Today’s Photos of the Day come from a ‘mermaid’
who spent the last three weeks of May sailing from Ixtapa to
Puerto Vallarta on a 40-ft sloop. What’s it like in mainland
Mexico during the end of May? Says the mermaid, “Nobody
is there and it’s hot. During the day it’s in the 90s, with 80
to 90% humidity. Evenings and mornings are nice. And there was
very little wind to relieve the hot, hanging, heat.” One
of the more interesting people the mermaid met during the cruise
was Paul, a one-armed 89-year-old from Muir Beach. He swims half
an hour a day in Banderas Bay and went Hobie Cat sailing with
the mermaid and friends.
Fruit from a cactus
A nine foot croc at Ixtapa Marina –
where no diver will clean your bottom
Mermaid
Little Cove at Isla Colorado, Chemela Bay
Steamy sunrise
Photos Courtesy the Mermaid
Celebration of Life Service for Irving
Loube at St. Francis YC
June 5 – San Francisco
Everyone is invited to attend a ‘Celebration
of Life’ gathering for the late Irving Loube, who enjoyed nearly
50 years of great ocean racing success with a series of boats
named Bravura. The event will take place at 2 p.m. on
Wednesday, June 12, at the St. Francis Yacht Club.
Areva
Looks Suitably Radioactive
June 5 – France
The Le Defi Challenge from France finally
got their boat Areva repaired after being rammed by a Greenpeace
RIB, and took her out sailing. Here’s what she looked like. For
a boat sponsored by producers of nuclear power – France gets
80% of their power from nukes – the boat looked positively radioactive.
What a color scheme!
Photo Courtesy Le Defi
If Paul Cayard Could Be Italian, Why Can’t
Dawn Riley Be French?
June 5 – St. Tropez, France
If all goes as planned, there will be a
press conference in St. Tropez, France, next week to announce
that Dawn Riley will be the Team Manager for France’s K-Challenge
for the America’s Cup – wherever it will be held – in 2006.
A Dozen for the Catnip Cup
June 5 – San Francisco Bay
Glenn Fagerlin reports that 11 catamarans
and one trimaran have committed to this weekend’s Catnip Cup
rally from San Francisco to Vallejo, and back to San Francisco
the next day. The boats are: Volker and Mai Dolch’s Marquesas
56 La Dolce Vita; Michael Wright’s Hughes 40 Wavy;
Peter Lange’s Lagoon 37 Adia; Bill Anderson’s Hughes 39 Feet; Blair Grinols’ Custom 46 Capricorn Cat; Don
Parker and Terri Johnson’s unnamed Gemini 105; Cliff Shaw’s Crowther
33 Rainbow; John and Christie Burner’s PDQ Laminar
Flow; Rich Kerbavaz’ Gemini 105 Mood Indigo; Bob Naber’s
Kantola 38 tri Devoras; Glenn Fagerlin’s Kronos 45 Perception;
and Latitude’s Surfin’ 63 Profligate. If anybody
else wants to join in on the light fun, with a potluck on Saturday
night, email Glenn Fagerlin.
Volvo Ocean Race to Return
June 5 – The World’s Oceans
A lot of people were worried that Volvo
may be thinking they weren’t getting an adequate return on their
investment in sponsoring the Volvo (Around the World) Ocean Race,
and might not return. Well, today Volvo has announced that the
event exceeded their expectations in all respects, and they’ll
be the sponsor again in 2005. They will, however, consider some
changes, such as fleet racing, shorter stops, and perhaps one
design boats. Grant Dalton, the grand master of the event, slammed
the idea of one-designs and suggested that the event be held
in 90-ft versions of the current 60-footers. There is going to
be a lot of competition in the ultra grand prix level a couple
of years out, as the Antarctic Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, and
Bruno Peyron’s ‘Giant Class’ boats all vie for competitors and
sponsors.
YOTREPS
June 5 – 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.
