August 17, 2000

By Grzegorz | August 17, 2000

Photo of the Day

Overcooked Eggs?

August 17 – San Francisco Bay

While returning from Vallejo earlier this year, we came across
an unusual sight. It was a retired small tug with what appeared
to be a husband at the helm and the wife in a longboat – look
closely at the photo – on deck. If it indeed was a husband and
wife, we couldn’t help but speculate on what was going on. Had
she overcooked the scrambled eggs and been banished to the longboat?
Maybe she was happily enjoying a little space of her own in the
sun. More likely, he suggested a boat outing on the Bay, to which
she replied, “Sure. You take your boat and I’ll take mine.”

Photo Latitude/Richard

Weather Updates

August 17 – Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

To see what the winds are like on the Bay right now, check
out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.
It’s a great time of year to be sailing the Bay.

California Coast Weather

Looking for current as well as recent wind and sea readings
from 17 buoys and stations between Pt. Arena and the Mexican
border? Here’s the place – which has further links to weather
buoys and stations all over the U.S.
www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stuff/southwest/swstmap.shtml

Pacific Ocean Weather

There’s a large high to the northeast of Hawaii, which is
great for boats coming back from Hawaii, but strong winds the
last several hundred miles outside of San Francisco.

University of Hawaii Meteorology Graphic

Click here to see enlarged
graphic.

Pacific Sea State

When we went to check the sea state Websites this morning,
they were down.
But you can try at http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.

For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.

Tropical Disturbances

Today’s bizarre tropical weather feature is Tropical Storm
Wene, northwest of Hawaii at about the latitude of San Francisco.
What gives with that? Meanwhile, the former hurricanes in both
the Atlantic and off Mexico have lost most of their steam and
pose little threats on the open ocean.

See http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2000/index.html
and http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/2000/index.html
for more.

Tropical Storm Wene

Unisys Weather Graphic

Cruising

Crashing up the California Coast

August 17 – Cape San Martin

We’ve all heard of the ‘Baja Bash’ from Cabo up to San Diego.
Ha-Ha ’99 vet Wayne Meretsky and his Alameda-based S&S 47
‘Moonduster’, an old Admiral’s Cup warrior, had no trouble with
that. What got him was the Central California Coastal Bash: “I
fractured a structural bulkhead sailing back up the California
coast in June. I was having great fun sailing in 40-knot winds
off Cape San Martin just north of Morro Bay, when we came off
a big wave in confused seas – and fell about 18 feet! Boom, crash,
bang! Very exciting stuff. The entire bulkhead, which is 1.125-inch
mahogany ply – ripped apart like it had been cut with a saber
saw. It’s gonna take a while to get everything fixed, and as a
result I’ll be staying on the Bay for the winter instead of returning
to Mexico.”

Wayne promises more details and photos for the September issue
of ‘Latitude’.

YOTREPS

August 17 – The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of
weather are they having? Check out YOTREPS – ‘yacht reports’ –
at http://www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/

Racing

‘Kokopelli 2’ Update

August 17 – Pacific Ocean

The Santa Cruz-based Santa Cruz 52 ‘Kokopelli
2’, which dismasted several days ago while returning from Hawaii,
is now within 400 miles of the California coast. According to
owner Lani Spund, the San Diego-based fishing trawler ‘Barbara
Ann’ has been hired to transfer additional fuel to the disabled
boat and escort her back to Santa Cruz. By the time of this posting,
the two vessels should have rendezvoused.

Through relays via nearby vessels, Spund has learned that his
delivery crew, led by Captain Marvin Burke, has been averaging
7.5 knots, which leads him to believe that they have erected
some kind of jury rig to assist the motor.

Crewman Daniel Garr, who was badly injured when the mast came
down, was evacuated earlier this week and will soon undergo surgery
in a Portland, OR, hospital. For complete details on the dismasting
and its aftermath, see the September ‘Latitude
38’.

‘Kokopelli 2’ Starting the Pacific Cup
Latitude Photo

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