“Stab it! Stab it! Did you get it? Stab it!” *
“Ahh… I’m trying”
“Alright! Nice! Now pull it back and cleat it.”
This was the end of the scene that played out in Ayala Cove on Angel Island this Labor Day as we were hooking up to the mooring balls to spend the night on our sailboat for the first time outside of a marina. I was driving trying to get the boat into position and Megan was hanging off the bow, attempting to use our boat hook to feed the line through the loop on top of the floating mooring ball.
Just before the actual mooring, we had docked at the day use slips in order to flake out the ropes and go over the sequence of tasks needed to moor the boat. The state park service expects all boaters to connect to bow and stern balls and after a failed attempt at bow first, we made a mid operation change in order to tie off the stern first which ended up being a better sequence.
Since the motion of the boat is restricted once attached at one end, it makes sense to back up to one ball while keeping the bow pointed toward the second forward ball. Then, once the stern line is passed through, you can simply motor forward and pick up the bow connection. The currents from Raccoon Straight tend to swirl through the cove which makes this difficult for many, but we had planned ahead and arrived at slack tide when the currents would be minimal.
We managed to get both lines attached on the second try and shut off the engine. Megan did a great job with our boat hook to feed the lines and I managed to keep the boat pointed in the right direction. This was the culmination of about 6 months of solid effort to get here.
Upon moving to California and especially after visiting Angel Island and seeing the picturesque Ayala Cove with sailboats moored for the night I really wanted to spend some time on a sailboat exploring the bay and sleeping out. However, I didn’t really know how to sail, had no access to a boat, and knew the Bay is thought to be a challenging environment for many reasons. My main crew member is also prone to motion sickness and has been known to get sick after being on the water too long.
Regardless of these facts, staying overnight at Angel Island was added to the [CA tick list](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/ca-tick-list/) and after about 2 years of wondering how to accomplish it, I got serious about buying a boat this spring. Four months of searching and touring boats finally resulted in the purchase of Wind Hunter, a 28.5 foot 1985 Hunter made sloop which was docked in Redwood City. I’ve detailed the purchase and early work in another [post](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/im-on-a-boat/) already.
So, this summer Megan and I spent many weekends sailing out of Redwood City, venturing further out each time and getting more comfortable in varied conditions. We also finished outfitting the cabin for camping and spent a few nights in the marina just for fun. With growing confidence on the water and an opportunity this fall for some vacation time, we planned a trip. It was to be 4 nights, 5 days, and included nights at marinas, at anchor, and on mooring balls.
In retrospect the schedule was a bit ambitious, given our historic poor performance of covering any kind of distance in a reasonable amount of time. Here was the planned timeline:
[](https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sailing-trip-timeline.png)
Day 1: Saturday – Redwood City to Treasure Island
We started off a bit unprepared. It was a busy week after all and on the morning of our planned departure we had some outstanding packing, boat tasks and house cleaning to take care of. After some delay, we left the dock around 1PM. The breeze was light in the harbor so I was expecting a mild day of sailing. Still, even before leaving I was unsure if we were going to actually make it to Treasure Island, given the fact that we had only once sailed to the San Mateo bridge. On that day our engine had overheated after an hour or so, and by sailing the remainder it took us almost 5 hours while covering 17 miles round trip when all was said and done. Others do it covering 12 miles over 2 hours. We’ve also never once put our anchor in the water. As a backup we called Coyote Point Harbor and made an overnight reservation.
So off we went, motoring out most of the Redwood Creek channel before raising the sails in surprisingly windy and wavy conditions. I estimate that it was blowing 25 knots with plenty of short period wind swell to make things uncomfortable. We also were fighting a 1.5 knot flooding current. After about an hour and a half Megan had adopted a concerned look on her face and gotten quiet. I could tell she wasn’t feeling great, but given my excitement for the trip she was reluctant to say so. We had also made almost no Northern progress toward the bridge. The combination of the flooding current and my wave dodging course was signaling a very long day ahead just to reach Coyote Point.
Upon realizing this I rather quickly made the decision to turn back and try again tomorrow. My spirits were low given the unexpected conditions and I was concerned about Megan. We headed back and had just entered the shipping channel near Bair Island when things got worse. Near Bair Island the water is very shallow and any swell tends to stand up more because of this. Combining this with our course meant rolling conditions and this pushed Megan over the edge. All of a sudden, she was sick. I turned on the engine to help stabilize the boat and it didn’t last long, but needless to say, not a great start to a week of time on the water.
Luckily the feeling passed quickly for her and once back in the harbor we had a nice evening grilling bratwurst and reconsidering our plans.
Day 2: Sunday – Redwood City to Coyote Point
We were up with the sun in order to catch the ebb current North and make better time on flatter water. The plan was to motor until the engine overheated and then sail in calmer conditions as far as possible before the afternoon winds picked up.
Surprisingly, our engine didn’t overheat and thanks to the strong ebb we made good time up to the San Mateo bridge. Shortly after passing to the North of the bridge the wind also picked up and we had good sailing conditions and calm water. Plans changed for the second time and we decided to press on at least until Brisbane Marina.
This was exciting. New sailing territory and and good weather raised sprits and my hopes for the trip. The night before my doubts had peaked and I had been secretly thinking of alternatives for our time off of work, assuming weather and sea sickness might lead to a premature end to the trip. Luckily we had a great day, seeing almost no other boats and having a relaxing sail to Brisbane in good weather. This was also to be our first time entering a new marina which sounds trivial but was new and exciting given our lack of experience. All went well and we felt very proud and happy once tied on dock 1 in Brisbane Marina. It was about 2 pm.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4420/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4441/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9218/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4445/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9232/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9236/)
Around 4 pm, things changed. The wind was howling and dock 1 was inundated by swell bouncing off the sea wall into the harbor. Wind Hunter was getting thrashed about and being on board was very uncomfortable. Seeking respite, we went ashore for a long walk, showers, and then pizza in downtown Brisbane. Being Labor Day weekend, not many places were open and Megan’s craving for Chinese Hot and Sour Soup went unsatisfied.
Back at the boat around 7 pm, it was still rocking violently, so we opted to move and poach a spot in a more sheltered spot in the marina. Even moving the boat was dicey given the weird swell and narrow channel between the sea wall, but it was a good decision. We managed to have a much more comfortable night and watched a movie before going to sleep on night 2 of our trip.
Day 3: Monday – Brisbane to Angel Island
Monday morning we were up with the sun again, leaving Brisbane before 7 am, partly to catch the ebb tide and partly to avoid the harbor master discovering our unauthorized move the night before. Our target was Angel Island, having adjusted my expectations, we planned to motor the whole way in order to ensure good time and arrive at slack tide in order to simplify mooring in the swirling currents of Ayala Cove.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4489/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9250/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4497/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9239/)
We had a great trip making good time and actually encountering early favorable wind allowing us to motor sail at almost 7 knots all the way there. Going under the Bay Bridge was great, as was getting the San Francisco skyline as the backdrop for much of the day. We pulled into Ayala Cove around 11 and tied up at the day use dock for registration and mooring preparation. As I’ve mentioned, mooring went smoothly and we had an awesome afternoon. I repaired the head sail furler after having a line break earlier in the day, and the rest of our time was spent reading and napping in the sun before paddling ashore in the Wonkatania II (our inflatable kayak) for the afternoon.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4505/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4521/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9254/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9256/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9269/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4533/)
Once on land we got some tasty nachos and a $3 shot of milk for Megan at the cafe while listening to live island style music. It was a great time and we were both in good spirits considering our awesome spot and the good weather. Around 4 pm the last ferry to SF left the island and so we had the place to ‘ourselves’ as we hiked up to the summit of Mount Livermore in the afternoon. Angel Island is a very cool place and although I had been twice before, I still had a great time hiking up to the top and enjoying the views of The City, nearby Tiburon and the Golden Gate Bridge.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9304/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4532/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9284/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9293/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9290/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4539/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9303/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4535/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4549/)
Back on the boat in the evening things were slowly going downhill. We took hot water ‘showers’ down below and Megan slowly seemed to be succumbing to the rolling motion of the swell in the cove. With growing concern I cooked dinner and myself began feeling a bit queasy until getting back above decks to eat. With dinner done, Megan got very quiet and was soon into bed. I was worried. It was obvious to her how excited I was about this night having planned it for months. So naturally I was suspicious when she kept saying “I’m fine” through her pursed lips and closed eyes.
I started packing our backup shore supplies, a tent and sleeping bags, in order to be ready at short notice to paddle ashore in the Wonkatania II for the night. Things worked out okay though and although it wasn’t a 5 star sleep, we both got some rest and made it through the night.
Day 4: Tuesday – Angel Island to South Beach
In the morning we both were feeling ok but ready for some time on shore. We paddled over around 7 and had breakfast and coffee, enjoying the quiet of the island before the ferry arrivals. This trip had included many firsts. First time North of the San Mateo and sailing in new territory. First time sailing into a new marina. First time mooring and sleeping out of harbor. First time dealing with sickness on the boat. All of these included some apprehension on my part and with another first, spending the night on anchor in Aquatic Cove on the schedule, I decided to punt and called South Beach Harbor to arrange a guest slip for the night instead. With another schedule change made, we left Ayala Cove and rounded the West side of the island to enter “The Slot”.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4556/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4569/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4602/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4584/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4578/)
Conditions were good but my nerves were on edge. I knew a strong ebb tide was running under the bridge out to the Pacific so hesitantly we raised the sails and made our way across. With Alcatraz Island to our left, the San Francisco skyline ahead, and the Golden Gate less than a mile away it was impossible not to relax and enjoy the sailing. It felt much different sailing here. The water color was green or blue instead of brown, and while there was short period wind chop there was also longer period ocean swell rolling in. Luckily, underway we had no problems feeling queazy and both had a great time sailing in the heart of the San Francisco Bay. Once across we decided to sail into Aquatic Cove for a photo op before continuing onto South Beach Harbor.
After docking and taking showers in the marina, we enjoyed some stable time at the dock before going into The City for the afternoon and evening. We stopped by Philz for coffee and then made our way to China town where we got to see the Fortune Cookie Factory and wrote our own future into the cookies. After strolling around town we stopped for dinner and Megan finally got her Hot and Sour soup which she had been craving for days.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9313/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9315/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9317/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9321/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9322/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_9341/)
After dinner we both were feeling tired. I think any veteran sailor would think our trip was fairly benign but for two non ocean people it had been a lot! We went back to the marina and had a very calm and relaxing last night aboard, with the backdrop of The City lights and the Bay Bridge overhead.
Day 5: Wednesday – South Beach to Redwood City
On Wednesday morning we were up with the sun again, this time to catch the flooding tide back to our home port of Redwood City. We had early morning wind in our favor and were motor sailing at almost 8 knots for the first 2 hours before the winds shifted out of our favor. Despite this we still had a great trip and made made it to the San Mateo bridge around 10 am when the winds again shifted and were strong enough to shut off the engine and sail the rest of the way home.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4606/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4416/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/img_4424/)
Here is a summary of how the trip ended up. Close to the original plan with the major goals accomplished!
[](https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Actual-sailing-trip-timeline.png)
[](https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/sanfrancisco01.png)
*Our boat hook is actually a clever device called a Happy Hooker which mounts to the end of a pole. With a rope tied to it, the user ‘stabs’ it at a fixed object. If all goes well, the device flips the rope around and allow the user to pull it back having looped the rope around the object. Hence my choice of vocabulary.
—
## Media URLs recovered
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sailing-trip-timeline.png
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/IMG_4420.jpg
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– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Actual-sailing-trip-timeline.png
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* . *
. * . * .
. . . * .
. * . .
. * . . . . .
. . * .
* . . * . . *
. . . * .
. * . . . * .
. . .
. * . . . * . * .
. . . . . .
“Stab it! Stab it! Did you get it? Stab it!” *
“Ahh… I’m trying”
“Alright! Nice! Now pull it back and cleat it.”
This was the end of the scene that played out in Ayala Cove on Angel Island this Labor Day as we were hooking up to the mooring balls to spend the night on our sailboat for the first time outside of a marina. I was driving trying to get the boat into position and Megan was hanging off the bow, attempting to use our boat hook to feed the line through the loop on top of the floating mooring ball.
Just before the actual mooring, we had docked at the day use slips in order to flake out the ropes and go over the sequence of tasks needed to moor the boat. The state park service expects all boaters to connect to bow and stern balls and after a failed attempt at bow first, we made a mid operation change in order to tie off the stern first which ended up being a better sequence.
Since the motion of the boat is restricted once attached at one end, it makes sense to back up to one ball while keeping the bow pointed toward the second forward ball. Then, once the stern line is passed through, you can simply motor forward and pick up the bow connection. The currents from Raccoon Straight tend to swirl through the cove which makes this difficult for many, but we had planned ahead and arrived at slack tide when the currents would be minimal.
We managed to get both lines attached on the second try and shut off the engine. Megan did a great job with our boat hook to feed the lines and I managed to keep the boat pointed in the right direction. This was the culmination of about 6 months of solid effort to get here.
… Lost to the sands of time… recovered 20260907