“Former San Francisco Bay Finn Sailor Cracks.” That’s
the headline Sammy Girton of Spokane suggests for the accompanying
photo. Sammy reports, “After a record-breaking 118 days with
snow on the ground in Spokane, Cameron Girton, who now sails
an Express 37, is seen at the bottom of his driveway drinking
a beer and reading his Latitude 38. Some say he was humming
a Jimmy Buffet song about little latitudes.”
Photo Sammy Girton
Sounds like Cameron is in need of a tropical
sailing photograph. We hope this helps:
Photo Latitude/Richard
The Last Legal Liveaboard Slips Still
Available on the Bay?
April 3 – Richmond
Could be. Barry O’Loony, the office manager at Marina Bay in
Richmond, advises that the marina recently got their liveaboard
permit from the BCDC and are starting to accept applications
for their 75 liveaboard slips. Folks who’ve been in the marina
all along get the first shot, and they’ve signed up for roughly
45 of the 75 slips. About 30 ‘outsiders’ have also signed up,
but O’Loony says there may still be room for a couple of more
or at least to get at the top of the waiting list. Warning: All
liveaboard boats have to pass an inspection, and liveaboard slips
are not meant for low-income housing. In addition, the marina
will be keeping a careful eye out for ‘sneakaboards’.
The 850-slip Marina Bay is about the only
place on the Bay that we know of that has slips open in just
about all sizes between 22 and 61 feet. And their slip fees are
quite low. A 22-foot slip goes for $110, a 40-foot slip for $218,
and a 61-ft slip for just $350 a month. Liveaboards pay a $150
surcharge. Marina Bay is closer to the central Bay than are any
of the marinas on the Estuary, and is particularly close to the
warm weather sailing in the North Bay. It also has much warmer
weather than does Berkeley Marina. Its location not far from
I-580 makes it convenient to both Marin and the East Bay, and
it’s not far from BART. We used to keep a boat there and enjoyed
it, and folks who have boats there now tell us they really like
it. So if we were looking for a liveaboard slip, we’d call (510)
236-1013, and we’d do it right now!
Empty slips in Richmond Photo Courtesy Marina Bay Yacht Harbor
For those just looking for a slip, Marina
Bay also has a good selection of almost impossible to find slips
in the 36 to 61-foot range. A 50-foot berth is just $280 a month,
which compares very, very, very favorably with the $675 you’d
have to pay at some marinas in Sausalito.
The Crew List Party Is April 5
April 3 – Tiburon
“I enjoyed my first crew party last fall and met some great
folks,” writes Jim Pederson. “Though I’m inexperienced,
I had several nice offers, all of which I would have accepted
if possible. It worked out best for me to crew from San Diego
to Cabo on Harmony with Robert and Virginia Gleser, and
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the company. Now I’m looking
forward to getting some experience in the Bay Area and maybe
a trip to Mexico. This probably is not news to you, but just
in case, your Calendar and the Corinthian Yacht Club’s Web site
calendar show different dates – April 5 and April 10 – for the
Crew List Party. I’ll reserve both evenings.”
Helicopter rescue demonstration
at last October’s Crew Party Photo Latitude/Richard
The Crew List Party is on Thursday, April
5, from 6 to 9 p.m at the Corinthian YC in Tiburon. For directions
and a map, visit www.cyc.org/map.html.
Wait til you see the killer rescue demonstration the Coasties
put on with a chopper and rescue boat. It brings out the local
police every time!
The
Admiral’s Cup Has Been Called Off
April 3 – UK
The Royal Ocean Racing Club made it official that what was once
the ‘world series of ocean racing’ will not be held this year
in England. This once great event is a victim of several factors,
including the lack of a truly international racing rule and so
many other sailing opportunities, such as the America’s Cup, The
Race, Vendée Globe and the Volvo.
The
Wrong Way to Get to the South Pacific
April 3 – Mooloolaba, Australia
“We left San Francisco on May 8 of last year, and have been
on a bit of a fast track,” report Max and Debbie Young, who
are cruising their Danville-based Perry 47 Reflections
with their daughter Janelle. “So now we’ve decided to slow
down and enjoy Australia for a year before we head north again.
We started out by sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii, then on
to Christmas Island and Tahiti. However, we would never take this
route to the South Pacific again. Everyone we have talked to that
left from Mexico said that their trip to the South Pacific was
a piece of cake. It wasn’t for us. We got hit by storm after storm
until we got 800 miles east of Hawaii. Once we got to the Islands,
it was a bit of a problem finding a berth or even a place to anchor
out. Our next stop was Christmas Island, which you can’t see until
you’re only about eight miles away because its highest peak is
only 12 feet. Even Capt. Cook ran aground there. When he discovered
it, the island was uninhabited. Now only visited by the occasional
cruisers, it’s home to the greatest people in the world. We left
Christmas Island on June 28, and had to sail beneath a brewing
hurricane – which made life interesting. Then it was on to the
Societies, Suvarrow (a ‘must see’), Western Samoa (which every
cruiser raves about), Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia (to enjoy the
Pacific Arts Festival), then on to Australia. We’re now in Mooloolaba.
This has been a lifelong dream, and we’re enjoying it even more
than I thought we would.”
Pacific Puddle Jump
April 3 – Nuevo Vallarta
The right way, or at least the most popular
way, to get to the South Pacific is to leave from Mexico and
sail to the Marquesas. That’s what the Pacific Puddle Jump class
of 2001 are doing. We’re introducing them to you in a continuing
series of profiles. Check back for more in tomorrow’s ‘Lectronic,
and you’ll find all of them in the pages of the April issue of Latitude 38,
which came out on March 30.
Felicity
– Tashiba 31
Ken Machtley & Cathy Siegismund, Seattle
Ken and Cathy echo sentiments we often
hear from folks in their position: “Don’t wait. You’ll never
have enough money, your boat won’t be big enough and you’ll never
feel totally prepared to leave. So just go!”
In their case, though, there’s
a tragic personal incident behind their urgings. Cathy’s parents
had been planning to go cruising for years, but her father died
shortly before his intended departure. So Ken and Cathy (both
in their 30s) have picked up where her folks left off.
A full circumnavigation is in their plans, with two or three
seasons spent in French Polynesia. “New Zealand and Australia
will be our off-season home,” they say, looking forward
to inland, as well as waterborne, exploring. Regarding things
to avoid, they list: “Reefs, pirates and the bottom of the
ocean.”
Destiny
– Wauquiez 42
Michael & JoAnne Gray, Seattle
We remembered meeting this cheerful
couple during the ’98 Baja Ha-Ha. As we wrote back then, they
met two decades earlier while anchored next to each other in
the San Juans – although both had other mates at the time. A
year later they started dating, and the rest is history.
During their two years in Mexico,
Michael and JoAnne have made a concerted effort to assimilate
themselves into the Mexican culture – beyond the marinas and
coastal anchorages. To their credit they both took Spanish ‘immersion’
classes so they could converse more easily with local townspeople.
“Mexico has an incredibly diverse and rich culture,”
explains JoAnne. “The people have been wonderful to us.”
A highlight of their stay was building a close bond with a Mexican
family from a mountain town. They intend to keep in touch as
they work their way around the globe. Destiny will take
a more southerly approach than most, skipping the Marquesas and
aiming for the Gambier Islands and the remote easterly Tuamotus.
They’ll continue on to New Zealand, then perhaps spend a second
SoPac season in Fiji.
Photos Latitude/Andy
YOTREPS
April 3 – 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/
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.
In their case, though, there’s
During their two years in Mexico,