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April 8, 2002


Photo of the Day

April 8 – Newport Harbor


Photo Latitude/Richard

Today’s Photo of the Day is of the sunset
last night at Newport Harbor, as seen from aboard Profligate
at the guest moorings. What a lovely night. And what a lovely
deal on the moorings, just $5 a night.


San Diego Police Docks Screaming Along

April 8 – San Diego

As reported in Latitude 38, the
San Diego Police Docks were torn down so they could be rebuilt
– with nine additional slips. As of last Friday, the docks looked
well on their way to completion. Alas, it’s our understanding
that once again there will be no showers in the heads. Newport
has showers. Oxnard has showers. Why can’t San Diego have showers?


Photo Latitude/Richard


Not Getting Better with Age

April 8 – SoCal

Remember Kevin Costner in Waterworld?
He sailed a special effects trashed version of a VP&P trimaran
– a near sistership to Steve Fossett’s old Lakota – with
a totally weird rig. After the movie was made, we heard the boat
was sold for $30,000, and the owner had big plans to trick her
out. Based on her current condition, those plans haven’t moved
forward in a couple of years.


Photo Latitude/Richard


Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

April 8 – Catalina Island

How embarrassing. Yesterday afternoon,
we were up by Long Point at Catalina to take a couple of photos
of the Long Beach YC’s race back to Long Beach. As we got in
the vicinity of the starting line, we found ourselves temporarily
helpless. Our steering went out, we lost one engine, which left
us unable to maneuver in tight quarters, and a screwed up main
halyard meant we couldn’t have steered ourselves out of the way
even if there had been wind. Fortunately, it was still 20 minutes
before the start, and a kind soul towed us out of the area, and
we got the important things sorted out.

Anyway, it was sunny and pleasant yesterday
afternoon at Catalina when the fleet hit the starting line. The
combination of sailing in light winds and rolling swells is something
we Northern California sailors don’t get often. At least not
with warm sun.


(left to right) Medicine Man, Gold Digger,
unidentified, Victoria, and just a little bit of Magnitude.


A group of boats carrying their
chutes
several miles away from the island.

Photo Latitude/Richard

 

By the way, can anyone tell that we spent
last weekend sailing from San Diego to Catalina to Newport? Well,
we did, and it was a great time. More photos tomorrow.
 


Bruno Peyron Marches On

April 8 – Southern Ocean

Bruno Peyron and the maxi cat Orange
continue on their record pace, having now sailed 15,200 miles
in their Jules Verne record attempt – which is 2,400 miles better
than Sport Elec, which owns the current record.


YOTREPS

April 8 – 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 8 – 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/.
The National Weather Service site for San Francisco Bay has moved
to www.wrh.noaa.gov/Monterey/.

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 Winds and Pressure

The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology
page posts a daily
map
of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.

Pacific Sea State

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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The De-Naming Ceremony
I once met a man in Florida who told me he’d owned 24 different yachts and renamed every single one of them.