Home	Fleet Week Cruise to Clipper Cove October 10-12, 2008

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

Smokey writes:

We had a great sail over to Angel Island on Thursday with John Melton and stayed a rolly night there as the northerly wind came into the cove along with the fetch from San Pablo Bay. The Blue Angels practiced overhead all afternoon for our pleasure.

Friday morning we sailed a beam reach to Richardson Bay after having some of John's famous breakfast omelets. The Maltese Falcon just can't be missed where it is anchored there. It was a beam reach to Treasure Island. You gotta love those northerly winds when they are favorable like that - but the folks on the city front are not used to being a lee shore!

Evanescence and Freedom Won anchored with Woodbine and Dream Catcher Friday in Clipper Cove. The anchorage was sheltered from the wind rather well and it was a quiet night after a pot luck dinner and cocktails with the Damsen's.

Saturday morning greeted the arrival of Brigit, Ophera, Natural High, and Vitesse. We left the anchorage for a sail and return trip home because of Sunday obligations. Entering and exiting the Cove was a challenge with the two dozen or so racers (like a pack of mad bees) at the entrance.

Luna Sea passed as they made their way to the raft up, as well as was Captain Zen who skippered a borrowed Folk Boat. We sailed around the Pier 39 area and watched the show before heading back.

Ron Damsen writes:

As Evanescence left on Saturday, Ophira and Natural High arrived and rafted up together. Brigid, Vitesse and Luna Sea arrived later to join the raftup with Freedom Won and Woodbine. With four dinghys in the water, there was no problem transporting crew to shore to head up the steep stairway that led us to a fantastic view of San Francisco Bay. The beautiful clear blue sky provided the perfect backdrop for the Blue Angels. As a radio buff, I had a radio receiver with the frequencies used by the Blue Angels as they thrilled the crowd. It is fun to hear their unusual way of communicating with each other as they perform their air show.

After the show, we returned to our boats before converging on Woodbine for cocktails and dinner. John Melton used Woodbine's grill to cook shrimp and scallop kabobs as an appetizer. The main course consisted of a grilled pork loin roast (Corky Stewart), BBQ ribs, potato and green salads (First Mate Karen Damsen), spinach salad (Pat Salvo), penne pasta with sausage (Judy Bush), rolls and bread (Cheryl Lawson and Nancy Melton). It was all topped off with a surprise birthday cake for Vern Verling provided by first mate Cheryl. Once again, with no real coordination, we had a great feast afloat.

The weekend was marked by very unusual winds gusting out of the north. They created a high fire danger with very low humidity and unfamiliar wave patterns on the bay. Anchoring in a raftup at Clipper Cove can present problems with the shifting winds and currents. We had three anchors angled outward for the five boats on the main raft. This kept us pointed into the wind with no twisting or fouling of rodes. We gathered on Woodbine Sunday morning for a final chance to enjoy being afloat with our sailing friends. With anchors up at 1300 hours, we closed out the 2008 Islander 36 cruising season.

P.S. from Rick Van Mell:

Vanishing Animal was taking some neighbors sailing to see the air show on Sunday. They confirmed the unusual strong north winds in the 15+ knot range. But right at the City Front, the wind went light, and for a brief hour there was even a westerly blowing in through the Gate. A most unusual sight was about 250 boats almost all pointed east into a 2 - 3 knot ebb tide running through the restricted "box" cordoned off by the Coast Guard that was about a mile ong and half a mile wide where all the low level flying took place. This meant that boats could be in gear, at idle speed with their speedometers reading about 3 to 4 knots, with good steering control, but only doing about 1 knot over the bottom. Take it out of gear, and you'd stand still, or make a short circle to the west and the GPS would show you doing 4.5 knots over the bottom, then turn back east and you'd be almost standing still. We saw two other Islander 36s which we didn't recognize as Association members, but did come alongside and hail a really fun long time member - Frank Burkhart with Island Girl. Hailed him and hoped he wouldd be at the Fall Meeting.

Pictures by Smokey & Laurie Stover & Ron & Karen Damsen. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

7 Islanders @ Clipper Cove	Dream Catcher	Watching the fun ...	here it comes.
Happy hour ...	looking aft ...	looking happy ...	looking relaxed!
Master Chef John!	Laurie & Smokey	Great evening.	Fat Albert
Maltese Falcon	Clipper pass	mad bees	where ru
Lined up ...	& in close.	Happy Birthday Vern!	Evening Shot
Chief Mate!

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