April 13, 2001
It’s Friday the 13th. Watch Out!
We’ve already had numerous technology problems today, and it’s
still morning.
Photo of the DayApril 13 – San Antonio, TX The fellow in the accompanying photo is Grant Todd, who we’ve |
 Photo Mike Miller |
America’s Cup News
April 13 – Various A-Cup Camps
| Yesterday Craig McCaw’s OneWorld Syndicate out of Seattle issued a request for help with funding from private and commerical interests. When the syndicate was first announced, they said it would be funded entirely by MaCaw, and any additional money from other sources would go to protect the ocean environment. McCaw, the owner of a telecom fortune once estimated at $6 billion, has, like everyone else, seen the value of his tech portfolio plummet in the last year. Of course, it doesn’t help that both he and his brother have new 300 and 350-foot motoryachts that are said to require crews of 65. Despite these problems, we’re certain that he’ll pull through and that OneWorld will be a formidable challenger in New Zealand. We wouldn’t worry about Larry Ellison and Oracle Racing either. While Oracle has taken a pounding along with other tech interests, he started out nearly 10 times richer than McCaw. And even during the crappy last quarter, Oracle made a profit of nearly a billion dollars. The first photo at right is of Le Grand Bleu, the larger |
  Photos Latitude/Richard |
Speaking of New Zealand, the strong but unconfirmed
gossip down there is that Hasso Plottner, the German software
mogul and owner of a series of racing boats named Morning Glory,
is going to fund the New Zealand America’s Cup effort to the tune
of tens of millions of dollars. This would be great news for the
Kiwis – but not as good as it could have been. Had Plottner and
his money turned up a year ago, the Kiwi stars of the last defense
probably wouldn’t have fled to greener – as in money – pastures
elsewhere in the world. It also sets up a potentially great battle
between the Kiwis and Oracle Racing, for Hasso, majority owner
of SAP software, and Larry Ellison, majority owner of Oracle –
have a very long and intense rivalry both in the world of sailing,
but even more so in the marketplace where they are bitter rivals
in the same software market.
Tidbits: A little bird told us that Hasso’s
ILC 50 Morning Glory, which has been sitting on the hard
at Anderson’s Boatyard in Sausalito for years, has been purchased
by none other than Dennis Conner, who also messes around in the
America’s Cup. On the Oracle Racing front, we’ve been told that
the syndicate approached the Sequoia YC in Redwood City/Silicon
Valley to discuss sailing for that club.
Why Cruise the Caymans?
April 13 – Cayman Islands
A few months ago the question was raised why so few boats cruise
to the Cayman Islands. Here’s what Pat Price of the SF/Monterey
based Nordic 46 RS Blue Point has to say:
“In May of ’99, Blue Point and
I sailed from the San Blas Islands to Key West via Georgetown,
Grand Cayman. This is nearly dead north and resulted in a 4 day,
18 hour beam reach virtually the whole way to Grand Cayman, offering
the best sailing we’d had since departing Cabo. We then skirted
the west end of Cuba and rode the Gulf Stream to Key West. Grand
Cayman, as you say, is an offshore banking center and is very
expensive. Notably, a case of Heinekin goes for $43. We were the
only sailboat in the harbor and got yelled at because I couldn’t
find my quarentine flag. We were happy to leave and enjoyed the
rest of the trip, which took 3 days. It was a fast trip with good
western Caribbean trades for most of the way. Other than that
I can think of no other reason to go to the Caymans. Right now
I’m in Antigua waiting for the start of Sailing Week at the end
of the month.”
Baja Ha-Ha AnnouncementApril 13 – Oakland The Wanderer/Grand Poobear would like to remind everyone that |
|
 Les Femmes de Profligate at the Cabo Falso finish. |
 Mothership crew jumping in the water at Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas. |
Big Dinghy RegattaApril 13 – San Francisco Bay
Patterned after the Big Daddy, the format A total of 96 boats sailed in the new event, a nice turnout despite Photos Latitude/JR |
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Richmond YC’s
YOTREPS
April 13 – 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/
Weather Updates
April 13 – Pacific Ocean
San Francisco Bay Weather
To see what the winds are like on the Bay
and just outside the Gate right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.
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 Sea State
Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you
might check out the Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.
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