Home	'Round Alameda 1/1/21

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

What a difference a year makes! The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 cancelled most regattas and all social gatherings. Everyone couldn't wait for New Year 2021 in hopes that things would be getting better and returning to some form of normal. Well, if the sailing gods are any guide, we certainly had a good omen to start the year. Warm sunshine and almost no wind made January 1st, 2021 a good day to be on the water. Five Islanders were on the water, Cassiopeia (Kit Wiegman, Naomi and Yvonne) Full Circle (Mark & Ciny Irwin), Kapai (Rick Egan), Luna Sea (Dan Knox), and Vanishing Animal (Rick & Sandy Van Mell) with White Horses (Rob and Ruby Blenderman) crewing aboard Luna Sea for a total of 6 boats represented.

We gathered off Encinal Yacht Club in the Estuary at 1100 hours. Vanishing Animal and Kapai had already circled about half of Alameda Island having arrived from their home ports of Brisbane Marina and South Beach Marina respectively. Vanishing Animal took the lead as we started for the 4 bridges that have to be passed to circle the island. As we approached the Park Street bridge, three more sailboats and two powerboats joined our flotilla. A friendly call to the bridge tender at Park Street on channel 9 requesting an opening and continuation on through Fruitvale, High Street and Bay Fram bridges was greeted with a friendly, "We're opening now, thanks for forming a group, and have a Happy New Year."

And with that the adventure began in ernest. What a treat that as we neared Fruitvale we could hear the loudspeaker announcig the bridge was going up. Ditto for High street, and again for Bay Farm - all without stopping and bunching up. Now in a normal year there might be 50 plus boats passing through the bridges over perhaps a one or two hour period, on this day, with all of the yacht clubs shut down, we only saw one other boat that had gone through ahead of our pack. Glad we gave the bridge tenders something to do.

For those that would like to know more, here are some basics. Alameda, CA is actually an island, just west of Oakland, separated by the Oakland Estuary. While the Estuary, particularly at its entrance, is wide and deep enough for 1000' container ships, when it narrows at its eastern end where three bridges connect it to Oakland, it's quite narrow and getting shallow fast. At the southeastern end, at San Leandro Bay, it is connected to Bay Farm Island - where Oakland Airport is located - by a 4th bridge. Going west from there into San Francisco Bay, there is an unmarked tidal slough that has 6-8 feet of water in an unmarked very narrow band and then a stretch of 2-4' of water to cross into the Bay itself. It's about 15.5 miles around the Island. Take a close look at the depths in the center chart at the left end of San Leandro Channel. Here's what it looks like on the chart: (click for larger image.)

Alameda - Overview

Alameda - Bay Farm

Alameda -Little channel

Here is a link to Aeolian's navigation page with a dramatic picture of the "channel" at low tide: http://www.aeolianyc.org/aeolian-navigation.html

As we recruited folks to join the parade, a number offered best wishes to the fleet and they are included below the pictures.

So enjoy the pictures and mark your calendars for a Zoom Spring Meeting on Saturday, March 20,2020: http://islander36.org/sm21/sm21details.html.

Pictures by Reanne Wong aboard Kapai and Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

Brisbane Hbr 0815	Vanishing Animal	Under way 0837	Sandy's on watch	Old drydock pumphouse
Hazy San Francisco	Boat speed ...	GPS says 5.4	making progress ...	several ships ...
Time for ...	adding water ...	for hot cocoa!	Big tanker ...	Aqua Legacy ...
has 5 hitchhikers!	New container cranes ...	for Oakland.	Sunbathing	Sighting Kapai ...
at east span ...	looking good.	Into the Estuary ...	Star Wars inspiration?!	Calm water
3 master on the hard	Ex-presidential "Potomac"	Old Lightship	Jack London Square ...	Scotts Seafood ...
Kincaid's ...	Pasta Pelican	Oakland Yacht Club	Kapai ...	happy crew ...
forward too.	Good shot of ...	Full Circle ...	Happy new year!	I want my MOMMY!
Encinal Yacht Club	Here's Vanishing Animal	Joining us is ...	Cassiopeia ...	family crew ...
from aboard ...	view from Cassiopeia	And here is ...	Luna Sea ...	joyful crew!
We are assembled.	Time to begin	Coast Guard ready	Another parader	Alameda Marina
Heading for Park St. Br.	Another boat joins ...	Collette	Falling in line	Park Street bridge ...
looking back.	Fruitvale Br. ahead ...	Fleet astern	Brig Kaisei	Going up ...
thanks for opening.	Fruitvale from kapai	High Street Bridge ...	from Kapai	Thanks!
Hazy sun	High Street astern ...	Channel to Aeolian ...	and Bay Farm Bridge	Aeolian Yacht Club
Going up ...	view from Kapai ...	passing through.	Into the shallow stuff ...	almost out ...
powerboat is ready ...	Luna Sea is into deep water!	Kapai celebrates ...	Sandy smiles ...	Rick relaxes at last!

New Year Greetings

(Click to enlarge)

Green Flash Liz Munelley & Mike Patterson, Portland Oregon (Boat is in South Beach Hbr SF Bay)

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Water Music Fred & Chris Manley (& Levi the Wonder Dog, Austin, TX

Happy New Year to all,
We, here in Austin, wonder what a 55 degree sail around the Bay is like, and want to wish you all a safe day on the water. We are new members this year, and we have learned so much from the collective community about some common challenges with our I36 that we wanted to simply thank you for your generosity in sharing ideas and remedies.
We love the Bay Area and I traveled there extensively during my career. We came in 2013 to see the Americas' Cup and hope to come your way again when the world is a bit less crazy.
Have a great time and be sure to post pictures of your adventure.

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Fancy Nancy Jim Harris, Pt. Pleasant, NJ

Happy New Year and Covid free soonest!

My I36 was pounded by 60 mph gust, torrents of rain and docks under water at marina and much area flooding and tree damage etc. in Pt. Pleasant, NJ area.
>BR>
Christmas' early morning storm got me to create yet another version of The Night Before Christmas:

Twas the night before Christmas 2020 when a storm was a brewing from South over deep water and shallow sounding.
By early Christmas morn it opened its wide mouth, it was howling and unleashed several wind, wave and rain pounding.
My Islander 36 avoided steadfastly many a drowning.
The wind in the rigging was loudly resounding.
I lay in my bunk listening to the cacophony so outstanding.
And yet it was equally confounding.
Suddenly on deck footfalls bounding, the hatch opened and down came the pirate Santa Clause onto the sole holding large bag making his grounding.
Without any hesitation he dispersed many gifts so outstanding.
Hailed in the wind Merry Christmas to all surrounding.
He was gone in a whirlwind that matched the storming.
He went aboard a sailing vessel less than conforming.
Reindeer on deck we're performing and into the teeth of the gale they stood that early morning.
Santa Claus commanded let there be running lights there on the port bow be Rudolph red nose glowing and vivid, it was so exciting.
On starboard bow a large elf displayed a green lantern, holding in instead of mounting.
Capt. Claus commanded, mates to rigging sails be unfurling.
090 broad reach across to Bay Head be the ship a hurling.
Onward Prancer and Dancer the ship a whirling.
No stopping now we got many places yet to be and many people to see before it be dawning.
We go onto the sea before it be morning.
We have gifts yet to deliver even if it be storming.
We are now on the wind moving fast with no time for touring.
Let us get deliveries done, keeping working, it never gets boring.
Thus Capt. Santa Clause sailed North and late on Christmas night was heard worldwide snoring!
Thus end a whale of tale as my I36 swings on her mooring!

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Taisce John and Patti Hillsman, Shalimar, FL

Take lots of pictures!!! Happy New Year everyone!

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