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August 25 - Zihuatanejo, Mexico For cruisers who have been there, this scene is as familar
as an old pair of shoes. The place is Z-town - about 120 miles
north of Acapulco - a cruisers' favorite in Mexico. Most boats
anchor about 100 yards off La Ropa Beach, and during the afternoon,
folks come ashore to have lunch, swap stories, play volleyball
and swim in the ocean - and generally enjoy the good life. Air
temp is about 80 degrees and so is the water. |
 Photo Latitude/Richard |
August 25 - Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
For the first time in almost a month, there is no tropical storm activity, as Debby disintegrated while on her way toward Florida, and Alberto, the longest August tropical storm in history, fizzled in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Mexico remains quiet, but there is sure to be more action soon.
San Francisco Bay WeatherTo see what the winds are like on the Bay right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/. It's a great time of year to be sailing the Bay. California Coast WeatherLooking 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. Pacific Ocean WeatherCheck out the graphic at right. |
 University of Hawaii Meteorology Graphic |
Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you might check at:
http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.
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August 25 - New Zealand "Hi Guys! Here is a picture of the newly redone main
salon on 'Ricka', our Dover, Delaware-based Taswell 43,"
report Mel and Rebecca from New Zealand. "The prices here
are so low that we just couldn't resist. With the Kiwi dollar
reaching a record low of less than 43 cents U.S., there are good
deals everywhere, from the construction of a new custom yacht
to the purchase of a Big Mac. The latter is just $1.40 U.S.!
We used leather suede, faux animal prints and luxury Belgium
brocades, as well as natural black sheep skin carpets, and possum
wool blankets. And we had all the brass bits and pieces stripped
and nickel plated. |
 Photo Courtesy 'Ricka' Not everything is a bargain, but overall the savings are great enough to make the trip down well worth the effort. We've had a bunch of stainless steel work, reupholstering, painting, rechroming, hard doger built, all faultless work at a fraction of U.S. prices. |
August 25 - The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace
Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of weather are they having? Check out YOTREPS - 'yacht reports' - at http://www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/
August 25 - Northern Atlantic
It's only the first day, but Steve Fossett is thrilled with
his105-foot catamaran 'PlayStation's progress in pursuit of 'Jet
Services V's 10-year old New York to England sailing record of
six days and 13 hours. After 37 hours, 'PlayStation' and her crew
had covered 853 miles at an average speed of 23 knots. This puts
her three hours ahead of 'Jet Services' time.
Said Fossett: "Off to a great start. Last night we wove our
way between the shallow spots of Nantucket Shoals and George's
Bank. Early this evening we should cross close inside Sable Island
off Nova Scotia. Conditions are excellent with 25 to 30 knots
of breeze from the southwest. What a change from our other 3 transatlantic
attempts where we were struggling with broken battens, electrical
system failures and out-of-control wind conditions. Now we are
settled in and just trying to maintain our concentration to sail
'PlayStation' at its potential." Meteorologist Bob Rice has
the outlook on weather: "We don't expect too much change
in conditions over the next 24-36 hours, which should support
similar boat performances. Our current plan is designed to protect
against losing our position in the wind envelope we're in."
See www.fossettchallenge.com
for updates and details.
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