Sailing in SFO Bay
We sailed right under the golden gate bridge. Charmed. We could see people standing on the bridge. Children in our boat waved, they waved back. Then a ship showed up - it was named TEN as if to score our experience.
While heading back, still in the delirium, suddenly we heard loud honks. TEN just honked at us as we were on it's way and we had not responded to the warning messages that it had sent.
We circled the Alcatraz as the wind was making our routing decisions. Hype value. All the islands around were green and beautiful. We also appreciated the beautiful residential areas, as well as the sky scaper city, the bridges.
Abil had picked me up,today morning, at eight, for a sailing trip, starting from Sausalito, captained by our friends Ranjith and Binu, joined by Biju and son Amit, and also Ranjith's daughter Abha, and also Ranjith's ukranian friend Alex.
Ranjith and Binu did a very detailed prep on the boat,ensuring that every single point in the checklist was taken care of. Abha and Amit were old school mates and were together, while Biju,Abil and I were chit chatting and pulling each other's legs and passing time.
Spotter is the one who is on the lookout for boats coming in the path. As there are all kinds of boats, and ships and canoes and paddle boats in the waters, going crisscross, the traffic is bit more challenging than on the road, while it is at a much slower pace. When we left the dock, we used motor to propel the boat, the real experience would only start when we start sailing, using the wind to propel us and not the motor.
Before that, we would have lunch, and for that, the boat needs to be anchored. Navigation device on the boat tells us the depth of the spot where the boat is being anchored. The markers on the anchor chain tells us how far the chain has reached. The goal is to first get the anchor as far as the ground, and then to have a little lag of a chain, also to rest on the ground, and to then do a pull to get the anchor caught in the ground. Then, hold on, and ensure that the anchoring is good by establishing a plane of points (using three markers on the land) and ensuring that the boat remains at that distance.
The anchor was being pulled and pushed by button switches operated by our seventh graders. Basic physics, buttoned. The sails came up now. Wind would propel the rest of the journey. The boat started moving at a boring < 2 knots per hour. The pace was super lull, and you could get into the relaxed, peaceful mindset, except the city was screaming speed at you, with it's glass buildings. Then, out of nowhere, wind caught on, and the skippers Ranjith and Binu harnessed it to propel the boat.
Wind energy was being used to move the boat, old school style. But the boat was moving really fast, and at a good forty five degree angle, the real excitement had begun. The rest of the journey was all fun and excitement and the icing on the cake was the golden gate bridge view from right beneath it.
Amazing trip! - hats off to the skippers Ranjith and Binu!
While heading back, still in the delirium, suddenly we heard loud honks. TEN just honked at us as we were on it's way and we had not responded to the warning messages that it had sent.
We circled the Alcatraz as the wind was making our routing decisions. Hype value. All the islands around were green and beautiful. We also appreciated the beautiful residential areas, as well as the sky scaper city, the bridges.
Abil had picked me up,today morning, at eight, for a sailing trip, starting from Sausalito, captained by our friends Ranjith and Binu, joined by Biju and son Amit, and also Ranjith's daughter Abha, and also Ranjith's ukranian friend Alex.
Ranjith and Binu did a very detailed prep on the boat,ensuring that every single point in the checklist was taken care of. Abha and Amit were old school mates and were together, while Biju,Abil and I were chit chatting and pulling each other's legs and passing time.
Spotter is the one who is on the lookout for boats coming in the path. As there are all kinds of boats, and ships and canoes and paddle boats in the waters, going crisscross, the traffic is bit more challenging than on the road, while it is at a much slower pace. When we left the dock, we used motor to propel the boat, the real experience would only start when we start sailing, using the wind to propel us and not the motor.
Before that, we would have lunch, and for that, the boat needs to be anchored. Navigation device on the boat tells us the depth of the spot where the boat is being anchored. The markers on the anchor chain tells us how far the chain has reached. The goal is to first get the anchor as far as the ground, and then to have a little lag of a chain, also to rest on the ground, and to then do a pull to get the anchor caught in the ground. Then, hold on, and ensure that the anchoring is good by establishing a plane of points (using three markers on the land) and ensuring that the boat remains at that distance.
The anchor was being pulled and pushed by button switches operated by our seventh graders. Basic physics, buttoned. The sails came up now. Wind would propel the rest of the journey. The boat started moving at a boring < 2 knots per hour. The pace was super lull, and you could get into the relaxed, peaceful mindset, except the city was screaming speed at you, with it's glass buildings. Then, out of nowhere, wind caught on, and the skippers Ranjith and Binu harnessed it to propel the boat.
Wind energy was being used to move the boat, old school style. But the boat was moving really fast, and at a good forty five degree angle, the real excitement had begun. The rest of the journey was all fun and excitement and the icing on the cake was the golden gate bridge view from right beneath it.
Amazing trip! - hats off to the skippers Ranjith and Binu!
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