109 Benicia to Bethel Island


On a sailing trip, you don't get to make all the choices. 

The weather is a big part of the decision tree. No wind? You're not going anywhere. Too much wind? The same, especially if you're in a nine foot dinghy with no ability to reef (reduce sail).


Other natural factors are at hand, like currents. Sailing the rising tide is a helpful boost, and for larger boats, might save your butt if you run aground. (All I usually have to do is pull up the dagger board a bit and keep going.)


These factors combine to force your options. You might have a destination in mind, but the schedule for getting there is dictated by nature. This is part of why steamboats took over for sailing vessels in trade. With a motor, you can overcome a lot of natural obstacles, and stick to more of a schedule.


All of this is a long way of explaining why I spent last night sleeping in a bed, rather than on a beach somewhere.


My goal for sailing up the delta has always been to make it to fresh water and warmth. But I had a secret ambition as well: to make it to a friend's camp on Bethel Island. 

When I set out on this trip, I didn't know if I could make it that far, and I also didn't know if they would be there. So I let them know what I was up to, and we kept in touch.

Yesterday morning I found out they would be here, for the evening. But I was thirty miles away, by boat, in a dinghy that averages about three miles per hour. That's a long sail. Longer than I've ever done. So I said, "See you, maybe."


And then the wind carried me here at great speed. I made the bulk of the journey in about five hours, with a lunch stop in Pittsburg. 

Then, the last couple miles, I had to turn and sail against the wind and tide, and that took two more hours. But I made it. Factors human and natural all came together to put a cold beverage in my hand, and a pillow under my head (in the "guest shed").


Deb is coming to pick me up this morning. I made it to the Delta!

Video coming soon.

Also, to keep up with current events, think I saw one mask today, a woman on a crowded fishing boat. 

As much as I wanted this virus to be seasonal, it looks like for now, it is not. Be safe!

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