Took Constance out for a Suisun Bay circumnavigation. The direction to where you set sails from here is pretty much determined by the tides. Maximum current can easily be 3-4kn and somehow the complicated tidal system of the SF Bay and Delta results in currents that don't really behave like sine curves. In other words, when it floods, it floods. Period. The moment the tide turns from ebb to flood there is basically a millisecond of slack water and the next moment the full current pushes in the other direction. The actual occurrence of that millisecond can differ wildly even within a few meters, so around slack the surface of the water here looks very much confused, with one set of currents setting one way and a few meters away it's setting the opposite direction. You can see big swirls spinning around the water surface and vicious ripples everywhere.
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| Harbor seals on a channel marker. Check out the current! |
So, in any event the current can push you nicely if it happens to go the same direction you intend to go. For a roundtrip you have to take into account when slack water occurs and then ride the opposing tide back home. Perfect! It so happens that a full tidal cycle is 28 days (the time it takes the moon to go around our planet once), with a complete phase change every 7 days. So when today at noon it floods it will invariable mean in 7 days you will have an ebb current at exactly the same time of the day. For us it means, one weekend we can sail down to San Francisco, and the next weekend we'll have to go up to the Delta.
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| Anchored behind Skag Island |
The Delta is actually quite beautiful despite being barren and somewhat off the beaten track. There are some nice hideaways and channels which offer protection from the relentless thermal blow (every day 25kn in the summer!). Good idea to spend some time there waiting for the tide to turn and meanwhile enjoying scenery, a dip in the refreshing (but somewhat murky) waters, and having some snacks and drinks! On the way back we went the less traveled northern route through Grizzly Bay, along side the Ghost Fleet and back into Benicia. Under 1st reefed main with a gentle current pushing, it took us less than 2.5hrs upwind for the 15 miles back home!
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| Anchor Beer! |
