|
|
Photo of the DayApril 3 - Spokane, WA  Photo Sammy Girton Sounds like Cameron is in need of a tropical sailing photograph. We hope this helps:  Photo Latitude/Richard |
The Last Legal Liveaboard Slips Still Available on the Bay?April 3 - Richmond The 850-slip Marina Bay is about the only place on the Bay that we know of that has slips open in just about all sizes between 22 and 61 feet. And their slip fees are quite low. A 22-foot slip goes for $110, a 40-foot slip for $218, and a 61-ft slip for just $350 a month. Liveaboards pay a $150 surcharge. Marina Bay is closer to the central Bay than are any of the marinas on the Estuary, and is particularly close to the warm weather sailing in the North Bay. It also has much warmer weather than does Berkeley Marina. Its location not far from I-580 makes it convenient to both Marin and the East Bay, and it's not far from BART. We used to keep a boat there and enjoyed it, and folks who have boats there now tell us they really like it. So if we were looking for a liveaboard slip, we'd call (510) 236-1013, and we'd do it right now!  Empty slips in Richmond Photo Courtesy Marina Bay Yacht Harbor For those just looking for a slip, Marina Bay also has a good selection of almost impossible to find slips in the 36 to 61-foot range. A 50-foot berth is just $280 a month, which compares very, very, very favorably with the $675 you'd have to pay at some marinas in Sausalito. |
The Crew List Party Is April 5April 3 - Tiburon |
 Helicopter rescue demonstration at last October's Crew Party Photo Latitude/Richard The Crew List Party is on Thursday, April 5, from 6 to 9 p.m at the Corinthian YC in Tiburon. For directions and a map, visit www.cyc.org/map.html. Wait til you see the killer rescue demonstration the Coasties put on with a chopper and rescue boat. It brings out the local police every time! |
April 3 - UK
The Royal Ocean Racing Club made it official that what was once
the 'world series of ocean racing' will not be held this year
in England. This once great event is a victim of several factors,
including the lack of a truly international racing rule and so
many other sailing opportunities, such as the America's Cup, The
Race, Vendée Globe and the Volvo.
April 3 - Mooloolaba, Australia
"We left San Francisco on May 8 of last year, and have been
on a bit of a fast track," report Max and Debbie Young, who
are cruising their Danville-based Perry 47 Reflections
with their daughter Janelle. "So now we've decided to slow
down and enjoy Australia for a year before we head north again.
We started out by sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii, then on
to Christmas Island and Tahiti. However, we would never take this
route to the South Pacific again. Everyone we have talked to that
left from Mexico said that their trip to the South Pacific was
a piece of cake. It wasn't for us. We got hit by storm after storm
until we got 800 miles east of Hawaii. Once we got to the Islands,
it was a bit of a problem finding a berth or even a place to anchor
out. Our next stop was Christmas Island, which you can't see until
you're only about eight miles away because its highest peak is
only 12 feet. Even Capt. Cook ran aground there. When he discovered
it, the island was uninhabited. Now only visited by the occasional
cruisers, it's home to the greatest people in the world. We left
Christmas Island on June 28, and had to sail beneath a brewing
hurricane - which made life interesting. Then it was on to the
Societies, Suvarrow (a 'must see'), Western Samoa (which every
cruiser raves about), Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia (to enjoy the
Pacific Arts Festival), then on to Australia. We're now in Mooloolaba.
This has been a lifelong dream, and we're enjoying it even more
than I thought we would."
Pacific Puddle JumpApril 3 - Nuevo Vallarta The right way, or at least the most popular way, to get to the South Pacific is to leave from Mexico and sail to the Marquesas. That's what the Pacific Puddle Jump class of 2001 are doing. We're introducing them to you in a continuing series of profiles. Check back for more in tomorrow's 'Lectronic, and you'll find all of them in the pages of the April issue of Latitude 38, which came out on March 30. Felicity
- Tashiba 31 Ken and Cathy echo sentiments we often
hear from folks in their position: "Don't wait. You'll never
have enough money, your boat won't be big enough and you'll never
feel totally prepared to leave. So just go!" Destiny
- Wauquiez 42 Photos Latitude/Andy |
April 3 - 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/
April 3 - Pacific Ocean
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/.
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.
Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you
might check out the Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.
In their case, though, there's
a tragic personal incident behind their urgings. Cathy's parents
had been planning to go cruising for years, but her father died
shortly before his intended departure. So Ken and Cathy (both
in their 30s) have picked up where her folks left off. 
During their two years in Mexico,
Michael and JoAnne have made a concerted effort to assimilate
themselves into the Mexican culture - beyond the marinas and
coastal anchorages. To their credit they both took Spanish 'immersion'
classes so they could converse more easily with local townspeople.
"Mexico has an incredibly diverse and rich culture,"
explains JoAnne. "The people have been wonderful to us."Top / Index of
Stories / Subscriptions
/ Classifieds
/ Home©2001
Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.