ADVENTURE CAT 2 was heading back into port as we sailed out to the west.
CM was hanging out in front of pier 39, waiting for us, and here she is heading west on port tack and looking good.
This nice looking sailboat named KUCHINA was headed east and would have been looking good but for a fender dangling over the starboard side.
A Pacific Seacraft sailboat was heading east and passed to port.
CM and ANTICIPATION were both beating up the cityfront to stay in the strongest breeze, and here CM is behind us, sailing beautifully on port tack.
The city behind is enjoying the brilliant sunshine and warm air.
Here we are both on starboard tack, and you can see that it is short-sleeve sailing weather.
A number of other sailboats were out enjoying the delighful conditions, like AuDeo, a Catalina, here heading east....
....but then changing course and heading west, looking good!
As we were in front of the St. Francis YC, we were passing on both sides of a lovely Folkboat heading for the gate.
Olivier was relaxing with CM's helm tied in place as we sailed west-- the sea flat because of the flood current so our hulls were cutting through the water like soft butter-- well sort of, but it feels great to be sailing out there, full canvas up, smoothly carving a path through a calm sea.
The wind shifted more into the south, so we were able to point directly toward the gate, but with the flood current tending to push us northward, so it wasn't clear whether we'd be able to sail out the gate without more tacking. This lovely large sailboat was sailing across the bay from the north on starboard tack and looking great!
These three windsurfers were racing eastward, heading back from the gate.
That large sailboat crossing the bay in front of us, was pushed eastward by the flood current as was now behind us, heading for the gate against the strongest part of the flood current in the middle of the gate.
Olivier on CM had sailed closer to the shore to try to find some flood relief and was actually gaining on us a bit as we sailed out the gate-- look how beautiful CM looks and you can imagine that ANTICIPATION was looking as good or more so, as she sailed under the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, with the eyes of the people on the bridge and the vista points on the north and south sides of the bridge upon us.
We were well outside the gate and finding less wind along the shore of the Marin Headlands as that slarge sailboat finally was sailing out the gate.
We lost most of the breeze as we approached Kirby Cove, so tacked back to the southeast to find stronger breeze, thinking about then tacking back to the west to sail out to Pt. Bonita, but then decided to head home and not risk that the breeze might die out as sunsset approached. Behind us, CM was sailing across the gate after finding the good breeze again.
We were blasting downwind with flood current assist, and passed this lovely Knarr sailboat heading for the gate.
CM was now inside the gate, but heading toward the Crissy Field shore.
As we continued sailing toward home port on broad reach starboard tack, we began to see some J-boats out practicing for the J-Fest Regatta over the weekend, like this one heading toward the gate off Crissy Field beach.
Here RACER X is heading for the cityfront on starboard tack.
The city was enjoying the beautiful evening sunshine as we sailed between pier 45 and pier 39.
SPARTAN, a J105, was also out race-practicing, but seemed not to have a full crew compliment.
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We pulled in the jib as we were passing pier 39, and then came into the wind between pier 35 and the marina seawall to douse the main, tie it up, tie on fenders and ready dock lines for landing before motoring into port, feeling great and full of sailing pleasure!
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