January 29, 2015

"Which way are you going?" she asked. His answer was calm but predictable and confirmed the confusion in the room. "I have no idea, but we will decide at our start on Saturday…Maybe."

While others in the room started watching a short presentation by a Bay tides expert, she politely whispered to him her plans for the race. "If you head counterclockwise to Yerba Buena first you may be able make it around before the ebb builds and would be golden all the way to Red Rock with the current," she said confidently. "But that's assuming there will be enough wind."

He replied a little too loudly. "And if it's the predicted northerly it would be hard to get around the island and its wind shadow." Just then he whipped out a folded piece of paper and held it in the light for her to see. "Have you seen this?" he blurted.

To her shock and dismay the paper revealed the predicted currents at noon. "But, but that's not possible, how could you fight that ebb with any boat, let alone mine?" she said incredulously.

The ebb will be the deciding factor on Saturday . ©2015 L-36.com

"Exactly, my dear," he said. "Another option would be to take on Red Rock first to beat the tide. But then again there would be that nasty hole on the back side of Treasure Island," He looked away, "You can't even fathom the horror I've seen back there…"

She put a hand on his shoulder and asked the inevitable question. "What about clockwise? I heard rumors of a westerly filling in late in the afternoon," she said.

"it would be too late by then," he said slowly "And the possibility of getting sucked out the Golden Gate would be too high." Then he sighed. "Perhaps it's all futile, this little, evil game we have to endure called the Three Bridge Fiasco." Just then the meeting ended, and, as he got his coat, his last words to her were, "Oh, and have fun."