Photos of the Day

September 4 - San Francisco

Ralph Deeds sent us these colorful photos of last weekend's NOOD regatta; we ran a report on the event in yesterday's 'Lectronic, and will have more in the October issue of Latitude 38. Final results have been posted at www.stfyc.com.

Tight racing in the Express 27 fleet

Some J/35s cross paths with the Melges 24 fleet.

J/35s on the run

J/35s dodging the ebb. The red and white
spinnaker belongs to regatta winner Fast Lane.

Groovy Gag Gift

September 4 - San Francisco

Deneen Demourakas, owner/driver of the Farr 40 Groovederci, presented tactician Dee Smith with a 50th birthday present at the NOOD. Well, they say a quiet boat is a fast boat. He should have had it for Saturday's racing, when he got hit in the head during a jibe and banged up enough that Groovederci dropped out of the race so that he could seek medical attention. The birthday boy recovered sufficiently to fly off to Sardinia with Hasso Plattner for the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which began Monday.

Photo Courtesy Groovederci

Swan Cup on the Horizon

September 4 - Porto Cervo, Sardinia

After the aforementioned Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup departs host Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, more than one hundred Swans move in for the Swan Cup, to be held September 8-15. Every second year Nautor's Swan stage their flagship event on the Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

Twenty-one nations will be represented with the largest number coming from Italy (22), UK (18), Germany (16), USA (11) and France (10) and the remaining from the rest of the world. An international mix of owners and crew will come to Sardinia for an exciting week of top class competition, complemented by a world class social calendar.

In 2000, the title of Swan Cup overall champion was awarded to Theo Kinsbergen's Swan 68 Defiance, but he won't be attending this year to defend his title, leaving the contest wide open. However the competition remains hot, with likely contenders including award-winning boats such as Aldo Fozzati's brand new Swan 45 La Forza del Destino, current holders of the Giraglia Cup, and 2001 Swan American winner Swan 56 Lolita, owned by U.S. business tycoon Frank Savage.

Paul Cayard expects to return this year, sailing on Enrico Scerni's brand new Swan 80, Kora. Previous World Match Racing Champion Ed Baird will be spending the week on Tom Stark's Swan 45, Rush.

Baird will also have another challenge waiting for him in Sardinia, as
Nautor's Swan team up with long term partner, Bvlgari, for the inaugural
Bvlgari Swan 45 Match Racing event on Monday the 9th, which will see two of the world's greatest skippers fighting it out on Swan 45s. Olympic Gold Medalist and current Finn European and World Champion, Ben Ainslie will be taking the helm of the British boat, McFly, owned by Tony Mack, while Baird will be flying the Stars and Stripes on Stark's Rush. See www.swancup.com for more.

Our own Racing Editor is jetting off to Italy today to cover the event, so expect full coverage and lots of photos in the October issue of Latitude 38.

YOTREPS

September 4 - 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 4

Atlantic Ocean

Tropical Storm Edouard

A tropical storm watch remains in effect from Titusville to Fernandina Beach in Florida for Tropical Storm Edouard. Edouard has sketched a neat little circle off the coast, and winds are expected to diminish. He is currently blowing at 35-45 knots, stationary at 29.7N 79.1W at 1500Z today. See http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/2002/index.html.

Pacific Ocean

Hurricane Hernan

Hurricane Hernan has calmed down some, with winds at 55 knots gusting to 65. He has turned to the northwest, running parallel to the coast of Mexico. Traveling at 10 knots, he was at 21.0N 122.5W at 1500Z today. To keep track of Hernan, see http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/2002/index.html.

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/.