January 19, 2004

Photos of the Day

January 19 – Atlantic Ocean

Today’s Photos of the Day come from Frenchman
Francis Joyon’s campaign to set a new non-stop solo around the
world effort aboard the mini-maxi 92-ft trimaran IDEC,
ex-Sport Elect. Much to the surprise of some, Joyon has
managed to cover 22,000 miles – including the necessary ground
in the Southern Ocean – aboard the monster tri without getting
killed. He’s most recently been rocketing his way up the coast
of Brazil, sometimes at over 400 miles per day. The finish line
off France, and a smashing new solo around the world record,
aren’t that far away.

Photo Francis Joyon

Francis Joyon during IDEC’s sea trials off Trinité
sur Mer
Photo Jocelyn Biérot
All Photos Courtesy IDEC

And Then There Is Monsieur Van den Heede

January 19 – Cape Leeuwin, Australia

While Francis Joyon zooms around the world
the ‘right way’ aboard a big tri, Jean Luc Van den Heede is in
the middle of yet another attempt to sail non-stop, solo, around
the world the ‘wrong way’ – meaning against the prevailing winds
on his 84-ft aluminum sloop. The good news is that he’s about
to round Cape Leeuwin off the southwest coast of Australia, and
is 18 days ahead of the current record pace set by Philippe Monnet.

Corinthian Midwinters Photo Essay

January 19 – Tiburon

This weekend featured the first two races
in Corinthian YC’s four-race midwinters series, the Bay’s most
popular winter racing event with 130 boats competing under hazy/sunny
skies, in heavy ebb with enough wind to get around the course.

For more info, including results from the
first two races, see www.cyc.org/race/2004/midwinters.html. The
series concludes on February 14 and 15.

Warren Peace served as race committee boat for the start.

Golden Moon leads this group out of Belvedere Cove on
a spinnaker reach.

The run southwest to Yellow Bluff

The sun breaks through the haze to shine through Samiko’s
spinnaker.

The crowd at Yellow Bluff

Two woodies: Chimera (with the Laser mizzen) and Chorus

Silkye leads Razzberries and Flexi-Flyer to
the turning mark at Elephant Rock

Tiger Beetle gets the gun (note the muzzle flash) in the
new IOR Warhorses division.
Photos Latitude/JR

Profligate’s
Progress

January 19 – St. Barth, FWI

Photo Latitude/Richard

This is what Profligate looks like
anchored at Grand Saline Beach at St. Barth, which, if you believe
the lifestyle magazines, played host over the holidays to the
likes of Puff Daddy, Carson Daly, Steve Martin, Uma Thurman,
Beyoncé, Rebecca Gayheart, Martha Stewart, Tom Hanks,
Robert DeNiro, and that ilk. Not that we saw any of them.

Even more importantly, we’re not seeing
that view right now, as our dream to spend six straight weeks
on Profligate has ended in failure. There was just too
much work back home, and trying to work out of a crowded French
Internet café, with French software programs, proved to
be woefully inefficient. Are we glad to be back home? Ha! We’re
working 18 hours a day to get our work done and return to the
Latitude 25th Anniversary Cruise as soon as possible.

YOTREPS

January 19 – 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

January 19 – 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.