with full bar and restaurant on the second. At evening, Benecia is a curious place; the lights twinkling across the water are the petroleum plants in Martinez. Visually pretty, as long as you don't think about it, and are upwind, of course! Visions Ain't The Biggest Boat/Sunset/Benecia Harbor Good Morning Coffee at Benecia

The next morning we spent tacking down the Carquinez Straights, and out into San Pablo Bay. The wind went slack. We turned to the iron jib, took a heading for the Petaluma River channel entrance, and sailed off toward points we could not see, due to haze. After a couple of uncertain moments, three "Hail Mary"s and four hours later, we found the well marked entrance. We motored against tide and wind. The sun was already blazingly hot. Cruising the Petaluma River

I took a snooze in the v-berth, and awoke to find Rose smiling, oblivious at the helm, as this monster three story tug pushing a huge barge upriver just up to and past stern on the starboard side. You should have seen the shock in Rose's face, as they PASSED us. Tug Captains had a good laugh... Rose, the intrepid River Pilot (she never looks back...) just after a three story tug pushing a huge barge passes by.

From channel entrance to Lakeview at 6 knts it took 2 hours to pull into Gilardi's Marina (which is a marina in name only...just a couple of docks held together by some old pilings). Our best friends, including Cat, Cap, Richard and Nigel, piled onto Visions' little cockpit. After a good bottle of retsina, we moved to the Greek restaurant next door. I love Papa's Taverna. Great company, food and dancing. All our friends sailed home via land yacht. Hard Evidence that the boys were seriously at play A little good fun @ Papa's Taverna on the Petaluma River

Rose and I spent the night on the river, feeling the gentle push and pull of the tide up and down this tidal estuary. We liked it so much that we decided to stay another day and hang out, exploring the local environment: cows, sheep, birds, old houses, ancient piers to the water, farms and wheat fields. Very laid back, and yet just another half hour to Petaluma and civilization. A Beautiful Sunrise on the Petaluma River

We left on Monday for points south. Hit the ebb at its lowest point in the channel. Passed a motorboat with four forlorn fishermen about thirty feet out of the channel, sitting high and dry three feet up on a mud bank. Lesson: Believe the charts about the channel. Then, we went aground IN the channel. Lesson: Don't believe everything that you believe in. We backed off quickly and spent four hours tacking out San Pablo bay against moderate due South winds and a full flood tide, averaging about 1.5 knts. I felt like Sysiphus, doing his existential thing, pushing the stone up the hill, only to stop for a rest, and get flattened again. But sailing IS fun! Out of the Channel and back to the San Palbo Bay

In order to make way for home, we fired up the iron jib again, still being passed by huge freighters, heading out to sea. Rose has this hat I love which has our motto printed on it: "Sail Fast," on the front, and "Live Slow," on the back!

A close encounter Its always a funny thing, how one wants to take another small vacation at the end of a good vacation. We weren't done yet. We moored at Ayala Cove overnight, rising early, and then, hiking around the entire island exploring. We finally sailed back to Sausalito.
A great journey! At the dock, Ayala Harbor, Angel Island. The adventure ain't over yet.