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It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Department:
During the trip home, conditions on San Pablo Bay and other areas of the greater San Francisco Bay area were nearly perfect. Waters were almost flat calm, winds were light, and the air temperature was just right. It was a classic, beautiful spring day on the water, reinforcing the fact that, from about September to April, we enjoy the most hospitable weather for boating of the year.

By the way, the Nordic tugs attracted a lot of admiring attention while at the Petaluma docks, which are open to the public. Several folks expressed their interest in owning a Nordic, and got lots of their questions answered by various members of our group.

Join us next time!

Steve Weiser
Skylark

BAY AREA NORDICS SPRING CRUISE TO PETALUMA
March 9th-11th, 2007
(Click on any photo to enlarge, click on enlargement to return)

Members of the SF Bay Area Nordic Tug Association (SFBANTA) enjoyed their Spring Cruise by going up the Petaluma River to downtown Petaluma over the weekend of March 9-11, 2007. Jim Moore (RILEY), SFBANTA Director, and Membership Activities Chairman, planned and organized the Spring Cruise, with the assistance of Bud Sheble, Secretary.

(If you keep an eye on SFBANTA's website, where you are now if you're reading this, you'll see future events of this type announced well in advance.)

Boats and owners who participated were:

APOLLO--NT32: Bob Lee and Pat Broison. Homeport Discovery Bay
BETTY D.--NT32: Bob and Joy Magoon. Homeport Napa
ETERNITY--NT32: Bud Sheble and Ron Perry. Homeport Brisbane
THREE JEANS--NT37: Scotty and Carol Jean Scott. Homeport Pittsburg
LUNA SEA--NT32: Richard and Kathleen Smith. Homeport San Francisco
RILEY--NT37: Jim and Charmaine Moore. Homeport Alameda
SKYLARK--NT37: Janet and Steve Weiser. Homeport Alameda

The trip to Petaluma can be choke city........if you don't understand the nature of the problem. It gets and holds your attention for several reasons: First, there is a long and very narrow channel to follow in San Pablo Bay before even entering the Petaluma River. Second, the run up or down the Petaluma River, including the San Pablo Bay channel, can take roughly 2 hours, and the river is quite narrow in some stretches. The river is mostly shallow in the main channel, and will halt your progress outside its channel! Constant attention is required! Third, the D Street Bridge, which is encountered just before the downtown basin/public docks, must be opened, but only on advance request and only at a specific, pre-approved time. Fourth, the scenery is great!

Our scheduled bridge opening was at 1400 on Friday. Friday turned out to be a bit breezy and cool, but certainly manageable. RILEY suggested we all meet on the water at or near the mouth of the river, and it was great to see 7 Nordics show up at about the right time from various directions, and begin the trip up the river in single file. SKYLARK and RILEY steamed in company from Alameda to the rendezvous point. Since we left Marina Village as scheduled at 0900, we had a comfortable run at 8 or 9 knots all the way. LUNA SEA, coming out of San Francisco, had similar timing, and we joined up with her just north of the Bay Bridge.

The Nordics arrived at the bridge on time, and the bridge tender opened it for us, as promised, after a very short delay due auto traffic. The space-limited public docks were wide open, so everyone got a side tie, starboard side to, with electricity and water available. We were all settled alongside by roughly 1415. There is a local ordinance that requires mooring stern-to, but that is apparently only enforced on busy summer weekends, or with large yacht club cruise-ins. (Note for you engineers: RILEY tripped out the power on her dock connection. They must be running a laser weapon on that ship.)

Eight of us went looking for a "hole in the wall" Mexican restaurant Friday night, based on the advice of a Nordic owner who shall remain unnamed. Directions were murky at best, but unfortunately we found a Mexican restaurant anyway. History will never note whether it was THE recommended hole in the wall or not. The food quality? Well, let's just say it was edible and no one got sick...oh, and the beer was cold.

Several pro shoppers (well, alright, let's be frank...the ladies) departed for downtown, credit cards firmly in hand, with astonishing speed almost the minute the boats touched the docks. I'm not kidding...I was still tidying up my mooring lines! The bewildered men, left to fend(er) for themselves, and happily with no plans, somehow gathered here and there on one or two boats, comforting themselves with cold beers and other beverages, which seemed to appear from on-board stowage with no difficulty. Yeah, Nordics don't seem to run out of certain beverages.

Saturday was spent just hanging out on the boats (well, ok, more beverages disappeared), except that certain shopping-addicted individuals disappeared downtown again (is there any therapy for this?). Kathleen Smith from LUNA SEA got the award for Most Interesting And Intelligent Saturday, because she participated in a day-long cheese seminar/festival for which she had pre-registered (I'm not kidding....it was a serious deal). At 1600, on RILEY and the adjacent dock, a cocktail party took place at the invitation of the Moores, in the grand tradition of Nordic owners. Where did all the wine and snacks come from?

On Saturday night, the group trooped over to Semolina, a local Italian restaurant, and this time we actually got the name and location right, because the Scotts made advance reservations! Good meal and wine, too. We might have pushed the place over break-even that night.

Departure was set up for 0900 Sunday morning. SKYLARK forgot about the changeover to daylight savings time, and her skipper (your faithful correspondent) thought the crew had an hour for breakfast. Then, while sitting smugly in the warm pilothouse with coffee, watching other owners moving about, came the thought......Hmmm, other owners are moving about. Wait.....why are they stowing their shore power cables? OK, better go ask someone what all the fuss is about. Yes, it was 0850 PDT, NOT 0750 PST! SKYLARK got underway in record time (uh, OK, we scrambled).

The bridge tender lived up to promises, got out of bed, went to work, and opened the bridge on time. This time, there was not much vehicular traffic to delay the opening. Seven Nordics paraded through in a slow and stately line astern, reminiscent of the Great White Fleet, while appreciative fishermen and early morning rowers nodded in approval and sheer envy. And, there was Kathleen Smith on shore near the bridge, photographing the procession (she had to drive home but not due to any problems...just a part of the complex battle order of LUNA SEA for the weekend). She appeared magically at two other riverbank locations down river to take still more great shots. So, she collected a 2nd award: Most Diligent Photographer. Thanks, Kathleen!