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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/
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.
