Sailing Off San Francisco

When I lived in San Francisco one of my favorite times of year (as it is back here on the east coast) was fall – particularly because the fierce winds of summer caused by thermal warming and cooling of the scorching interior (the same reason for the summer fog in the city) subsided and, with a prevailing high pressure in place – near perfect sailing condition ensued. Reminding me of this today is an article in the San Francisco Chronicle on a sailing school cruise to the Farallone Islands. On clear day in the city you can see the minute bumps of the Farallones on the horizon…they’re more of a mark for day sailors to turn back for the Bay than an actual destination. When you get out near them you can see the large gathering of seals on the rocky shore, part of the reason that they’re such popular cruising grounds for shark, smell the bird shit that plasters them if you're downwind on the approach and see the remnants of the lighthouse where, believe it or not, people were actually stationed back in the days before automation. It’s a lonely, windswept place but, as is much of coastal California, a monument to raw beauty.