Presidio Yacht Club Cruise by Bill Lewis

Another great cruise to PYC! There’s no place quite like it so close. Plus-the dogs love it!

As in times past, some of us went over on Friday to make a real weekend of it. Chris and I and our four dogs met Hugh and Joanne Linn around 1900 hours on Friday. We were lucky enough to obtain a spot on the guest dock. We only had a little time to grab a bite at the Yacht club before they closed down for the evening. We gave the dogs a little exercise and retired to Ericka around 2100. It was balmy with soft breezes and the lights on the GG bridge were reflected on the water giving it a magical quality. We sat on the deck totally relaxed and had some wine.

Next morning, I awoke to the sound of horns. The fog had come in the gate and the bridge was socked in. We figured it would burn off by noon. As in years past, the Lewises and the Linns and their canine companions hiked into Sausalito for brunch. Sunny weather and mild winds were on tap as we hiked. Our standard brunch spot was not ready for 5 dogs, so we ate in shifts. Then, we strolled around the town, gawking in the windows. As we hiked back, the wind was picking up and the fog bank was still hanging in all the way to Alcatraz and beyond. I was beginning to wonder if our other two boats would make it in.

Around 14:30, I heard Charette (Dave & Roberta Johnson) hail Bonnie Breeze. I intercepted the call and found that they were a half mile off the PYC harbor entrance. Hugh, Joanne and I were ready at the dock when Charette pulled in without incident. I tried to hail Josephine II (Eric and Ann Quamen) and got them, but they were still on the far side of the fog bank. Around 1530, Hugh and I went looking for the JII off the bluff. The fog had begun to lift and we could see her coming across the slot. Pretty soon, she was in the harbor.

Shortly thereafter, the Blackburns arrived by SUV and our entire group was there. We gathered on Bonnie Breeze (eleven of us) and had plantains, cheese and wine with some special mango salsa Joanne whipped up. We learned there that the Blackburns had purchased an Ericson 35 in Texas and would take delivery within a few weeks! At some appointed time, we all headed up to the Yacht Club for more snacks and drinks. The sunset view is always spectacular. Mexican cuisine was our dinner fare. We hadn’t checked to see if we were seated at special tables, so we were somewhat fragmented. The food was tasty and the conversation was enjoyable. The wind had died down so we could take the dogs out for one last spin before retiring to our boats.

There was a lot of bouncing during the night and the docklines creaked incessantly. At first light, I looked out to see a clear day in the making. Yahoo! We agreed to hang out until 1100 since there was a strong ebb until about 1230. We decided to go out the Golden Gate on the tail of the ebb and ride the flood home. The breeze was moderate and Bonnie Breeze, Ericka and Josephine II headed out the gate. Dave and Roberta decided to run into Sausalito for exercise.

We tacked back and forth and took a few pictures, after only 15 or 20 minutes, the breeze freshened up and the waves became pretty lumpy. We conferred on the radio and voted to head back in. I instructed Chris to fall off while I let out the main and jib. We were running downwind and I cautioned Chris to avoid jibing. She was not sure what that entailed, so I took the tiller. We were bouncing around and I saw it coming…The boom swung around and when it reached the end of the traveler, split open. Damn!

I gave the tiller back to Chris and dropped the main as best I could. We rode our jib back under the gate with helpful hints from Hugh. As it turned out, we were able to make decent time on the jib. As we headed back, I had time to survey the damage. The boom had split at the aftmost bail. This area, under highest stress was very corroded (see picture page 6) and, as we later confessed, was “an accident waiting to happen”. It is also significant that I have a loosefooted main which only attaches to the boom at the clew. So, all the force of that jibe was concentrated at the end of the boom, rather than being distributed along it. Well, the combination of this and the corrosion did the trick. I am not bitter. The boom was 28 years old and had served me well. If it had not happened when it did, it might have happened at a less opportune time.

I am currently not having much luck locating a matching extrusion but also feel that with a loose-footed main, I should probably opt for a beefier boom. The original boom crosssection had horizontal and vertical coefficients of 1.77 and 0.95. The Kenyon “E” boom has coefficients of 2.7 and 1.2 (the larger - the greater resistance to bending) . As far as corrosion, technical tip #2 on our website explains how this corrosion occurred. I had cleaned out the salt deposits and sealed the gaps with silicone, but the damage had already been done.

All in all, it was still a fine weekend.

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Tides and Currents...

No new members this month. Buz Glass is selling his boat. Good luck Buz. Hugh Linn is trying to get a gentleman from the Presidio Yacht Club to buy it.

From our webmaster B J Blackburn...

Bill - here's a couple of items for the "Tides and Currents" section:

Your webmaster has just completed a major upgrade to the discussion forum software running at Ericson27.com. The new forum has loads of new features to play with. Go to Ericson27.com and click the link for "Ship's Log" under "Featured Resources". Or, to go direct, visit http://www.ericson27.com/cgi_bin/ yabb/YaBB.pl

Those attending the Presidio cruise were the first to learn that your webmaster and his family are officially boat-owners again, having just purchased the Ericson 35 Music Maker. To follow along with the adventures of Music Maker, check out her online log at:

http:// homepage.mac.com/wjblackburn/iblog/ C2031915412/index.html

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More Bigger Boats?

Now that there are at least 3 boats larger than 27 feet in the Fleet, I was asked if we should change our name (and website) to a more non-length specific Ericson Fleet. What do you think? What would your suggestion for a new name and website be? You can email me at mxbag@aol.com

- Bill Lewis -

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Angel Island Cruise Info

Hey Mon - it's cause fo de celebration at Ayala Cove. Our newly re-yachted Blackburn family will be bringin' Music Maker to de cove along with jerk chicken. Dave and Roberta Johnson will be mixin' de pain killers and everyone will bring a dish to share. Maximum daylight for the solsticewill be available. Let Bill Lewis know by email or phone if you plan to come. mxbag@aol.com - (408) 736-5940.

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Who's Racing?

HJuly 10, racers from our Fleet are invited to join the Ballena Bay Yacht Club "Round the Rock" race. In the last two years, there have been two Ericson 27's in the top 3!!! It's all in fun and there are some nice trophies. You are welcome to share dinner on Saturday night and spend the night at Ballena Bay.

Let Bill Lewis know by email or phone if you plan to race or cruise in. mxbag@aol.com - (408) 736-5940.

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