Drakes Bay

Finally. The weather was looking good for an overnight jaunt north to Drakes Bay. I had been wanting to do this trip for sometime. The forecast was light westerlies on the first day, and no more than 20 knots and 6-feet swells on the second (on the mild side for the Gulf of the Farallones).

Mirror calm in the Gulf of the Farallones

The trip up was motoring in a dead calm for 4/5s of the 28 NM distance. Who knew that the Gulf could be as calm as this?

Pt Reyes emerges from the fog

There was so much fog that I could only see the coast as a shadow from time to time, until the last few miles.

Safe anchorage

Drakes Bay is much more beautiful than I expected. It was stunning to see the white cliffs of New Albion emerge from the fog (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Albion).

Lounging and housekeeping

Little Cat was anchored a couple hundred yards from an Elephant seal colony, and was circled continuously for several hours by a Harbor Porpoise mom and baby.

Dusk with the NE breeze bringing the fog over the hills

Pt Reyes receding into the fog

Next morning it is up anchor, and off into the fog (again) for the trip home. We headed offshore on a gentle reach (see video below) in prep for the turn downwind for a direct run home to Pt Bonita.

Movie clip: offshore into the fog

True to form the mild conditions didn't last, and we ended up running in a steady 20 knots and a 6-8 foot following swell from the NW. Little Cat surfed at up to 9 knots (dead downwind is not a fast point of sail in a Tiki). The trip down the coast was all over in four hours in these conditions - I got stuck with the classic mistake of leaving the #1 genoa up too long until it was difficult to get down in the conditions. The new autopilot got over-powered with the genoa and full main up in 20 knots, but was fine once I reduced sail to the reefed jib. Then it was just through the awful slop past Pt Bonita and in to Sausalito. 68 nautical miles this trip.