After Monterey we headed north to Sausalito. We had very little wind so the seas were rolly but no complaints from this captain. It was a long day but we saw at least 30 Humpback whales over the 90 miles so it was worth it. We saw them cruise then dive deep to show there tail. We saw many whales breach and also lay on their sides just slapping the water with their fins. I haven’t figured out why they like to do that. Maybe they have an itch? Or are they calling their friends and family.

Entering the Golden Gate

Going under the golden gate was great as always when it is clear. This is relative in the summer when fog is the norm. We could see both ends of the “Gate” but not quite the tops of the two towers. The current was running at 2.5 knots on a flood so we enjoyed light speed of 11.8 knots over ground. I thought about putting on my collar for fear of whiplash…We spent a week at Schoonmaker Marina. We got together with Bill Godwin a childhood friend and shared a delicious meal at Poggio a tasty Italian restaurant across from the passenger ferry terminal in Sausalito. The next day we had dinner with new Nordhavn 60 owners Brad & Kelly Drury. They brought two extra bicycles and gave us a bike tour around Mill Valley. What a treat for us!

Our foldable bike chariots courtesy of Brad & Kelly

The traveling Big Top “Flynn Creek Circus” happened to be in town and was walking distance from the marina. We attended the R-rated version so the humor was a little raunchy and the costumes a little skimpier than their standard show but the acrobatics were amazing. We saw knife throwing, juggling, pole acrobatics, rope climbing and one of the best slack line artists in the world. They also had a trampoline wall that was spectacular. This type of event ranks high on my list of things to do and I admire the conditioning of these incredible athletes.

Amazing athletes. Like Cirque du Soleil.

Emmy spent a couple hours photographing the colorful houseboats while I spent the time in the SF Bay Model Museum. The model was built beginning in 1953 to understand the tides and tributaries of SF Bay. Now it is all done with computer modeling but this was state of art when built. Funding first came after the proposal to put two dams in SF Bay. One dam would be south of the Bay Bridge and the second would have been north of the Richmond Bridge. The idea called the “Reber Plan” was to keep the saltwater from mixing with the freshwater coming into the bay thus creating two large freshwater reservoirs providing drinking water for Bay Area residents. This model helped to determine all of the potential outcomes of this proposal.

Emmy’s eye catches the best!

 

Showing potential Dam near Richmond Bridge

We spent another day taking the ferry from Sausalito to SF and walking the waterfront. We visited friends condo overlooking the Bay Bridge and walked to Fisherman’s Wharf. After all the days in small places, Emmy and I decided Fisherman’s Wharf was way to much humanity for us.

View of Bay bridge from M & B’s place

We left Sausalito to catch some good weather heading north and were rewarded by a clear day leaving the Bay. Thanks for the memories!

 

Beautiful day leaving the Bay