CLIPPER COVE
Clipper Cove, a place that appears on no chart, is one of the most popular anchorages in all of San Francisco Bay. It is bound by Treasure Island on the north and Yerba Buena Island on the south. There is…
January Speaker Series and Movie Screening
This January, OCSC has a wide variety of lectures and even a movie screening, all of them open to the public and free of charge! You can learn about sinking ships, sailing to New Zealand, or how a teenager attempts…
Why it Doesn’t Rain in California in the Summer by Bill Kinney
George Hadley was an English lawyer and amateur meteorologist in the days before anybody thought there could be such a thing as a professional meteorologist. In 1735 he published a detailed description of why the trade winds blow, and whey…
Storm Tying for the Pineapple Express
The breeze is freshening, the barometer is dropping, and OCSC is preparing the fleet for the incoming storm. We’re thankful for the precipitation and potential for big snow in the sierras, but here on the docks our fleet service team…
Yerba Buena Island by Captain Ray Wichmann
For most of us, the only time we might think about Yerba Buena Island is while passing through the tunnel that connects the eastern and western spans of the Bay Bridge. However, this small island, just a little over ½…
Notes on Eating Seabirds from Survival at Sea by Samuel D.S.
Delicious as they may look, albatross make for terrible survival treats. Seabirds, fish, and anything else high in protein will dry you out. That’s bad news when you have limited fresh water, waiting for rescue on a salty sea. I…
A Brief History of Angel Island (Party 1) by Captain Ray Wichmann
Angel Island is the largest island in San Francisco Bay: it covers 740 acres and rises to a height of almost 800 feet. It has had quite a varied history. This month and next, I’d like to relate its story…
Lifts and Headers
Last week, Core Instructor, Trevor Steel, discussed how wind direction becomes variable during SF Bay winters. The wind will not only shift generally during the season, say, from the South West to the North, but during your winter day of…
The Wayward Wind by Trevor Steel
It is an inescapable reality of learning to sail at OCSC in the summer that a south westerly wind will dominate the day in the Olympic Circle. This is great for new sailors because it provides consistent breeze to sail…
(The Not Yet) Sir Francis Drake by Captain Ray Wichmann
This article was originally publish in the June 2008 edition of Bay Crossings. June, 2008 marks the 429th anniversary of the not-yet Sir Francis Drake’s visit to California. While there is still some question as to exactly where he sailed…