Summer weather on the Oregon coast generally means strong winds from the northwest. With that in mind, we kept an eye out for a forecast with only moderate winds – we were lucky to find one that coincided with Mike’s work schedule near the end of August.
Ready to depart Newport
We ended up leaving Newport the morning of the full eclipse. Newport, OR, was right in the middle of the path of totality so we had a fantastic view through some light haze as we motored out of the harbor.
The winds held steady at 15-20 knots over the starboard quarter for most of the first day. We sailed on a broad reach with our jib held out with our newly-installed whisker pole and the boat steered itself with our newly-installed autopilot.
Total solar eclipse viewing
The stretch of coast between Cape Blanco, OR, and Cape Mendocino, CA, is known for strong wind and short-period steep waves – winds can often blow at gale force or stronger for days on end. Our forecast for that part of the trip called for 10-15 knots, and as we approached the wind actually dropped to zero. Definitely not good for sailing, but we had a pleasant motor around Cape Mendocino near midnight.
Sailing wing on wing
The forecast for the area south of Cape Mendocino was also for 10-15 knots. However, as soon as we rounded the cape the wind started to build. We hoisted the sails, and over the course of 4 or 5 hours the wind steadily built to a steady 35 knots, with gusts into the mid-40s. With that much wind from nearly straight behind us, it’s not really a problem for the boat- we just reduced sail, finally ending up with a double-reefed main and a small triangle of jib. But the waves that the wind generated were large and steep – likely 10-12 feet on the larger sets, and probably 6-8 seconds period between them.
Happily sailing south to California
We always try to head into a new harbor during daylight hours, and our fast sailing meant that we were scheduled to arrive at San Franciso around 4am. So, we headed into Drake’s Bay along the Point Reyes National Seashore for a couple of hours of rest before sailing the final 20 nautical miles the following morning.
Madrone sailing under the Golden Gate
After a few hours of sleep at anchor, we had an easy and pleasant sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, pushed along with a 15-20 knot tailwind. The flood tide helped to wash us under the bridge, and we were happy to see Angie’s parents and cousin Kristine Manning welcoming us to San Francisco as the waved to us from the Golden Gate Bridge.
Angie’s parents- Marco & Jan welcoming Madrone to the SF bay
We tied up in our new slip at Clipper Yacht Harbor in Sausalito at around 2:30 in the afternoon, and the trip was complete. We sailed almost 500 nautical miles, and our average speed was just shy of 7 knots for the entire trip.
We’re happy to be in Sausalito and are looking forward to enjoying all that San Francisco and the Bay have to offer!
Looking up at the north tower after sailing into the bay. How exciting to be here!
