Cruising Clipper Cove

Who says you can’t cruise in the winter? Nearly 20 boats proved that theory wrong at Clipper Cove this long holiday weekend. Of course, most of those boats belonged a group of young (and young-at-heart) sailors who do everything they can to raft up at Treasure Island at least once a month.

While Saturday was overcast and gloomy, Sunday offered up what has become typical of this winter: Gorgeous sunny skies and warm temps. As much as California needs rain, there were more than a few sailors out this weekend who were thanking their lucky stars for the ‘terrible’ weather.

In addition to the big raft-up, three boats from the Catalina 36 Association enjoyed a mini-cruise-out as well — even though one of them wasn’t actually a Catalina at all. Jeff Berman, of the Alameda-based Catalina 36 Perseverance, is the cruise director for Fleet 9. He explained that three-day weekends usually take the fleet out the Gate, but a variety of factors led to his changing the destination to Clipper.

"By then I only had one boat confirmed (Alameda’s Mike and Dana Ashmore of Pleiades), and then our friend Dale Jennings joined us." Jennings, by the way, built his Vallejo YC-based Sampson 37 Penelope in the early ’80s and has sailed her as far as Australia — with his wife and kids — and is currently planning a trip to the Solomon Islands.

While we all pray for rain, don’t forget to take the time to enjoy what the weather gods are giving us: The chance to cruise San Francisco Bay in the winter — and make all of our Facebook friends jealous while they shovel out their driveways.