November 4, 2003

Photos of the Day: Baja Ha-Ha

November 3 – Bahia Santa Maria, BCS

This report on Baja Ha-Ha 10 was transmitted
from the committee boat, Profligate, while at sea via
her onboard Globalstar phone.

It’s now Monday, and all but three of the
more than 100 Baja Ha-Ha 10 boats have finished the 240-mile
second leg from Turtle Bay to naturally spectacular Bahia Santa
Maria. The leg started on Saturday with 10 to 12 knot winds and
completely flat seas. The sky was blue, the air and water were
warm, and it was just a couple of knots of wind short of being
perfect. Seeing 100 boats, most of them flying chutes, strung
out along this desolate and uninhabited part of the coast was
really something.

About one-quarter of the Ha-Ha fleet starting from Turtle Bay
is captured in this shot.

There were few problems in the fleet other
than Profligate catching both her Saildrives and rudder
in a fishing net strung with fish heads and having to dodge a
series of whales. Also seen were turtles, a flipping manta ray,
and lots of fish . . . some of which stayed on the hook.

Although there were light periods, the
wind held through an unusually warm night. Sunday’s sailing was
also excellent, although a few more knots of wind and a few more
feet of sea wouldn’t have hurt. We haven’t received final times
yet, but it’s believed that the Santa Cruz 52 was first across
the line, just before sunset, narrowly edging Profligate
and the Swan 65 Casseopia. Also doing very well was the
Serendipity 43 Scarlett O’Hara. Already in port was Pat
Nolan’s powerboat Grand Slam, which had been out catching
wahoo which they shared with some of the fleet.

About 0200 on Monday, while the early finishers
were catching up on sleep after sumptuous fresh fish meals, the
wind predicted by Commanders Weather forecasting filled in, with
wind up to the mid-20s and seas to 10 feet or more. Two boats
reported gusts of 44 knots, but some folks were skeptical. While
a lot of crews got fatigued and beat up a little, there have
been no serious problems.

The wind was blowing all the way down the
coast, and by this morning it was blowing in the mid-20s at Bahia
Santa Maria. Fortunately, the protection is excellent and the
holding terrific. About the only beach activities today are climbing
the the nearby hills for views of the majestic bay and Mag Bay
in the background. It’s not a big deal, as most of the crews,
having had to resort to shortened sail, are catching up on sleep.

After a lay day Tuesday, the last leg of
the Ha-Ha, to Cabo San Lucas, starts on Wednesday. It looks as
though there will be as much wind on the third leg as there wasn’t
on the first leg, but we’ll have to wait a couple of days to
be sure.

All up and down the second leg course there were groups of boats
such as this.

Toll Mounts in Transat Jacques Vabre

November 4 – English Channel/Atlantic Ocean

Mark Taylor and Ricardo Diniz on the Open
50 Labesfal retired yesterday from competition. Taylor
explains:

“It was with great sadness after six
hours of consideration that at 20.26 UT Labesfal retired
from the Transat Jacques Vabre. During Saturday night when all
was well onboard Labesfal, she suffered damage to her
forestay which potentially threatened the safety of the rig.
At the time we were experiencing 34- 45 knots wind and four-meter
seas. We continued racing and considered our options. Initially
we discussed heading for Cherbourg, however, we were bullish
and decided to continue to race and head further north through
the shipping lanes. We had decided that our best route would
be to stay on the north side of the Channel in less tide and
therefore less seas. We then intended to head south and west
of land’s end giving us a safe clearance on Ouessant TSS. However,
as we received further forecasts of Force 10 winds and increasing
seas we decided the only seamanlike option was to stop. We could
run downwind to either Weymouth or Cherbourg or continue into
the relative shelter of Torbay and head for Brixham or Dartmouth.
We decided to head for Brixham. As we approached Berry Head we
decided to try to return to our home port and make the final
decision of whether to retire when off the entrance to Dartmouth.
At 2026 we made the impossibly hard decision to head into the
River Dart and end our 2003 TJV.

“We moored on the Town quay at 21.45
and headed straight to the Castle Hotel for a drink and to discuss
our options. The Open 60 Tir Groupe, skippered by the
legendary Mike Birch, was also moored on Town quay. Whilst we
could get the rig repaired today and restart, we would not complete
the course within seven days of the first Open 60 and therefore
would record a DNF (did not finish), as stated by the race rules.”

Also on Monday, Ross Hobson and Andi Newman
announced that they were putting into port in Abervac with the
assistance of the French Coastguards after their 50-ft multihull
Mollymawk hit a UFO (unidentified floating object) as
the forward compartment has a 1-ft diameter hole in it and was
completely flooded. There was no risk of the boat sinking, and
both skippers are fine. Mollymawk was the last Open 50
multihull remaining in the race.

Objectif 3
(ex-Gartmore), an Open 60 monohull, also withdrew yesterday
due to a broken mast. Spaniard Javier Sanso reported, “Broken
mast. We’re okay, the hull is okay.” Objectif 3 was
five miles NNW of Ushant.

The dismasted Objectif 3 catches a tow.

Next, British skipper Emma Richards announced
that they intended to abandon the race for technical reasons.
Pindar recorded 35 knots of wind in their area and the
boat was about 25 miles from Camaret. Emma indicated that they
were heading towards Brest.

Leading the remaining monohulls is Ecover,
whose co-skipper Brian Thompson said today: “The racing
is getting very close now; Virbac has had a fantastic
24 hours going lower than the rest of us and is now barely two
miles behind in terms of distance to Brazil – it’s pretty exciting!
We’ve also got our eye on Sill in the northwest; they
tacked earlier and that option might pay off too. We’ve certainly
got our hands full right now! It’s a great race, and a good motivation
for us!” The leaders are now past the Bay of Biscay.

For complete reports, more photos and to
follow the action, see www.jacques-vabre.com.

New Bridge Opens This Weekend

November 4 – Crockett

Iron Workers Local 378 and the Crockett
Chamber of Commerce encourage everyone to come out for the Grand
Opening Celebration of the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, the
new suspension span west of the old Carquinez bridge, this Saturday,
November 8. The span carries I-80 across the Carquinez Strait
between Vallejo and Crockett.

Photo Courtesy Crockett Chamber of Commerce

Here’s the schedule of events:

Saturday, 8:00 am: Street closures begin
in Crockett.
10:00 am: Street fair opens.
11:00 am: Free shuttle bus service begins.
1:00 pm: Speeches and ribbon cutting, at the north tower.
2:00 pm: Parade, and public walk across the span.
2:00-5:30 pm: Speakers and music at Main Plaza Stage in downtown
Crockett.
4:00 pm: Bridge closes to pedestrians.
5:00 pm: Sun sets. Full moon rises – already partially eclipsed
and on its way to a total eclipse.
5:30 pm: Crockett street fair closes.
6:00 pm: Fireworks display.
6:30 pm: Lighting of the bridge.
7:30 pm: Oakland Symphony concert in Crockett.
7:30 pm: Shuttle service ends one hour after fireworks end. Roads
reopen after celebration.
Sunday: The new bridge may open to traffic!

Free parking and shuttle service will be
available on the Vallejo side at a Park & Ride lot on Curtola
Parkway at Lemon near the Greyhound station. In Crockett, parking
and shuttles will be available at the Selby lot (site of the
the old Selby refinery). To find this lot, follow Cummings Skyway
west to San Pablo Ave. Turn left on San Pablo Ave. and follow
signs to main parking area. Pedestrians in Crockett can also
catch a free shuttle at Pomona and Vista del Rio. For more details
and maps, see www.alzbridge.com/openingday.htm.

Boaters are welcome to come and cheer on
the proceedings by water, but should be aware that the docks
at Cal Maritime Academy will be closed.

The new bridge is named for Crockett iron
worker Alfred Zampa, who was working on the Golden Gate Bridge
in 1937 when he fell off and broke his back. The fall made him
a member of the legendary Halfway to Hell Club. He recovered
from his injuries and resumed working on bridges, including working
with his two sons on the second of the two old Carquinez spans.
Three grandsons have continued the family involvement with Iron
Workers Local 378. Zampa passed away in 2000 at the age of 95.
The Zampa bridge is the first in the U.S. to be named for an
Iron Worker.

For details on the event and more history,
see www.alzbridge.com.

YOTREPS

November 4 – 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 Links

November 4 – 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.