'Lectronic Index

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Photo of the Day

October 1 - Tenacatita, Mexico


Kendall and Quincy Winship study in a typical school day aboard the Crowther 30 catamaran Chewbacca, cruising out of Alameda for the past two years. We'll have more from the Winships on home schooling and Tenacatita Bay in the November issue of Latitude 38.
Photo Bruce Winship


Crew Party in Alameda Tonight

October 1 - Alameda

Planning (or hoping) to head to Mexico this winter? Come to Latitude 38's Mexico-Only Crew List Party tonight, from 6 to 9 pm. You pay $5 to get in (unless you're on the crew list published in the October issue or a paid-up Baja Ha-Ha skipper or first mate), receive a color-coded name tag detailing your wishes for the Mexico cruising season, buy a drink at the bar, grab some free munchies, and let the merriment begin.

The scene for this casual networking and serious frolicking will once again be the Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda. For complete info, a map and directions, see www.latitude38.com/crewlist/CrewParty/CrewParty.html.


October Latitude 38 Already Out

October 1 - SF Bay Area


Photo Latitude/Chris

Distribution began yesterday for this month's issue of Latitude 38. Pick yours up at the usual places, or, better yet, come to the Crew Party (see item above) and get one there.


Spanish Gold

October 1 - Cadiz, Spain

Wrapping up on September 25 after 13 days of intense competition in Cadiz, Spain, the ISAF World Sailing Championships saw all nine Olympic classes crown their 2003 champions.

The U.S. scored medals in two events - gold for the Yngling team of Hannah Swett (Jamestown, RI/New York, NY), Joan Touchette (Newport, RI) and Melissa Purdy (Tiburon) who won the 2003 Yngling World Championship; and bronze for Meg Gaillard (Jamestown, RI/Pelham, NY) in the Europe World Championship. Additionally, strong performances in five events were rewarded with Olympic qualification, leaving the U.S. with only one class (470 Women) left to qualify. For a flashy but difficult to use site for this event, see www.mundovela.com/ing/index.asp#.


Mini Transat

October 1 - Atlantic Ocean

As of 1500 GMT Tuesday, Jonathan McKee had taken a five-mile lead in the Mini Transat singlehanded transatlantic race to Brazil. Because the first three days were particularly difficult for the 21-ft boats, 20 out of the 68 starters have dropped out of the 2900-mile stage from Lanzarote to Brazil.

1. Jonathan McKee, Team McLube, 2,234.5 miles to finish.
2. Armel Tripon, Moulin Roty, 2,239.5 mtf
3. François Cuinet, Reglisse, 2,264.5 mtf
4. Samuel Manuard, Tip Top Too, 2,270.9 mtf
5. Pierre Rolland, Extrado, 2,276 mtf

Event Web site: www.transat650.org.

Mini Transat Sidebar

(Jonathan McKee's wife Libby just returned from the volcanic island of Lanzarote after the start of the second stage of the Mini Transat. Following are some of her impressions about the singlehanded sailors who will spend the next three weeks at sea.)

They come from all ages and levels of experience. Some have dedicated their lives to sailing and hope to become France's next famous singlehanded sailor. The Mini is a rite of passage for those want to do the Open 60 circuit or the Solitaire du Figaro. The likes of Isabel Autissier, Michel Desjoyeaux and Ellen MacArthur have all done the Mini Transat. Others are the young 'unwashed' out for an adventure and have no plan for after the race or for their next step in life. They sleep on their boats in the harbor (quite common for all levels of Mini sailor) and have pulled together every last dime to build their boats and do this race. Others are professionals - lawyers, businessmen, yachtsmen - who have left jobs and lives ashore to do this race. (They are more likely to sleep in a hotel or at least have a few good restaurant meals when in port!)

Because of the mix of levels of sailors, finances and the fact that the boat is singlehanded, the Mini Class has a feeling of camaraderie and friendship among the competitors. Everyone helps each other. When the last boats arrive, people scramble to help those needing repairs, to get them done and ready for the start. - Libby McKee


Women's Keelboat Championship

October 1 - Annapolis, MD

Held on J/22s in Annapolis this week, the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship continues through Friday.

The 66 four-woman teams come from as close (to us) as Monterey Bay (Donna Womble of the J/22 Toucan, with her regular crew of Erica Museler, Karen Loutzenheiser and Emily French), and from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa. Southern California teams include Mary Brigden, Stacy Szabo, Jerelyn Biehl and Julie Mitchell of San Diego and the Long Beach YC team of Claudia Wainer, Molly McCloud, Carrie Dair and Elizabeth Tran.


Team Toucan, from Monterey Peninsula YC, currently in ninth place
Photo Courtesy Annapolis YC

Monday's heavy wind with 25-knot gusts showcased boathandling skills, but Tuesday's shifty, light air put a premium on tactics. With Monday's top four overall performers turning in mediocre performances yesterday, the door was kicked open for Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI) to climb from sixth to second overall behind Betsy Alison (Newport, RI). Alison, the event's five-time winner who finished 12-9 yesterday, used her allowed throwout race to trim off a whopping 67 points (taken Monday for jumping the gun on a black-flag start) from her final score. Alison and Barkow now share a 23-point score, with the tiebreaker going to Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Molly O'Bryan (Kaneohe, HI) currently sits in third with 28 points.

For daily reports and more photos, see www.race.annapolisyc.org/rolexkeelboats and www.regattanews.com. Regatta updates, including live mark rounding positions and individual race finishes, are posted as they occur.


Sixty-six J/22s on the starting line in Annapolis. Let the adrenaline flow!


Front runner Betsy Alison and crew


Fourth place Karleen Dixon and her Lion Foundation team from New Zealand drop the spinnaker at a leeward mark rounding.

Photos Above Daniel Forster/Rolex


Canal Cam

October 1 - Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

John Haste, of the San Diego-based Perry 52 catamaran Little Wing sent us this report, as they prepare to transit the Panama Canal: "Big John Folvig, Mark Sciarretta and I left Puesta del Sol Nicaragua on Tuesday and stopped at Banana Bay Marina Costa Rica until Saturday. After a great close reach we should arrive in the canal area today, making the passage overnight. After speaking with an agent, we expect to transit the canal within 48 hours, this being the off-season. As for boat repairs, they are ongoing from the lightning damaged inverter, sailing instruments, through-hull transducers, VHF antenna, microprocessor boards for the watermaker, autopilot, GPS, refrigeration and engine relays. We appreciate Profligate's simplicity. See you on the Ha-Ha - I will be crewing on Pantera."

Crew Mark Sciarretta, a Ha-Ha vet himself, adds: "There's a live Web-cam of the first series of locks. If you wish, you may come aboard 'virtually'. Check this out: www.lebontempsroule.org/panamacanalcam.htm."

Little Wing raced the last three Banderas Bay Regattas with Profligate. They are now headed to the Eastern Caribbean. The two cats plan to resume battle in St. Barth on New Year's Eve . . . assuming that both make it there.


Miracle Boat Stays on the Breakwater

October 1 - Puerto Escondido, BCS

Lonnie Spencer of Palo Alto writes, "I am the owner of Sambita, the miracle boat that ended up intact (more or less) on the breakwater at Puerto Escondido [during Hurricane Marty]. I have been instructed by the insurer to leave her as she lies until an adjustor can get there. Hope another storm doesn't arrive in the meantime."


Photos Courtesy Sambita


YOTREPS

October 1 - 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

October 1 - Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

Check out this guide to San Francisco Bay Navigational Aids: http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/sfports.html.

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

The site for the Pacific Ocean sea states has moved to http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/PacRegSSA.shtml.
For views of sea states anywhere in the world, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data.


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