Photo of the Day

February 25 - Mexico

In these days of PhotoShop, a smart person no longer believes every photograph that he sees. But in the case of our Photo of the Day, it's the real deal, a completely unretouched photo. Odd, isn't it? Tomorrow, we'll explain the circumstances.

Photo Dustin Fox

Puerto Vallarta Race

February 25 - Pacific Ocean

Thanks to winds in the mid-teens, the last starters in the San Diego YC's Puerto Vallarta Race are off to a great start. The Bill Lee-designed Merlin's Reata has been averaging 14.1 knots while the Andrews 70 turbo Magnitude has been averaging 13.2 knots. For details, visit http://sdyc.org/raceinfo/Puerto%20Vallarta.htm.

7/11 to the Equator

February 25 - Atlantic Ocean

When Olivier de Kersauson set the Jules Verne Around the World Record in '97 with the trimaran Sport Elect, it took him 11 days to cover the 2,785 miles from England to the Equator. In his current attempt to better that record with the maxi tri Geronimo, he's almost covered the same distance in just over seven days, a significant improvement.

On the down side, Geronimo's average speed has dropped significantly in the last 36 hours. Whereas she'd been averaging 22 knots, her average has tumbled to 18 knots as she battles lighter winds.

"We've had virtually no wind since we passed the Cape Verde islands," de Kersauson reported. "It's never risen above 18 or 19 knots. Even then, it's coming from behind us and right on our heading. We've been maneuvering the boat all night. We haven't stopped!"

Eighteen knots is no wind?

English Mom Buys Club Med

February 25 - La Ciotat, France

After last year's The Race, interest in maxi catamarans seemed to plummet. Now it seems stronger than ever. First, Bruno Peyron acquired the 110-ft Innovations Explorer, renamed her Orange, and started a Jules Verne attempt. Then Ellen MacArthur, the English singlehanding phenom, announced that she'd be doing a Jules Verne attempt next January with a maxi cat. And now, Tracy Edwards has acquired the maxi cat Club Med, which Grant Dalton sailed to victory in The Race.

Edwards is no stranger to big time events. She won her class in the '89-'90 Whitbread Around the World Race with an all-female team on Maiden, and in '98 was on a pace to break the around the world record with an all-female crew aboard Royal & Sun Alliance, (ex-ENZA), when the mast came down in the Southern Ocean.

The former Club Med is still at the yard in La Ciotat in the South of France, where she is being cleaned up. Before long, she'll make an attempt at the Route of Discovery Record across the Atlantic, and the Marseilles to Carthage record in the Med. Edwards, a mother, will skipper the boat for those events, but not in the Jules Verne. A name mentioned as the possible skipper for the Jules Verne? Emma Westmacott, who did the Royal & Sun Alliance attempt with Edwards, and who is currently aboard Amer Sports Two in the Volvo Around the World Race. Emma is known to many Northern California sailors for, among other things, being the skipper of Quintessence, a Tayana 55 out of the San Francisco YC, for voyages from the Caribbean to California.

Photo G. Plisson Courtesy Club Med

YOTREPS

February 25 - 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

February 25 - 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.