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Photos of the Day

May 9 - Antigua

When it comes to sailing photographers who are both talented and gutsy, Tim Wright of the Caribbean is near the top of the list. Wright is known for his great shots of Antigua Sailing Week and the Antigua Classic Regatta. Unlike most sailing photographers, who shoot from powerboats, Wright braves the waves and spray in a small inflatable - that he drives while he shoots. One of his trademarks is to cross directly in front of the biggest and fastest boats for a bow-on shot.

In addition to being a great photographer and boat operator, Tim Wright is a great guy. We hope you enjoy a selection of his shots from last month's Antigua Classic Regatta. If you're looking to buy a great sailing photograph, visit Tim's Web site at www.photoaction.com.


Photos Tim Wright


Designed by a Woman, Built by a Man

May 9 - Sunnyvale

Conrad and Charlotte Skladal of Sunnyvale did a circumnavigation, which is unusual, but not rare. That they took 14 years to enjoy it is also unusual, but not rare. They did it aboard the 43-foot Wisp, which Conrad built in their backyard in only two years. But here's what's really unique: the boat was designed by Charlotte, who is a mechanical engineer. Here's a shot of their boat off Kilifi, Kenya, during a blow. More on them in the June issue of Latitude 38.

Photo Courtesy Wisp


Worrell 1000 Destruction Derby

May 9 - Jensen Beach, Florida

Nobody expects a 1,000 mile race up the East Coast in beach cats to be easy, but not many people expected this year's Worrell 1000 to be quite so destructive. At the end of the first leg, two participants were badly injured while coming ashore in 20 knot winds and heavy surf. Team Guidant's Sandra Tartaglino of Redwood Shores suffered multiple leg fractures after the cat she was on planted its bows in the sand and then pitchpoled. As for Tom Weaver of Pyacht Men, he broke his ankle while trying to push his boat across the finish line.

And yesterday's leg three was the most destructive in the 18 year history of the event. Of the 20 boats entered, 15 of them weren't even able to make it through the Jensen Beach surf to start. According to officials, masts were broken, sails shredded, and rudders snapped like wishbones. Before long, officials prevented any of the entries from trying to start again. They're now faced with the task of rewarding the five boats who finished the leg. When the racing was over, leaders Brian Lambert and Jamie Livingston recorded their third straight leg victory - despite having gone over twice. For current standings and more disaster photos, visit www.worrell1000.com.


PI picks up the pieces.



Pyacht Men hits the beach at the start of Leg 3 from Jensen Beach to Cocoa Beach, Florida.


Pyacht Men struggles through the smaller shore break on their second attempt.

Photos Walter Cooper
Courtesy Worrell 1000


Who Says the TransPac Is Behind the Times?

May 9 - Pacific Ocean

TransPac rules require that at least one member of each crew know celestial navigation in case the GPS fails. Of course, what are they to do if both the GPS and weather - cloud cover - fail?


And They Didn't Even Have to Go to Medical School

May 9 - Louisiana

"Rates for pilots, who steer ocean ships on rivers, are set so that they should receive $285,000 or $321,000 a year, depending on their locations, plus offshore pay for some," reported the Wall Street Journal in the May 8 edition. Business groups say the pilot salaries - which are set by Louisiana's Public Service Commission - are too high. The four ship pilot association, which has a monopoly on the service, says the salaries are just fine the way they are. What do you think?


Oracle Racing

May 9 - San Francisco

Gina Von Esmarch of Oracle Racing was kind enough to make a couple of clarifications to our recent report on the Golden Gate YC's entry in the next America's Cup.

"As you correctly reported, Chris Dickson has been assigned to work as our syndicate's liaison with designer Bruce Farr. However, this responsibility is in addition to his main focus as a key member of the team's afterguard. Chris continues to work, both on and off the water, with Paul Cayard, John Cutler, Peter Holmberg and Tommaso Chieffi in preparing our team for the Louis Vuitton Series. And while it would be wonderful if all our funding was in place, that's not quite true. While all of our financial targets have been met, we are still working to develop the additional financial resources we'll need to win the Louis Vuitton Series."

We thank Gina for the clarifications. The point we were trying to make is that there's a big difference in the financial situation at Larry Ellison's Oracle Racing and Craig MacCaw's OneWorld Syndicate for the Seattle YC. Oracle Racing's funding is on target and they seem to have excellent prospects for additional funding. Besides, despite the recent tech downturn, Ellison is - to put it mildly - still worth an incomprehensible sum of money. The situation isn't as good at OneWorld, and the difference could play a big part in how the syndicates do in the Louis Vuitton Cup.


Photo Latitude/Richard

By the way, if any of you are anywhere near Ventura, we recommend you stop by before 10:00 a.m. or after about 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, as there's much to see. When they drop the boats in or lift them out - which is really quite spectacular - you can watch from just a short distance away, as evidenced by the accompanying photograph above. While the syndicate isn't set up for visitors and doesn't want their work disturbed, it's worth a visit.

YOTREPS

May 9 - 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

May 9 - 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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