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It Could Be You

November 2 - Heading south

Warm water, blue skies, great sailing, and tons of fun is being reported from the Ha-Ha 'Profligate' crew. With the help of Qualcomm/Globalstar Satellite Systems, we will continue to bring you updates on what they are doing - and we are missing! Maybe next year it could be you...

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Weather Updates

November 2 - Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Tropical Weather

Are any hurricanes going to affect the Ha-Ha? You can check on the Mexico hurricane region at http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/2000/index.html.

It continues to be calm in the Atlantic/Caribbean.

San Francisco Bay Weather

To see what the winds are like on the Bay and just outside the Gate right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.

California Coast Weather

Looking 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.: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stuff/southwest/swstmap.shtml. Also check out http://facs.scripps.edu/surf/buoylist.html (but note that the Java Applet is still not working with some browsers on Macs - including your Webmistress's Netscape Communicator!)

Pacific Ocean Weather

You can view the University of Hawaii Department of Meteorology satellite picture by clicking here.

Pacific Sea State

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.


Cruising

Keep 'em coming!

While the Baja Ha-Ha is underway, our cruising section will be on hiatus, but we'd still love to hear from you...so keep your pictures and stories coming!

Baja Ha-Ha Coverage

Qualcomm/Globalstar Satellite Systems Baja Ha-Ha VII Update

November 2, 2000

330 miles southeast of San Diego, 30 miles from Turtle Bay.

The 430 crew on the 112 boats in the seventh annual Baja Ha-Ha San Diego to Cabo San Lucas Rally for cruisers enjoyed pleasant sailing in typical Mexican conditions for a second straight day. Ten to 12 knots of wind from the northwest accompanied by a gentle swell on the beam saw many boats setting chutes under bright sunshine and blue skies. It was barefoot and shorts weather, which became all the more pleasant when phone calls over the Qualcomm satellite phone to San Francisco brought reports of cool and grey weather. Boats were also starting to catch dorado, tuna and bonita.

With so many boats sailing the same course, it was common to have five to 10 boats in sight at one time. Aboard 'Profligate', we started to reel in the Andrews/Perry 72 'Elysium' - sailed by John and Marilyn Folvig - but late in the afternoon the wind dropped and they pulled away again sailing both faster and lower. Many other boats staged impromptu boat for boat battles for a couple of hours.

After a sunset in which 'Profligate' crewmembers Barbara Marrett and Michelle Slade claimed to have seen normally elusive green flash - "We did! We absolutely did!" - the winds piped up to 12 to 18 knots. Sailing a little on the hot side, the 'Profligate' crew hit the low teens, with Banjo Andy Turpin turning in the top burst of 14.5 knots. It was wonderful sailing under a bright and starry sky - until an 0200 when the cat's best chute terminally wrapped itself around the headstay. Crewman Wayne Meretsky went aloft, but was nearly wrapped around the headstay himself. It was then decided to sail under full main and bits of chute until dawn.

The 0730 roll call indicated that boats furthest south were Jan and Signe Twardowski's Sundeer 64 'Raven'; John and Mariln Folvig's Andrews/Perry 72 'Elysium'; Tom Petty's 'Roxanne'; and Chuck and Pam Cook's Andrew's 50 'Outta Bounds'. This could be deceptive, as several other fast boats hadn't reported in, and motoring is allowed. We'll sort it out later.

After a light overcast, the sun broke out at 0900. Michelle the Kiwi took another swim - I reckon it was 75 degrees" - and 'Profligate' reset with a lesser chute. We expect to be in Turtle Bay in two hours with the other early arrivals - and the beginnings of sunburns - and expect many more boats tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Wish you were here!

Tomorrow we'll have tales and photos from the rest of the fleet.

- The Grand Poobah reporting from aboard 'Profligate'.

Ha-Ha Note: We plan to bring you almost-daily coverage of the rally - time and technology permitting. Check our website for our progress in receiving the much anticipated (by us too!) pictures of the Ha-Ha as it's happening. (To get your fix on the days we are unable to update our site, peruse our archives.)

YOTREPS

November 2 - 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/


Racing

Racing News

November 2 - New England

Okay, we lied - there's nothing particularly interesting happening today in the world of yacht racing. Instead, we'll use this allotted space for a 'pop quiz' on cruising destinations.

Our racing editor went for a fall cruise - gasp! - in New England in early October, and claimed to actually enjoy it. (What's next - golf?) Showers, moorings and restaurants were found in every port, and the two cell phones aboard his friend's Baltic 39 were in constant use. "It wasn't exactly a hardship cruise," he admits. The weather was dicey, however, alternating between Indian Summer and the first cold, rainy days of the approaching winter.

We won't bore you with all the details. Rather, as a test to see if anyone out there is paying attention, we're offering a 'Latitude 38' t-shirt to the first reader who correctly identifies all three ports in the accompanying pictures. In the unlikely event of multiple correct responses, the tie will naturally be broken in favor of the most humorous email. Send your guesses to: [email protected].

All photos Latitude/Rob

 

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