VETERANS SAIL ADVENTURE

From time to time, BAADS takes out community groups of people with disabilities. our Keellboat Director, Cristina Rubke, sets up these sails as well as organizes the skippers and crew to take everyone out.

On Saturday, March 18, everyone was jovial from the start as the crazy winter storms of the past week quietly subsided for the day.  The 16 veterans and their caregivers & staff arrived via bus early for the Saturday sail. A majority of the veterans were visually impaired. Most of the BAADS crew were already there getting the boats ready for the day.

The skippers and crew of Raven, Tashi, and Believe conferred to plan out their itineraries to be back on dock by 3:30 PM and most were able to keep to that schedule. The crew for Raven were Scott Foster (skipper) and Ralph Vomaske, Tashi were Cristina Rubke (skipper), Jeff Breen, and Roger Barcelona-Crawford and Believe were Alex Hruzewicz (skipper) and Chris Naughton. 

The passengers gathered outside the South Beach Community Room and the boat assignments were given out. Once down at the docks, PFD’s were passed out followed by a safety briefing. The conditions reviewed; the tide would be ebbing all afternoon and winds would be light.

Raven, being the smallest boat, headed out first, followed by Tashi and eventually Believe.  

Although the plan was to be back at the dock abut 3:30, Believe and its passengers and crew were having too much fun.  They motored along the waterfront enjoying lunch and snacks.  As they headed to the Golden Gate, Alex deployed the mainsail and later the headsail. People started getting excited as we approached the Golden Gate Bridge and porpoises were spotted. The Passengers looked up in amazement as we passed under the bridge and snapped lots of pictures. Some had limited vision and were able to see the bridge as Believe passed underneath it.  The caregivers/staff were equally excited. 

The ebb was strong, and the boat continued past Kirby Cove and eventually past Point Bonita Lighthouse. The winds were light, but the ebb took the boat quite a distance in a short amount of time.  There were plenty more sightings of porpoise as the boat cruised in the calm waters. Alex decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (a day late) by tying green ribbons in his beard which entertained all on board (see pic below). 

By the time Believe turned around, it was apparent the ebb was strong, so the course would need to be altered. The engine was on to motor sail close to shore to get some relief from the current. It soon became clear, the 3:30 rendezvous time would not be met.  

While the crews and passengers from Raven and Tashi waited for Believe, suggestions were made for alternate docks to allow the passengers to meet their bus. In the end, Believe continued on to South Beach. However, the tide was so low, Believe needed to dock at the first dock in the harbor. Docking was uneventful, but there were several sea lions lounging about the dock. A helpful guest at the dock was able to shoo the sea lions away except for one large male who refused to leave. With a bit more persistence, he finally moved so the crew and passengers were able to safely disembark.

The Veterans and staff were able to meet up with the others about 6 PM and board their bus back to Palo Alto. It was a fun day and everyone seemed to greatly enjoy the adventures.

Thank you to all of you who participated from BAADS for making this adventure possible.