Delivery

On Wednesday night I took Elise to Richmond as she is having some electrical work done.

Nasty ebb but beautiful warm evening. I started off with the engine as the wind was quite dead by the St Francis. The engine died on me off Angel Island right at the time the breeze picked up a little bit.

So I figured that I was a sailboat and I put up some sails and continued on.

The engine had run out of gas so I refilled it.

I was happily sailing along, looking at full sails and getting closer to Richmond, very close in fact...I was a little low, right past the shoal markers which usually isn't a problem...unless you sail up along the breakwater to go back to the entrance of the channel, a few boat lengths away.

It looks like there are some shallows.

Rudder unresponsive and sails full...not going anywhere...

I was stuck in the mud.

I was really worried about Serge waiting for me at the dock. I tried to call but cell signal is very bad in that area. I texted him to go and get dinner.

Because I didn't want Serge to wait I called vessel assist to find out if they could tow me out before the tide would float me out. ETA for vessel assist was 1.5 hr and in their opinion, the tide would only take 30 minutes. So we agreed that I would wait for the tide. Vessel assist recommended that I take my sails down as they would push me further into the shallows. I made sure that the engine would start and settled for a wait.

I waited for well over an hour before I could motor out. In the meantime, the Coast Guard reached out to me asking for my position. I replied that this was not a distress call, just a call for a tow. Seemed important that I transmit my position still.

As I motored away vessel assist called saying that they were 5 minutes away and to look for their lights. I was surprised since I didn't believe that they were coming based on our last conversation. They just wanted to make sure that I was ok. Nice of them. I signed some paperwork and that was it.

I sure went around every single shoal marker and channel marker on my way in...