September 19, 2002

Photo of the Day

September 19 – San Francisco Bay

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from the
spectator fleet at last week’s Big Boat Series. Is there a certain
‘look’ for women going around or what?

Photo Latitude/Richard

Woman Says Trio on Cat in French Polynesia
Are Dead

September 19 – Santa Rosa

Erica Weise of Santa Rosa, the girlfriend
of Kevin Williams, 35, who is the chief suspect in the disappearance
of former NBA basketball star Bison Dele, Serena Kaplan, and
skipper Bertrand Saldo from the 56-foot catamaran Hakuna Matata
in French Polynesia, has told law enforcement officials that
Williams told her over the phone that the missing trio are dead.
It was said to be the result of some kind of struggle.

The four reportedly left Tahiti on July
8 for the Tuamotus, Marquesas, and Hawaii aboard the catamaran.
Dele, 33, Kaplan, 32, and French captain Saldo, haven’t been
seen since. But on July 16, Kevin Williams, who also goes by
Miles Dabord, and who is the older brother of Dele, pulled into
the marina at Taravao at the isthmus of Tahiti with nobody else
aboard. The boat had been painted and renamed Aria Bella.

Two days later, Williams/Dabord flew back
to L.A. He used Dele’s passport and credit cards as identification
to try a buy $500,000 in gold in Phoenix. He was questioned by
police and released. A some-time resident of Palo Alto and Santa
Rosa, Williams/Dabord has most recently been sought in Tijuana.
At least one person who knew Williams/Dabord from on the catamaran
in Tahiti described him as being stoned most of the time.

Yesterday we had a lengthy conversation
with one of Kaplan’s cousins, who says the family hasn’t given
up hope. In addition to creating flyers to pass around French
Polynesia, she reported that Saldo’s parents were in the islands
looking for answers. At the very least, somebody should know
where and when the boat was painted, as there are basically few
places to go and no places to hide in French Polynesia. Kaplan,
described as a “true flower child,” was born in New
York but grew up in Berkeley.

Weather Great, Let’s Go Sailing

September 19 – San Francisco Bay

If you live in Northern California, you
know we’re having spectacular sailing weather, and expect more
this weekend. Here’s a few looking good shots we took last weekend
on the Bay.

Camo Sails?

September 19 – San Francisco Bay

When the Farr 40 fleet rounded the weather
mark on the Sausalito side of the Bay last weekend, it looked
for the world as though they were trying to blend in with the
background.

Photo Latitude/Richard

Designed by Who?

September 19 – San Francisco Bay

If we’re not forgetting somebody, the biggest
boat in this year’s Big Boat Series was Icon, a 65-footer
designed by Bob Perry. You know, the naval architect best known
for the Valiant 40 and a slew of cruising boats out of Taiwan.
The boat was recently finished in New Zealand and looked fine.

Maxi-Cat Maiden Busts Another Course
Record

September 19 – St. Malo, France

In the last four months, the maxi cat Maiden
2 has established three significant world records: 1) a 690-mile
run in 24 hours; 2) the Around Britain and Ireland Record; and
3) the Cowes to St. Malo Record. The latter was done last weekend
at an average speed 25.58 knots, besting the record set last
year by Steve Fossett and PlayStation. Owner Tracy Edwards
always claims to be too busy chasing sponsorship to be aboard,
which has left the running of the boat to Brian Thompson, long-time
hand with Fossett on Lakota and PlayStation.

Interestingly enough, Watch Leader Helena
Darvelid has been aboard boats for the last three record runs
on the course. First, Royal Sun & Alliance (ex-ENZA),
PlayStation, and now Maiden 2. She told the press
that PlayStation was more like a truck that sails very
fast in a straight line and doesn’t need much tending, while
Maiden 2, designed by Gilles Ollier, is more nimble and
can benefit from more frequent tweaking. She looks forward to
the two boats sailing head to head, as well as with the maxi
tri Geronimo.

YOTREPS

September 19 – 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

September 19 – 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/.