The Photo of the Day is of Jean of Mistress, Cherie of Scirocco, Rich of Still
Searching, Anne of Cassiopeia, and Doña of Profligate dancing on the go-go deck of Profligate,
which was having a fun spinnaker reach earlier this month in
company with John Haste’s Perry 52 Little Wing in the
background on Banderas Bay.
A couple of days later, Blair and Joan
Grinols joined the fun with their Capricorn Cat. It was
such a kick having the three big cats carry chutes in company,
that we smelled a fund-raising opportunity for just before the
Banderas Bay Regatta March 14-17. We ran the idea by Terrance
O’Rourke, the head of the Banderas Bay Regatta, who gave his
enthusiastic support.
As such, we’re inviting as many boats as
possible to join Profligate, Little Wing, and Capricorn
Cat at Punta de Mita, Banderas Bay, on the morning of March
12. After some surfing and then some lunch and cervezas at one
of the terrific palapa restaurants on the beach, everyone will
be shuttled out to the boats for the spinnaker run back to Paradise
Marina. It’s about 12 miles, and the afternoon wind usually blows
at 10 to 15 knots. You can’t imagine conditions that would be
any more dreamlike, as the additional photos attest.
Profligate, Little Wing and Capricorn Cat intend to raise money
by having each of their crew contribute $25 to the charity to
be chosen by Terrance O’Rourke. As the event draws closer, we
intend to have sign-up sheets for both crew and additional boats
that may want to participate. We hope that you can join us! For
it will not only be a worthy cause, but a booty-shaking spinnaker
run on the warm, blue waters of Banderas Bay.
Photos Latitude/Richard
America’s Cup Preview
December 14 – Auckland, NZ
There’s going to be some interesting action
in New Zealand February 11-17, as Team New Zealand will be part
of an international regatta in America’s Cup boats against Britain’s
GBR Challenge, Seattle’s OneWorld Challenge, and Sweden’s Victory
Challenge. But folks will have to be careful not to make too
much of it. For one thing, nobody will be using new boats or
technology. Second, the most powerful challengers for the Cup,
Oracle Racing, Prada, and Alinghi, have declined to participate.
Still, it will be fun.
Racing Rules Too Complex?
December 14 – America’s Race Courses
In a guest editorial in today’s Scuttlebutt,
ISAF President Paul Henderson said that he thinks the racing
rules “are too complex” for sailors who just want to
race for the fun of it. (And we think he’s right.) As such, he
said he cheered when he read a simple set of rules proposed by
Don Becker, US Sailing Senior Judge. They are very similar to
the Beer Can Ten Commandments
created years ago by Rob Moore, Latitude 38’s Racing Editor.
Here are the ‘Commandments’ for strictly recreational racers,
as proposed by Becker:
1) Port keeps clear of starboard. 2) Windward
keeps clear of leeward 3) The boat astern keeps clear of the
boat ahead. 4) A boat Tacking or Jibing keeps clear of one that
is not. 5) Avoid collisions. Racing Rules are defensive to prevent
collisions not offensive racing tactics. 6) If you gain right
of way or change course, give the other boat time to keep clear.
7) The inside boat(s) at two boat lengths from the mark is entitled
to room to round the mark. 8) A boat that is backing up or not
racing keeps clear. 9) If you have violated a rule, take a penalty.
10) It is better to give way than to spend hours in a protest
room.
Mystery Photo
December 14 – Mystery Location
Wednesday‘s ‘Mystery Photo’ where is it? and what’s in the
boxes? brought lots of responses, most of them wrong. A few folks
got the location right, and one person got the contents of the
boxes right, but neither got both right.
Mik Beattie, who is something like the
head of all ferryboat captains on the Bay, guessed the photo
had been taken at the Larkspur Ferry Landing, that the boat was
the Fast Ferry Threehull, and that the boxes were for passengers
– big for big people, small for small people. All wrong. David
Butler of cyberspace said the photo had been taken in Chicago
and that Jimmy Hoffa was in the box. No and we don’t think so.
Toby Riley wrote, “I don’t care about the barge, check out
the dory on the davits . . . it looks pretty good from an about
to be snow-covered Massachusetts.” Seems as though he’s
had too much winter already. Ed Shea, who added an aside, “I
used to see your Ocean 71 Big O all the time in Gustavia,
St. Barts, in ’89 and ’90,” guessed that the photo was taken
between Young Island and St. Vincent, and that the boxes contained
either lobster, conch, or bananas from St. Lucia. Peter Detwiler
guessed it was taken somewhere in the Caribbean, and that the
boxes “obviously contained hives so honey bees can feast
on the tropical flowers in the hills in the background . . .
or caskets for the midgets who died during the particularly nasty
knockdown during the ’94 Antigua Sailing Week.” Doug Thorne
said it looks like Alcatraz and that the boxes contain party
goodies for the ‘Jail Parties’ they have on the island. Doug,
the next time you see that color water near Alcatraz, give us
a call. Andy Johnson says, “It looks suspiciously like the
barge stolen from Disneyland in Anaheim last month. Children,
mice and large dogs have been looking for it all over the West
Coast. The boxes contain Walt and Roy’s personal doubloon stash,
several small starter pistols, and one well-used eye patch with
the initials L E on it. The photo was doctored to disguise the
true location, but Petaluma comes to mind.” Petaluma? Stuart
from “pissing down rain Seattle” thought it might be
somebody taking engine parts out to a boat in Z-town. Chris Longaker
guessed the boxes had fireworks, and that it was taken at St.
Vincent. Kaboom, you’re half right, Chris. Bob Alderson guesses
the boxes contained tea, and that the photo was taken at St.
Barts. The tea is wrong, but the location is right.
Juan de Juanderer of Tampa is the only
one to have gotten the correct answer, but only because he was
there. “That’s the photo of the fireworks barge taken in
a rum haze from the Eden Rock Bar in St. Barths. The only mystery
to the photo is how you managed, with such a rum hazed brain,
to get it in focus. You must have done something later in PhotoShop.”
Actually, it was an autofocus camera.
Here’s the true story of the photo. We
were indeed about halfway through a monumental beach bar crawl
at St. Jean, St. Barth, French West Indies, when we spotted this
guy running a small boat up the beach. He obviously needed some
help loading the heavy boxes, so we gave him a hand. When we
asked what was in them, he told us fireworks for the New Year’s
Eve display over the harbor at Gustavia. So we asked him what
had happened to the great fireworks show that was supposed to
happen for the millennium New Year’s. He explained to us that
they had gotten the barge in position on the afternoon of the
31st, then came ashore for some drinks. About 9 p.m., they discovered
that it had drifted 18 miles in the direction of Saba. They did
the best they could towing the clumsy barge back toward St. Barts,
but by midnight they were still six miles away and had to light
the stuff off there. So it wasn’t such a big show. They secured
the barge better last year, and it was a fine fireworks display.
Here’s a couple of more shots from St.
Barth:
The harbor at Gustavia, a couple of days after New Year’s,
after most of the boats have left.
St. Barth merchant of the century, Ernest, who will sell
you everything from goldfish to old lady’s dresses to
motorcycles to a 40,000 unit string of firecrackers.
You want Caribbean blue? This photo was taken on the other
side of the Eden Rock from where the barge photo was taken. Photos Latitude/Richard
Dalton Says Sail On
December 14 – Sydney, Australia
Saying he is quickly healing from broken
ribs and fractured vertebrae, Grant Dalton of Amer Sports
One says that he will sail in the Sydney to Auckland leg
of the Volvo Ocean Race.
YOTREPS
December 14 – 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.
Pacific Winds and Pressure
The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology
page posts a daily
map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.
