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Sailing Tomorrow
- Thread starter Philpott
- Start date
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
If you don't want to be the rabbit, just say so.
Daydreamer
SAILOR
Well that's a fine how de do.
Hope you feel better Bob.
So this guy has been asking to go sailing for a while, so Monday I invite him along, this afternoon he bails. Family or some such. Yeah, I know, they can sure cut into sailing time.
Just kidding, I appreciate my family, without them I probably wouldn't be doing this at all.
So I am up for anything Saturday, race around the rock, ....
Hope you feel better Bob.
So this guy has been asking to go sailing for a while, so Monday I invite him along, this afternoon he bails. Family or some such. Yeah, I know, they can sure cut into sailing time.
Just kidding, I appreciate my family, without them I probably wouldn't be doing this at all.
So I am up for anything Saturday, race around the rock, ....
Daydreamer
SAILOR
Got a good chiropractor?
I am still sailing tomorrow.
Anyone else?
I am still sailing tomorrow.
Anyone else?
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
I'll be out there, Greg. I think Tom/Rock On will be there, too. I'll be sailing @ the BYC buoy @ 11am. The Berkeley kite festival will be going on all weekend, so there will be some nice stuff to look at on your way back in. I'll monitor channel 9.
255grizzly
New member
Aargh, I had a last minute schedule change and couldn't make it out today. Bummer! Can you Post your times so we have a baseline
?
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
072515 This just in: Dura Mater currently holds the record for fastest time in the Inaugural Singlehanded Alcatraz Challenge.
I arrived at O Dock, Berkeley Marina at 10am. Walked over to M dock to check in with Tom Cavers. What is this?! Rock On! Is rocking gently in her slip, but Tom is not getting her ready! Hmmm. I walk back to O dock and prepare Dura Mater for her big day. I turn on the radio and hail Nightmare on channel 9. “Nightmare, Nightmare, Nightmare, this is Dura Mater, do you read me?” No response from Greg Ashby. Huh. I briefly consider whether I should feel stood up. I mutter to myself (“stupidheads!”). Then I relent. I have my own boat. I’m sailing the bay and there’s wind. I have plenty of chocolate. What’s the problem?
I raise Dura Mater’s mainsail and back her out of her upwind slip by pushing her boom toward the wind. She lumbers south and we head into the fairway. No red hull in sight. I exit the marina. No Wilderness in sight. I sail toward the yellow Berkeley Yacht Club buoy and hook around it to port @ 11 am. It’s an overcast day, with a bunch of sails over near Olympic Circle E. What are they doing over there? I head west and a bit north to avoid them because, let’s face it, they’re in my way. The wind is generous, I’m on the water in my big boat and the day is excellent. I sail and sail and then I eat my lunch. I sail and sail some more. I tack a couple of times. As I round Alcatraz the sun comes out in a blaze of heat.
At one point, near Point Blunt, I stop to put in a second reef point. There is a lot of weather helm in about 25 knots of wind. Looking around, I notice that a group of about 30 sailboats has scooched over to the lee of Angel Island for some surcease. On a different day I might have scooched over there myself, but today I’m on a mission. The record is at stake.
I circle Alcatraz @ approximately 1:15pm and surf east toward the Campanile tower on the Cal campus. After a couple of gybes I approach Cesar Chavez Park with its massive kites in the sky just north of the Berkeley Marina. I pass the BYC buoy to starboard @ 2:22:37 pm. Dura Mater has sailed a total of 18.5 nm in 3 hours 22 minutes, 37 seconds. Her max speed was 8.2 knots. Today she is the proud holder of record for this most recent nautical challenge. What is that phrase? Gentlemen, start your engines. Girls, you too.
video to follow
I arrived at O Dock, Berkeley Marina at 10am. Walked over to M dock to check in with Tom Cavers. What is this?! Rock On! Is rocking gently in her slip, but Tom is not getting her ready! Hmmm. I walk back to O dock and prepare Dura Mater for her big day. I turn on the radio and hail Nightmare on channel 9. “Nightmare, Nightmare, Nightmare, this is Dura Mater, do you read me?” No response from Greg Ashby. Huh. I briefly consider whether I should feel stood up. I mutter to myself (“stupidheads!”). Then I relent. I have my own boat. I’m sailing the bay and there’s wind. I have plenty of chocolate. What’s the problem?
I raise Dura Mater’s mainsail and back her out of her upwind slip by pushing her boom toward the wind. She lumbers south and we head into the fairway. No red hull in sight. I exit the marina. No Wilderness in sight. I sail toward the yellow Berkeley Yacht Club buoy and hook around it to port @ 11 am. It’s an overcast day, with a bunch of sails over near Olympic Circle E. What are they doing over there? I head west and a bit north to avoid them because, let’s face it, they’re in my way. The wind is generous, I’m on the water in my big boat and the day is excellent. I sail and sail and then I eat my lunch. I sail and sail some more. I tack a couple of times. As I round Alcatraz the sun comes out in a blaze of heat.
At one point, near Point Blunt, I stop to put in a second reef point. There is a lot of weather helm in about 25 knots of wind. Looking around, I notice that a group of about 30 sailboats has scooched over to the lee of Angel Island for some surcease. On a different day I might have scooched over there myself, but today I’m on a mission. The record is at stake.
I circle Alcatraz @ approximately 1:15pm and surf east toward the Campanile tower on the Cal campus. After a couple of gybes I approach Cesar Chavez Park with its massive kites in the sky just north of the Berkeley Marina. I pass the BYC buoy to starboard @ 2:22:37 pm. Dura Mater has sailed a total of 18.5 nm in 3 hours 22 minutes, 37 seconds. Her max speed was 8.2 knots. Today she is the proud holder of record for this most recent nautical challenge. What is that phrase? Gentlemen, start your engines. Girls, you too.
video to follow
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You go, girl! I love that you still go out when everyone else bows out. Wish I had been out there, too. I took 7 newbie women sailors out Thursday evening when it was gusting to 35 knots. Probably not my smartest move, but I kept Kynntana flat and everyone had a blast (literally and figuratively). They all had to drive the boat because I had to handle the sails, and they are used to tillers on a Cal 20. The whole time I was thinking about you... They were astounded that they only saw 2 other boats on the bay, one with just its jib flying.
Then Beccie and I went racing Friday night at South Beach Yacht Club. I had almost cancelled because I was up every 2 hours Thursday night from food poisoning. When we get to the boat, Beccie has worked the whole day and is sick too with a cold (hacking and feeling miserable), her husband stayed home. Our crew was another woman newbie who wasn't able to grind the winches. Well, we led the whole race until those goofy wind shifts near the finish line inside McCovey Cove, but we're still holding onto a solid second place in our division
Grrls just rock on
Then Beccie and I went racing Friday night at South Beach Yacht Club. I had almost cancelled because I was up every 2 hours Thursday night from food poisoning. When we get to the boat, Beccie has worked the whole day and is sick too with a cold (hacking and feeling miserable), her husband stayed home. Our crew was another woman newbie who wasn't able to grind the winches. Well, we led the whole race until those goofy wind shifts near the finish line inside McCovey Cove, but we're still holding onto a solid second place in our division
Grrls just rock on
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mike cunningham
Freedom 30 "Jacqueline"
Hey Gamayun,
Did the powers that be do some dredging in Clipper Cove? I went in there and anchored the night of my LongPac finish and the bottom looked super flat and about 10 feet away. It may have been high tide but I saw 3.5 feet on my DS the last time I was there. I don't think there is 7 foot of tidal range but maybe I am wrong. Anyway, just wondering about any dredging activity. Clipper is my favorite anchorage but the shallows have gotten pretty bad in recent years.
Did the powers that be do some dredging in Clipper Cove? I went in there and anchored the night of my LongPac finish and the bottom looked super flat and about 10 feet away. It may have been high tide but I saw 3.5 feet on my DS the last time I was there. I don't think there is 7 foot of tidal range but maybe I am wrong. Anyway, just wondering about any dredging activity. Clipper is my favorite anchorage but the shallows have gotten pretty bad in recent years.
Man, I wish! No such dredging is likely to happen for years still, and I just saw a petition on Facebook wanting the development plans to go out for an updated review because the marina is going to take up more space in the cove. I'll have long left the docklines behind before that place is upgraded.
You should still be careful at low tides, especially below 1' as measured at Yerba Buena for my 5.5-ft draft, and then continue to hug the shore line on the TI side when you come in. I have an app called Tides Near Me that I use. Right now, it is showing a low this morning (0253) of 0.8' and a high at 2039 of 6.2' so there's your 7 feet of tidal range. It is crazy how much we get in there, but that's probably not unusual for the whole bay in the summer months, right? It's the only place that I pay close attention to so not sure what others are experiencing. From my dock, there's a "special rock" that I look at to see whether it is submerged before going out, and then coming back in, I look for a pipe that runs horizontal along the pier at the entrance to Clipper Cove. If it's peeking above the water, I have to rock the boat to get through. If it's totally exposed, then we settle in for wine and cheese before returning to the dock
The next time you're in there, ask the harbor master for the soundings and the best route to take in and out. They have a map from around 2014, I think, that would be insightful. It's a great place to anchor, if you're armed with a good tide chart!!
You should still be careful at low tides, especially below 1' as measured at Yerba Buena for my 5.5-ft draft, and then continue to hug the shore line on the TI side when you come in. I have an app called Tides Near Me that I use. Right now, it is showing a low this morning (0253) of 0.8' and a high at 2039 of 6.2' so there's your 7 feet of tidal range. It is crazy how much we get in there, but that's probably not unusual for the whole bay in the summer months, right? It's the only place that I pay close attention to so not sure what others are experiencing. From my dock, there's a "special rock" that I look at to see whether it is submerged before going out, and then coming back in, I look for a pipe that runs horizontal along the pier at the entrance to Clipper Cove. If it's peeking above the water, I have to rock the boat to get through. If it's totally exposed, then we settle in for wine and cheese before returning to the dock
The next time you're in there, ask the harbor master for the soundings and the best route to take in and out. They have a map from around 2014, I think, that would be insightful. It's a great place to anchor, if you're armed with a good tide chart!!
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mike cunningham
Freedom 30 "Jacqueline"
Well, hope springs eternal.
Thank goodness it was high tide. If I had run into the mud I'd have anchored in 5 feet of water and said to heck with it.
Thank goodness it was high tide. If I had run into the mud I'd have anchored in 5 feet of water and said to heck with it.
Daydreamer
SAILOR
" I briefly consider whether I should feel stood up. "
Jackie, sorry to stand you up, it's not you, it's me...really!
All kidding aside,
I had the radio on but didn't catch your hail. I had decided to head further out and rounded Alcatraz to port by way of Point Bonita. Saw lots of spinnakers coming at me as the Duxbury/Lightship racers were returning. Finished up the day by rounding Red Rock, leaving it to port.
Couple of issues as the day unfolded. Working my way towards the north tower and tacking onto starboard I wound up with a jib sheet wrap from hell. Was able to heave to and get untangled. Next, after rounding Red Rock, wind light around 10, tiller pilot keeping course after the car hauler ship passes, took the pause that refreshes, grabbed a snack and WHAM!! what the hell was that! Did we hit bottom? Is water coming in? Then the channel marker glides past to port. Dammit! Thought we were set to well clear that. Should have looked sooner. ya ya ya. Put a dinger in the bow that will take a little glass work to clean up.
All together sailed 42nm in 6h40m.
Glad you had a good sail Jackie. Gonna have to take a shot at that record!
Jackie, sorry to stand you up, it's not you, it's me...really!
All kidding aside,
I had the radio on but didn't catch your hail. I had decided to head further out and rounded Alcatraz to port by way of Point Bonita. Saw lots of spinnakers coming at me as the Duxbury/Lightship racers were returning. Finished up the day by rounding Red Rock, leaving it to port.
Couple of issues as the day unfolded. Working my way towards the north tower and tacking onto starboard I wound up with a jib sheet wrap from hell. Was able to heave to and get untangled. Next, after rounding Red Rock, wind light around 10, tiller pilot keeping course after the car hauler ship passes, took the pause that refreshes, grabbed a snack and WHAM!! what the hell was that! Did we hit bottom? Is water coming in? Then the channel marker glides past to port. Dammit! Thought we were set to well clear that. Should have looked sooner. ya ya ya. Put a dinger in the bow that will take a little glass work to clean up.
All together sailed 42nm in 6h40m.
Glad you had a good sail Jackie. Gonna have to take a shot at that record!
Philpott
Cal 2-27 Dura Mater
It’s Friday and a crystal clear day. That will change later when the haze from the Lake Country fires drifts down, but @ 11 am, as I motor out of the Berkeley Marina, it seems like I can reach out and touch the City. “The sun is out. The sky is blue. It’s beautiful and so are you.” That kind of day.
Where to go? It’s about 12 knots. Bob’s in Tahoe with his family. Carliane is doing her taxes. Brian is currently incommunicado. DM, let’s sail over toward Marin. It’s going to be a 5.1 knot flood @ 1pm. Let’s practice flood relief at the mouth of Raccoon Straits. Why not. See how close we can get to the edge of the eastern side of Marin, wadya say?
I aim for Angel Island and by the time we’re over there the flood has pushed us north of Southampton Shoal. Hello, San Quentin, here we come. Tack to port and we work our way south along the Marin shore back to the entrance to the Straits. Then we get pushed north again. It’s a lovely day, we don’t care which way we go. How close can we get to the shore? The fish finder/depth finder says we have plenty of depth real close. Tack, tack, then tack again trying to catch an opposite current along the shore. Real close. We don’t make much headway, but once out in that flood we go 5 knots north fast rather than 2.4 knots against it. It’s an experiment.
I read Kimball Livingston’s “Sailing the Bay” at least once a year. I learn something new every time, and then I go out on the water and try it out on DM.
Oh, look! There’s a fishing boat with two guys in it, leaning back on their elbows watching while they troll slowly close by. They watch Dura Mater tacking back and forth: like watching a ping pong game, their heads go back and forth. I wave. They wave back. Enough with the tacking. There’s plenty of wind to get into Raccoon Straits, over to Ayala Cove. It really is a perfect day for sailing. But hey, what would make it better? A cup of coffee. So I sail over toward the lee of Angel Island. On the way I see a nauticat with only its jib and mizzen sails up. Is it Daniel on Galaxsea? How many nauticats can there be coming out of Richmond? I meander over and wave. Four heads pop up, but no Daniel. Four fellas out for a mid-week sail, just like me. I wave again. They wave and hang over the edge, having a good time.
I make coffee and put it in my biggest cup, the one least likely to spill. Then I put in a second reef. It may be calm east of Angel Island, but sailing back to Berkeley in the afternoon in August is always easier with less sail. As I head across the water the wind picks up a bit, but hoo wee! It is really hot out here! So I make some slight clothing adjustments and get about an hour of sunshine on my legs. And there's another reason to singlehand: when I want to sail across the Olympic Circle in my underwear? Dura Mater? She don’t care.
Where to go? It’s about 12 knots. Bob’s in Tahoe with his family. Carliane is doing her taxes. Brian is currently incommunicado. DM, let’s sail over toward Marin. It’s going to be a 5.1 knot flood @ 1pm. Let’s practice flood relief at the mouth of Raccoon Straits. Why not. See how close we can get to the edge of the eastern side of Marin, wadya say?
I aim for Angel Island and by the time we’re over there the flood has pushed us north of Southampton Shoal. Hello, San Quentin, here we come. Tack to port and we work our way south along the Marin shore back to the entrance to the Straits. Then we get pushed north again. It’s a lovely day, we don’t care which way we go. How close can we get to the shore? The fish finder/depth finder says we have plenty of depth real close. Tack, tack, then tack again trying to catch an opposite current along the shore. Real close. We don’t make much headway, but once out in that flood we go 5 knots north fast rather than 2.4 knots against it. It’s an experiment.
I read Kimball Livingston’s “Sailing the Bay” at least once a year. I learn something new every time, and then I go out on the water and try it out on DM.
Oh, look! There’s a fishing boat with two guys in it, leaning back on their elbows watching while they troll slowly close by. They watch Dura Mater tacking back and forth: like watching a ping pong game, their heads go back and forth. I wave. They wave back. Enough with the tacking. There’s plenty of wind to get into Raccoon Straits, over to Ayala Cove. It really is a perfect day for sailing. But hey, what would make it better? A cup of coffee. So I sail over toward the lee of Angel Island. On the way I see a nauticat with only its jib and mizzen sails up. Is it Daniel on Galaxsea? How many nauticats can there be coming out of Richmond? I meander over and wave. Four heads pop up, but no Daniel. Four fellas out for a mid-week sail, just like me. I wave again. They wave and hang over the edge, having a good time.
I make coffee and put it in my biggest cup, the one least likely to spill. Then I put in a second reef. It may be calm east of Angel Island, but sailing back to Berkeley in the afternoon in August is always easier with less sail. As I head across the water the wind picks up a bit, but hoo wee! It is really hot out here! So I make some slight clothing adjustments and get about an hour of sunshine on my legs. And there's another reason to singlehand: when I want to sail across the Olympic Circle in my underwear? Dura Mater? She don’t care.
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I'm jealous! I had an old Lightning on a trailer here in South Carolina, but had not gotten around to modifying its mast step and thrudeck partners to accommodate a new aluminum mast i had bought years ago. But I finally decided I would never get around to fixing it, so gave it away a couple of months ago. So have nothing to get out on the water with here....A there's Harrier waiting to go to Hawaii...
As for your last sentence, I am reminded of the Eagles first big hit and the words that follow "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"....
Fair Winds Ken
As for your last sentence, I am reminded of the Eagles first big hit and the words that follow "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"....
Fair Winds Ken
BobJ
Alerion 38 "Surprise!"
("Such a fine sight to see.") No biggie - I'm told that's EYRIE's normal treatment for boat butt.
We're back. Lake Tahoe doesn't appear to be down much except when you see the docks at south shore and the shallow entrance to Emerald Bay. The flat-bottomed (faux) paddlewheelers can still get through the entrance, along with the ubiquitous ski boats.
Near the west end of Emerald Bay sits Fannette Island, the only island anywhere in Lake Tahoe. I'd never been on the island so we rented kayaks and paddled out there. It reminded me of a (very short) Hawaii race in one respect - it was a quick paddle downwind to reach the island but a much harder paddle to get back. It was gusting well into the twenties down the cliffs but fortunately a kayak presents a very small area to the wind.
The only obvious man-made feature on the island is the Tea House, built by the island's owner solely to provide a place to serve high tea to guests visiting her Vikingsholm guest house, on the shore near the island. Must be nice. Somebody should buy Red Rock (last listed for $3 million) and build a tea house on it.
Despite all the exercise the back is still stiff. (I even took a water aerobics class where I was the sole male.) I'll look at the wonderful offshore equipment list again and try to decide if I want to gear up (literally) for Drake's Bay next weekend.
About Fannette Island
We're back. Lake Tahoe doesn't appear to be down much except when you see the docks at south shore and the shallow entrance to Emerald Bay. The flat-bottomed (faux) paddlewheelers can still get through the entrance, along with the ubiquitous ski boats.
Near the west end of Emerald Bay sits Fannette Island, the only island anywhere in Lake Tahoe. I'd never been on the island so we rented kayaks and paddled out there. It reminded me of a (very short) Hawaii race in one respect - it was a quick paddle downwind to reach the island but a much harder paddle to get back. It was gusting well into the twenties down the cliffs but fortunately a kayak presents a very small area to the wind.
The only obvious man-made feature on the island is the Tea House, built by the island's owner solely to provide a place to serve high tea to guests visiting her Vikingsholm guest house, on the shore near the island. Must be nice. Somebody should buy Red Rock (last listed for $3 million) and build a tea house on it.
Despite all the exercise the back is still stiff. (I even took a water aerobics class where I was the sole male.) I'll look at the wonderful offshore equipment list again and try to decide if I want to gear up (literally) for Drake's Bay next weekend.
About Fannette Island
Nice, Jackie!
We need a calendar on the SSS to coordinate ad hoc sailing schedules. I know, I know, that's so un-SSS-like, but it would have been fun to have gotten out on Kynntana. I rarely just go out and sail alone unless it's in a race, which is how I am learning the bay. Whenever I go out for a meandering sail, it's with guests on board. You're an inspiration
Have a great race to Drake's!! If the weather is calm, I'll be diving in Monterey; if it's blustery and surgy, I might join you. We can share tacking strategies around that $%&*# Bonita channel buoy
We need a calendar on the SSS to coordinate ad hoc sailing schedules. I know, I know, that's so un-SSS-like, but it would have been fun to have gotten out on Kynntana. I rarely just go out and sail alone unless it's in a race, which is how I am learning the bay. Whenever I go out for a meandering sail, it's with guests on board. You're an inspiration
Have a great race to Drake's!! If the weather is calm, I'll be diving in Monterey; if it's blustery and surgy, I might join you. We can share tacking strategies around that $%&*# Bonita channel buoy
With SSS friends exploring shorelines of Tiburon, Tahoe, and Cape Flattery (thanks, VOID STAR, for an illuminating account), this is sleddog checking in from the shores of Monterey Bay:
36 years ago I was at sea on IMP, negotiating 40 foot breaking waves in the tragic '79 Fastnet Race Storm. With yesterday's record temp in Santa Cruz of 101 degrees, it seemed a good choice to celebrate Life making an early morning attempt at traversing the low tide shoreline between Capitola Beach and New Brighton Beach State Park.
To catch the low tide, I began hiking before sunrise. The shoreline was temporarily missing about 2 vertical feet of sand. To my left (north) were the 80' high Depot Hill Cliffs, famous for their million year old fossils, including ancient clams, moon snails, and whale bones.
Ahead, the missing sand exposed rocky going. I negotiated tide pools and rocks slippery with intensely green moss. Anenomes ringed many of the rocks. Just offshore, as the sun rose directly ahead, a pod of Harbor porpoise did their circular routine, presumably rounding up a breakfast of fresh anchovies.
A fresh rockfall from the cliffs above nudged me into the low surf line. This section of cliff is losing about 1 foot per year, a reminder that Nature bats last, and the West Coast is slowing, but inexorably rising from the sea.
It was good to notice the area ban on styrofoam and single use plastic bags seemed to be having an effect. I was only able to retrieve one piece of plastic on the 1/2 mile hike.
After 30 minutes of scrambling, I reached "China Beach" at New Brighton State Park. Two miles ahead lay the mirage of the Cement Ship. The sand beach, soon to be covered by hundreds of visitors, was deserted at this hour. I decided to walk barefooted in the sand towards the Cement Ship.
Just offshore there was a bird riot going on. A couple of thousand gulls, terns, pelicans, and cormorants were engaging in a feeding frenzy. The chatter all but drowned out the sound of the small surf a few feet to my right (south)
A couple of curious Harbor Seals poked their heads as they swam along, looking for all the world like seagoing black labs.
45 minutes later, the Cement Ship at Sea Cliff State Beach was abeam. I rounded a wharf piling to port, and began walking back (west) towards Capitola. Now the sun was at my back, and I wasn't squinting so much. The beach was still empty, except for a few joggers and dog walkers. A portion of the beach was white with down fluff and feathers from all the bird life. Walking in down. An interesting concept.
When I reached China Beach again, it was too late, tide wise, to retrace my steps along the Fossil Cliffs. I turned inland and ascended the trail to the top of the Cliffs, being careful to avoid the bright red poison oak.
At the top of the cliff I followed the railroad tracks home, the vista of Monterey Bay laid out below.
A light seabreeze is already blowing. Today should be cooler. I've got morning coffee brewing in the galley.
SSS'ers. Come visit Capitola anytime. I'd be glad to share our pretty shoreline.
~sleddog
36 years ago I was at sea on IMP, negotiating 40 foot breaking waves in the tragic '79 Fastnet Race Storm. With yesterday's record temp in Santa Cruz of 101 degrees, it seemed a good choice to celebrate Life making an early morning attempt at traversing the low tide shoreline between Capitola Beach and New Brighton Beach State Park.
To catch the low tide, I began hiking before sunrise. The shoreline was temporarily missing about 2 vertical feet of sand. To my left (north) were the 80' high Depot Hill Cliffs, famous for their million year old fossils, including ancient clams, moon snails, and whale bones.
Ahead, the missing sand exposed rocky going. I negotiated tide pools and rocks slippery with intensely green moss. Anenomes ringed many of the rocks. Just offshore, as the sun rose directly ahead, a pod of Harbor porpoise did their circular routine, presumably rounding up a breakfast of fresh anchovies.
A fresh rockfall from the cliffs above nudged me into the low surf line. This section of cliff is losing about 1 foot per year, a reminder that Nature bats last, and the West Coast is slowing, but inexorably rising from the sea.
It was good to notice the area ban on styrofoam and single use plastic bags seemed to be having an effect. I was only able to retrieve one piece of plastic on the 1/2 mile hike.
After 30 minutes of scrambling, I reached "China Beach" at New Brighton State Park. Two miles ahead lay the mirage of the Cement Ship. The sand beach, soon to be covered by hundreds of visitors, was deserted at this hour. I decided to walk barefooted in the sand towards the Cement Ship.
Just offshore there was a bird riot going on. A couple of thousand gulls, terns, pelicans, and cormorants were engaging in a feeding frenzy. The chatter all but drowned out the sound of the small surf a few feet to my right (south)
A couple of curious Harbor Seals poked their heads as they swam along, looking for all the world like seagoing black labs.
45 minutes later, the Cement Ship at Sea Cliff State Beach was abeam. I rounded a wharf piling to port, and began walking back (west) towards Capitola. Now the sun was at my back, and I wasn't squinting so much. The beach was still empty, except for a few joggers and dog walkers. A portion of the beach was white with down fluff and feathers from all the bird life. Walking in down. An interesting concept.
When I reached China Beach again, it was too late, tide wise, to retrace my steps along the Fossil Cliffs. I turned inland and ascended the trail to the top of the Cliffs, being careful to avoid the bright red poison oak.
At the top of the cliff I followed the railroad tracks home, the vista of Monterey Bay laid out below.
A light seabreeze is already blowing. Today should be cooler. I've got morning coffee brewing in the galley.
SSS'ers. Come visit Capitola anytime. I'd be glad to share our pretty shoreline.
~sleddog
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