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Arriving at Grand Marina, where my palatial sailing yacht, Long Winded, is moored
Fortman Drive bottoms out after a short block at Alaska Packer Place. You'll see sn industrial building in front of you and bostyard to the left. Park in the lot on the left or at a spot on the right marked "Public Shore," and your car will still be there when we return.
· Getting aboard:If you show up at 11:00, I'll have time to cure my hangover and get the boat ready to go. The first folks to arrive will call me on the cellphone, and I'll come to the gate and lend a fob that opens the gate and ... the RESTROOMS.
· The people-getting-aboard procedure:Once you're parked and drained :-) you can head down to slip C17. This is to the left from the ABC Dock gate, and the boat is on the right, about 8 boats down. Slips are numbered right by the bow of each boat.
You'll come down to slip C17 snd get your stuff aboard, stowing it to avoid too much excitement in the form of loud crashing noises when the sailboat heels to the breeze.
Before we get underway, there will be a brief lecture on some safety and convenience topics such as crew overboard and using the toilets. You're not in Kansas any more, Toto.
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Your Day On The Bay
3. Speak up if you want something (like "can I steer now?") or don't want something ("Good God, we're heeling too far!")
· Workers and Watchers:
Long Winded is sloop-rigged. If I feel energetic, I can operate the boat entirely alone, although it means I can't simultaneously show off my tight-ship form underway and it makes me tired afterward. This is why each of you gets to decide how much you want to help with sailing the boat, and when, or not. The most important part is that at the end of the day, you had a really great time and will revere me as a sea god for the rest of your life ... or, well, at least, that you had a really great time.
Do NOT feel bashful about saying stuff like "can it be my turn to steer, or trim (or disrobe, or whatever)?" What makes the whole thing fun for me is to be inside the decision making, not necessarily to do any particular job. If I ask you if you're tired of doing something, don't feel shy about saying yes. My punishment for asking is that I do some kind of sailing task - not what you'd call punishment at all. If you derive enjoyment from sitting back and soaking it all in, say so. You can even change your mind during the day.
If I have some real need for help, I'll tell you what to do, and how to do it if you don't already know. If you're an enthusiastic do-er, then we'll coordinate just like a sailing crew. If you're supervising from behind a drink, I'll only ask if it's important. If I'm crazy with busy-ness, I might impose on somebody to hand over the drinking water, or my jacket, or whatever - this is a different sort of request than "sheet out the main" or "trim the outhaul".
All this goes back to two basic facts: you're supposed to have a wonderful time, and I like just about everything about being in, on, and around sailboats (exceptions have to do with catastrophes, which we will not experience; we will never push the envelope enough for any real risks).
· Risks: I don't take any risks as long as anyone aboard is not experienced. If you have to ask about what's risky, then there won't be any risks while you're aboard. Period. I will obsess all day about the risk that your sailing experience might be blemished in some minor way. That's all the risk you get. Get over it. If something seems scary, speak up - I'll explain it until you're comfortable, or we'll decide to do something else. Some things about sailing speak to a different part of your mind than your intellectual capability. You might understand logically that something is OK, but still not be comfortable. This is OK, but I can't fix it if you don't tell me.
· Where do we go? We'll decide that as a group - everybody gets a vote. Consensus wins. Often, with correct planning, everybody gets his or her own way. See also The Itinerary Belongs To You on this page.
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The Itinerary and Schedule Belong To You
Every decision will be made by consensus - this is your day!
· 1100-1200: We set sail! During the morning hours, the breeze is usually light at the Golden Gate, so we might think about going out to the bridge for a little sight-seeing. This is an easy decision to make at the last second and entails no risk - we'll do the right fun thing at the time. It takes about 3 hours to sail from Alameda directly to the GG. There are also McCovey Cove at SBC Park, and the Brother's Islands north of the Richmond bridge.
I have also picked folks up and dropped them off at other locations, such as SF - this is kind of an adventure for everybody, so tell me if you have a location or schedule conflict.
· 1130-1400: We'll want a snack or lunch (see "Food and Partying", below). Good lunch places if we bring food are a slip or buoy at Ayala Cove, aka Hospital cove at Angel Island, or to anchor at Pac Bell Park, at East Garrison of Angel Island, or Christmas Cove at Treasure Island.
· 1700-1900: Maybe we'll like to have a sundowner, possibly accompanied by food, probably at the slip, OR this could entail more romantic anchoring, if y'all like. BTW: an at-slip or at-anchor chow session can be a very party-like activity, and eminently cool. The day can end whenever the consensus is that it should end. It's 2 hours from East Garrison to Long Winded's slip. Pac Bell Park or Christmas Cove to Alameda is like an 75 minutes.
· How long it will take us to get in the car once we're in the slip: Maybe 1900 or so, we'll button up the boat - this will take 30 minutes. You will likely escape before I do, because I'll hose the salt off the boat after everything is closed. If you borrowed my Gate fob, this is your last chance to give it back before I have to hunt you down and rifle your pockets for it.
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Food and Partying
As you know, a sailing vessel travels on its stomach - here's what we can do:
· Coordinate pot luck food.
· Delegate a volunteer to hit the deli.
· Take a slip at Angel Island and hit the cafe there. Weirdly, as I write this in August 2021, I've never eaten there. Go figure.
· Sail to Pier 1 and tie up next to the Ferry Biulding, then storm The City.
· Sail to Sam's Anchor Café (first come first served for moorage) in Tiburon. It is to be hoped that other restaurant spaces will re-open soon, but Sam's is sorta it in 2021.
· Sail to Pier 39 and eat out in SF. In 2021, Pier 39 is undergoing some construction, so this requires checking ahead of time.
· Sail to the Sausalito and eat ashore. This was coolest back when Horizon/Trident had a dock, but the pandemic killed their will to live, alas.
Each group decides its food arrangements. This is the part I don't do very well, so I look for consensus and volunteers. If you leave the food decisions up to me, it'll be "Eaat out," or "Bring your own damn lunch - do I look like Julia Child?" Anyone answering yes to this question will not return alive.
Beverages and partying: We'll need lots of water - you'll dehydrate in the wind. Soft drinks are good. Bringing alcohol is fine. I probably won't drink much alcohol, if any at all, depending on how many sailors are aboard. The rest of you are designated drinkers, depending on the rate of volunteerism for tough margarita duty.
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Fashion and Gear - What the well-dressed sailor will be wearing this summer on the Bay:
· A little wet? Mostly, the spray dodger will keep us dry, but there is a chance that the Bay will throw a little water on you, which is why a water-resistant jacket is a good thing. I might have something to fit you. There are absolutely towels!
· Weather: Note that if the weather is good, the apparent temperature could range from between like 48º to maybe 80º, or higher - just during one day. If San Francisco is cool and Sacramento is hot, then the wind machine, sometimes aided by fog, will cause the apparent temperature to be lower than the weatherman said.
· Shoes: Shoes with a grippy soles, eg tennis shoes or deck shoes - gotta be tolerant about possibly getting 'em wet. If your shoes don't lace down tight, then it's especially important to wear socks, in case you fall in the water and want to climb out again (also, sunburned ankles are uncool).
| Perfect pants combination: | Shorts under wind pants, long pants in your duffel bag for going ashore (or if the weather turns colder). Note that sweat pants absorb water really well - you might not like how this turns out. Jeans are OK. |
| "Sweat" layer | eg T-shirt |
| First "insulation" layer | eg "ski skin" turtleneck |
| Second insulation layer | eg sweater or sweatshirt - in the duffel bag |
| Outer layer | waterproof shell, eg weather jacket, biking shell - best if Gortex or similar, which repels water, but breathes. |
· Gloves: If you want to help with the work of sailing, then maybe gloves with no fingertips: sailing gloves, weight lifting gloves, other sport gloves - gotta be tolerant about possibly getting 'em wet - salty gloves can be rinsed in fresh water for that supple "been there, done that" world traveler look. I usually have a spare pair along.
· Sunglasses: UV AB Sunglasses! With a tether, unless you do some sort of religious sacrifice thing about dropping things into deep, cold water while going 6 miles per hour.
· Hat: Hat with chin strap, or retainer. Baseball cap with "wind clip" (or nylon twine & alligator clip) is great. Baseball caps often blow away if you look up at the sails. If the cap is tied or clipped to you, you're probably safe - hats don't usually have enough sail area to carry away an adult, and you get to keep your hat. If your cap does blow away, borrow one from someone else, like from my on-board stash - the cool among your party probably don't want to be seen with you, otherwise.
· Hair: If your hair is long enough to blow in the wind and tangle, this will be the defining entangling experience. Tie it back, wear a hat, shave your head - whatever works best for you.
· Sunscreen: Sunscreen, even if you tan - the glare & wind are more perilous than they seem. Also, do the voodoo you do for wind burn, like lip balm, if you have any voodoo to do. Do be do be do.
· Motion sickness: In the Bay, this is not a very big deal. Outside of the Golden Gate, it's somewhat more likely. If you're worried about this, take a Marazine, Dramamine, or whatever about the time you arrive at the boat, probably no more than a half hour before. It takes 30-60 minutes for everybody to get settled, check out the boat, etc., so your dose will have time to take effect. Motion sickness is a very individualized experience; however, although I do get carsick and seasick, I have never been seasick on the Bay. Why gamble, you ask? These drugs used to make me drowsy. I don't know if this would still be true, because I haven't used a motion sickness medication in years. I'll have some aboard.
· Kids: If you are bringing kids, we've already talked about it before you've come to this reading material. This is not a surprise hint that you should show up with your kids. Kids are great, but the passenger list has to be planned in advance. All that having been said, my Pesonal Flotation Device collection is good for people who weigh at least 90 pounds.
