Today’s Photo of the Day comes from the
recent Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert. Write Rennie
and Anne of the Swan 65 Cassiopeia, “While at Burning
Man, we saw this sailing vessel. We think it’s the super-secret
America’s Cup entry from the Burning Man Yacht Club, but who
knows?”
Photo Courtesy Cassiopeia
A Third for the Around Ireland
and Britain Record
September 6 – British Isles
Three of the fastest sailing vessels in
the world are currently in pursuit of Steve Fossett’s Around
Ireland and Britain record. Olivier de Kersauson’s maxi-tri Geronimo
and Tracy Edward’s maxi-cat Maiden left first, albeit
from different places, making it impossible to compare, for the
first time, the speeds of a maxi-cat and maxi-tri in similar
conditions. Later they were joined by the French L’Hydroptere,
a 60-ft tri connected by a single beam. Attached to each crossbeam-float
join is a huge 21-ft long foil, and these combined with the rudder,
are capable of lifting the entire boat out of the water. Water
ballast in each of the three hulls is used to stabilize and trim
the boat when sailing. Alain Dassault started the boat in October
of ’94 and has hit 39.7 knots, but twice the boat has suffered
severe structure failure. Here’s to hoping all three boats can
keep it together.
L’Hydroptere
Good News from the Port of Los Angeles
– Long Beach
September 6 – Long Beach
Tired of all the negative environmental
news? Then track down Louis Sahagun’s September 4 front page
article in the Los Angeles Times on what seems like a
miraculous return of sea and bird life to, of all places, the
Port of Los Angeles – Long Beach. Thirty years ago, the water
quality was so terrible in the 15,000-acre industrial harbor
complex, that croaker were found with chemical burns on their
bodies, their fins rotting off, and some even had two heads or
tails between their eyes. There was so little bacteria in the
water that fish waste tossed into the water by fish processors
wouldn’t even decompose.
But with the passing of the Clean Water
Act and the California Coastal Act in the early ’70s, and the
cracking down of water discharge permits by the Regional Water
Quality Control Board, most of the high polluting businesses
had to leave the area. By the mid ’80s, water clarity had improved
almost 100%, the levels of dissolved oxygen jumped from almost
zero to nearly normal, and life began to return to the former
‘dead zones’.
Now, reports Sahagun, the port is full
of life. “Just beneath the trash bobbing on waves often
coated with gleaming oil swim mackerel, bass, and a small but
growing number of brilliant orange garibaldi, the official state
marine fish. Clinging to the breakwater are lobsters and crabs,
octopus and bat stars. Burrowing in the mud are worms 14 inches
long and fatter than hot dogs.” Sahagun reports that halibut
up to four feet long cruise the kelp, and that a 20-pound lobster
with thousands of eggs was caught by hand at Eddie’s Marina.
In all, the port complex is home to 67 species of fish. Birds
are thriving, too. A nearby part of Pier 400 has become the nesting
ground to 3,500 elegant terns and 600 endangered least terns.
The general consensus is that the improvements
are terrific – but there’s much more to be done. Unfortunately,
the easy and cheap part of the solution – getting heavy industry
to clean up their act – is over. Now comes the hard and expensive
part. Writes Sahagun: “Then there is the No. 1 source of
coastal water pollution: urban toxic runoff, which is almost
always toxic to marine life and liable to sicken swimmers. The
Clean Water Act requires cities to take steps to clean up the
mess than washes down their storm drains. Many cities, however,
say it would be too expensive to comply with all the provisions
of the law.”
Photo Latitude/Richard
Even More Good News on the Environment
September 6 – Riverside
According to another L.A. Times
story, researchers at UC Riverside have found that the latest
ultra-low pollution automobile engines create so little pollution
that it would be healthier to breath from a tube from the tailpipe
than the ambient air of Southern California freeways.
Who Are the Cover Boys on the September
Issue?
September 6 – Two Harbors, Santa Catalina
Island
“Great cover shot!” writes Eric.
“The guy at the tiller is Jeff Nelson, who does Harbor Patrol
at Two Harbors, Catalina. He lives on a blue Horstmann tri in
Cat Harbor and did a season in Mexico in ’97-’98. The other guy
I only know as ‘Bartender Mike’. By the way, I liked the photos
of the Wedge posted on yesterday’s
‘Lectronic Latitude.”
Photo/Graphic
Latitude/Richard & Annie
Tuesday Is the Deadline for Signing Up
for the Ha-Ha
September 6 – Baja Ha-Ha World Headquarters
“As of late Thursday, we’d received
our 95th paid-up entry for this year’s Ha-Ha,” reports Ha-Ha
Honcho Lauren Spindler. “The deadline for getting paid entries
in is Tuesday, so don’t procrastinate any longer. See www.baja-haha.com
for details. Here’s a list of the latest entries:”
53) Adventurous / California 42
trawler / Robert & Lesley Boyce / San Rafael
54) Mitsou / Swallowcraft 36 / Gilbert Pitt / Half Moon
Bay
55) Mr. Destiny / Tayana 37 / Richard & Marianne Brown
/ San Diego
56) Spirit Wind / Valiant 40 / Chris Van Dyke / Ventura
57) Sisiutl / Gulfstar 44 / Bob & Laurie Bechler /
Kent, WA
58) Haleakala / Catalina 390 / Mike Kohl / Newport Beach
59) Waterdragon / Islander 34 / Graham Ashlock & Taryn
Ettl / Berkeley
60) Magic / Gulfstar 50 / Dale Head & Jane Shallcross
/ San Francisco
61) Landara Star / Roberts 392 / Larry Rauh / Pleasant
Hill, OR
62) Bronco / Morgan OI 41 / Nels Torberson / Alameda
63) Liberté / Gib Sea 43 / Club Nautique / Marina
del Rey
64) Lorelei II / Hunter 460 / Kenneth & Margaret Sells
/ Long Beach
65) Kindred Spirit / Tayana 42 / Mike & Katya Garrow
/ Sausalito
66) Mag Mell / Endeavour 37 / Ed & Melissa Phillips
/ Eugene, OR
67) Free Spirit / Jeanneau 40 / Lionel & Anne Richards
/ Sutter Creek
68) Humuhumu / Choy/Morrelli 70 / Dave Crowe / San Jose
69) Osita de Mares / Yorktown 41 / Joe Engoglia / Laguna
Niguel
70) Raven / Nauticat 52 / John & Heidi Bollinger /
Madison, WI
71) Sofia II / Beneteau 47.7 / David Whitside / Sausalito
72) T-BAAC / Krogen trawler / Russell Kilmer / Sacramento
73) Mermaid / Aleutian 51 / Mike & Robin Stout / Burbank
74) Sea Fox / Beneteau 38 / Robert & Sue Calkins /
Orosi
75) Dragon’s Lair / Peterson 44 / Bill Kutlesa / San Diego
76) Pura Vida / Explorer 45 / Donna Wilson / Aptos
77) Shamaness / Chung Hwa 36 / Dennis Clifton / Novato
78) New Focus / Catana 431 / Paul Biery / Livermore
79) Sweet Pea / Formosa 44 / Bud & Penny Clark / Phoenix,
AZ
80) Warren Peace / Passport 47 / John Warren / Alameda
81) Blue Thunder / Cascade 42 / Duncan Patterson &
Bonnie Nelson / Charleston, OR
82) Liberty Call / Catalina 400 / Gene Crabb / Phoenix,
AZ
83) Caballo del Mar / Ericson 38 / Don Aarvold / Newport
Beach
84) Alma / Pearson 424 / Mark Brewer / Glen Ellen
85) Taurus / Hunter 54 / Ron Rowley / Salt Lake City,
UT
86) Spirit of Joy / Crealock 40 / Cecil Newsome / Dana
Point
87) Toothpick / Pearson 36 / Jim & Ellen Nordstrom
/ Auburn
88) Apogee / Tayana 37 / Bud Hudson / Squaw Valley
89) Redhead / Grand Banks trawler / Skip & Maureen
Gorman / Indian Wells
90) Darling / Oyster 485 / John Furth / Santa Rosa
91) Captain George Thomas / C&C 30 / Bill Thomas /
Stockton
92) Valahalla / CT 41 / Robert Wooll / San Rafael
93) Pao-San / Amel 53 / James Dernhl / Grand Prairie,
TX
94) Tumbleweed / Ingrid 38 / Chuck & Linda Allen /
St. Augustine, FL
Aussie 18 Regatta
September 6 – San Francisco
The Aussie 18 (International 18) action
off the San Francisco waterfront continues to be fast and furious.
After seven races, the California-based General Electric
team leads the 11-boat fleet with 11 points (after one throw-out).
However, skipper Howie Hamlin and his crewmen Mike Martin and
Andy Zinn dare not loose their concentration, as two Aussie teams, Yandoo and RMW Marine, are battling hard to unseat
them. Both of these Sydney-based teams currently have 14 points.
Look for expanded coverage of the series in the October edition
of Latitude 38.
Photos Latitude/JR
YOTREPS
September 6 – 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.
