SFBANTA Pacific Coastal Cruise
As told by Sam I Am, deckpaw on Apollo
(Ghost written by Pat Borison, Apollo)
At last spring's Rendezvous in Petaluma, I had the honor of being appointed First Dog. Emily, on Riley, was named First Cat. Our esteemed leader, Bud Sheble, asked me to tell you about our Pacific Coastal Cruise. I'm a herding dog, but keeping track of these SFBANTA tugs is like herding cats. Emily, where were you when I needed you?
We started out orderly on September 12, all under the Gate in a row, in spite of thunder and rain and lightning. Thankfully, half of the eight boats had a canine aboard, so I could delegate herding tasks to canines Bonnie, Nemo, Josie and Farley. (Without Emily to direct, felines on Carmen and Hoot laid low, or whatever it is that cats do. Buoy Toy, Luna Sea, Emiko and Eternity somehow managed without critter help.)
My cozy spot on the settee seemed to go up and down more than usual, and I heard my people say "I can barely see the other boats; where are they?" and talk about "poor visibility" and something called radar. I woofed suggestions and eventually we made some turns towards a place called Pillar Point. The boat suddenly rolled way to one side, and then it was calm and we were at a dock with a lot of fishing boats. The Wombles on Toot, enroute from Monterey, greeted us; Betty D joined us the next day.
We saw people selling fish, and charter boats go in and out. Pelicans about as big as I am boldly walked down the dock, unwilling to give way even when I nicely barked at them. We were surrounded by the squawking of sea gulls and the constant groan, at 10-second intervals, of a foghorn.
It was chilly, and then pouring rain, so I didn't mind when my people left me to go to Carmen for hors d'oeuvres. It never rains in California in September, does it? Blame Canada! They tried to set a record for the most people on a Nordic Tug 42, and then all went out to dinner. It was still raining at 9:20 p.m. when they got back, but a good time was had by all.
Sunday morning they held a BBBB on the dock. Richard the Gull Chaser performed boldly, chasing pelicans with his pennant affixed to a boat hook. Later, I helped catch Frisbees on shore, and then some people went to another restaurant for dinner while others brought food to their boats.
Monday morning at 7:30 we headed out, most turning right to head back to San Francisco. We heard that they had a nice trip back. Three boats - Eternity, Apollo and Hoot -- turned south, and the two 42's stayed behind. Porpoises soon greeted us as we headed towards Monterey, and the sun popped out for the first time in two-and-a-half days! It didn't last, but showed up again as we approached land.
