We started with a 1 hour cruise to Ayala Cove, and spent 2 days on the mooring balls there.  First day, we were in shock, wow we had finally thrown off the dock lines.  Tired we sat around all day doing not much more than discussing the techniques other boats used to suspend themselves between two mooring balls.  Second day we had a great walk on the perimeter trail. With amazing vistas of the city and bay.  A walk through history; Angel has been the home of immigrants and soldiers.  Legs were tired after that one.

Alcatraz

Angel Island

Then another short motor to Sausaulito, where we tied up at Schoonmaker Marina.  Windy was the key word.  The boat was at cruising RPMs just to stay even with the dock to tie up….  We rode our bikes downtown.  Sausalito was a festival of food.   Lunch at Napa Valley Burger Company.  Dinner at Le Garage, just a few steps from our boat.  Breakfast at Fred’s.  Yum.

I also fulfilled a decades old desire to visit the Bay Model.  An amazing place used to model large scale changes to the bay, like dredging and making new channels.  Originally it was used to test the Reber Plan which involved damming the bay to stop salt water incursion into the central valley.  The North bay would have been one large fresh water reservoir.  Really enjoyed the Marinship display, and listening to interviews with old timers who helped turn out ships for WWII. They really were the greatest generation.

The Slot

Alameda

Anchored off of China camp in Marin.  Ahhh it’s warm.  There is a little fetch when the ebb fights the wind but great evenings on the porch watching the sun go down.  We did some boat work rigging up a wringer for hand wash when there are no laundromats.  New gasket for the refrigerator.   Lisa is working on a provisioning work sheet.  She is getting used to her inflatable SUP board by paddling against the chop and current.. It takes about ten times longer to get back to the boat than it does to get downwind.   Looks like hard work to me.   We launched the Kayak and went sailing for an hour and a half.  Great sailing through the chop and fairly warm water of China camp.  Lisa is testing out new recipes.  Ham and beans in the pressure cooker.  Delhi chicken and rice. Last night boxed brownies while we watched Netflix.

Cooking

Staying in touch

Chinese fishing village

Sun Down on the porch

One of Lisa’s Fabulous Salads and Lasagne

Cold but fun.

That was our seventh day of cruising.  At anchor the days seem to pass easily, we are busy with projects, but the whole thing lacks the incessant urgency of the work world.  Before you know it, it’s time to watch another sunset.  Seven days is only a short vacation but we don’t have that nagging feeling of having to be back to work next week.  Or as a self-employed guy that sense that your overhead meter was flying along furiously while you are pretending to be relaxed.

Now tied up at South Beach Harbor.  It feels kind of rushed.  Wish we had allowed a few more days. With provisioning (boaty term for grocery shopping) and Laundry, we feel like there is no time to play tourist in our own town.

We met Carol and Charlie for Dinner at Delancy Street.  Delancy is a half-way house for recovering addicts and others facing personal challenges.  As part of their operation they provide job training and experience.  They have a moving company and a white table cloth restaurant.  The food was great with reasonable prices and charming wait staff.

Afterwards, we put the running lights on the dingy and took a quick trip to ATT Park (the ball park in San Francisco) where the Giants were playing.  It’s a little bit of a San Francisco thing to take your boat to McCovey Cove, where you can’t actually watch the game but you can see the lights and the people and hear the roar of the crowd.  People on big boats keep an eye on the TV while they enjoy refreshments. When Bonds was hitting long ones out of the park, people in kayaks would race to get the home run balls.

South Beach Harbor

For our last night out we ate at Boulevard with Felecia and Paul.  Great food as usual.  This was one of our favorite places to eat out.