REACTION TO MALTESE FALCON

We have sailed Galveston Bay, the Chesapeake, Raritan Bay and the Hudson, and Tampa Bay and never, ever have we seen the massive amount of boats turn out as a spectator fleet as we saw on the San Francisco Bay for the arrival of the Maltese Falcon!! What an awesome adventure for my 9 year old son to witness as this majestic yacht entered the bay. We were a bit chagrined to see that she went down the San Francisco waterfront instead of heading directly for Belvedere, but decided that we had seen enough and to avoid traffic, we headed down the northern side of Angel Island. I slowly realized that this was tactical HEAVEN -- the Maltese Falcon was reaching across the bay and was clearly going to have to beat back up behind Angel Island and would pass directly in front of us. What a THRILL! Surrounded by other spectators, sitting still while sailing at 4 knots in a 3.5 knot tide, we watched this majestic yacht work her way in three tacks up the bay behind the island and 100 yards away from us. The contrast of her to the proud 40 and 50 foot boats turned into dinghies by her size was impressive, yet each of those boats was capable as well of long offshore passages -- humbling in a strange reverse way to the Falcon! I have attached some photos -- if you can use them, please do -- you will probably receive thousands. Never have I seen a spectator fleet of this size. Sincerely, Don Dutton, 1986 Cal 33-2, "Quantum Evolution"

Donald Dutton wrote: > We have sailed Galveston Bay, the Chesapeake, Raritan Bay and the > Hudson, and Tampa Bay and never, ever have we seen the massive amount > of boats turn out as a spectator fleet as we saw on the San Francisco > Bay for the arrival of the Maltese Falcon!! What an awesome adventure > for my 9 year old son to witness as this majestic yacht entered the bay. Nice pictures! And your son's a lucky kid. My local historic boat group is working on plans for using a recent donation for an "at risk" kids program. As you might guess, kids who have grown up on sailboats typically are not "at risk" kids. Boats are the cure, or one of them. I teach on a schoolship in the spring, and it's amazing how many kids, even ones not at risk, have never been aboard a boat and have never learned about the kinds of self-discipline and internal resources you need to operate a boat. Those are the same qualities you need for some chance at success elsewhere. A number of years ago I powered my other boat down the Saginaw River to join the fleet welcoming the first "tall ship" to enter that harbor in at least three quarters of a century. It was extremely moving to see that happen. We are lucky to have chosen an activity that is fun, nourishes the mind and soul, and acquaints us with the special beauty that derives from the combination of form and function that is essential to sailing. Chris Campbell >