'Lectronic Index

Previous 'Lectronic Edition

Photo of the Day

August 10 - Mill Valley/Santa Barbara

Yesterday Christian, a young sailing and surfing friend of ours from a couple of seasons ago in Mexico, stopped by the office. In the course of chatting, he asked, "Whatever happened to that cute young lady from Santa Barbara you wrote about last year who was going to take off in her Cal 40 on a long surfing and sailing expedition?"

Photo Latitude/Richard

We pulled out today's Photo of the Day, and said, "You mean Liz Clark of the Cal 40 Swell?" That's exactly who Christian meant.

It turns out we'd just seen Liz - and taken her photograph - a few days before in Santa Barbara at the start of the King Harbor Race. Like a lot of cruisers, Liz's trip got delayed by a year. In her case, we think it was a good thing, as she seems much more confident and mature than just a year ago. She reports that just about all of the work has been completed on Swell except for the mast, on which rigger Marty Sparger is hard at work. Anyway, Liz is chomping at the bit to get out of town, as she's heard enough of the 'When are you leaving?' comments. She expects to be in San Diego by the middle of next month and sailing south of the border in November. She was hoping to join up for at least part of the Ha-Ha, but a friend's wedding plans are in conflict.

When Liz mentioned that she'd be needing to earn some money somehow while cruising to help pay for her trip, we suggested women's liveaboard sailing/surfing charters at Banderas Bay, Mexico, where the sailing is great, the breaks at Punta Mita are terrific, and it's all so convenient by flights from San Francisco and L.A. It sounded good to Liz, who was a collegiate surfing champion, so she's going to give it some more thought. We didn't even have to ask her to know that she's not at all interested in doing liveaboard sailing/surfing charters for old geezers looking to meet attractive young ladies.

We'll have more on Liz and her adventures in upcoming issues of 'Lectronic and Latitude.

Second Half Opener

August 10 - San Francisco Bay

Despite an unfortunate conflict with StFYC's Aldo Alessio Regatta, the EYC/YRA Second Half attracted 79 in 16 classes over the weekend. On Saturday, all classes except the Santana 22s sailed a 22-mile course from T.I. out to Bonita, followed by a lively chute run back to the finish in front of Encinal YC. About 50 boats stuck around for Sunday's buoy race.

Winners of the Saturday race follow. Full results of both races are posted at www.yra.org.

DIV. G - Tupelo Honey, Elan 40, Gerard Sheridan. (9 boats)
DIV. J - Petard, Farr 36, Keith Buck. (9 boats)
DIV. K - Encore, Wylie 30, Andy Hall. (7 boats)
DIV. M - Latin Lass, Catalina 27, Bill Chapman. (4 boats)
SPORTBOAT - Wile E. Coyote, Express 27, Dan Pruzan. (4 boats)
SF 30 -  Bay Loon, J/29, Joe Ferrie. (5 boats)
IOR WARHORSE - Tiger Beetle, N/M 45, Rob Macfarlane. (3 boats)
ALERION 28 - Lazy Lightning, Jason Freskos. (5 boats)
ANTRIM 27 - Cascade, Steve Rienhart. (3 boats)
CAL 29 - Blujacket, Bill O'Connor. (3 boats)
CATALINA 30 - Goose, Mike Kastrop. (4 boats)
EXPRESS 37 - Stewball, Caleb Everett. (4 boats)
OLSON 30 - Family Hour, Bilafer Family. (6 boats)
NEWPORT 30 - Fast Freight, Bob Harford. (5 boats)
OLSON 25 - Hamburger Haus, Jens Jensen. (6 boats)
SANTANA 22 - Elaine, Pat Broderick. (2 boats)

Tom Sanborn's SC52 City Lights, seen here enroute to Point Bonita, was first to finish, but slipped to third in Div. G
after the PHRF handicaps were applied.
Photo Latitude

Spinnaker Diners Outraged, Sausalito Police Stumped, As Waterfront Crime Wave Continues

August 10 - Sausalito, Marin County

Some patrons at Sausalito's Spinnaker Restaurant have complained that their dining experience has been marred by the sight of a topless or nude woman swimming by the restaurant. Apparently sensing that the moral bonds of civilization were about to come undone, Sausalito police reportedly responded several times - but on both occasions the criminal had swum away before they got there.

A restaurant employee told the press that if it was a topless or nude woman, she was "an ugly one", because she had a mustache. So maybe it was just a long-haired guy doing his best to stay in shape. In any event, the Women With Mustaches Activists are asking the police to find the employee so they can rough him up a little in the name of sensitivity training.

Our perspective is that Sausalito should hire nude swimmers rather than try to arrest them. Lord knows the little town that was once so very lively could use a little color besides what's found on the t-shirts in all the shops. The biggest thing in major European cities the last couple of years has been creating 'urban beaches' - such as in Paris along the banks of the Seine. The folks over there aren't as uptight as those in Marin County, so nobody cares if anybody wears clothes or not.

TransPac Review at Corinthian YC on Thursday Evening

August 10 - Tiburon

"If you've ever done a TransPac or dreamed about doing a TransPac," writes Mark Leonard, "you won't want to miss this Thursday evening panel discussion with some notable sailors who participated in this year's 100th Anniversary TransPac, in which several boats smashed the course record. Each of the panelists has a unique perspective, from first-timers on a budget, to all-out, no-expenses-spared racing programs. The panelists include Scott Easom, noted Bay Area rigger who sailed on Roy Disney's last TransPac aboard Pyewacket; David Kuettel, whose first TransPac ever was doublehanding a custom-built racing boat he'd sailed maybe 10 times; Don Jesberg, renowned Bay Area sailing guru, who won the Cal 40 Division aboard Ralphie; and Rodney Hagebols and Ellen Hoke, who co-skippered an 1D35 chartered by Grand Prix Sailing Academy.

The doors will open at the club at 6 pm, and a buffet ($12.50/person) and a no-host bar will be available. Talks will start around 7 pm, and for this event only, the customary $10 admission fee will be waived. Reservations are encouraged, especially for dinner, as there will be limited seating. To make reservations, please call the club at (415) 435-4771 or visit the website at www.cyc.org/speakers and fill out the online reservations form."

Geronimo to Go after TransPac Record

August 10 - The Maxi Sailing World

Having just set a not particularly fast record for the Sydney to Papeete course, Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson and his maxi trimaran Geronimo have their sights on Bruno Peyron's Los Angeles to Hawaii TransPac record of 5 days and 9 hours with the mini-maxi cat Explorer back in '97. But there is no word when a record attempt might be made. In ideal conditions, Geronimo would probably cover the 2,215 course in just under 4 days.

Photo Andrea Francolini/DPPI/CAP Gemini Schneider Electric

Pegasus Wins Waikiki Offshore Series

August 10 - Honolulu, HI

Michael Roth reporting from Hawaii ...

The 2005 Waikiki Offshore Series finished Saturday with two windward leeward races off Waikiki. The medium tradewinds and small seas were a welcome relief from the 8 to 12-ft seas and 35+ knot winds that challenged the racers all week.

Philippe Kahn's TP 52 Pegasus turned in a stellar performance with 8 firsts out of 9 races. Winning first in Division 1 and 1st overall to earn the King Kamehameha Trophy ­ a hand-carved Koa wood replica of the Hawaiian sailing canoe Hokule'a. "I sail everywhere around the world and the conditions in Hawaii were the best: Winds from 15 to 35 knots and waves from 1 to 12 feet, tropical waters and unbelievably beautiful scenery. It doesn't get better than this!" said Kahn.

For photos of Pegasus racing in the Waikiki Offshore Series visit: www.pegasus.com/gallery/transpac52_2005/transpac52_2005_91.htm

Charles Burnett's TP 52 Braveheart finished 2nd in Division 1 and 3rd overall. Isao Mita's R/P 72 Beecom finished 3rd in Division 1 and 7th overall.   

In Division 2, Dave Nottage's J/44 Kaimiloa III came back from a broken boom in Race 8 to finish 1st in Division 2 and 2nd overall. Kaimiloa also won the award for Top Hawaiian Boat. John Myhre and Harvey Arkin's Farr 43 Flash Gordon finished 2nd in Division 2 and 5th overall. Gary Fanger's 1D35 Sensation finished on a high note winning Race 10 in class and overall to be the only boat in the fleet to beat Pegasus. They finished 3rd in class and 4th overall.

For more information visit: www.waikikioffshores.com

Photo Courtesy Pegasus Racing

Mooring and Anchoring Advice for Two Harbors

August 10 - Catalina

For you folks who plan to sail to Two Harbors, Catalina, for Saturday's Ha-Ha Preview, please be advised that all moorings are on a first-come, first-served basis, and cannot be reserved. Since it's the middle of August, it's likely that all the moorings will be taken. (The Ha-Ha folks wanted to schedule the event in September when it would be less crowded, but August 13 was the only open date for space ashore.)

You'll find out if they have moorings by calling the harbormaster on Channel 9 upon arrival. If they are out of moorings, you'll have to anchor. If you have a relatively small boat, you can anchor in about 50 feet of water just to the north of the moorings on the east side of Isthmus Cove. If you have a larger boat, you should have more rode, and should be able to anchor in deeper water - and most of the water is deep.

Another option - which was recommend to us by the harbormasters - is to anchor right over Harbor Reefs, which are a little more than a quarter mile from shore. We do this all the time with Profligate. One part of the reef bares at low water, and other parts are shallow too, so you want to be careful, but it is doable. If in doubt, ask one of the harbor patrol folks for advice, as they are always very friendly and helpful. On the good news front, if you can anchor in Isthmus Cove, anchoring anywhere in Mexico is going to be a cinch.

This is Isthmus Cove. The boats in the foreground are on moorings - where, by the way, rafting is allowed. The boats in the upper left of the photo, including Profligate, are anchored.
Photo Latitude/Richard