best sailing course. Fewer than 30 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge are found four groups of small islands, islets and rocks that make up the Farallon Islands. Don went to sleep early in the quarterberth. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. There were a small number of scientific Wind, waves & weather Superforecast Farallon Islands / California , United States for kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing & sailing. Our first time going any Adventures of an old Seadog, ep83 Since then we have done lot of other work I had the opportunity to sail to the Farallon Islands recently as part of an “essential services” trip to replenish supplies and personnel that work on the island. My friend Sue and I were heading to the starting line off of City Front for the 1983 Doublehanded Farallon’s race with another 62 boats. It’s harder in Santa Cruz to get a lower harbor slip than a boat! sailing. Both slept, although later Don complained that he kept waking up a foot in the air just as he crashed back down on the bunk. 7:36. Continued … At one point I looked up to see a towering wave looming much higher than the deck and as it curled towards me I realized it was going to break over the foredeck. The Farallon Islands are only 26 miles west of San Francisco but feel remote. the Island around 11:00 A.M. and headed back to Half Moon Bay on a SE course. Solar panels for boats: an easy installation guide. In addition to the Coast Gurard requirements we had a Lifesling, a Horseshoe buoy w/marker, a spotlight, three VHFs (the boat's and two portable), three GPSs, and several cell phones. Our first time going any significant distance up the Northern California coast, and first time sailing overnight on the open ocean. A rarity for April. Racing. The islands are also sometimes referred to by mariners as the Devil's Teeth Islands, in reference to the many treacherous underwater shoals in their vicinity. As we came closer we saw numerous large sea caves and arches. lions. Captain Curran after safe arrival in Tortuga Bay... exceptionally sad story that occurred during the Full Crew Farallones Race. When you get to the Farallons, stay well away from the shore. Due to the friction in the system we decided we would have to detach the steering cable in order to use it (another potential use for the bolt cutters we carry). We now keep our boat in La Paz, Mexico. twiggsmcgee 0 twiggsmcgee 0 … bearing, a folding prop, and new jib, main and gennaker. I didn't intend for boats to hijack my life, but that's what happened. The best I could do was roughly hourly chart plots, which turned out OK but wasn't what I have been taught as best practice. Sailing to Farallon Islands The distance from the Golden Gate Bridge outside of San Francisco to the Farallon Islands is approximately 29 miles (25 nautical miles). looking out of place amongst the rocks. Simple theme. During this first part of the voyage it took us forever to get past Davenport, a town about 10 miles north of Santa Cruz. Sailing to tropical islands. About 11:00 the wind came up (20+knots), the sun came out, and we turned off the engine and started surfing the waves with a wing-on-wingsetup. We wound up tying it off with a line from it's handle to the cleat next to the starboard Jib winch. We called in on the VHF and reserved The Gulf of the Farrallones National Marine Sanctuary is home to some of the world's largest great white sharks. I was counting on the smoother seas at night to motorsail up the coast. It's generally a better way to see the islands. Sailing to Catalina Island: distance and time from Los Angeles, Sailing from San Diego to Catalina Island: distance and time (Mission Bay, Oceanside, Dana Point, Avalon, Two Harbors), Sailing from San Diego to Los Angeles: nautical miles and time for a boating trip (Mission Bay, Dana Point, Newport Beach, Huntington Harbor, Los Angeles Harbor, Marina del Rey), The Cynical Sailor and His Salty Sidekick, Golden Gate Bridge out to the Farallon Islands, we saw some Risso dolpins while crossing the channel. Five people lost their lives during a race Saturday. As 32 boats were making their way around a challenging in-the-Bay course that took the place of the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s canceled Singlehanded Farallones Race (you’ll find the report on the Stand Down Race in Wednesday’s ‘Lectronic), a handful of sailors made the trek out to the Farallon Islands, possibly in protest of the temporary… We hadn't been able to eat the dinner The Farallon Islands are actually a chain of three separate groups of islands. the ‘hill climb’. to Carmel Bay for the night, then down the Big Sur coast for a day followed On May 1, 2010 new marine protected areas went into effect along California’s coast, from Point Arena to Pigeon Point. … Make sure to check your charts and GPS repeatedly so you're certain you're clearing the rocks with plenty of margin of error. I gazed out on the sparkling blue waters of San Francisco Bay from my 33 foot sailboat, Rough and Rettie, and thought it was a perfect day for sailing. your own Pins on Pinterest They move at 25+ knots and really can go from the horizon to hitting you in 15 minutes. took a welcome hot shower ashore. It is a lot of fun. Check the wind statistics for Farallon Islands when you want to find the best last minute travel destination for your kiteboarding, windsurfing or sailing vacation in United States. If we John Wade is one of about 20 skippers who make up the Farallon Patrol for PRBO Conservation Science. earlier times when the sea level was higher. Copyright protected 2015. Sailing ; Sailing Anarchy ; Farallon Islands: Archived. It's not a PHRF or any kind of a handicap race but the average PHRF of the boats racing is probably around 100, so though I think we sail the boat well, we generally are in the rear. Nature Lover's Trip to the Farallon Islands. Powered by. We were out for 40 hours, sailing approximately 140 nm in 27 hours with one rest in Half Moon Bay. and about 70 nm upwind from Santa Cruz. I would assume that they have to be "self-sufficient" like a sailboat: having their own food, water, electricity and waste management (of course!). San Francisco Whale Tours: Farallon Islands trip - Modern, fast, big boat - can get crowded - See 2,309 traveler reviews, 341 candid photos, and great deals for San Francisco, CA, at Tripadvisor. We successfully race with the back of the pack against the Cals, Catalinas and Benateaus in the 27-35 foot range. With winds light we made 4-5 knots all day Recommended Posts. We island hop in the Sea of Cortez when we can get away from work. It's a pretty straightforward offshore sail out through the Golden Gate and back again. To ensure that there will be wildlife to view, boaters need to comply with the special closures needed to minimize disturbance and protect the marine wildlife. Additionally, they should accept only enough guests as there are seats on the boat. These units are often used by sailors, kiters, surfers, windsurfers and paragliders. Join us aboard an exciting all day offshore adventure to the Farallon Islands! In retrospect, we had numerous small problems such as the steering problem (lubing the cable fixed this) and having the fuel tank exhaust vent clog (gunked up exhaust screens made fueling a slow process). We usually wore harnesses in the cockpit and always when going forward. By: Mike Holmes. The waves are a ragged mix of wind waves and ocean swell, usually 6 to 8 feet, A boat trip offers passengers a view of seabirds, seals and whales. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. So we were worried about the steering. The highest fur seal kill—200,000—was probably 1834. This trip departs from World Famous Pier 39 in San Francisco Bay to the Gulf of the Farallones! We kept warm and, though we ate less than half the food we brought, ate well. Straightforward sailing. Farallon Islands I was surprised by the homes built for marine scientists. The prospect of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and exploring San Francisco is raising spirits though. In 1817 a permanent Russian hunting colony was established on Southeast Farallon Island. It’s cold and gray. Whale watchers keeping a keen eye to the water. This we lashed to the stern and used as a steering oar. That year, 30,000 fur seal hides were collected during a five-month season. Check the wind forecast for Farallon Islands when you want to find the best last minute travel destination for your kiteboarding, windsurfing or sailing vacation in United States. Sailing too close to shore was the cause of the sail boat accident during a race a … Heading South we motorsailed at about 5 knots. I did brief bits of navigating mixed between catnaps and being sick. NOW LEAVING FROM MARINA BAY YACHT HARBOR - RICHMOND MARINA IN SAN FRANCISCO'S EAST BAY. There Farallon Islands: By twiggsmcgee, November 30, 2013 in Sailing Anarchy. You need to take currents and tides into consideration when approximating your speed to the island chain. Sailing to Farallon Islands We got tired of the current yacht club that we belonged, so my sailing buddy Steve Song and I joined the Berkeley OCSC sailing club and signed up for on a trip to the Farallon Islands. During this time we passed the Pigeon point lighthouse, some 30 miles north of Santa Cruz. The Farallones host globally significant wildlife populations, including hundreds of thousands of seabirds and … In the summer the ocean here generally We were now making better than 5 knots and about 8:30 in the morning we saw the islands on the horizon. Some of the arches were around a hundred feet up and must have been made in The islands of the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge are managed by the U.S. Sailing to the Farallon Islands - Duration: 13:37. between a broad reach and a wing-on-wing run. Starting out of Santa Cruz until around 11:00 P.M., we were brutally bashing almost directly upwind. The Farallons are named from the Spanish word "Farallones" for islands Happily the wheel steering continued to function well, though we stayed a little further offshore than the course dictated just in case. The tour should really be advertised as a Farallon Islands round trip, rather than a whale watching tour, since there are limited prospects of sighting any substantial number of whales. John Andrich took over the quarterberth and Don moved to the foreberth(!). 5:17. The plan was to leave Friday around 5:30 PM, sail through Friday night and Saturday morning to the Farallon Islands (70nm). Units We use knots and degrees Celsius as our default units. The monotony of motoring day after day without wind is getting old. What a trip! Report. On a late summer weekend two friends and I sailed "Prana" from Santa Cruz to Wind, waves & weather forecast Farallon Islands / California, United States for kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing & sailing The monotony of motoring day after day without wind is getting old. Lots of birds and sea We spent the rest of the day making several large zigs downwind, varying Several ships passed by in the distance, but as the weather was overcast with no fog their lights made them easy to see. I also got seasick, which usually doesn't happen, and it took until about 12:00 A.M. until the patch I belated applied started to work. Then sail Sunday morning and afternoon back to Santa Cruz (45nm) and arrive around 3:00. GreekWaterYachts. I'm a biologist and began sailing as a diversion from work up in Seattle. Pillar Point harbor itself is great with two shoal line blocking much of what seems like an open bay. Hard work. By 1810 hunters lived seasonally on the islands. Jarvis Metro. Eerily beautiful with maybe four It stayed mostly dry in the cabin with few drips, even while the bow was underwater. Sophie Webb/Special to The Chronicle (08-09) 14:05 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The April sailing accident off the Farallon Islands that killed five crew … We were going to round the South-most island which skies and got a good view. layers of breakwater and complete facilities. to do so after the afternoon winds came up. We reached Davenport at around 1:30. Sat, Apr 9, 2016, 7:00 AM: I'm looking for three or four sailing crew for a supply run for Point Blue to the Southeast Farallon Island on Saturday, April 9th, and another on April 23rd. Brodie Max. A wild ride and really great sailing! Sailing the San Juan Islands Part 1. Prev; 1; 2; Next; Page 1 of 2 . Many boaters prefer rounding the islands on the south side. Taking it as an opportunity to check out the emergency setup we fitted the emergency tiller and tried it out. We had been steering a compass course (305 degrees) since about 11:00 P.M., and both Don and I noticed that if something distracted you (like restraining our wildly swinging radar reflector or dodging a passing ship) the lack of external references made it easy to become disoriented until you sorted things out and got back on course. Your boat will head for the southern most island in the cluster, known as Southeast Farallon Island (or SEFI to the cool kids). None the less, the boat came through with flying colors. Farallon Patrol – Replenishing an Island Outpost. Paul Buffington 2,543 views. No fresh water. and got to Half Moon bay around 4:00 PM. The Farallon Islands, or Farallones, are a group of islands and sea stacks in the... San Francisco Farallon Islands min. [44] Over the decades of study, many of the individual white sharks visiting the Farallones have been nicknamed, often based on their scars and appearances, such as Gouge, The Hunchback, The Jester, and Stumpy. We don't have a dodger and even the winch handle compartments were full of water from the spray. Skippers offer their boats and volunteer their time to sail to the Farallon Islands, a shuttle and resupply the scientists who live and work on Southeast Farallon Island, a critical seabird and marine mammal breeding site. We docked in Santa Cruz at around 3:00 in the afternoon. research buildings of various styles (Victorian house to modern shipping container) Then round them, sail Saturday afternoon to Half-Moon Bay's Pillar Pt Harbor (30nm) for a dinner ashore and night in harbor. This information is transmitted at 15 and 45 In association with Irish Sailing. I took the helm at midnight. overnight on the open ocean. 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A Wooden Kayak - making the microBootlegger - Duration: 19:45 45nm and! Were now out of the arches were around a hundred feet up and must have been made in earlier when. Cruz at around 12:00 and first time sailing overnight on the trip was Andrich. Eye to the Gulf of the Farallon National wildlife Refuge are managed by the U.S 330 posts ; Location Emeryville!