Aug 24 2003 Windjammers race practice, SF Bay
Six of us went out on the bay for an afternoon of sailing around in preparation for this Friday's Windjammers race to Santa Cruz. Morning spent sailing upwind with no. 2, set the 3/4 kite for a mellow run across the bay. Wind filled on the way back up so we swung over to Sausalito and changed to the no. 3 in the hill's windshadow.

Back out on the bay we powered along at 7.79 knots to weather (Beetle likes 28 knots breeze and flat water, especially with a good driver (Dirk Husselman), 3 and full main. We sailed up to Pt. Bonita at which point the wind went light, so we set the 1.5 kite (lots of breeze waiting for us in the bay) and headed back in. Really pleasant run across the bay in 27-30 knots breeze, boat stable and in control.

Aug 15-17 2003 Drakes Bay
A nice hop up to Drakes to pick up (and deliver) to the Farallone Islands a group of wildlife biologiests to the SEFI PRBO field station.

Saw a lot of marine life this trip, a 5-6' leatherback turtle in the warm (59 degree F) water adjacent to the Northern Approach Buoy on Friday. Saturday's run out to the islands we were joined by a Townsend's Warbler six miles offshore in dense fog - the shorebird must have been exhausted flying around in the fog. Approaching the island we saw Tufted Puffins (flying, on the surface, and later in their roost). At SEFI were elephant seal bulls and a grey whale feeding near the mooring ball.

Sunday morning two seals took up residence in the Avon dinghy. One must have been a Marin Mammal Center release, as he was tagged and marked on top of his head with a bit of paint. He had absolutely no fear of people and in fact seemed to understand that hands might be holding food. He wouldn't get out of the dinghy while I was in it bailing out, and in fact I had to use an elbow to nudge him out of the way. Seals are quite interesting, I've never been that close to one before for that much time. They have small black fingernails part way up their front flippers and he used these to comb out his whiskers.