Photos of the Day

November 7 - Bahia Santa Maria, BCS

As you read this, gentle winds are blowing the 2002 Baja Ha Ha fleet ever closer to the Cape.

After a booming sail south from Turtle Bay, the fleet spent two days at desolate Bahia Santa Maria on the outer peninsula of Mag Bay.

Fleet participants jogged along the endless white sand beach, climbed to the top of encircling peaks and enjoyed the hospitality of local fishermen and their wives, the area's only inhabitants. As in years past, the fisherfolk supplied the Ha-Ha'ers with lobster dinners and plenty of cool beer.

If the breeze holds, most boats should arrive at Cabo San Lucas today.

The view from above

Making margaritas

Sunset in the anchorage

Caribbean 1500 Cup

November 7 - Caribbean Sea

While the Baja Ha-Ha is underway on our side of the world, another cruising rally has set sail on the other side of the continent. Forty-seven yachts left Hampton, Virginia, on Sunday, headed for Tortola, BVI, non-stop. For more, see www.carib1500.com.

Etchells Worlds

November 7 - Auckland, NZ

With The Cup on hiatus until Tuesday, Auckland race fans, and some Cup racers, have turned their attention to the Etchells Worlds, running through November 10 with 98 boats competing. The championships are hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht Club and held in the same area as the America's Cup. Notable Cup racers participating are North American Etchells champion Dennis Conner, who is in 7th place after five races, and Gavin Brady, Kiwi skipper of Prada Challenge, who is in 44th place. Brady got the winning gun in the last race, only to be later scored OCS.

Leading the fleet is defending champion Stuart Childerley of Great Britain. Following Childerley in the standings are five Australians, including Mark Bradford in second place, John Bertrand (another famous Cup skipper from previous runnings) in third, and Peter McNeill in fourth. Some Bay Area names you might recognize include Jeff Moseley doing relatively well in 23rd place and Kers Clausen in 90th.

Follow the action at Australian sailing site www.sail-world.com. See also www.etchells.org.nz.

Wrong Way Round Record Attempt Underway

November 7 - Atlantic Ocean

On Sunday, 57-year-old Frenchman Jean Luc Van Den Heede left Moulin-Blanc à Brest, France, to attempt a new record for a solo, non-stop circumnavigation from east to west. The record is currently held by Philippe Monnet, and Van Den Heede will have to return to France by April 4 at 0534, 33 seconds, to unseat Monnet. Currently at the latitude of Morocco, Van Den Heede is about half a day ahead of the record.

Photos Benoit Stichelbaut/DPPI
Courtesy www.vdh.fr

Van Den Heede is a seasoned singlehanded racer, having taken a second and third place in both the BOC Challenge and the Vendée Globe. His boat, Adrien, is an 84-ft monohull designed by Gilles Vaton and built at Gamelin in La Rochelle. Van Den Heede's (French language only) site is www.vdh.fr. 

Clipper 2002 Fleet in Cascais

November 7 -
Cascais, Portugal

All of the Clipper 2002 participants have finished Race 1 of Leg 1, with Hong Kong finishing first. New York, skippered by the first ever female Clipper skipper, finished just 5 minutes behind London, which came in second.

After spending the rest of this week in the Marina de Cascais, Leg 1 will continue on to Cuba, with a projected finish date of December 5. From Cuba, Leg 2 will take competitors through the Panama Canal to Hawaii. This is the only round the world race we can think of that goes through the Canal rather than around Cape Horn. It will, however round the Cape of Good Hope.

If you think you might be interested in a berth on Legs 3-6 (for a fee), a few are still available. Visit www.clipper-ventures.com for more information.

Not Too Late to Enter Sydney-Hobart

November 7 - Sydney, Australia

Looking for a highly competitive regatta that will really test your abilities, your yacht and your crew? Why not sign up for the 2002 Rolex Sydney-Hobart? The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has extended the deadline to enter until November 15, hoping to field a fleet of 60. So far they've received more than 50 entries, 44 of them Australian. This event has always attracted an elite, international crowd however, and race organizers expect competitors to come from all over the world. The 630-mile race begins December 26. For details, see www.cyca.com.au.

YOTREPS

November 7 - 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 www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/

Weather Updates

November 7 - 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 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/.