I woke up aboard my sailboat in Sausalito when my cell phone rang with my mom calling. Her first words were "Well we are under attack". I asked what did she mean and she told me a plane had hit the world trade center. I told her she was crazy, must be an accident. After all, the empire state building has been hit by a couple different airplanes - all accidents. She said, no, they think it was suicide hijackers.

I crawled out of the v-berth and turned on the radio, listening to the news report while I got dressed, then crawled out of the boat into a sunny, oddly quiet and completely still (no wind) day. I walked down the dock and across the parking lot to Sailors Landing - a seafood restaurant and bar at the marina and my frequent hangout. They weren't due to open for a couple hours but the bartender told me to come in to see the TV. I sat at the bar watching as more and more liveaboards wandered in and stared at the screen in disbelief. Eventually, the bartender assumed his station and we all begin drinking and watching. We all watched the towers collapse - first one, then the other a while later - and nobody could believe it.

Eventually I ordered lunch, had a burger, then left when the newscasts began getting repetitive and went back to the boat. I pulled out my climbing gear and went up the mast to do some maintenance, but also to get a better view of the Golden Gate bridge and SF skyline - just in case they were next.

Again I was struck by the stillness - no bay vessel traffic to speak of, very little auto traffic on the bridge - in contrast to the chaos of New York.

Strange and unforgettable day.

I'll be avoiding the TV for the next few days.