Photos of the Day

April 30 - Tiburon

Opening Day on the Bay was as good as it gets. Clear, sunny skies and gentle breezes meant the sailing was great and the shoreside festivities were fun. The spectacular view from the Corinthian Yacht Club deck, plus family, friends, kids, reggae, jazz and a great barbecue made for one of the best possible starts for sailing season. It's no wonder we keep coming back to play on the Bay.

Kostecki and Crew Smash 24-Hour Record

April 30 - Atlantic Ocean

John Kostecki of Fairfax, and his crew aboard the Volvo entry illbruck, have smashed the 24-hour record for monohulls, having covered 473 miles during a 24-hour period in the Annapolis to La Rochelle leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. That's an average of 19.7 knots. The old record of 467 miles was posted by Bernard Stamm in an Open 60. With the winds holding strong, it's conceivable that illbruck could continue to smash the record, perhaps posting a 20 knot average for 24 hours.

In even better news, Kostecki and crew continue to lead the Transatlantic leg. Mark Rudiger with Assa Abloy is in second about 20 miles back.

The May Latitude Is Out

April 30 -
San Francisco Bay Area

April showers bring May flowers - and the May issue of Latitude 38.

Photo Latitude/Annie

Orange on the Verge of a Jules Verne Record

April 30 - Atlantic Ocean

With just 2,000 miles to go, the wind direction and strength to their liking, and the ball supporting the mast only half-cracked, Bruno Peyron and crew aboard the maxi cat Orange are predicting a finish between Saturday and Monday, which would bring them the Jules Verne record. It's been a difficult trip, but nearing the end, things seem to have finally started going their way. But you never know until the end. And the sleep-deprivation nightmares continue. One crewmember had a vivid dream that Peyron, fearing the mast was going to break, ordered the crew to rig the boom as a mast.

Kiwis Want OneWorld Kicked Out

April 30 - Auckland

Team New Zealand has finally come forward and asked that Seattle's OneWorld syndicate not be allowed to participate in the upcoming America's Cup. OneWorld has been accused of having received privileged information from the Kiwi camp.

Meanwhile, things aren't looking so good in the Kiwi camp. Dean Barker, their helmsman, hasn't done well in the world match racing competition, and there are rumors - being denied - that he might be replaced with the second string helmsman, Bertrand Pace. This would be the ultimate humiliation for the Kiwis, as Pace is a Frenchman!

Disney and Pyewacket Leading at Antigua

April 30 - Antigua

There are 215 entries in this year's 35th Annual Antigua Sailing Week, and Roy Disney of Los Angeles is so far - as he did in the Heineken and BVI Regatta - walking away with class and fleet honors with his R/P 75. An Antrim 27 continues to lead the sportboat division, and an Olson 30 continues to kick in her class.

YOTREPS

April 30 - 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/

Weather Updates

April 30 - 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/. The National Weather Service site for San Francisco Bay is at www.wrh.noaa.gov/Monterey/.

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 Winds and Pressure

The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology page posts a daily map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.

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.