Ship’s Log: Memorial Day Weekend @ Horseshoe Cove

May 30, 2011

Convivia and crew spent the long weekend spinning around our anchor (very slowly) in Horseshoe Cove (a.k.a Sausalito’s Presidio, a.k.a Fort Baker). The anchorage was every bit as enjoyable as our last visit, and more so since they removed the flotsam collection from the mooring ball.

When we arrived (around 1400 on Saturday) there were two other boats on anchor. Both the ~35′ trimaran and the ~48′ trawler had a lot less draft, and were closer into shore than I would have been comfortable with. The upshot was that Convivia dropped anchor almost exactly where she did last time (if the GPS waypoint can be trusted). We didn’t get off the boat at all on Saturday. Once we had settled the boat, covered the sails, and tidied up, we settled in for afternoon coffee (and lemonade). A few hours later (and in the pouring down rain) I turned on the grill for some awesome BBQ chicken. The kids fell to sleep quickly and early and Vick and made tea and read until the damp cold drove us into our berth.

Sunday morning we all got up with a shared agenda; The Bay Area Discovery Museum. After breakfast we pulled out the tender and started the hours long process of inflating it. Usually it’s about a 15 minute process, but I got this new DC dingy pump which of course needed to be wired into the boat’s battery. Which of course meant tearing the boat apart, doing a little advanced electrical work and then putting the boat back together. The arduous process was further hampered by my losing an important nipple adapter. As it turns out I misplaced the adapter in the pump (it was a great spot for it, sure not to get lost there…), but it took at least 30 minutes to figure that out. Once I had the electrical work and the hide and seek behind me, actually inflating the 10′ Achilles only took 1 minute. I can’t wait for next time.

The museum was everything we remembered, though this time it was jam packed. I was shocked when, at 1ish, the kids lightheartedly agreed to my suggestion that maybe it was time to head back to Convivia for coffee and naps. We had some awesome burgers for dinner and a much warmer night. The only downside to the anchorage on Sunday was about 3 hours of severe surge at the peak flood current (3 knots). Luckily the harbor settled down about an hour before our bedtime.

We had a leisurely breakfast on Monday morning and took our time getting the boat ready to go. I took the kids to shore one last time to hike up to the battery, and then to do some treasure hunting on the beach. When we got back the boat was all tidy and Vick was chipper. Ruby hoisted the dingy up on the main halyard and I deflated and stowed it. Within an hour we were ready to head out. Victoria took the helm and sailed us off the anchor. It was hairy for a few minutes as we sailed around the harbor with constantly changing (90º or more) winds, but as soon as we got the genny out, we were off like a shot.

We got home early enough to wash the boat down (thanks Vick) and shower before our customary dinner at Picante. As I finish this post the kids are settled in Miles’ berth reading People with Vick. Once again I’m settled into my cozy sea berth at the end of a sailing weekend with sun kissed cheeks and a feeling of contentment. That feeling of contentment might even survive the realization that I have only 16.5 weeks left before… wait, 16 WEEKS?

3 comments

  1. Comment by Jenna

    Jenna August 7, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    Ah, Picante. I work there, and it is such an amazing place.

    Love these random connections via blogs. Cheers! Will keep you guys on my rss.

    • Comment by Tucker Bradford

      Tucker Bradford August 7, 2011 at 7:31 pm

      Ok that’s just too funny. We probably eat there 3-4 times a week. We’ve got lots of allergies and are too busy getting ready to cook. Now that you know what we look like, you should say hi next time we are in 🙂

  2. Pingback: Ship’s Log: 4th of July Weekend, 2011 – Forgeover

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