On monday I delivered a customers boat from Tinsley Island StFYC island in the delta. It is a unique island which has the Southampton Shoal lighthouse that was brought up from the bay and is now used for accomodation on the island. The island is surrounded by a ring with some small breaks allowing the boats to be tied up on docks hidden away from the main river. Most people would motor on by without a second glance unless a large sailboat was up there with it’s mast showing above the trees of the outer ring. The island has watersports equipment, a small stage, swimming pool, bar and large eating area, many BBQ pits etc. It is a great place to get away to if you are a StFYC member or cruise up there on the one weekend a year that they allow members of other clubs.

I pulled out of the dock at 5am it was still dark and I felt bad as the sound of the engine starting up sounded very loud – I am sure I woke some people up. I snuck out of the enterance and heading off down river with a slight tide against me. The sun came up around 6:15am and my SOG was 4.6 as I still fought the flood. It wasn’t until 8:30 when I was off Antioch that the tide turned with me. The whole delivery the wind would follow me as I twisted and turned always dead on the nose. Last year I was able to put up a main at least but not this year. The forcast was for 30 knots on the nose. Not sure it was blowing 30 but it was a horrible wet ride through Suisun Bay as it was wind against an almost full spring tide. The ghost fleet of Navy boats seems to have increased from last year see http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1997/09/15/MN39732.DTL for a story about this fleet. My boat speed was a miserable 4.1 knots as large powerboats sped by at least with the tide I was going 6.3 over the ground. I imagined the dollars being spent on fuel on the powerboats and felt better!

At 11 I had an early lunch that was kindly made by my customers and left in the fridge. Beautifully cooked tri tip steak and a salad with potatoes and asparagus. I was lucky to make it through the Carquinex Straights on slack tide and after Vallejo when the tide turned against me I hugged the shore. My VMG was a miserable 2.5 at the worst as it was dead upwind with waves coming over the bow. Where is the dodger to hide behind! At least I have autopilot so I ducked under the hatch when the worst waves hit.

It was a long delivery 11 3/4 hours by the time I docked the boat in Richmond. Time to clean up and head on home in time for reading my nephew a bed time story.