In any case, we took advantage of the three day weekend to take the boat to Treasure Island. We had originally planned to go to Angel Island but between the forecast of rain and the original instigator's of the trip backing out, we decided to go somewhere with docks so we did not have to use the dinghy to get back and forth. Using the dinghy is fun, but less so in the rain. We'd never been to Treasure Island, it is only two hours away, they had dock space... so, off we went Saturday morning.
Our first stop was the pump out station. However, things did not go well. We inserted the ...mmmm.. wand (?? for want of a better term) flipped the valve and ... nothing much happened. We could see some liquid flowing but nothing like the fast suction it usually has. After fiddling with it for about ten minutes we decided that we had plenty of space in the holding tank for a three day weekend (YAY 30 gallon holding tank) so we took off. Over the weekend we did some research and determined that the vent line to the holding tank might be clogged. We thoroughly checked it out and it seemed fine. Matt had another opportunity to cut himself in the process. There are lots of sharp things in the engine room. We called the marina on our way back Monday and told him our issue. We went straight to pump out when we got back and Peter from the marina office came down and reported he's removed a clog and pretty much asked us if we were responsible for the item that he found clogging the pipe. I can assure you, on our boat we do not flush ANYTHING that has not been through the human digestive system. The item he came across is not something we would flush on land either! Come on people, use some common sense! The good news is, we were able to empty our tank; the bad news, Matt cut his elbow for no reason (trying to fix the vent that was not, in fact, broken).
OK, on to the trip report. For those not familiar with it, Treasure Island was built in the late 1930s to house the World's Fair (Golden Gate International Exposition) of 1939. It was also meant to be the San Francisco terminal for the China Clippers, seaplanes which flew a six day route (with over night stops) from SF to, you guessed it, China! The island was meant to remain as an airport after the expo but the military took it over as WWII broke out. The island today is rather a strange juxtaposition of business and boarded up buildings. Supposedly there are residences out there but we did not see them. We mainly explored the south and east sides and we did not see the raised walkway referenced in this article.
It rained the entire way up Saturday but really it was not that bad as there was no wind and the seas were flat. Once we arrived we realized we were right next to The Winery with wine tasting so we went over and did a full flight tastings (we shared one flight of eight wines). We were really looking forward to being toasty and warm inside the winery but it was actually really cold. It was inside one of the old airplane hangars so I guess I can see why heating it was probably a lost cause. After we finished the tasting flight we each got a glass of the one we liked best and set off to explore the hangar. I have a feeling we were in parts of it we REALLY weren't supposed to be in, but in any case it was quite interesting in a creepy kind of way.
Sunday was clear and we set off around the south and east sides of the island to see what we could see. We walked past the two (!!) other wineries on the island, along with the abandoned gas station and a few dozen other abandoned buildings, three really nice baseball fields and all sorts of other interesting things.
Monday we left around 11 and found the bay to be a bit choppy. There was a very strong current bringing water into the bay and the wind was blowing from the opposite direction from usual, which happened to be in the opposing direction to the way the water was flowing. This causes steep, unpleasant chop. Leaving TI we were on the East side of the Bay and we needed to be on the West side. We cut across on a long diagonal to attempt to keep the chop at the best angle to our boat. It was a slow slog across but once on the West side the bay was smoother and we were able to speed up a bit. As slow as we had been going, with the current in our direction it sill took us almost the exact same amount of time to get back as it did to get there.
Here are a few photos.
6 comments:
I wonder whether the light might not be adequate in some areas of your boat and, if it were better, Matt (and others) would be less prone to cutting themselves? Could that be a factor? It's hard to imagine someone as dextrous as Matt's being injured without some such explanation. (Be sure to tell him I said that <smile>.)
Is "flight" a technical term used in winery circles? I don't think you meant that the tasting was conducted on board an airplane, did you?
I think your aunt P's husband was stationed on Treasure Island for a short time (of his career in the U.S. Navy). His family may even have been housed there, but I'm not sure.
Nice photos. The sky and water are lovely.
Um, yeah it is not the lighting. There are sharp pointy bits all over the place. I think it was a hose clamp that got him this last time.
Yes wine flights are what they call a tasting selection. No airplanes. :)
Ah, did not know that about RG.
Sorry that it's not something like lighting, which might be remedied relatively easy. I guess it's mainly a problem of tight quarters (with Sailor Matt's not being exactly petit) and, perhaps, less than optimum design in the existence and placement of pointy things?
I forget how long Trawler Pineapple Girl is, 35 ft.? Is that what the "35" signifies in its type designation?
Looks like a great way to spend the weekend, and a wine tasting to boot!
Hey Moristotle, yes 35 feet. And the hose clamps are difficult to position in such a way that they will not snag your clothes, cut you, etc. They are all tucked away in cupboards and the engine room and such, waiting to attack. And of course when one falls off a stool in the engine room, blood loss is inevitable.
Thanks Ken and Cheryl!
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