Monday, December 12, 2005

Sailing 12-10-05



A large barge is pushed southward past Mission Rock.



Two Naval vessels (as opposed to Navy vessels, the difference being one is a warship and the other is fulltime military assigned merchant marine, as I understand it) rafted up at a dock near the ball park in the Mission Bay area of San Francisco.



A very nice traditional design sailing in very light winds, past Yerba Buena Island and the Bay Bridge. These light winds are a typical winter time pattern though they got up to about 15 knots later in the day.



Note the very long boom. This provides larger sail area. Modern boats tend to a high aspect ratio, which means a taller mast and shorter boom.



South Beach Harbor, next to which they built Pac Bell Park...er...SBC Park...um...soon to be AT&T Park. I wish they would get over their ego and just call it Giants Park, as they are the only regularly scheduled event.



Mission Rock ship repair facility with a large cruise ship in their floating dry dock. Check out that wing on their stack. We had quite a discussion at to whether it was purely decorative or was considered functional.



Four sailboats make their way slowly out of South Beach Harbor in very light winds.



The western span of the Bay Bridge, looking at San Francisco.



San Francisco's Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, from the water.



The western span of the Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island. Treasure Island starts at that flat spot to the left.



Coit Tower, donated to the city of San Francisco by a widow who greatly admired the men of the fire department. I suppose the original intent was a fire watchtower, but it stands out as...well something else.



One of the San Francisco Bar Pilots' transportation devices. The pilot will transfer to large ships out at the San Francisco buoy, about 7 miles offshore, in any conditions. Hats off to them.