OK, again off topic from the exploits of Mariner #1460, but all this boating activity inspired me to pull my old dory skiff out of the side yard and get her sailing again. I built "Lappy" to Joel White's Shellback design about 10 years ago. I used to sail/row her a lot in the early years, but she's been under wraps for the past three years. Anyway, she needed a little maintenance to get back in sailing shape. One weekend of work and then I went looking for a place to launch . . .I went to the Berkeley Marina with my dory skiff to test that out as a quick entry point to bay sailing. Unfortunately, the place was absolutely jammed with big honkin boats, trailers, etc. Musta been some kind of fishing derby going on. So, I headed down to the Oakland Estuary ramp. Totally crappy little ramp with big old bolts sticking out of the side of the dock and all the cleats broken, but hey, it's free! Nice little place to sail. Reminded me a lot of day cruising Newport Harbor except a lot more industrial. Tack your way up the channel checking out lots of interesting stuff along the way. Then, spin it around, break out the sandwiches and beer, and run for home. cool.
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