The farallones are a wind swept, cold and lonely place.   Just the place to be if you are a bird looking for a deserted place to breed.   And breed they do.   The Farallones are part of the Farallons National Marine Sanctuary which sits just outside the entrance to San Francisco Bay.   The islands themselves are about 26 miles west of the golden gate, and on a clear day can be seen from the mainland.   It's a long day to go out and back, so I generally combine multiple destinations over a three or four day voyage.   Horseshoe Cove is a good overnight anchorage in order to get a good start the next day.   Located in Marin County, just near the base of the northern end of the Golden Gate bridge.   The next day starts with the tide, and leaves you in Drakes Bay for a day or two.   The return trip can be a glorious beam reach all the way to the Farallones where you jibe on to a course that will take you right into the San Francisco Bay, tide permitting as always.