Photo of the Day

January 8 - Cartagena, Colombia

Today's Photo of the Day is pretty enough to be a post card. It's of Tom and Kathy Knueppel's Island Packet 40 Tai Tam II, which is currently in Cartagena, Colombia. For their report on the Kuna Nation and Cartagena, see Changes in Latitudes in the upcoming February issue of Latitude 38.

Rose Bowl Report

January 8 - Long Beach

Alamitos Bay YC, USC and the U.S. Sailing Center hosted last weekend's Rose Bowl for college and high school sailing teams.

Stanford took top honors in the ICSA (college sailing) event, followed in second place by host team University of Southern California. See www.collegesailing.org/00intersx/f02/rosebowl.htm for more.

In the PCISA (high school) competition, San Diego's Point Loma High School won with 35 points, 11 better than second place Newport Harbor HS. Top Bay Area teams in the Gold Fleet were 9. Marin Catholic HS and 10. Menlo-Atherton. Top Bay Area teams in the Silver fleet were 4. Marin Catholic JV and 5. San Mateo. See www.pcisa.org for full results.

Katie Clausen records finishers.

Catalina New Year's

January 8 - Santa Catalina Island

The cold, wet weather in Sausalito gave Ken Pimentel and Beth Wotton the incentive to drive down to Southern California on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day they "just hopped on the ferry from Dana Point on a sunny 75 degree morning and headed out to the island. On the way, we encountered a huge pod of dolphins that gamboled in our wake. On the island, we rented golf carts and wandered here and there while stopping repeatedly for ice cream. Check out the sunset we enjoyed once we made it back to the beach in Laguna, looking back at Catalina. I took a bunch more pictures to plan my sailing visit once we can break free for a couple weeks." Ken and Beth sail the Beneteau 42s7 Remedy.

Laguna Beach sunset

Australian Skandia Wild Thing Smashes Bass Strait Record

January 8 - Melbourne, Australia

Competing in the 210 nm Navigator Dash Bass Strait Race, Grant Wharington's 82-ft Australian Skandia Wild Thing has powered across the challenging Bass Strait, taking a third off the existing Devonport, Tasmania, to Melbourne, Victoria, record. The previous record of 19 hours, 32 minutes, 58 seconds was set in 1998 by Jo Westerlo's Prowler. Wharington's time was 13 hours, 7 minutes and 21 seconds.

Calculations put their average speed at 15 knots, breaking yet another record as the fastest average speed maintained in a yacht race in Australian waters.

Crowned 'King of the Bass Strait' and earning himself a tidy $10,000, an elated Wharington officially finished the race at 1808, more than two hours after crossing through the Heads and breaking the record. For more, see www.sail-world.com/navigatordash.

ISAF Updates Banned Substances List

January 8 - Hampshire, UK

The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee have
published the new list of banned substances and methods for 2003. The International Sailing Federation will be updating its Anti-Doping Code,
ISAF Regulation 21, to reflect these changes. To see the anti-doping information on the ISAF website go to www.sailing.org/medical. Scroll down to find the new list available for downloading.

Even seemingly innocuous substances such as caffeine and pseudoephedrine (an ingredient in over the counter cold and allergy medications such as Actifed) are controlled. Some of drugs that are banned could have no imaginable benefit to athletic performance, such as heroin. Folks taking medications such as insulin or asthma inhalants have to get a note from their doctor.

YOTREPS

January 8 - The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of weather are they having? The YOTREPS daily yacht tracking page has moved to www.bitwrangler.com/psn.

Weather Updates

January 8 - 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.