[Rhodes22-list] FW: [tayana] 113 reason why yoiu need to keep a boat's "ends light"- swamped boat in S.F.

[Mark Kaynor]

FYI - from an SF Bay Tayana sailor:

The guy in the photos fell victim to the "south tower demon" .  I have
slipped through the gate by the same path many times and have always been
very impressed by the currents that lay the nuns and cans on their sides.
Most races th at involve sailing through the gate forbid cutting inside the
south tower.
 
The guy who drove his boat through that route in those conditions was taking
a big risk. Had the tide been unfavorable he would have ended up without all
the photos as he and his boat would have been headed to China.  I have been
in the same l ocation where 6 kts of speed over the water was not enough to
get the boat in through the gate...
 
The wind surfers are always out there at that stage of tide.  I once sailed
through that route on a reasonably calm afternnoon as was feeling very bold
and adventuresome until some guy on a windsurfer sailed by me and steered
his board with on e hand while giving me the "hang loose" sign with his
other.  He was tacking through the swell generated by the base of the south
tower over and over again..  He made it look so easy that for a moment I
even considered giving it a shot.  Very quickly good sense prevailed and I
decided that this over fifty windsurfer would be better off some safe place,
like the yacht club bar.
 
I once spent a night outside the SF entrance channel because I was not
confident that my engine would keep running in dead calm conditions.  I feel
so much better about the decision after seeing those photos.  The
consequences of sailing through currents like that without enough wind to
maintaint powerful control over the boat is pretty scary.