3rd Ave - May 11th,'07

Hey y’all –
   So I went out at 3rd Ave last Friday...


   The regular spring weather pattern seems to have fully started turning on here in the bay over the last week or so, and conditions were fully dialed and cranking at 3rd. After waiting in traffic for almost an hour to go 5 miles on the 101, I was finally rigged and on the water by about 6pm. I went out on the F2 277 Ride with my 6.2 NP Expression. I was sailing for about half an hour, mostly trying to fully get my sea legs back (hadn’t been out since last season) and working hard to get upwind (tide was coming in). Hadn’t even stopped for any quick bursts of tuning. So there I was, out in the deep channel of the bay (probably a good 3/4 mile from shore), heading back in, and really putting the hammer down in a rather exaggerated and aggressive upwind stance, when I heard that blood curdling snap-pop of carbon fiber and unsprung luff, along with that ever so unsettling crackle of mylar sail just folding over in half. Sonuvabeatch.

   Please don’t shoji me with all the things you’re supposed to do for self-rescue when you break a mast. In 25+ mph gusts, 4ft breaking swell, and the 1-2kt tide pulling you under the San Mateo bridge, there isn’t a whole lot you can do. So I ditched the rig and started paddling. I figured I paddle through worse currents & conditions on a regular basis surfing out at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, and this water was warm comparatively. Also, even at that moment, part of me was actually excited about getting to buy a new sail & boom, so that factored into my decision as well. oh yeah, I also ditched the mast base from off the board (watch out for that gooseneck!). By this time there were only a few other sailors still on the water, but I did manage to flag one down. I told him to keep on sailing, but I just wanted to let him know that I was out there and to keep an eye on me when he went in.

   So I spent the next 45 minutes paddling, then resting, padding, then resting, and I was making pretty decent progress. The fact that the tide was coming in was actually an advantage, because even though it was dragging me down wind, there was also a vector component that was pulling me toward the shore, rather than back out into the bay. I had at least made it in past the end of the bridge, meaning that if I didn’t do anything I would eventually end up drifting into rocky shoreline, rather than under the bridge or clinging to one of the pylons. But I was actually making pretty good progress trying to point up towards the launch area.

   That’s when this rather gay looking dude came out for me on a wave runner. I was actually disappointed because I was enjoying the challenge and the experience, and my first thought was to send him away. But I figured what the hell, the sooner I get to shore, the sooner I can start drinking. And after seeing how long it took for us to get back to shore on the ski, I probably had further to go than I thought. Turns out the dude was a kiteboarding instructor, and had the ski there for his class. Of course, I thanked him graciously.

So, to recap:
1) I got to sail 3rd Ave in some pretty sweet conditions
2) I didn’t have to de-rig anything
3) and I get to buy a new sail!

So, all in all a pretty positive session!!!

Shaka!!!!
Kube