October 15-17, 2004 Point San Pablo Yacht Club Cruise

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

It was a wonderful way to wrap up the cruising season. Point San Pablo Yacht club was a new destination for the fleet, and Kelley Montana, with lots of help from husband Chris and daughter Claire Mellor (and canine Nellie) organized a terrific rendezvous. In total there were 17 boats represented. In addition to Kelley & Chris' Spindrift, there were Pat & Gary Salvo's Ophira, Rick & Sandy Van Mell's Vanishing Animal with friend Steve Blecher aboard, Commodore Farrell & Carol Williams on Pacific High, Skipper & Nancy Wall on Snowflower, Ron & Karen Damsen on Woodbine, John & Nanci Melton on Freedom Won, Lou & Diane Zevanov with Diana, and son Steve with daughter Taylor, Art & Betsy Fowler with Zenith plus Art's sister Bev Gerald and friend Lee Hall, Smokey & Laurie Stover with their Freeport 36 Evanescense, Bill & Jim Hidgon with Blockbuster, Dennis, Judy & Matt Bush aboard Natural High, Tim, Rhonda & Ian Shea with Lean Times, plus Jack & Sandy Thompson representing Noncents, Don & Barb Henderson from Kindred Spirits, Fred and Barb Cucksey (though they left their catamaran in Trinidad) and Julian & Debby Cohen recently of 4 Cs.

Friday's potluck was warmly received in the Point San Pablo Clubhouse with a table set up near the nice warm fire and freidnly bartending service sufficient to keep the whole crowd happy. After a round of nibbles, folks returned to their boats to bring up a main course dish, and they too were consumed with gusto. We wrapped up the evening introducing Kelly, Chris and Claire, plus John & Nanci Melton to a rough and tumble game of Uno aboard Vanishing Animal. This time the men won!!!

Kelly was up at 0530 preparing a wonderful European breakfast with beautiful fresh salmon, cream cheese, and bagels, two kinds of cereal with milk, orange juice, then assorted muffins and croissants with butter, ham and cheese, yogert for those that liked, and fresh strawberries to go with just about anything. We all ate until we were stuffed. There was still enough left that we packed it up and spread it again for Sunday morning - except for the salmon of which there was but one piece remianing!

In the middle of the day small groups trooped over to KKMI and browsed and shopped in their store to enjoy some nice discounts. Many thanks to Jock MacLean the rest of the KKMI team for making this available to us. Rick Van Mell had a leaky rudder post packing that was pouring several gallons an hour into the bilge while under power. After Jock's first suggestion of just tightening the 4 bolts on the packing ring didn't work - tested by slipping out of the raft and backing in again later - it was time to open the rudder shaft stuffing box and replace all the packing. KKMI's store had just the stuff and two hours after starting the project, the shaft was dry and tight. (Fortunately, no water comes into the boat when it is standing still while the rudder post stuffing box is open.) Barb got a good picture of Rick with his head in the stern lazzerette and his posterior in the air!

One of the attractions Kelley had noted to be nearby was the Golden State Model Railroad Museum just west of the Point Richmond tunnel. Several car-loads of folks ventured over there and enjoyed the variety of layouts available. This club of about 100 members builds, maintains and operates a variety of model railroad gauges ranging from the tiny N Gauge, up to HO and O scales. There is even a section of overhead powered tracks. One 65-car, HO scale, unit train of coal cars worked it's way up to Donner Summit and back, passing yards in Sacramento and other familiar stops along the way. This warehouse-sized building is open to the public for free on Saturdays when members do maintenance and some testing, then on Sunday they operate trains, but there is a small entrance fee. For details, try http://www.gsmrm.org/index.html it's a blast for kids of all ages.

By late afternoon those arriving by car were also well ensconsed at the bar as another round of nibbles appeared around the fireplace. the PSPYC staff was busy in the galley making salads, preparing double-baked potatoes, roasting chickens, heating cauliflower au gratin, and stoking the coals for grilled salmon and steak.

At 1800 all were rounded up to bring their favorite grog into the dining room where Kelley had decorated all the tables in festive Halloween colors. Commodore Farrell thanked Kelley for the great organization and the PSPYC team for their hospitality. Kelley than introduced thee vening's speaker, Dave Kory from Tradewinds Sailing. Dave had a wonderful assortment of slides covering the sail up and down the California coast. He described the good days and the windy days, saying there are really many more good days, or at least good times of days, to make the trip with minimal exposure to high winds and seas. In Dave's opinion, the toughest stretch coming north is not Point Conception, famed for 40 knots winds, but Big Sur because there is no place either side of it to duck in and wait for a weather window like there is for Conception. After a question and answer session, Dave put his laptop into slideshow mode and treated us to cruising shots from the Med to the South Pacific - more warm, blue water and white sand than most bay Area sailors have ever seen! Many thanks to Kelley for getting Dave to speak.

Though everyone was now happily hungry, no one was allowed in the salad line until the group gathered for yet one more Kimball's Bacon picture. But then it was chow down time, complete with wine on the tables and plenty of good food. Not that all this wasn't enough, but Kelley then passed out Bingo cards, had aprofessional Bingo ball machine and a table of great prizes - including two tickets to a 49er Game, won by Steve Zevanov's daughter Taylor -- he was negotiating to see if she would take him! As the last of the prizes were won, the crowd ambled away to their bunks or one last nightcap.

Sunday dawned grey with a promise of rain. The "leftovers" of Saturday's breakfast were quickly and gratefully consumed and boats were getting under way by 0900. Many had a good sail home before the wind and rain peppered the Bay starting after noon. What a terrific way to end a cruising season. See you all at the Fall Meeting, Winners' dinner and Dance, then look forward to a glorious 2005 season!

Pictures are compliments of Barb Henderson, Bill Higdon, John Melton, Art Fowler & Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

Fog Blanket	Steve Blecher	The Brothers	Steve finds Sunshine!
Point San Pablo Yacht Club	Pacific High, Ophira, & Vanishing Animal	Up close	Spindrift & Woodbine
Snowflower	Bigger boats!	110' Swan Song of the Seas	Let's go ashore!
Bar Conference	Barb Henderson	Bev and Betsy	Body language
Bush table	Commodore arrives	Friday Fun	Don and Chris
Fred, Gary, Don	Kelley sets it all up!	Happy Hour	Judy Bush, Cohens, & Laurie
More Happy Hour	Bird's eye view	Chris makes a point	You don't say!
But I thought...	Kelley, our heroine	Great family!	Harry, you look so cute!
Serious talking	Cozy fire	Steel Magnolias	You need a boat about this big...
Zevanov clan	Speaker David Kory with Kelley	Gabb fest	Bill Hidgon holds sway
Sandy,Barb,Walls	Kelley's beautiful tables	Table decor	All smiles
Goodies	Claire has best outfit!	Great service at PSPYC!	Zenith & Diana folks
Rick & Sandy	Happy Debbie Cohen	Bush league	Cathy & friend Anna
Jack Thompson	Waste not a drop!	A visit to Model Railroad layout	Model Railroad
Model Railroad	Model Railroad	Tim & Rhoda have more fun than Ian!	Model Railroad
Model Railroad	Model Railroad	Model Railroad	Model Railroad
Ready for the show	Cohens	Zenith crowd	Ron Damsen
A full house	Let the show begin	Grins	Zevanovs & Sheas
David Kory's opening	David Kory	Piedras Blancas	Kimballs...
Bacon	Salad line	Roasted birds	Steak ready to sizzle
Twice baked	Salmon...	looking great	Dinner line
Higdons & Thompsons	BINGO	Bingo Prizes	Debby wins
Fred wins	Matt wins	Pacific High squeezes in	Pac High, Ophira, Vanishing Animal
Rick repairs rudder packing	Spindrift, Woodbine	Zenith #1	Zenith # 2
Evanesance # 1	Evanesance # 2	Evanesance	Lean Times # 1
Lean Times # 2	Lean Times # 3	Lean Times # 4	Lean Times # 5