June 2, 2003

Photos of the Day

June 2 – San Francisco Bay

If you’re a sailor, there’s no better place
to be in the world during the Northern Hemisphere summer than
San Francisco Bay. The sailing is spectacular, with areas of
strong winds, areas of light winds, and fabulous scenery. And
when it’s warm and fog free – as it was on Saturday and Sunday
– it just can’t be beat.

We went out on both Saturday and Sunday,
and came home rejuvenated. And despite a dirty bottom, we got
some great speeds out of Profligate. On a reach from Treasure
Island to the lee of Angel Island, schoonerman Alan Olson had
the 63-ft catamaran charging along at steady 15 to 17 knots.
Then there was a slight increase in wind, and the boat settled
in at 18 and 19 knots, finally topping out at 19.4. This was
carrying a 50% jib and a full main. It was sensational. But as
the folks in the Photos of the Day prove, you don’t need to be
going that fast to be having great sailing fun.

Cruising Boat Boarded by Intruder in Mexico

June 2 – Los Coronados Islands, Baja California

“On May 24, after a very nice sail
out to Los Coronados Islands from San Diego, we anchored in the
lee of South Coronado Island with about a dozen other boats,”
report Dwain and Nancy Lentz of the Tempe-based Hunter 340 Dancy.
“We grilled some nice steaks, baked some potatoes, and
sat down with a glass of wine in the salon. Halfway through dinner
we heard a commotion on the cabin top – someone or something
was boarding our boat. Seeing a shadow cross the overhead hatch,
I jumped up and rushed to the companionway to find the intruder
right in my face! This guy had no fear, and wasn’t about to be
scared off easily. After many attempts to scare him a way, I
called for a piece of steak from below. I had to show him the
meat and then toss it overboard to get him to follow. He dove
off amidships and quickly found the meat. After bringing it to
the surface for examination, he ate it. He then went to the back
of the boat and tried to board again, this time up the swim platform.
By this time, all four of our crew plus the dog were in the cockpit,
but that didn’t deter him. I had to put my foot in front of him
to keep him away. Obviously, I shouldn’t have fed him, but at
the time it was the only way he was going to leave, as he certainly
had no fear of humans. Thank goodness he was a only a juvenile.”

The Winds Deal Fossett a Bad Hand

June 2 – Atlantic Ocean

Steve Fossett’s weekend attempt to challenge
the 24-hour sailing record with the 125-ft cat PlayStation
has been terminated as a result of a 15 degree windshift
and a drop in windspeed from 26 to 20 knots. On their way back
to shore, they’ll have to battle a storm front.

Ironically, the 24-hour sailing record
is held by Brian Thompson, who used to crew for Fossett on Lakota
and PlayStation. While skipper of Tracy Edwards’ maxi
cat Maiden2, Thompson and crew sailed the boat 692 miles.

Marina Map’s Internet Site Is Pretty Cool

June 2 – Cyberspace

Interested in marinas and marina services
in Australia, Turkey, Thailand, or other places in the world?
Now you can find out about them easily courtesy of Marina Map
at www.marinamap.com. It’s a pretty cool resource that’s presented
in English, French, Spanish, German, and Turkish, and it’s free.

On their site, you click on the map to search for a marina.
Graphic Courtesy www.marinamap.com

Inspired by Last
Friday‘s Photo of the Day

June 2

“I wish I had a great caption for
the accompanying photo, but I can’t think of a good enough one,”
writes Jerry Profit. “I served on the USSN Enterprise back
in the late ’60s and can attest to the awesome power of these
ships.”

YOTREPS

June 2 – 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

June 2 – 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.