While visiting the boats at the Kaneohe YC docks following
the end of July’s West Marine Pacific Cup, we came across the
strange sight you see in the accompanying photo: smelly deck
shoes and sea boots being soaked clean in the ‘Eskie’. Ugh! We’re
all for using one thing for as many jobs as possible, but if
it means the crew sandwiches and potato salad are going to have
a hint of pungency, it’s a case of simplicity gone overboard.
Photo Latitude/Richard
On the Waterfront
September 7 – Sausalito
Danger on the dock! Last weekend the Wanderer was down on
the boat with Dona de Mallorca, and a couple of women and their
young kids looking around nearby. We were all startled when the
black seal you see in the photo suddenly slithered out of the
water and onto the warm dock. Having just been badly bitten by
a dog, de Mallorca wasn’t eager to get close, and naturally the
mothers kept their curious kids at a safe distance. It was a
good thing, too, as seals can be surprisingly quick – and this
guy was clearly being territorial about his new spot in the warm
sun. de Mallorca’s solution to getting past the threat and onto
the boat was both simple and gentle: a light spray from a water
hose. After a few drops, the seal was back in his element.
Photo Latitude/Richard
Watch Out Cabo San Lucas!
September 7 – Pacific Ocean
Tropical Weather
Yesterday Tropical Storm Lane was looking like all the others
this season: it started well offshore and looked to be heading
even further out. But last night Lane did a highly unusual thing
for an Eastern Pacific storm: It circled back counterclockwise
– something that almost never happens in the northern hemisphere
– and is currently heading straight in the direction of Cabo
San Lucas. Fortunately, it’s still 600 miles from Cabo and only
moving north at two knots, but it’s expected to reach full hurricane
strength in 72 hours and could pose a threat to land.
The Atlantic and Caribbean remain calm, while in the far northwestern
Pacific there are two tropical storms and a typhoon. China got
hit by three typhoons in just two weeks.
Unisys Weather Graphic
San Francisco Bay Weather
To see what the winds are like on the Bay right now, check
out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.
It’s perfect weather for sailing today.
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
The fellow in the accompanying photo is Bob Lambert of the
Channel Islands, who has been out cruising from Mexico to Costa
Rica with his wife Margie aboard their Roberts 44 ‘La Roja’.
If you want to know how to get a whole lot out of cruising without
wasting a lot of money, and how to cruise with a great attitude,
check out their Changes in the October
Latitude – including their insightful reports on the joys
of visiting El Salvador and Nicaragua. Meanwhile, here’s a little
teaser from their dining habits in the Sea of Cortez: “Our
agenda for the last 18 months has been to take it real slow and
enjoy each place as we go – and this has proven to be a magical
formula. We spent last summer in the Sea of Cortez. The abundance
of sea life along with the beauty and tranquility of the area
was awesome. Almost every night we fed ourselves as though dining
at a smorgasbord of the sea. We often had choices: triggerfish,
grouper, mullet, yellowtail, dorado, sierra, as well as many
varieties of rock fish. The shellfish menu was equally as abundant,
with lobster, clams, oysters, pinheads and scallops. We often
would discuss what we wanted for dinner before heading out so
we could be selective in our kill, and we almost never came back
empty-handed.”
Photo by Margie Lambert
YOTREPS
September 7 – 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
Where’s the Results and All That Jazz?
September 7 – Benicia
The results from last weekend’s Jazz Cup Regatta to Benicia
are still not available, so we’ll treat you to some photo action
from that light and bright spinnaker run.
All Photos Latitude/Andy
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
September 7 – Sardinia, Italy
The folks at the Costa Smeralda YC at Port Cervo, Sardinia,
Italy, may be enjoying the great digs created by the Aga Kahn,
and they may have the greatest fleet of large racing boats in
the world, but they’ve got a terrible Web site and are putting
out pathetic press releases. As a result, we can’t give you a
full rundown on the fleet or the current standings. But the big
news yesterday was that Roy Disney’s ultralight sled, ‘Pyewacket’
– which is a tiny boat in this fleet – finished first in her division
by 45 minutes. Disney and crew then had to wait 44 minutes and
59 seconds to learn that they corrected out first in the race
by just one second!
If ‘Sayonara’ and the other maxi ILC boats such as ‘Sagamore,’
‘Alexia’ and ‘Boomerang’ raced yesterday, nobody was reporting
it. Meanwhile, we’ll leave you with this photo of the schooner
‘Adela’ from the New York YC. Back when we raced against her
with ‘Big O’ and this picture was taken, she was only about 175
feet, but she’s been lengthened by about 20 feet to increase
freezer space and give her more waterline for next year’s classic
race across the Atlantic.
