Finally underway

Thanks to Judy for the departure photo

We left the slip at 0630 in time to catch max ebb.  Despite the early hour, we were happy to have our dockmates Judy, Michael and Mark see us off.  Visibility on SF Bay was crystal clear, but we could see a thick fog bank blowing in through the Golden Gate.  I clicked on the radar and glanced up to just in time to see blossom rock buoy pass by about ten feet away.  If leaving on a Friday really is bad luck, seems I would have hit the buoy.  Is a near miss proof enough?  Hard to say.  One thing is for sure, I will no longer be making fun of my two friends who have hit buoys.

The fog bank slowly burned away in front of us and we got under the bridge with good visibility.  We enjoyed seeing an occasional dolphin.  As we left the protection of the bay and got into the open ocean, we got a good taste of the southern swell that has been causing havoc on the beaches.  Steep waves formed as the southern swell met the ebb from the bay.  The ride was rough and we cut the corner to get the bow into the swell.

With the Golden Gate Bridge behind us - we are officially underway!

The rest of the trip was foggy and cold.  We put out a fishing line, but didn’t get any action.  We got into Half Moon Bay and were anchored by 1300.