Photos of the Day

January 12 - Richardson Bay

Richardson Bay, the two by three mile body of water between Sausalito and Belvedere/Tiburon, is a fine anchorage - except during winter storms. Unfortunately, the biggest storm of the year blew through yesterday, which in combination with unusually high tides created major problems. A number of moored or anchored boats dragged, and several of them washed ashore.

Potentially the most serious case involved James Skorich, his girlfriend Rainbow, and their dog Blue Moon. The 45-foot ferrocement boat 'Yankee Belle', on which they were living, broke free from its mooring and washed up at the bottom of a 40-foot cliff at the base of Century Drive in Strawberry - as can be seen in the accompanying photo. Tiburon firefighter Steve Ardigo was lowered down the cliff to the boat and helped the injured couple and their dog into an inflatable rescue boat from the Sausalito Fire Department. They were then transferred to an ambulance. They suffered from minor injuries, mild hypothermia - and a good fright.

The 'Yankee Belle' is owned by a resident of Humboldt County, who was renting it out to the couple. According to Bill Price, the harbor administrator, the ferrocement boat had been illegally moored in Richardson Bay for 10 years. "It was a piece of junk when it hit the beach," he told the IJ. "Now it's a derelict piece of junk." Price said the remains would be hauled away in five days if not claimed.

The presence of semi-derelict anchor-outs has long been a source of controversy, one, because they are illegal, and two, because they often wash up on lee shores to create big bills for local governments that need to have them removed. The second photo shows a couple more anchor-out boats on the Strawberry Point rocks.

Another interesting aspect of the storm was the extreme high water caused by the combo of a very high tide and winds out of the south piling up water at the northern end of the bay. For example, check out the photo of the Travel Lift at Anderson's Boatyard. If the tide had been just a little higher, boats could have floated to their stands. Another photo demonstrates that the Clipper Yacht Harbor parking lot was submerged.


Yesterday afternoon at Clipper Yacht Harbor

All Photos Latitude/Andy


James, Rainbow and Blue Moon are rescued off 'Yankee Belle'


Boats wash up on the shores of Strawberry and Tiburon

The Race Update

January 12 - Atlantic Ocean

Just a month ago, most experts were wondering if Cam Lewis and 'Team Adventure' were even going to be able to make the start of the race. Now, after nearly 5,000 miles, Cam and crew have taken lead again after a long duel with Grant Dalton and 'Club Med'. What's more, Dalton has repeatedly been saying that Cam's boat - which is slightly lighter - is clearly the faster boat in these conditions. In any event, Cam and crew covered 570 miles in the last 24 hours and put nearly 50 miles on 'Club Med'. Here's the way 'Club Med' sees things:

"The big blue 'Club Med' catamaran has been sailing along in close company with 'Team Adventure' since exiting the Doldrums three days ago, averaging speeds in the mid-twenties and burning up the South Atlantic. 'Team Adventure' has been almost alongside all the way, on the western side of the pair but traveling just a fraction faster. Cam Lewis and the American crew on 'Team Adventure' have now turned a 50 mile deficit at the Equator into a one mile lead in terms of distance to go to the finish. At noon today the pair were situated approximately 800 miles North East of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, and were sailing at 22 knots in a 15 knot easterly wind. 'Team Adventure' was positioned 20 miles further South and one mile closer to the finish than Grant Dalton's 'Club Med'.

"We have got this speed problem. It is beginning to show now. I'm surprised it's taken this long." said Grant Dalton. "He (Cam Lewis) is slowly pulling forwards. He is nearly 20 miles further south than us now and he was 50 miles behind us two days ago," Dalton explained. "The trades have been punishing on the boat and the crew. The boat is sailing at 90 degrees to the wind and flat out in a bit of a seaway. We are just flying a hull most of the time. The loads are serious. Yesterday we broke a mainsheet traveler car. It cost us 15 miles getting it fixed."


Flying hull on 'Team Adventure'
Photo Jacques Vapillon www.vapillon.com


Aboard 'Team Adventure'
Photo Jacques Vapillon www.vapillon.com


Graphic Courtesy Team Adventure www.teamadventure.org

This section of the course, sailed in medium winds and bright sunshine in the tropics, should be relatively pleasant sailing for the crew on board 'Club Med', but keeping the big blue catamaran under control and moving as fast as possible is difficult. "The Trades are supposed to be fun, but it has been really hard work. Flying a hull most of the time requires real concentration, keeping it fast means keeping the weather hull skimming just above the surface for no drag and maximum righting moment but not too high that it gets dangerous."With an apparent wind speed of 40 knots in just 15-20 knots of wind walking across the netting from the leeward hull and past the back of the jib is like walking past a 747 with take-off thrust set."

The leading pair in The Race may have been setting the pace up to this point but the weather forecast is not promising for the future. The South Atlantic High, the most dominant phenomenon in the South Atlantic Ocean, has extended right across the path of the oncoming boats and will prove to be a difficult obstacle to pass with its associated light winds. "Our lives are about to change. We are going to hit a wall soon. The South Atlantic High is stretched out right in front of us and there is no way through for the moment. We are in exactly the same weather as 'Team Adventure', so we will both stop pretty much together, but 'Innovation Explorer' and 'PlayStation' will come roaring in from behind to meet us both!!! The situation will last a day and a half. The way I see it the first boat into the South is off and away."

Ranking as of 01-12-01 / 1500 GMT / 0700 PST

1. Team Adventure dtf 19,834.9
2. Club Med dtf 19,851.3 / dtl 16.4 miles
3. Innovation Explorer dtf 20,083.4 / dtl 248.5 miles
4. Playstation dtf 20,586.3 / dtl 751.4 miles
5. Warta Polpharma dtf 20,895.5 / dtl 1,060.6 miles
6. Team Legato dtf 21,835.3 / dtl 2,000.4 miles

* dtf - distance to finish
* dtl - distance to leader


Quiz Response

January 12 - St. Barts

In yesterday's 'Lectronic Latitude, we asked the names of the brothers from the Pacific Northwest who owned the approximately 300-ft motoryachts that carry relatively large sailboats - 43 feet and 67 feet - and who were in St. Barts for the holidays. So far our only answer has come from Ken Haas of San Francisco, who wrote, "I would guess that the brothers in question are the McCaw brothers; Craig McCaw and his brother, uh.....Mr. McCaw?!"

Close, but not sufficiently precise. Craig O. of Bellevue is the high rolling brother, worth a reported $7 billion - even after losing a couple of billion in a divorce settlement and picking up the tab for the Seattle YC's OneWorld America's Cup Challenge. He owns the 323-foot 'Grand Bleu' and keeps the new 67-ft Dubois-designed 'Bellatrix' aboard for sailing adventures. In fact, here's a shot of the transom of 'Grand Bleu', and another of 'Bellatrix', which lives aboard 'Grand Bleu'. But the question still remains, which brother owns the 283-foot 'Tatoosh': Bruce, John or Keith? (Send your answers to Richard.) According to Forbes, they're each worth about 1.7 billion, so they all could afford it.


323-ft Grand Bleu
Photos Latitude/Richard


67-ft Bellatrix
Photos Latitude/Richard


Need Help

January 12 - The Philippines

"My name is Catherine de Leon-Falcasantos, and I live in Zamboanga City, Philippines. I'm the cousin of Jim Mountford's wife, Evelyn. He sails 'Chelsea Too', Columbia Contender #212 out of Alameda. It would be great if somebody could have them email me. Thanks."

Cruising

Cured

January 12 - Eden, NSW, Australia

"We've been cured," write Rob and Mary Messenger of the custom 46-ft sloop 'Maude I. Jones'. "As you know, we've been out cruising since the first Ha-Ha and were giving some thought to selling our boat and doing something else. Our visit back to the States changed all that. So we were in Sydney for the start of the race to Hobart, and are now in Eden, New South Wales, which will be our jumping off point for Tasmania.

"We also wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the article a few months back about Ty and Toni Knudsen of the Westsail 43 'Sundowner'. I boat-sat for them almost 20 years ago in Pago Pago when they left 'Sundowner' there to go to Hawaii for a visit. I am sure they don't know that Rob and I are the ones that are on 'Maude I. Jones' now. Back then Rob had 'Shannon Marie' and I was crewing aboard 'Endurance'."

YOTREPS

January 12 - 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 www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/


Weather Updates

January 12 - Pacific Ocean

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.

Pacific Ocean Weather

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

Pacific Sea State

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.

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