The Cast.

The Madness of Crazy Captain Cliff

The Instigator: Captain Cliff Smyth, AKA Tamer.

The man all the madness will inevitably be blamed on. The person responsible for fostering (festering?) within me the desire to sail and a desire to be free and in charge of my own destiny.

I chose this photo because it shows the madness. This picture was taken on San Pablo bay just north of San Francisco around noon. We had Just sailed down the San Joaquin and Sacramento River on a stretched, 27 foot, Roberts 25 named Westward.

This picture is a mere 2.5 hours later as we prepare to pass under The Richmond- San Rafael Bridge and into San Francisco Bay. Mind you we are in a very tender, short tillered, 27 foot boat, sailing her into gail force winds for the first time. We have just learned everything we know of this boat's ability's and our skill with her over the preceding day and a half. Her sails were just some that Captain Cliff had found used and had recut, only one headsail, a jib, and one main with no reefing points grometted in. And then Captain Cliff says, "Maybe we should reef her in, what do you think?"


We had sailed at dawn on the previous day from Owl Harbor Marina up on the delta. No engine, just that wonderful feeling you get when a fresh morning wind fills your sails, and your boat moves effortlessly and silently out past all the sleeping boats in the marina. Just as the sun came up over the distant purple mountains we sailed out to the first mark, just a buoy showing the way past a wreck, and entered the channel in the steady flow of the San Joaquin.

The wind was as near to directly behind me as I left the slough where the marina was, and all I had to do was slowly ease into a broad reach with the wind on our starboard side. Then I searched forward with the binocs for the first channel buoy, a green one, found it and then set my course so as to stay well to port of it but still in the channel as I searched for the next one. The whole time of course I'm periodically checking my chart, and the moving plotter on the laptop that's connected to the gps, and letting the skipper (the afore mentioned Captain Cliff) know that I know where I am and what I'm doing.

Then it was a most splendid morning sail down river with just enough of a breeze to be traveling 7-10 knots over ground (4 knot river, and 3 to 6 knots thru-water speed).
Because of the meander of the river, even though the wind came on steady from just north of due west we were sailing from a broad reach to a close haul back to wing in wing and back close hauled again. At one point when we were at a critical turn in the river and the marked (and charted) channel was narrow we were quick tacking from close hauled to close hauled in order to reach the outside of the next turn but not get grounded in the process. In many respects sailing the river rung out all my sailing skill in a short time. Like lake sailing you are always on a lee shore, and like lake sailing the wind never seemed to be steady long enough. I've always thought that small boat sailing in lakes or small bays teaches Sailing better than anything.

Just a little after noon we had reached up just past the Highway 160 bridge when the wind began to trifle with us and then died altogether just off West Island. So we started the motor, just an outboard in an outboard motor well in the lazzerette, and motored into the marina at Antioch. The plan was to find a small market for provisions and to find a fabled West Marine that was said to be in the area. And maybe checking out a few bars if we could stay at the marina for cheap. We found out when we checked in with the Harbor Master that we were breaking the law.

It turns out that because of all the flooding on the Delta so far that summer there had been a ban issued on motorized small craft, mostly to cut down on wake erosion. It also turned out that the fine for violation was $1000.00, and the sheriff was out patrolling in his boat. So after making sure we could park our boat there we ventured into town and accomplished our goals (except the bars) just in time to be back an hour before sunset.

We had moved the boat earlier at the transient dock so that the bow was pointed directly out of the marina right across the river at Kimball Island, which was still in the county. Our plan was simple, just untie and push out across the river at a westerly angle and up Broad Slough and across the county line. Apparently the ban wasn't in effect in Sacramento County, so if we could get there before the sheriff saw us then we were home free. We did not want to be stuck in Antioch until the ban was lifted.

It worked of course and the wind returned, from the east, so after making it to the middle of Broad Slough, and the county line, we secured the motor and sailed on to the confluence of the San Joaquin and the Sacramento rivers. We had enough light left as the sun neared the horizon so we sailed on down the river to Suisun Bay then turned north towards a snug anchorage in a place called Honker Bay off of snag Island.

After the birds settled down on shore we settled in for our first night out on the the cruise. After a cup of tea we updated the log and went over our navigation and fuel consumption. Then we hit the bunks after setting an anchor watch on both GPS's.

The morning was clear with a light breeze, just from the wrong direction. We ran a close reach and then close hauled until we were right in front of the Port Chicago Navel Weapons loading facility then gave up and started motoring. Here is where we learned a lesson about charts and having updated info. Our paper chart was a chart book and our plotter chart was the latest NOAA chart of the area. The paper chart didn't have the new security lane around Port Chicago. So for about half the way we were violating the security zone. No one seemed to notice. But lack of information like that could get you into trouble.

After sailing around the point we came up on and passed under the new and old Benicia bridge and on up the canyon towards the Valejo bridge. Being on the motor the whole way made it simple to navigate the river and we had such a wide channel that we never had to get near any other craft, of which there were only tugs and cargo ships.
Part two in later posting.