'Lectronic Index

Previous 'Lectronic Edition

Photo of the Day

August 25 - Santa Cruz

The upper harbor at Santa Cruz has shoaled so badly that boats sit high and dry on minus tides.
Photo Mike Pesco

Today's Photo of the Day was taken by Mike Pesco of Santa Cruz during a minus tide in July. "As you can see, the upper harbor was completely shoaled in," Mike reports. "The silt comes from a creek at the north end of the harbor and the excessive rains this year have kept the mud flowing. The keelboat has been moved but the powerboats still lay over during minus tides. We've been told the area won't be dredged until November, at the earliest."

- latitude / ld

Skiffs Shred Bay - or Is It the Other Way Around?

August 25 - San Francisco Bay

Yesterday, the 18-ft Skiff International Regatta looked more like the track at Daytona after the lead car blows a tire and takes half the field into the wall. Of course, that makes it all the more exciting to watch.

Blue Man Group works up a new routine.

"Keeping the stick in the air" seems to be the prevailing tactical consideration for all crews in the nuclear breeze of the last few afternoons, when winds have peaked over 30. Paul Allen, who trims the headsail for Shark Khan's Pegasus Black team, continues the thought process. "Once you get in the lead, if you stay upright you usually stay there." And the Pegasus Black team has been 'there' twice in this series, trading off the lead with Skiff veterans Howie Hamlin of Long Beach on Pegasus White and Australian John Winning on Yandoo. Hamlin presently leads the series, with Winning in second and Shark third. The 10-race series winds up tomorrow.

Howie Hamlin heads downwind, way ahead of Chad Frietas and the SkiffSailing.org boat.

The gas pedal on an 18 is the guy - or more accurately, the guy pulling the guy. Allen again: "If it gets scary, I pull the kite in to stall it and that slows the boat down a little. It feels like your arms have been pulled off by the end of the day, but I like being up front. It's a good view from up there."

Yandoo and DeLonghi won the synchronized capsizing part of the program
Photos Erik Simonson / www.h2oshots.com

It's a pretty good view from anywhere you can see these wild and crazy boats. From land, Crissy Field is the epicenter - they actually set these lightweight boats up on the grass and carry them to the water. From a boat, just head out to the central Bay and look for low flying UFOs and the occasional sheet of spray indicating another crash. Just don't get too close.

- latitude / jr

The Warm and Slow Route

August 25 - Belvedere

Kazuo Murata sailed under the Golden Gate aboard his 26-ft cold-molded sailboat Sakura Maru on Wednesday afternoon, 96 days after leaving Wakayama YC in Japan. Murata was inspired to undertake the adventure nearly 45 years ago when 23-year-old Ken'ichi Horie became a Japanese national hero by making the same crossing in 94 days aboard his home-built 19-ft sailboat. But with all the technological advances in the past five decades, why on earth did it take 71-year-old Murata two days longer to make the same passage? His answer was simple and logical: "Shorter is not much enjoyable." In other words, the sun-loving sailor preferred the warmer, calmer weather of the high over the colder, faster route many transpacific sailors take.

Kazuo Murata - pictured here at San Francisco YC - wasn't in a hurry so he sailed to SF via the slow, warm route - taking 96 days to make the trip.
Photo Latitude/LaDonna

Check out the September issue of Latitude 38 - which will be on the stands a week from today on September 1 - for more on Murata.

- latitude / lb

"Dude, Where's My Anchor?"

August 25 - Treasure Island and Sausalito

In Monday's 'Lectronic we reported that a sunken sailboat in the southwest corner of Clipper Cove was snagging ground tackle and that boaters should anchor cautiously in that area. Included in the report was a photo of one such anchor retrieved by diver Tim Sell. Yesterday we received the following email from Maxwell Dale: "On 'Lectronic you showed a photo of an anchor that was pulled from Treasure Island. I know they all look alike but I think that one's mine!"

Max endured an exhaustive interrogation (Us: "Really?" Max: "Yup.") and properly identified the anchor's distinguishing features ("It was shaped like an anchor and had some line attached.") so we passed Max's message on to Tim who quickly offered to return the anchor, but with one condition: That we be allowed to 'cover' this epic event. So here, dear readers, is the full photo coverage of one prodigal anchor's return home.

- latitude / ld

Tim Sell (right) cheerfully returned the wayward anchor to its rightful (we hope!) owner, Max Dale, early this morning at Schoonmaker Point.

After an evening of what can only be described as utter debauchery in Clipper Cove, Max ended up losing his favorite anchor. Nearly two years later, they're reunited.
Photo Latitude / LaDonna