The Last Two Weeks - 11/20/06

The last couple of weeks have really been fun and interesting for me. I have been working on my web site, The Sailors Place and I have done a few things that change the site a lot.
First of all, the Racing Dinghy and Catamaran Screen Savers on the site were placed there as Shareware so they could be downloaded for free, but with writing across each screen. This allowed anyone interested to check out the pictures and if they wanted the Screen Saver without the writing across the screen they could purchase it for $10.00, get a registration key and eliminate the Shareware writing. The idea behind that was to develop Screen Savers of regattas and sell them to the regatta participants and Club members for the benefit of Youth Sail Training.
Unfortunately, the pilot project I ran at my Yacht Club (Richmond) did not result in any sales of the Screen Savers I made from the RYC Midwinters Regatta in 2005. I did do some individual boat pictures during the regatta, however, and sold them which resulted in $70.00 that I donated to the Richmond Yacht Club Foundation. However, the Club administration that I dealt with were less than encouraging about my efforts to raise money for the Club’s Foundation/Youth Sail Training. I wanted to advertise the money raising effort on the RYC web site with a link to my site but that got no support from the web master, the Chair of the Foundation or the Commodore of the Club at the time. Without enthusiastic Club support allowing web site and Newsletter promotion of the Screen Savers there was not much chance of the project having any success at all so I decided not to make any further efforts.
The Screen Savers have been on my site for almost 2 years now without any purchase (there were some Shareware file downloads, however). So – I decided that I would remove the Shareware files and offer the downloads for free. If anyone reading this would like to check out the Racing Dinghy and Catamaran Screen Savers I have on the site now CLICK HERE.
I plan to take some more pictures of regattas in the next year, beginning with the Richmond Y. C. Midwinters that are one day each month from December, 2006 through March, 2007 . That will provide some additional Screen Savers which I will put up on the site as I develop them.
The other thing that has changed on the site, that I really enjoyed doing, is setting up a page on "Sailing Music. I found a neat web site called "The Mother of all Maritime Links" which I think is absolutely amazing. I have a number of links to it throughout my site as it relates to a lot of the content on The Sailors Place. While doing that I took a look at one of his categories "Music" and found a link to a site called Contemplator.Com that has hundreds of MIDI files on sailing songs (and other material like Folk Songs, as well). It is featured on my Sailing Music page. I wanted to actually play music on the site and I found the way to do it with some research on the Internet. You can see what I mean by a CLICK HERE.

I also put some music on the page that has my story of a trip I made on a C & C 43 footer from Seattle to San Francisco in 1996. To see (and hear) that you can CLICK HERE.

Delta Cruise: Day 9-Friday, 09/22/06

This picture is of the Viking Lady at Pittsburg Y. C. but not on this day. This was taken the morning of September 16th before we left to go to the Stockton Sailing Club.
Fred and I intended to leave early today as the forecast was for strong winds of 25 to 30 knots in the area with gusts up to 45 knots. BUT - when I tried to start the engine it would not start - big downer! I messed with it for a few minutes but nothing I tried worked. Someone walking by from our group mentioned that Juan Stompinato was a mechanic so I went over to his boat and knocked on the cabin. Unfortunately, I woke him up but he was very nice and said not to let it bother me. He came over to my boat in a little while and started to do some trouble shooting. He identified the problem right away – the Lift Pump was not working. He checked to see if fuel was getting to the Pump and it was. About that time I discovered a loose ground wire. When we got that wire connected the pump worked and the engine started! Juan was a real help – I do not know what I would have done without him and I really appreciated it!

When we left we experienced 25 to 30 knot winds from the North for about an hour with lots of chop and spray. Then the wind went to about 15 to 20 knots just before the Martinez Bridge. We unfurled our Jib, shut off the engine and sailed from then on. When we got past the Carquinez Bridge we set the Main Sail and were in full sailing mode until we got to a short distance from The East Brothers Light House where the wind disappeared and we had to motor into the Richmond Y. C. The trip from Pittsburgh Y. C. turned out to be really great compared to the expected miserable slog into over 30 knot winds that I thought was going to be the case the day before.

I really enjoyed the Richmond Yacht Club Delta Cruise for 2006. The first five days were especially good as Bryan O’Hara was a great partner on the trip and helped make the time together fun, interesting and just overall - good! The two single handing days were not as boring as I thought they would be as we were able to sail a good part of the time because of the unusual Northerly winds we experienced. The last day with my son Fred along was a really good one and because the high winds did not appear and they stayed Northerly, we had some great sailing in warm, sunny weather.

Delta Cruise: Day 8-Thursday, 09/21/2006

We had to time our departure from the Delta Marina today for the same reason we did at Oxbow Marina. The water was deep enough by 12:30 PM and we left for the Pittsburg Yacht Club. The trip was short - about 2 hours - and we took the Sacramento River all the way.
This is a picture of the Pittsburg Yacht Club Clubhouse.

When I realized that we were not going to go into Three Mile Slough and down the San Joaquin as indicated in the E-Mails prior to the trip I immediately unfurled my jib as the wind was from the North again and about 15 to 20 knots which was perfect. Everyone else (except the "Ciao") did the same thing shortly after they saw my jib come out. We motorsailed again for most of the way until the wind disappeared about 30 minutes before the end of our trip.

The Pittsburg Y. C. welcomed us as they always do and we had a potluck dinner there with them that night. My son, Fred, met me there about 9:30 PM so that the two of us could sail back to Richmond Yacht Club the next day. We sat in the cabin and talked until about midnight and then hit the sack.

Delta Cruise: Day 7-Wednesday, 09/20/2006

We had to time our departure from Oxbow Marina to the Delta Marina in Rio Vista so that we had enough water over the bottom of the Oxbow Marina entrance. We must have picked the right time as everyone got over the bar with no problem. The trip up Georgianna Slough was calm, warm and beautiful.

This picture is of Dan Seifers on "Double Delight". As you can see it definitely was warm and the boat has an autopilot!

When we turned into the Sacramento River the wind came up and now it was off our Beam so we all deployed our Jibs and motor sailed almost all the way down to the Sacramento Deep Water Channel. We were getting gusts to 30 knots and I broached a few times but, overall, had a great sail.

We pulled into the Delta Marina about 3:00 PM. It is not as much fun sailing now, since I am single handed so I was glad to get tied up at the Marina, get a shower and relax a bit. Juan and Eva Stompinato in their Catalina 34 "Ciao" were there to meet us and to continue on the trip with the group.

We all gathered at The Point Restaurant at the Marina for dinner. I had Calimari Steak and it was absolutely great! I was sitting next to Dan Petersen’s wife, Gerri, who drove in to have dinner with the group tonight and she ordered a mixed seafood grill that included Calimari steak. She said she did not like Calimari so I said I would help her out and eat it for her. When my meal arrived I convinced her to take a taste of my Calimari Steak and she really liked it. Unfortunately, for me, she backed out of our "deal" and I did not get to help her out with her Calimari.

Delta Cruise: Day 6-Tuesday, 09/19/2006

This is a non-travel day and as far as I am concerned, a real blessing. I was really tired and sore last night. Today I topped off the fuel tank, set the cockpit awning, got more ice for the ice box and ice chest and other than those few chores, just laid around the boat.

I worked this morning on the SeaClear chart program (see Note below) and set up the route from Pittsburg YC to Richmond YC. I transferred waypoints from the Sea Clear program on my computer to my Garmin GPS 76 so that I would have references on the way down to Richmond to keep track of our progress and have some idea of how long it would be to the next check point. That breaks up a long trip into small segments and helps make the time pass faster.

I think some of the group went to the Marina swimming pool but I was too lazy again and just messed around the boat. At the Bar-B-Q in the evening we had drive-in vistors from some of the former Delta Cruises – Roy Howard, Gene Serex and Mary Gulbranson.

NOTE: You can get the Free SeaClear chart program for your computer by going to my website at the URL: http://www.The-Sailors-Place.com/Navigation.htm

Delta Cruise: Day 5-Monday, 09/18/2006

This morning Bryan went for a swim again and liked it so much he did it again about noon time. I guess I really am getting old as the whole process of getting ready, getting over the initial cold shock, and then putting on my clothes again was just too much effort. How lazy can you get???

We all left the Potato Slough anchorage about 2:15 PM and motored up the San Joaquin River and made a starboard turn into the Mokelume River. We had our first bridge opening when we approached the turn into Georgianna Slough on our way up to the Oxbow Marina. Unfortunately Kooyah went aground about a half mile below the bridge. Double Delight helped Kooyah get off the "high" ground. That took about 20 minutes but during the process of getting unstuck, Kooyah ended up with a clogged raw water filter and the engine started overheating. Kooyah had a tow from Double Delight up to the bridge and later, into Oxbow Marina but was able to motor most of the way to Oxbow. We all arrived okay, otherwise, and Don Farquharson had the filter cleared up very quickly after pulling into the Marina.

Bryan left for home shortly after we arrived and I know I am going to miss him. I really enjoyed sailing with him for the past 5 days and going it alone for the next two days will not be any where near as much fun as before.

In the evening we all gathered at the Oxbow Marina Bar-B-Q area and each of us cooked up our "goodies" on the Bar-B-Q, had lots of good conversation and then adjourned to our boats. Dan Peterson told me that he had to save his Sausages for Oxbow as they "were not allowed to cook something like that" on the Bar-B-Q’ s at the St. Francis Y. C. Facility at Tinsley Island. I think he was kidding me but then, maybe not??

Delta Cruise-Day 4-Sunday, 09/17/2006

Today was our trip to the spot we would stay "on the anchor" for the night. It was a short motor up to Potato Slough. The area we set anchors (or at least tried to) was deep right up to the marshy island we picked. We were about a half a mile up into the slough and just off the channel traveled by the motor boats and motor yachts every now and then. The other boats were able to get their anchors set but the "Lady" could not seem to get the anchor to dig in. We did find a metal post set into the mud on the end of the marsh island and we dropped a loop around it for our bow tie up – that worked great. Dan Seifers came over in his dinghy and took our stern anchor out and dropped it but in the morning we found that it had just dragged and we were broadside to the "tules".
Bryan took a swim but I was too lazy to change into my swim suit so I just sat and watched the sun set. We all gathered just before sunset on the "Kooyah" for a Happy Hour and then Bryan and I went back to our boat (ferried on Dan Seifer’s dinghy) and cooked up some spaghetti about 8:00 PM – a really late dinner for me who is used to eating about 5:00 PM.

Delta Cruise-Day 3-Saturday, 09/16/2006

We left Pittsburg about 10:00 AM on our way to the Stockton Sailing Club where we would rejoin the other 3 boats who had overnighted at Tinsley Is. As we passed Tinsley Is. we saw one of our boats, the Queen Anne, come out of the channel. We did not recognize it as it turned down the river when we came in instead of going up the river to Stockton. Also it was towing a dinghy and when it arrived in Benecia, the last time we saw it, the dinghy oar ends were dragging in the water and that was not the case with the dinghy behind the boat we were looking at.

We turned in to Tinsley Is. just to get a few pictures of it as I was sort of curious as to what it looked like. We did not try to dock but just motored around a little and then left. The clubhouse there is the former lighthouse that was installed on Southhampton Shoal many years ago and when the light was de-activated , St. Francis Y. C. acquired it and transported it up into the Delta to its Tinsley Is. Facility. The picture above shows the top of the lighthouse.

When we got back into the San Joaquin River we were able to sail wing on wing and gradually overhauled the boat we had seen leaving Tinsley as we entered. Now we could read the name on the stern and realized it was Dan Petersen and his sister on the Queen Anne. We said Hello as we sailed by and then we could see the Double Delight about a mile ahead of us. It is a 34 ft. Gemini Catamaran and we did not catch up to it but we tried!! We had 20 to 25 kt. winds all day and I was amazed at how well the boat moved on a broad reach and/or run with the big Genoa pulling us along. We were consistently sailing at very close to 7 knots most of the day. As we entered the Stockton Sailing Club marina we had to make our way through about 50 Flying Junior dinghys with 100 teenagers in them racing in a major regatta.

We stayed the night at the Stockton S. C. and cooked our meal at the Clubhouse on their Bar-B-Q. Bryan and I sat in the boat’s cabin after dinner talking about our experiences on the Cruise so far and all of a sudden it was midnight. It’s amazing how time goes by when you have good company.

Delta Cruise-Day 2-Friday, 09/15/2006

We woke up to a beautiful bright sunny day with nice gentle calm winds - a great contrast to 35 knot winds and overcast skies the day before.
The other 3 boats left before us with their destination the St. Francis Yacht Club facility on Tinsley Island - a short distance above Stockton on the San Joaquin River. They had a fairly long sail so they left pretty early.

Bryan and I had decided not to go to Tinsley Island and instead, we made our overnight stay at the Pittsburg Y. C. On our way there we took a side trip to the Mothball Fleet in Suisun Bay. We sailed up to the Eastern end of the group of ships - taking pictures all the way - and then back down again still taking pictures. It was a little more difficult sailing on the way back down as we were beating into the wind and doing a lot of tacking. Wind was about 25 knots so we furled the Genoa to about 95 %. The boat, as a result, had to stay about 15 - 20 degrees more off the wind when close hauled as the furled jib is not very efficient.

When we got to Pittsburg we were able to participate in their "famous" Friday night meal. It’s "famous" because it is cooked and served by a Culinary class from a local Junior College. A Pittsburg Yacht Club member is their teacher and supervises the whole thing. Everyone serving the meal is dressed in a Chef’s uniform. The food is very good and your plate when you get it at the end of the serving line looks like something served up on a first class Cruise Ship. We both really enjoyed the dinner, the very friendly and helpful club members and our overnight there.

Delta Cruise-Day 1-Thursday, 09/14/2006

We left the RYC marina at 11:30 AM for Benecia. Don Farquharson in his E-Mails prior to the trip had indicated that they would probably leave about 10:00 AM but we did not see anyone leaving and finally decided to set off at 11:30 AM. As it turned out we were the first to get going.

The picture is of the East Brothers Light House in San Pablo Bay, a short distance North of the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge.

On the first part of the trip there were three other boats other than the Viking Lady, a 30' Newport Mk III. They were Kooyah a 35.5' Hunter (Don and Mary Farquharson); Double Delight (Dan and Carol Seifers) a 34' Gemini Catamaran; Queen Anne a 30' Hunter (Dan Peterson and his sister Muriel). The Ciao a 34' Catalina (Juan and Eva Spampinato) linked up with the cruise on September 20th.

The wind in the morning at Pt. Richmond was about 20 to 25 knots and the forecast for the day was still gale force winds and small craft warnings.
When we set sail we just unfurled the 155% Genoa Jib and left the Main down. When we got into San Pablo Bay we had consistent 30 knot winds with gusts to 40 kt. and 4 foot waves off our Port quarter.

As a result my Newport 30 ( not known to be a very fast boat by any means) was surfing off the four foot waves and going from 9 to 10 knots during the surfing period. My GPS showed, one time, while I was looking at it during a surf - 10.1 knots over the bottom. Average speed to Benecia was 7 knots. That is the fastest I have ever had the Viking Lady go from one place to another in the 4 years I have owned her.

The four boats going on the Delta Cruise arrived at the Benecia Marina spaced out over a 2 hour period in the afternoon. We all met on the cruise leaders boat (Don Farquharson’s Kooyah) to get "organized", have some adult beverages and snacks. After that we walked into downtown Benecia for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant. As it happens the food there was the best Chinese food I have had in years.

Richmond Yacht Club Fall Delta Cruise September 14 - 22, 2006

Before the Richmond Yacht Club cruise to the Delta ---

About a month before the 2006 Delta Cruise dates of September 14th to 24th I sent an E-Mail to everyone I could think of that might be interested in going with me. I was fortunate in getting a reply from Bryan O’Hara who had replied to some E-Mails I sent to persons on the Latitude 38 Cruising Crew List earlier in the year. Bryan indicated that he would be available for the first five days of the trip and my son (Fred Pelz) volunteered to meet me on Friday, September 22nd and go with me back to the Club. I decided that I would leave the trip a little early and go back on Friday rather than Sunday (which was the official last day).

I picked up Bryan at Oxbow Marina which was our destination on the fifth day so that he could leave his vehicle there. That let him leave the cruise at that point and drive back home without anyone having to pick him up.
We drove to the Richmond Yacht Club marina, unloaded all of the "stuff" for the trip which took a couple of trips with the Dock Cart, stowed everything and then went to a restaurant for dinner. When we got back I tuned into the VHF weather channel on the boat and we got a forecast of gale force winds and small craft warnings for the next day. Bryan asked me if I had been in that kind of weather with this boat and I assured him that I had. He did not say anything more but the next day before we left the subject did come up again – with good reason as the wind was blowing pretty good by the time we decided to leave.