~ SOLO CRUISING THE SACRAMENTO DELTA (part 3) ~ Psychedelic Sunsets and Rainbows

Day 5 saw Jonah push further up into the delta, which was to prove a mini epic in and of itself; however, the leg was a mixed bag of light air sailing followed by motoring.

[31] When I arrived at my proposed stopping off spot for the night, it was bloody crowded; well there was one other boat and i didn’t want to be that guy. So i set off further to pastures new, up a fork in the river and into some shallows that i barely made it through.

[32] Nowhere to stop for the night presented itself so i continued to where it rejoined the main tributary. Then I took what looked like an interesting spot over to starboard between two islands, and promptly fouled the propeller in some water-bourne bindweed.

[33] Proper stuck I was as i helplessly drifted into the tall reeds. Firmly up against it now, I set about those pesky weeds with my super sharp fish filleting knife. The weeds cleared away quite easily, but then when i tried to back out, it all got tangled in more weeds! After much messing about even including getting tools out to temporarily modify Jonah’s motor steering lock, i eventually got out of there!

[34] Still with no place to call home and getting rather exhausted now, i continued the search for a place to drop the hook. eventually, i settled for a spot near some private moorings and was alone for the night in a quite picturesque spot.

[35] bucolic it may have been, but quiet it was not. Boats going by in the main channel presented a wake that rocked Jonah. I resolved to move in the morning.

[36] Day 6, at first light, breakfast was had and we weighed anchor to return to the location I had previously declined. It was even busier now with several boats ensconced.

[37] So I went the other side of a close by reed bed and found privacy in my own improvised location. It was a paradise found.

[38] The inflatable kayak was launched and an explore of the reed beds ensued. Paddling further I returned to the main anchorage and drifted by a rather spiffing looking vessel (not as spiffing as Jonah, but spiffing nonetheless). A total classic of a sailing boat in the traditional style.

[39] I got talking to the owners who invited me on board. During a self-guided tour, i was informed that Wayne (the owner) had built the boat himself from a bare hull! such craftsmanship is rare, the attention to detail, the teak everywhere, my god man, it was a labor of love. And the geezer only gets seasick!

[x] A true open-ocean going ship, in the hands of a barfmeister. His wife was on board and she explained to me how it was a sistership of the boat named Serafin (of the Pardeys).

[40] Returning to the good ship Jonah, i was now taking regular dips in the river as it was really getting quite hot. Muggy even.

[41] By late afternoon, clouds to the east seemed to be telling of a thunderstorm. That
evening I was treated to the most spectacular display, the like of which I have never seen before.

[42] A psychedelic sunset to the west was coincident with a rainbow to the east. i kid you not, it was amazing. i videoed a lot, and took several photos too.

[43] As darkness descended, faint rumblings of thunder grew stronger, spots of rain began to fall, the wind got up (hope that anchor holds!), and the dusk sky lit up with flashes of lightning.

[44] Then all of a sudden I was beset by mosquitos; not just any plain pest either. Big, perhaps the biggest I’ve even seen; they were obviously attracted to my head torch and began populating the interior of the boat.

[45] Mosquito netting was frantically deployed and I set about swatting the buggers which were not hard to find on account of the tremendous buzzing noise they made.

[46] Finally the situation was brought under control and i avoided getting bitten much. Now confined to the cabin, daring not to venture outside on account of those monsters, I set an anchor alarm on my phone and watched to see if the boat would drag anchor during the night.

[x] All was well, and apart from being woken up in the night during a fairly substantial blow, dawn broke without any further drama.