Photos of the Day

April 9 - Oman

Today's Photos of the Day are of Oman, and were taken by Tony Johnson and Terry Shrode of the Richmond-based Ericson 39 Maverick. The duo have been featured regularly in Changes in Latitude.


Entering Raysut Harbor, Oman


Nasa, their guide


The adventuring duo, just about halfway around the
world from home, with camels in the background


A far too typical scene in the Middle East - street corner arms vendors

Photos Courtesy Maverick

640 Miles in 24 Hours for Orange

April 9 - Southern Ocean

"We've been saying it ever since we arrived in the Southern Ocean," says Bruno Peyron of the maxi cat Orange, "as soon as all the conditions were right, angle and force of wind and sea state, then Orange would accelerate, without excess and without breaching our watchword: spare the men and the gear. The Indian Ocean wasn't favorable to us, with having to beat against strong winds, and the Pacific seems to be opening up for us under better auspices. The high has smoothed the sea, and the swell is favorable. It's now that we must unleash the horses, because we can combine being cautious with the gear and high speeds."

Drifting Backwards

April 9 - San Francisco

"I've enclosed a series of photos I took from X-Dream while we were anchored during one of the Golden Gate YC Midwinters this year," writes Denis Inman of X-Dream. "We had rounded Fort Mason buoy and were headed towards Blackaller. Notice the Santa Cruz 50, with no anchor out, drifting towards Alcatraz throughout the sequence. By the way, you didn't mention in the results - we were in a three-way tie for first on points with Q and Fast Break. Q won with three firsts, X-Dream was second with two firsts, and Fast Break took third."
We didn't have time to publish all the photos of the sequence, but trust us, the SC was indeed - as often happens in the winter - drifting backwards.


Photo Denis Inman

Seventh World Record in 12 Months for Fossett and PlayStation

April 9 - La Rochelle, France

A tired but happy skipper Steve Fossett reports that he and his 125-ft M&M maxi-catamaran PlayStation had just set another world record, the 355 miles from Plymouth, England, to La Rochelle, France, in 16 hours and 41 minutes. The 21.26 knot average speed is the third fastest of world records listed by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Oddly enough, it's way off the pace of PlayStation's Transatlantic record. Further record attempts planned for this spring's program include the Transmediterranean record from Marseilles to Carthage and the Route of Discovery Transatlantic record from Cadiz, Spain, to San Salvador in the Bahamas.

Don't Judge a Boat by Her Exterior

April 9 - Southern Ocean

"I saw your note about the 'Waterworld tri' in yesterday's 'Lectronic," writes Chris Glass. "Actually, there has been a lot of progress on the boat, although most of it is behind the scenes and under the tarps. The cockpit was re-designed, a new engine was installed, and the interior was refit. The owner bought the old mast from near sistership Primagaz, and is having it shipped from France. The trimaran's outer hulls look terrible, but they really don't need much work. When finished, the boat should be an exciting addition to the West Coast sailing scene. Bob Dixon, who has helped Dennis Conner with his America's Cup cats and sailed aboard Double Bullet and Lakota, is the project manager."

For what it's worth, if we recall correctly, Steve Fossett's Lakota, a primo sistership to 'Waterworld', was for sale for about $350,000 a year or two ago. It's a shame she was ever allowed to leave the West Coast. As for Bob Dixon, he tells us that the Primagaz's mast is already in San Diego. He also said he's about to do the Ensenada Race again, as an unofficial entry, in his 14-ft trimaran with a Snipe rig!

Descanso Bay, Catalina

April 9 -
Catalina Island

It was looking good last Saturday. Ashore, the bar and restaurant had opened up the week before, and people were starting to have fun. Summer is not that far away, so better get the boat ready.


Photo Latitude/Richard

Crew List Party Approaches

April 9 - San Francisco

If it's not already etched in stone on your calendar, remember to come see us at the Spring Crew List Party, this Thursday evening from 6 to 9 pm. Our venue this year is the Golden Gate Yacht Club, on the Marina next to the St. Francis YC in San Francisco. Admission is still a measly five bucks, or free if you're on our 2002 Crew Lists, which were published in the March and April issues of Latitude 38. For more on the party and the crew lists, see our Crew List Web pages.

YOTREPS

April 9 - 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 9 - 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 has moved to 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.

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