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Photos of the Day

June 13 - San Francisco Bay

A LaFitte 44 in the foreground and a Wylie Cat 30 in the background beat up the Central Bay in classic Northern California summer conditions to start the great sailing weekend.

Today's Photos of the Day are from what seems to have been about as great a sailing weekend as could have been enjoyed on San Francisco Bay. We know there were great conditions for the very popular Ditch Run up to Stockton, we had very pleasant light air sailing with a dozen other cruising multihulls on the Catnip Cup overnight to Vallejo, and when we got back to the Central Bay Sunday afternoon, the Bay was covered with sailboats - and there wasn't a cloud in the sky or a hint of fog.

What looks to be a Mariner 35 - or 31 - ketch being singlehanded up Raccoon Strait late Sunday afternoon.

Well, maybe it wasn't the greatest weekend for every single boatowner. Don Jesberg, winner of the last five Delta Ditch Runs, watched in disbelief from his Boston Whaler while Ego, his loaned out Melges 24, was hit five times at the pin end of the ridiculously skewed starting line. Thanks to the very late changes in the class assignments, it wasn't even Ego's start. Further along in the Ditch Run, the Southern California-based Hobie 33 Magic Light dropped her turbo rig just past the S-turns. It's unclear if it had anything to do with the fact that they have to release the backstay each time they jibe. We'll have Delta Ditch Run and Catnip Cup photos on Wednesday.

The Royaliste off the front of Angel Island

Sijambo on a steaming broad reach toward Treasure Island

Those wild guys and their big ships! This big guy and three tugs gave everyone the impression they were going to 'shoot' Raccoon Strait - but then completed a 'nautical donut' and headed up San Pablo Bay.
Photos Latitude/Richard

Free Berthing for the Months of June, July and August

June 13 - La Paz, BCS

That's the deal at the new upscale Costa Baja Marina La Paz, report Rob and Linda Jones of the Whidbey Island, Washington-based Gemini 3000 cat Cat'n About. "There are no strings attached," the couple report. "This is a brand new resort with all the trimmings. We were one of the first few boats to take advantage of this deal. You are charged for electricity, but it's metered, so most folks are paying about a dollar a day for it. The temps here in La Paz have been running in the 90s during the day, so we cruisers seem to congregate at the pool in the late afternoon for a cooling dip and conversation.

The refreshing pool at the new Costa Baja Marina in La Paz.

"One of the several restaurants around the marina offers a dinner special for 40 pesos - less than $3 - that includes lemonade. It's the bargain of the summer for we cruisers in La Paz. We've now had two 'Dock Socials' with good attendance - including marina staff - on Friday evenings.

No wonder the cruisers are smiling, there is no charge for berthing.
Photos Courtesy Rob and Linda Jones

"As for safety, if a hurricane were to come up the Sea, most folks figure Costa Baja Marina would be one of the safest places to be. In addition, the staff has bent over backwards to be helpful, and is asking for feedback on how to improve their operation."

This Is How They Do It Off Belize

June 13 - Northern Cays, Belize

Photo Chuck Springer

Earlier this year Chuck Springer of Anchorage did a charter in the Northern Cays of Belize. While sailing, he captured this shot of a local - Belizean? - boat under sail. By the way, the 32-ft monohull Springer and others were sailing on had a pretty clever name - Jeanneau What?

Is Your Recreation Being Interrupted to Train Government Employees?

June 13 - Oakland Estuary

If you sail out of the Oakland Estuary, we're curious if you've been stopped recently by the Coast Guard for no apparent reason. They do have the right to stop you without reasonable cause. We're just trying to figure out if they are doing this much more frequently in order to train personnel for Homeland Security, and if Estuary mariners are more subject to such stops because of their proximity to the big base at Government Island.

Near Record Number of Entries for 100th Anniversary TransPac

June 13 - Los Angeles

Seventy-six boats have signed up for next month's 2,225-mile TransPac from Los Angeles to Honolulu, making it the second biggest in history after the '79 event in which 80 boats entered. The high-profile competitors include Genuine Risk, Morning Glory, Pyewacket, Windquest, and Magnitude 80, who have professional crews and all of whom have an excellent chance of breaking the elapsed-time record. Nonetheless, most of the boats are smaller and are crewed by weekend warriors. Among them is Lloyd Sellinger's Cal 40. Last time around he got pissed off because he was bumped off a crew for being too old. His revenge is racing his own boat with a crew that are all over age 65. Here's the complete list of entries, which come from nine countries and a dozen states.

Artemis (Andrews 53), Louis Bianco, Seattle.
Atalanta (Tripp 73 ketch), Richard Hedreen, Seattle.
Azure (Cal 40), Rodney Pimentel, Alameda.
Azure (Swan 441), Samuel Beckey, San Diego.
Barking Spider 3 (MacGregor 65), David Kory, Concord.
Beecom (Reichel/Pugh 72), Isao Mita, Yokohama, Japan.
Bengal 2 (Ohashi 52), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan.
Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52), Ross Pearlman, Marina del Rey.
Blue (J/160), Ken & Cheryl Sears, Nashville, TN.
Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach.
B'Quest (Tripp 40), Challenged America, San Diego.
Braveheart (Transpac 52), Charles Burnet, Seattle.
Brown Sugar (Express 37), Steve Brown, Santa Ana.
Bubala (Cal 40), Lloyd Sellinger, Newport Beach.
California Girl (Cal 40), Don and Betty Lessley, Richmond.
Callisto (Cal 40), Jim Eddy, Glendale.
DH-Camille (Stewart 42), James Read, San Francisco.
DH-Charmed Life (Catalina 470), Patricia Garfield, San Francisco.
Cipango (Andrews 56), Bob & Rob Barton, San Francisco.
Chasch Mer (S/C 50), Gib Black, Honolulu.
Coruba (N/M 68), Rob and Suzanne Fleming, Seattle.
Dancing Bear (Cal 40), Mark Schrader, Sitka, AK.
Dasher (S/C 50), Roger Groh, Sausalito.
DH-Diablo (J/35), Reed Barnard, Anacortes, WA.
Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Mazatlan, Mexico.
Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Naples, FL.
Genuine Risk (Dubois 90), Randall Pittman, La Jolla.
Iataia (Beneteau First 40.7), Marcos Rodriguez, Acapulco, Mexico.  
Illusion (Cal 40), Sally Honey, Palo Alto.
Incredible (Swan 53), Rick Gorman, Los Alamitos.
Innocent Merriment (J/160), Myron Lyon, San Diego.
DH-Jacaré (J/35), Jeff Young/Rich Blackman, San Diego.
Jeito (J/145), Francisco Guzman, Acapulco, Mexico.
Kahoots (Andrews 43), Kerry Deaver/Bob Williamson, Newport Beach.
Madrina (Cabo Rico 56), Dick Simon, Dana Point.
Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach.
Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach.
Merlin (Lee 68), Patricia Steele, Maui, HI.
Mongoose (Santa Cruz 70), Bradley Thorson, Bellevue, WA.
Morning Glory (R/P maxZ86), Hasso Plattner, Kiel, Germany.
Odyssey (58' yawl), Audrey Steele Burnand, Long Beach.
Pegasus 52 (Transpac 52), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu.
Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Encino.
Pipe Dream (CF 37), John Davis, Long Beach.
Plan B (Peterson 48), David Johnson, Long Beach.
Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates.
Pursuit (Custom 48), Norman and Rosemary Dawley, Solomons, MD.
Pyewacket (R/P maxZ86), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles.
Radiant (Cal 40), Fin Beven, Pasadena.
Ragtime (Spencer 66), Peterson/Richards/Welsh/Zimmer, Honolulu.
Ralphie (Cal 40), Davis Pillsbury, Woody Creek, CO.
Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Portland, OR.
Renegade (Andrews 70), Dan Sinclair, Vancouver, BC.
Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco.
Scout Spirit (R/P 77), Bill Turpin, Newport Beach.
Seafire (Cal 40), John Harrison, Honolulu.
Sensation (1D35), Gary Fanger, San Francisco.
DH-Serena (T1150), David Kuettel, Bel Marin Keys.
Shaman (Cal 40), Steve Waterloo, Alameda.
Shanakee II (Pedrick 74), James Warmington, Costa Mesa.
Showdown (IMX 38), Pete Meade/Mike Luna/ Paul McDonald, Irvine.
Skylark (S/C 70), Doug Ayres, Newport Beach.
So Far (Swan 48), Larry Hillman, Chicago.
DH-Soap Opera (Hobie 33), Scott Self/Nigel Brown, Rockwall, TX.
Spectre (Cal 40), Lee Rogge, Seattle.
Stealth Chicken (Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe.
Super Gnat (Beneteau First 40.7), Cliff Thompson, San Diego.
Tabasco (1D35), Alamitos Bay Syndicate, Long Beach.
The Cone of Silence (Super 30), Jamie and Jenny Neill, Sydney, Australia.
Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, FL.
DH-Two Guys On the Edge (1D35), Dan Doyle, Kailua, HI.
Uproarious (Olson 40), Robert Bussard, San Diego.
Wild Impulse (J/120), Larry Barels, Santa Barbara.
Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach.
Wind Dancer (Catalina 42), Paul Edwards, Ventura.
Windquest (R/P maxZ86), Dick & Doug DeVos, Holland, MI.