'Lectronic Index Previous 'Lectronic Edition

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Photos of the Day: Corinthian Midwinters January 17 - Tiburon A flock of J/105s takes flight on Saturday. The holidays may be over, but Jack Frost was still nipping at the noses of competitors aboard the 110 boats participating in the first half of Corinthian YC's popular two-weekend midwinter series on January 15 and 16. Temperatures barely crept into the 50s on Saturday or Sunday, accompanied by some haze that never quite burned off on Saturday. But the great news was the breeze - 10-15 knots of crisp northerly ushered boats around their various courses so fast on Saturday that almost everyone was back at the club by 2 p.m.! Accordingly, the 13 Divisions were given longer courses on Sunday. The TransPac 52 Flash leads Division 1 at their noon start. Per usual, the Saturday afternoon raftup filled the fairway below CYC's landmark 'white house', and the club went all-out in accommodating racers with a Thai buffet for dinner, and music by Girls' Night Out rocked the club well into the night. The Express 37 Elan takes a bow. Those downwind starts are harder than they look! Saturday results were posted on the club Web site (www.cyc.org), but Sunday's were not yet up by 'Lectronic Latitude deadline. They should be available later today. Infinity was part of the 'IOR Warhorse' class. Look for a feature on the first CYC Midwinters in the February issue of Latitude 38. The second half of the series takes place on February 19-20. Samiko, Tiger Beetle and Stewball drag race across the Bay. Photos Latitude/JR

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Windy and Wild at Key West Race Week January 17 - Key West, FL We just got off the phone with Latitude 38 Racing Editor Rob Moore, who is at Key West Race Week. He reports it's been windy, nasty, and cold for the last few days, and is expected to continue that way through tomorrow. Today was supposed to be the start of racing, but competition has been canceled in the smaller and more amateur classes because of sustained 25-knot winds gusting to 30. Moore, who was supposed to sail on a Mumm 30 with Dee Smith, gets to be on a photoboat because the Mumms have been canceled. But the Melges 24s, which are considered an all-pro fleet, will be racing along with the bigger boats. As for the racing scene, Moore says there is nothing like it in the United States. "Everybody who is anybody is here, sort of like MacWorld is for Apple geeks. In fact, I've got to come here to see lots of the top racers from Northern California." Expect to see lots of wild Key West photos in the Wednesday 'Lectronic.

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Records Crushed in Lauderdale to Key West Race January 17 - Key West, FL Forty-three boats used the 160-mile Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race as a tune-up for Key West Racing Week, and the top boats crushed the elapsed-time record. They were led by the R/P 81 Carrera, which, thanks to 25 to 30 knots of wind from aft, finished in 10 hours and 24 minutes. Their finish was wild, as nearing the leeward mark they were doing 20 knots when there was a big bang. The next thing they knew, the boat was dead in the water and on her side. The bottom eight feet of the 12-ft rudder had broken off! Despite just a stub of a rudder, Kenny Read and his top crew double-reefed the main, put up a #4, and steered the boat across the finish using sail trim. And they still beat the old record by three hours. Covering the course even faster was the Jim Antrim 40-ft multihull Zephyr, which did the 160 miles in 10 hours, 11 minutes, easily beating the old multihull record.

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More on Pagurus II January 17 - Baja Coast In Friday's 'Lectronic Latitude, we brought you news of the southbound Cheoy Lee 42 Pagurus II which developed leaks and was abandoned in rough weather near Cedros Island on January 4. The three people aboard - owner François Lavoie, his girlfriend France Maltais, her son Nicolas Roy, and the ship's cat, Sebastian - were taken aboard the cruise ship M/S Ryndam and sailed back to San Diego, arriving on the 10th. Pagurus II, which was homeported in Moss Landing but spent several winters at Bruno's Island during her five-year restoration, was left adrift - apparently with her sails up and autopilot on. Riding low in the water, Pagurus II sails on after her crew was taken aboard the cruise ship Ryndam. These were taken by Ryndam crewman Dave Foley. They show the Ryndam's lifeboat on its way to the stricken vessel, and Pagurus herself, sailing along after the rescue. The Ryndam's lifeboat negotiates bumpy seas on the way to Pagurus II. A crewman aboard the ship reported the rescue took less than 20 minutes. Photos Dave Foley We have so far been unable to establish contact with Lavoie for details leading up to the rescue, but hope to have the full story - along with the happy ending of the boat being found - in the February issue. In the meantime, if anyone reading this comes across Pagurus II, please contact either Bruno Island Harbormaster Sharon Skelton, who is the Northern California contact helping Lavoie find his boat, at (916) 777-6084 (office) or (916) 203-6115 (cell) - or Lavoie himself (who is currently in San Diego) via by email.