10/3/2010 - Plans and how they change

Scott & Sandy, It looks like we're not going to make it to Santa Cruz
before you leave on your vacation. If we stuck to our original
schedule, it would have us leaving San Leandro tomorrow mid-morning
(with the tide) and arriving at Half Moon Bay, under the best
scenario, sometime tomorrow night. If we then got up early on Tuesday
the 5th, we might arrive in SC around 18 hours later (say, 2AM on the
6th). If I remember right, the 6th is your departure date.
Soooooooooo....

We're getting a lot of advice from Bay Area sailors here at the
Rendezvous, primarily Jim & Julie on s/v Worldwind. Apparently we've
arrived during Fleet Week. Their suggestions are mainly to leave here
tomorrow and sail to Sausalito and then anchor for a day or two or
three in Richardson Bay across from the Sausalito waterfront. They
say it's their favorite place to anchor in the Bay. Then maybe take a
day and sail over to Angel Island, bite the bullet and pay the $20-$30
they're asking for a mooring, take the dinghy ashore and explore the
island either by hiking around and then climbing to the top (Mt.
Livermore) or taking the guided tour on the tram and then hiking to
the top for what is supposed to be a really spectacular view of at
least 3 bridges and several cities on the Bay. Then, on Friday, we
should sail to Aquatic Park and anchor right next to Ghirardelli
Square. This will require actual sailing as power vessels are not
allowed due to swimmers. That means we anchor under sail (which we've
done before) and weigh anchor under sail as well (which we've never
done...yet). We'll have to think about that one. The reason to go
here for the weekend is that the Blue Angels put on an aerial show for
Fleet Week right off the shore. Apparently it's quite dramatic as
they get pretty darn low. Besides the Blue Angels, we'd be right next
to a number of attractionsalong the north beach of the San Francisco
peninsula. After the weekend, we might sail across the Golden Gate
Strait and anchor in Horseshoe Bay at the north foot of the bridge and
make our departure from there sometime the week of October 11.

IF we do all that, we may, weather-permitting, skip Half Moon Bay,
Santa Cruz, Morro Bay, etc. and scoot directly to the Channel Islands
and then to Catalina Island so we can be there in time for the
Cruisers' Weekend, sponsored by Latitudes and Attitudes magazine on
Oct. 16 & 17. If we don't make it for that, no big deal, but it would
be kind of cool. After all, Lats & Atts publisher, Bob Bitchin buys
all the beer and provides the music. And a few Southern California
Westsailors kind of use the weekend as an excuse for a mini-rendezvous
at Two Harbors.

So, this be cruisin'. Making plans and then changing them as more
data is accumulated.