August 30, 2002

Photos of the Day

August 30 – San Francisco

Thanks to the immediacy of digital photography,
we can lead today’s ‘Lectronic with this morning’s Windjammers
start. The first group sailed over the line at 9:30, headed from
the Cityfront to Santa Cruz in flat water on an ebb tide. About
50 boats are racing. See the October issue of Latitude
38 for more, including results.

The Transpac 52 Rosebud
led the fleet out the Gate.

Pacific Cup winner Alta Vita was second out.

Owner Dick Cranor steering
the Santa Cruz 50 Oaxaca.

Sail San Francisco! 2002

August 30 – San Francisco

More from Wednesday’s windy tall ships
parade. These lovely vessels are visiting for a few days, berthed
along the San Francisco waterfront from Hyde Street Pier to China
Basin Ferry Terminal (at PacBell Park) and open to the public.
For details on the ships and how to view them, see www.sailsanfrancisco.org.
We have a preview article in the September issue of Latitude
38, coming out today, and we hope to feature a photo
spread in the October issue.

Gas Light, a 172-ft scow
schooner out of Sausalito,
carried a full complement of spectators.

The 86-ft Ka’iulani, another Sausalito charter
vessel, slips under the bridge.

A good example of the sloppy seas
Wednesday.

Lynx, a
122-ft schooner from Newport Beach, seen here just south of the
Bay Bridge, never set sail, as she broke her bowsprit outside
the Gate.

Prologue Race to Precede Around Alone

August 30 – Newport, RI

Around Alone 2002-03 will gather in Newport,
RI, and depart for a crewed Prologue Race to New York on September
12. The Prologue Race, 160 miles to Manhattan, will set off from
the Newport Boat Show in Newport Harbor on the opening day of
the show. It will be a unique part of the Around Alone race because
the participants won’t be alone: Crews of up to five sailors
will be part of teams taking the boats to New York. The Around
Alone start will be on September 15. It was diverted from Rhode
Island to New York City to allow the race to be part of ‘Sail
for America’, one of the events marking the first anniversary
of September 11. The Around Alone takes the fleet from New York
to Torbay (England), then Cape Town (South Africa), Tauranga
(New Zealand) and Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), before returning
to Newport in April. The official entry list of competitors consists
of 14 competitors from 10 different countries; 7 in Class I and
7 in Class II.

Canadian skipper John Dennis has inspired
his sponsor, Bayer, to create an annual giving fund for people
with diabetes. The Ascensia Dream Fund (called “Your Life.
Your Dream.”) will help people achieve a significant dream
that would not be possible without control of their diabetes
through self-monitoring. Dennis, a 57-year old commercial real
estate manager from Toronto, is making history as the first skipper
with diabetes to compete in a global solo sailing race. His boat
is named Ascensia, after the new brand name for Bayer’s
monitors and services that help people with diabetes self-manage
their condition.

John Dennis and Ascencia
Photo Billy Black

Alan S. Paris of Bermuda explains this
photo (below) of his boat, undergoing one of the many tests performed
to determine seaworthiness of the competitors’ vessels: “As
you can see by the attached picture we pulled BTC Velocity
to a 90 degree angle and then attached a gauge at the tip of
the mast to measure the effort being exerted to bring the boat
back upright. The obvious idea here is to see that a boat entered
in this challenging race has the correct geometry to right the
boat should a big wave (or more than one !!) try to knock me
over. We passed.

Photo Courtesy www.aroundalone.com

For more on the Around Alone, see our preview
in the September issue of Latitude
38, being distributed right now!

NYYC America’s Cup Team to Host FDNY Firefighters

August 30 – Auckland, NZ

Julie Ash of the New Zealand Herald
reports that Team Dennis Conner will pay their respects to
those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks by hosting
20 New York City firefighters during the Louis Vuitton Challenger
series.

The firefighters will visit Auckland and
New York YC’s Team Dennis Conner en route to the World Firefighters
Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, from October 26 to November
2. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate
in the World Firefighters Games, especially because this year’s
games are in honor of those who have lost their lives in the
course of duty – particularly to our 343 brothers who gave their
lives last September,” said Vinny Plover, a New York City
firefighter. “We are also looking forward to cheering on
Dennis and his crew in Auckland as they work to bring the America’s
Cup back to New York where it belongs.”

See www.nzherald.co.nz/americascup/acstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=2351989&thesection=sport&thesubsection=americascup

Looking Good

August 30 – San Francisco Bay

Gwynne Fitzsimmons writes, “Another
beautiful day on the Bay and I caught this L-36 looking good
last Sunday. I would like to pass the photos on but don’t know
how to find the owner. All I know is the sail number, 31. I can
be found at Marina Village Yacht Harbor [in Alameda] aboard Bohemia.”

If this is your boat, you can email Gwynne.

Photo Gwynne Fitzsimmons

YOTREPS

August 30 – 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

August 30

Atlantic Ocean

Tropical Storm Dolly

Dolly is out in the Atlantic moving west
at 14 knots in the general direction of the Windward/Leewards;
her storm center was located at 10.4N 37.2W at 1500Z today. Max
sustained winds are 55 with gusts to 65 knots, and 12-ft seas.
She is expected to develop into a hurricane. To keep an eye on
Dolly, see http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2002/index.html.

Pacific Ocean

Tropical Storms Hernan and Genevieve

Hernan has formed off the west coast of
mainland Mexico, his center located at 13.9N 103.2W as of 1500Z.
His track is following the coastline, moving north-northwest
at 3 knots. Winds are presently only blowing at 35-40 knots but
gathering force, with 12-ft seas. Meanwhile, further north, Genevieve
has fizzled down to a 30-40 knot storm, moving north-northwest
well off the Baja coastline. Heck, we had more wind than that
on the Bay this Wednesday. To follow these storms, see http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/2002/index.html.

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 is at
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/Maps/Southwest.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 views of sea states anywhere in the world,
see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/.