Photos of the Day

October 15 - St. Tropez, France

Today's Photo of the Day is of Sausalito's Dawn Riley holding up the One Ton Cup.

She explains what she's so happy about: "I just returned from St. Tropez, France, where the first real test of the coed and multinational team concept proved a huge success. The One Ton Cup is the second oldest trophy in the sport - just behind the America's Cup - and as trophies go, it might be more beautiful. It has been contested for over 130 years. I have been consulting for K-Challenge, which is preparing for the America's Cup in 2006. We have been sailing a 50-footer and two ILC 45s. Last week's One Ton Cup was the end of the season championship, and the competition was stiff, with sailing legends like Paul Cayard, Robbie Haines, Thierry Pepponet, and Chris Larson in the fleet. It was a very challenging event and the St. Tropez weather provided a little of everything.

The first day was canceled due to 45-50 knot winds that had waves breaking over a 10-foot breakwater and onto the bevy of mega-yachts that hang out in St. Tropez. The second day featured big seas and 20 knots of wind that made for some great pictures [see www.adrenalinimages.com for more]. The third day was light wind, flat water, and overcast with crazy shifts as we sailed under the mountains surrounding the bay. The final day started out sunny with the promise of a mistral. We were in first overall, and personally I was very nervous because we only had one way to go. An unstable seabreeze came in for the first race and a half, with huge holes that spread the fleet out and 20 minutes separating the first and last place boat in the second race. Toward the end of the race, the mistral came in hard! The final two races were sailed in 25-30 knots of wind. We were trying to sail conservatively because we had a good lead, but we learned a lesson - it is easier to sail fast and in front. When we were leading the race, we put up a small spinnaker to be safe, but it just allowed the other boats to catch up to us and make it dangerous. Our lead shrank to one point, but it was still a win!

"The other K-Y team finished third, so overall a very successful regatta for the K-Challenge 2006 team. The team will now concentrate on match racing. I will be back at OLN starting Race 2 of the Louis Vuitton Round Robin covering America's Cup 2003. See you on television!"

Photos Tom Zinn


Beneteau Boat Sales Up 8.5% over Last Year

October 15 - Annapolis, MD

French boatbuilder Beneteau reported annual sales through August of 619 million euros - a euro being very roughly equal to the dollar. 387 million of that came from sales of Beneteaus and Jeanneaus. Obviously, they are no backyard boatbuilders.

Speaking of boat sales, three of our staff attended last week's Annapolis Boat Show. They reported that some businesses were doing well and others not so well, and that the show was good - despite bad weather - but not great.


New 'Yacht Club' in La Paz?

October 15 - La Paz, BCS

"For several years now, Paradise Found Restaurant and Bar has been the unofficial gathering place for the cruisers in La Paz," reports Slade Ogletree of the San Francisco-based Moonshadow. "But now Clark and Yuli are transforming their place into an official yacht club to better serve their customers. They have installed a shower facility for members, and created an office for book and video exchange, free Internet use, and fax receiving capabilities. There will be mail drop off and an address to receive mail from home. Downwind and other 'care packages' will be accepted in accordance with Mexican law. In addition to those services, they have expanded their menu to include daily home-style buffets, breakfast buffets, meat loaf night, prime rib Sundays, and periodic Chinese buffets. Their fast food kitchen is now open late in the evening. They have a big-screen TV for sporting events, including the America's Cup. The Paradise Found Yacht Club will also sponsor an annual spring racer/cruiser gathering at Ensenada Grande. The club is currently gearing up to be ready for arrival of many of the boats that will do the Ha-Ha before heading up to La Paz."

There's a membership fee of $35 U.S. a year.


Two Deaths in South Florida's Columbus Day Regatta

October 15 - Florida Keys

Back in '54, a Columbus Day Regatta - which takes sailors from the east end of Miami's Dinner Key to overnight anchorages off Elliott Key and Sand Key - was begun in South Florida. Over the years it's evolved into a giant party, with hundreds of participating boats, many more spectator boats, lots of booze, and not very much clothing. Yesterday's event, which included 600 entries, was marred when two men in a spectator powerboat smashed into the mangroves. So far only one body has been found. Some racers complain that it's the spectators that cause all the trouble.


Cal 40s to Help Revive the TransPac?

October 15 - Los Angeles

In an attempt to renew interest in next July's Los Angeles to Honolulu TransPac, the TransPac Board of Directors is supporting a campaign to establish a Cal 40 one design class in the 42nd running of the event. To many sailors from the '60s, the Cal 40 is synonymous with the TransPac, as it totally dominated the event during those years. Many years later Cal 40s made strong performances, and in the '90s Montgomery Street managed to win it all.

Long Beach schoolteacher Wendy Siegel, who had TransPac'd in a Cal 40, reports she has a list of 10 Cal 40 owners who might be interested in participating. Stan Honey, famed navigator on some of the fastest boats in the world, says that he'll probably take his Illusion if a class forms. Dennis Conner recently bought Persephone, Cal 40 #1 - although there's no word on whether he'd race her to Hawaii.

For further details on this classic event, visit www.transpacificyc.org.


YOTREPS

October 15 - 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

October 15 - 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/.


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