Time and Tide wait for no man, so since we like high water we are leaving Tomales at 6:15.  Its gloomy with a thick marine layer.  We escape the clutches of the tide passing over the bar, and head toward the flashing red bouy that marks the safe water beyond Tomales point.   Greeted by confused 8 foot seas with the wind 12 to 15 knots, almost on the nose we have 3 knots of boat speed, an eternity, well at least 10 hours of motoring  to Point Reyes.  Because of the southerly seas and swells, we won’t be able to hide out at Drakes Bay.  We briefly consider running to Bodega, getting a slip and enjoying the comforts there, but the weather is like this for at least a week and we are going to warmer waters.

It’s a sailboat, so we put up a full main and genoa, fall off and point.  Our rounding will be about 5 miles wide, but we need some power.  We have owned footloose for almost three years, but we are still learning.  She wakes up and starts to head down the track at 6 knots pushing her way through the confused swells.  We grin at each other, great boat.

Around Point Reyes we tack towards the coast in a dying wind.  Eventually we are motoring south in flat seas.

You Tube: Sailing south in flattening seas