Last week’s Adams Cup competition for the
US Sailing Women’s Keelboat Championship featured some exciting
racing in J/24s, and Bob Law caught the action. When it was over,
our local Area G emerged victorious, represented by Tiburon’s
Vicki Sodaro and crew. See Monday’s
‘Lectronic.
Photos Bob Law
Around Alone Sailors Seek Shelter from
the Storm
October 18 – Bayona, Spain
All of the Class II skippers in Leg 2 (which
began Monday) of the Around Alone race are seeking shelter from
the storm that is brewing in the western Atlantic. Spirit
of Yukoh has followed Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America
into Bayona in the Ria de Vigo Bay of Spain. Brad Van Liew on Tommy documented his approach and sent it to the other
Class II boats for advice on navigating into the area. He has
offered himself as a point of contact for the other skippers.
Most of the Class I boats are far enough
along that they plan to continue on. They are starting to feel
the first fringes of the storm and are preparing for the worst.
The storm is almost upon them, and it’s time to batten down the
hatches and hold on tight. The forecast is for a rough 24 hours.
Leading the fleet is Bernard Stamm on Bobst
Group/Armor Lux. This morning Stamm reported that he was
north of the Azores experiencing 50 knots of wind and was expecting
up to 70 before day’s end. He is confident of his position to
the west of the fleet: “I am waiting for this front to pass
through, as behind lies a northwesterly wind to propel me eastwards
at full speed downwind!”
To the east of Stamm, Thierry Dubois on Solidaires, Emma Richards on Pindar and Graham
Dalton on Hexagon are preparing themselves for the onslaught.
Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali stopped in France to work
on his autopilots, all three of which failed. Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet left Torbay behind the others due to his
boom repairs, and is headed for Bayona. The competitors who seek
outside assistance will be penalized 48 hours, on top of the
time they are losing by stopping.
For Brian Hancock’s complete report and
ongoing updates see www.aroundalone.com.
Mark Albertazzi, crew aboard the schooner Dauntless, sent us these lovely photos of San Diego’s
official tall ship Star of India, under full sail, as
she went out to greet the tall ships visiting for the Festival
of Sail last month.
Photos Mark Albertazzi
YOTREPS
October 18 – 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/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.
