This trip was a year in planning, anticipating a thrilling week of racing during the second week of the America’s Cup Regatta. Though possible, surely neither team would win it all in the first week, or so we thought. In the week before the trip, it looked like that was exactly what was going to happen. Emirates New Zealand was on a winning streak over Oracle Team USA, and if they kept it up, the regatta would be over before we got there.

But then Oracle changed its tactician, and its tactics, and on the Saturday that many of us arrived in California, they won. San Francisco Bay’s weather also proved to be our friend, forcing the race committee to call off the second race that day due to high wind speeds.

On Sunday, while Mia and Steve underwent Club Nautique’s extensive checkouts, and the crews gathered and shopped for provisions, Oracle and New Zealand each won a race. With the score at 7 to 1, the stage was set for our planned viewing of Tuesday’s races. While we were not hopeful of much more, at least we would see one day of races, as two races were scheduled, and Emirates New Zealand needing two wins to claim The Auld Mug.

With one boat in Alameda and the other on the opposite end of the bay in Sausalito, our first chance to rendezvous was not until Monday night. Setting out Monday morning in bright sunshine and temperatures in the 60’s, the Sausalito crew had awakened to the sight of sea fog oozing creepily over the coastal range. Once out of the narrow channel and into Richardson Bay, reefed jib and main were deployed and the crew of Anne’s Turn poked the boat out into “the slot” – the channel to the East of the Golden Gate Bridge. With the bridge half consumed by fog and the wind already building into the teens, and bundled up in fleeces, hats, and the handy buffs that were the trip memento worn as scarves and headbands, the crew eagerly stretched its sailing muscles on a fast reach..

Out of the haze a tall, dark, and handsome vessel appeared, zooming along the city front toward the bridge. It was Oracle out practicing. We broke out cameras and binoculars as the Oracle chase boats escorted the massive catamaran through practice maneuvers in the starting area near the Golden Gate Bridge.

The crew of Unleashed, berthed in Alameda, chose to have a sumptuous breakfast and do some last minute shopping, as there was little wind in that part of the bay, meaning a leisurely, but relatively short, motor to the main part of the bay. Once out of the lee of the city, Unleashed unleashed its sails and sailed in the light breezes for a couple of hours, practicing tacking and jibing.

The cool weather began to take its toll by mid-afternoon, and word came by VHF radio that former Club members Marilyn and Carl McDanel had arrived on moorings in Ayala Cove, Angel Island – the planned destination for the night. Both Unleashed and Anne’s Turn pointed their bows toward the island, the former from the east, and the latter from the west. Ayala Cove’s mooring field rules were very specific, requiring boats to pick up both bow and stern color coded moorings. The McDanels had picked up a pair, but were facing the wrong direction. Nonetheless, Skippers Mia and Steve each came along side of Walela and the raft was quickly secured. Greetings were exchanged all around, with the out of state visitors glad to see each other all in one place at last, and the local McDanels, including Bob the Cat, warmly welcoming their visitors. A traditional Sailing Club appetizer party soon broke out, and stories shared of the first day of sailing.

Tuesday morning dawned bright once again. During leisurely breakfasts, the Angel Island ranger came by in his launch to collect the mooring fee and explain that we were facing the wrong way, but letting us off with a warning. All three vessels departed late morning, the McDanels to head back home in the north bay while Unleashed and Anne’s Turn headed down to the race course to join the spectator fleet. Anne’s Turn and Unleashed, in an attempt to have rights-of-way over the motoring specators, milled about under sail looking for the best place to watch.. The choices were over near the Golden Gate, to the west of the starting area, or in mid-bay between the bridge and Alcatraz on the north side of the course, or on the east side of Alcatraz near the downwind turning gate. The north side of the course was the largest area and both boats ended up in that area, rolling up the sails shortly before the race pre-start, drifting with the current and breeze and avoiding the rest of the spectator fleet. Club Nautique had tipped us off that VHF channel 22 carried the television commentary. Aboard Anne’s Turn, Linda also kept her iPhone handy with the app showing a live animation of the race.

The class system was quickly established in the spectator zone. Large “VIP” vessels flying American and New Zealand flags were allowed in the nearer zone, while power squadron and other volunteers in launches patrolled the line beyond which the rest of the spectators had to stay. “Stay outside the line from the north tower of the bridge and the water tank on Alcatraz,” Anne’s Turn was told when she drifted a bit closer. Thereafter it was a game of staying on, if not slightly over, the line. As the main event started, music blasted from the cockpit VHF. The NBC Sports commentators, already familiar to those who’d been watching the races the previous weeks, talked through the state of things. New Zealand needed only two more races in the best-of-nine series. USA needed eight. We all thought we were about to witness New Zealand taking the cup in the final two races.

While our view was not as up close and personal as that on television, none of us would have traded the chilly cockpits of our Hunter 40’s for a sofa and a large screen TV. Binoculars and telephoto lenses brought the racers right to us, and the excitement of being on the water with the chase boats, the VIP yachts, and those enormous, screaming fast catamarans was worth every moment of preparation for this trip. We milled about smartly, watching the big boats warming up while listening on the radio to the race officials repeatedly resetting the 15 minute high wind velocity timer. It was certainly blowing hard, and the current was strong. But we couldn’t quite believe it when, after numerous resets due to high sustained winds, racing was cancelled for the day. As the spectator fleet broke up, team New Zealand took a victory lap around the bay, flying by our boats closer than ever.

We headed back to Ayala Cove for a second night, having learned from Club Nautique and the McDanels that other possible anchorages tended to be very rolly due to ferry traffic. Without our friends the McDanel’s there ahead of us, it fell to Anne’s Turn to pick up stern and bow moorings. Having read the suggested strategy and watched two other boats do it, she prepared her longest line for the stern and got a bow line and boat hook ready. But her longest line was what looked like an old sheet, and not all that long. The crew easily got the end through the ring on top of the mooring and began playing out the line as Skipper Mia motored forward. But at first she was heading toward the wrong bow buoy. She adjusted to the correct one, but the stern line was pulling tight. They were still to far from the bow mooring to get a line on it.

They dropped the stern line and circled around for a second try, quickly extending the long line with another, shorter, dock line. Once again the boat pulled hard on the stern mooring, straining to get to bow close enough. Up on the bow the crew was about to get the line through the ring when the stern line came loose. Growling in frustration, they retrieved the line and gave up the bow mooring as the current swung the stern. They gave it one more try, but this time the doubled stern line parted and, worse still, became wrapped around the mooring. Holding the boat near the mooring while keeping it from swinging around into any neighboring boats, and fortunately there were few, and not wrapping the prop with the line, was a delicate dance. Meanwhile Unleashed was milling about just outside the cove, radioing for status. Somehow the crew got the line free of the mooring and back aboard the boat, and Mia pointed the bow out of the cove while picking up the radio to ask Unleashed to give it a try. Unleashed’s crew easily showed up her fleet mates, deploying their longer lines to pick up first the bow mooring and then backing to the stern – not the recommended technique, but in hindsight, a much more effective approach. Once Unleashed was secure Anne’s Turn joined her. The itinerary called for a sail to Berkeley on Wednesday, a reserve day in the regatta. And a call to Berkeley Municipal Marina confirmed that they had slips available. But now there was to be racing. As on Tuesday, mid-morning the boats dropped the moorings – with no visit from the park ranger – and headed for the race course.

In order to watch the races and make it to Berkeley before 1600, both boats opted for the spectator zone east of Alcatraz. This turned out to be a great spot, near to the downwind turning gate and within view of the finish line. Plus there was no way we would have come that close to Alcatraz’s ferry docks on an ordinary day. Of course, the Alcatraz ferries were still running, so while it was pleasant to shelter from the crisp wind in the island’s shadow, sharp eyes had to watch out for commercial traffic. The AC-72s appeared and in a few minutes reached the starting area out by the Golden Gate. The crews listened once again to the rousing opening music and introductory commentary. Once again New Zealand out-maneuvered and out-sailed USA, and crossed the finish line half a minute ahead. That put the score in the best of 9 series at 8 to 1.

None of us had any idea that we had just witnessed New Zealand’s last win.

The wind was building in the bay, and as the racers made their way back toward the starting area the second race was called. The maximum sustained wind had exceeded the velocity allowed for the outgoing current. Unleashed led the way east along the three-mile long abandoned wharf on the south side of the Berkeley channel. Both boats enjoyed sailing under jib for quite a long way, but those strong winds out by the Golden Gate died on this side of the bay. By 1530 we were motoring into the marina, looking for our assigned slips. The good news was we were on a dock right below the marina office. The bad news was, so were several commercial fishing boats. After checking in and paying the $20 slip fee per boat and $5 per gate key – which were ours to keep should we be returning for another visit – both crews cleaned up and walked out to the street to catch the bus into town.

Anne’s Turn’s crew asked the bus driver to suggest where to get off to find dinner. He obliged, dropping us in the center of town just a block or so from the UC Berkeley campus. We followed our noses, which were detecting grilling steaks, to The Five with its dining room al la Dorothy Draper and gourmet American menu. As with every other bar and restaurant we visited this week, they offered America’s Cup themed cocktails that begged to be sampled. Back on the street after dinner we immediately found familiar faces – the crew of Unleashed were loitering outside a drug store where one of their number was picking up some essentials. They had enjoyed a Mediterranean style meal at a restaurant they happened upon, and were also ready to return to the marina. We all had missed the last bus to the marina, so the twelve of us crammed into three taxis.

On Thursday morning we explored the wonders of holding tank pump out in Berkeley Marina. An easily accessible t-dock supported two pumps, but with only one nozzle between them. Anne’s Turn got there first, but by the time we figured out that the pump we were trying to use didn’t have the nozzle, Unleashed had tied up in the other spot and taken possession of it. The whole operation was self-serve. Fortunately, crew on both boats had handled the business end of the process in the Chesapeake, so the only learning curve was how to turn the thing on. Feeling lighter, both boats headed back out the long channel beside the abandoned pier. Toward the end of the pier and in deeper water we both deployed jibs to practice our sailing skills before it was time to become spectators of the pros. Our evening’s berth would be at Pier 39 in San Francisco, so both crews opted to view the day’s races once again from the specified viewing area to the west of Alcatraz.

USA enjoyed the advantage entering the starting box for the first race, and they made the best of it. They led New Zealand around the buoys and roared across the line to their fourth victory, which was in fact their second point in the regatta. A penalty leveled against USA for cheating during an earlier regatta meant that they had started out two races in the hole. Once again the wind had built to a sustained velocity above the limit. Amazingly, USA had lived to race another day, and we would be there.

Unleashed led the way in to the western branch of the Pier 39 marina – the one with all the sea lions. It was a sharp right turn inside the seawall, then a left past the barking sea lions and another left into the slipway. While tourists on the pier and seawall watched, Anne’s Turn took two tries to back into the slip next to one of the huge blue and gold tour ferries on the end of the T dock. Currents, wind, and more swells than you’d expect inside a seawall made the maneuver a lot trickier than it looked. On top of that, the slip was wide, and effective deployment of dock lines to keep the boat’s stern close enough to the dock to get on and off took some time. There was no question of using the side gates – the boat had so much freeboard those with bad knees or shorter legs had no hope of clambering aboard from the low floating dock. Unleashed had the added disadvantage of a slip with trash cans installed against a wooden wall at the end. While this made rubbish disposal easy, it prohibited easy egress from the boat. Crew adapted, squeezing over the rear quarter from the swim platform onto the side dock. The more agile were able to climb up on the side deck.

This was September 19th, International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The Trip Leader had distributed pirate kits to both crews the day before, including eye patches, earrings, and an inflatable saber. The crew of Unleashed had gone for broke with costumes and props that put Anne’s Turn to shame. Pirate drinks (i.e. Steve’s piña coladas) and light appetizers were enjoyed in Unleashed’s cockpit. Shedding most of the pirate gear, both crews walked down the waterfront to Fisherman’s Wharf for a pre-planned dinner at Alioto’s Restaurant, a San Francisco institution. Many were disappointed that the Ben & Jerry’s shop along the route was closed by the time we walked back.

Friday was a lay day in San Francisco. After a breakfast of fresh sourdough purchased on Pier 39, some of the crew walked down to the waterfront to America’s Cup Park. Our primary objective was shopping and we all found a few mementos of the visit in the America’s Cup and Team USA stores -- housed in thinly disguised shipping containers. With the regatta surely on it’s last day, there were deals to be had in both shops. Other crew members chose to explore the city for the day, trekking to Golden Gate Park and other venues.

Loaded down with purchases, we explored the rest of the park. An outdoor viewing area with a giant screen was carpeted in astroturf and furnished with oversized beanbags. A pavilion housed displays from the teams’ sponsors, and a another shipping container offered a short film about the cup and USA’s campaign. Shortly after we finished shopping the 72’s arrived in on one of the ship-sized slips of the pier that housed the park. After taking advantage of the photo opportunity we wandered down the pier toward the end where people seemed to be gathering. On the outskirts Oracle and Emirates volunteers were handing out American and New Zealand flags, respectively. Then another wave of volunteers turned up with Oracle hats, flags, “boppers” (inflatable cylinders that make a strange sound when banged together), and bumper stickers. Appreciating the need to get rid of the swag on the last day, we accepted all we could get our hands on! Then the television commentators took the stage, whom we all recognized from watching the races in previous weeks. They introduced the day’s racing and then announced each team in turn, much like a major pro sports event, which the organizers are hoping this becomes. The crowd, which included about an equal balance of USA and NZ fans, sent each team off to their boats with cheers.

Some of us made our way across the pier and found a viewing spot along the water from which we could see the downwind turning gates and the finish line. The replica of America, the first boat to win the cup from Britain, was tied up right there. VIPs guests of team USA were boarding. Others found very good viewing at the tip of Pier 39, which provided a clear view of the entire race course. Neither venue was as good as being in the spectator fleet, of course!

The Auld Mug was housed in the bar right behind us, but we quickly learned that you had to have a pass to get in. Fortunately, there was a window behind it, and we got good photos anyway.

The boats sailed past us and off to the Golden Gate. We listened to the commentary over the loudspeaker, feeling foolish for not thinking of bringing a VHF – but we had not planned on staying to watch the races. The race kicked off in very light air. Linda Baker shared the coverage on the app on her iPhone, which showed the boats’ positions. On Pier 39 Karen and Steve (who did remember his handheld) Finally AC-72’s crept into view at low speed, New Zealand in the lead. They rounded the gates and started back, New Zealand maintaining a favorable position as they sailed out of our sight. Our watches suggested that they couldn’t possibly finish within the 40-minute time limit. Their first two legs had taken more than twenty. Sure enough, as the forty minute limit approached, New Zealand was struggling to reach the downwind gate once again, and USA was a long way back. A few more knots of breeze and New Zealand would have had it. But they were adjacent to Alcatraz when the clock ran out. Both boats turned back toward the Golden Gate, hoping for a second race.

The day was still chilly and even the light breeze felt freezing to us spectators on the exposed pier. We decided to walk back to our boat before the second race. Meanwhile some of Unleashed’s crew had decided to head for the park, but somehow we didn’t cross paths. Back on board we cranked up the VHF and stood on the deck where we could see the boats go by just beyond the barking sea lions and the seawall. This race Oracle got the advantage early on and kept it, their lead widening and shortening to provide drama as they made their way around the course. Their tactics were perfect, their sailing skills top notch, and as we listened and cheered from our cockpit, they crossed the line in first. There would be racing on Saturday! That evening, Anne’s Turn and Unleashed had early “must go” dinners.

Fog and rain were the order of the day on Saturday morning. The boats exited Pier 39 early enough to get through the racing zone before it was shut down by the patrols. Anne’s Turn did not have a terribly long return trip to Sausalito, so they lingered in the spectator area nearest to our ultimate destinations. Unleashed proceeded quickly through the zone, and on to Alameda, hoping to avoid much of the bad weather. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as a good soaker lasted for about a half hour. However, by the time the boat was secured in her slip, the skies had cleared and everyone thawed out and dried off. Conditions were not good for racing. We waited through several postponements until it looked like the first race simply wasn’t going to happen. Anne’s Turn called Unleashed and told them they were heading home to look for a sports bar where we could watch race two in comfort. They started north into Richardson Bay. The sky cleared the further north we went, and the news on the radio grew more and more encouraging. There would be a race. We turned around and got back to the spectator zone in time to watch the start and first couple of legs. But thinking we had to pump out and fuel up as we always did in the Chesapeake Bay, we had to turn north again before the race ended to get to the pump out before it closed. Behind us, the battle raged and when we were about half way home we listened to team USA finish in the lead once again. Incredible.

Checking the Club Nautique information on board, Mia found no mention of pumping out. She called Club Nautique and confirmed that they did not have to do it. Tickled, they deployed lines and fenders and brought Anne’s Turn neatly back into her slip in Sausalito. Some crew said their goodbyes that afternoon, while the rest enjoyed a final local dinner and night on board before clearing out early Sunday morning.

Arriving in San Francisco with thin hopes of seeing any America’s Cup racing, we ended up watching the 72s every single day of our trip, and we got in some great sailing of our own to boot. The regatta carried on without us for four more days, with Team Oracle USA winning every single race. On the final day those who could watched or listened with baited breath, providing play-by-play email updates to the entire crew and having private little celebrations in our homes and offices when Oracle crossed the finish line for the last time.

While The Sailing Club can’t challenge for the Cup, the proposal for the next America’s Cup trip, possibly three years from now, is already filed with the board.