Photos of the Day

July 10 - San Francisco

The Photos of the Day are from yesterday's second day of starts of the West Marine Pacific Cup. As you can see, there was a decent breeze at the start, despite how hot and still it was around the rest of the Bay. Moderate winds seem to be the name of the game, and boats are getting away to good starts. There are additional starts today, tomorrow, and Friday in front of the St. Francis YC. Daily updates on the fleet get posted at the Pacific Cup Web site about noon each day. Check it out at www.pacificcup.org!

Alakazam, a JDF 30 from Anacortes, WA

Sausalito Police to Provide Escorts for Boatowners

July 10 - Sausalito

Sausalito would prefer that the word not get out, but it has a problem with the homeless and drunks/druggies - one that's rapidly been getting much worse. The police do a good job of keeping downtown Sausalito clean and safe, where the homeless and drunks/druggies would be a threat to the city's lifeblood - which is income from parking meters and taxes on businesses selling T-shirts. On the other hand, in central Sausalito - particularly the southern half of Schoonmaker Marina - the situation is nearly out of control. Throughout the night, anchor outs and other people who don't have boats in the marina can be seen running up and down the docks, boarding - and even sleeping on - boats. They scream at the moon, scream at other people, block berths with dinghies, and do a very effective job of intimidating some women. While most of the violence - a murder and some beatings - has taken place out in the anchorage, there was at least one case in which a Schoonmaker berther was badly beaten by an anchor out. The word on the dock is that Richardson Bay is becoming a popular home with folks just released from prison. To be fair, it's home to a number of nice and normal people, too.

At least the Sausalito Police are being responsive to the problem. Last night when a woman - who had previously been chased through the parking lot by an anchor out in a car - complained that she didn't feel safe walking back to her boat, the Sausalito Police responded by saying that they realized how bad the situation is. They advised her that if she or anyone else felt unsafe, they should call the police for an escort between the boats and the parking lot. Roll that one around in your mind for a minute - boatowners feeling so uncomfortable in a Sausalito marina that they feel the need for a police escort. The woman reports that female cashiers at Mollie Stone's - the nearby upscale market - feel similarly intimidated. "They know when we work, they know which cars are ours," said one.

That the situation is so bad might be of interest to Marin County Supervisor Annette Rose, who lives aboard a boat about 150 away. Rose's boat is in a private marina, the very existence of which was predicated on it providing a dinghy dock for anchor outs. It's been years now, but the dinghy dock for anchor outs still doesn't exist. Gee whiz, do you think the reason the dinghy dock doesn't exist is because the County Supervisor doesn't want the drunk, the drugged out, and crazed making themselves at home in her marina and on her boat?

Nation Pulls Bill on Junk Boats

July 10 - Sacramento

Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, has pulled Assembly Bill 107, which would have made it easier for local government agencies to remove abandoned or junk boats in waterways. The bill had been introduced at the request of the Richardson Bay Regional Agency and the County of Marin, which is home to a large number of unregistered vessels, many of which might be consider junk or abandoned under the new legislation. Indeed, the bill got lots of opposition from anchor outs, who felt they might lose their homes. Nation pulled the bill because he thought it would be amended into impotence.

A year ago, John Burton, D-San Francisco, basically told legislators and government agencies to leave Richardson Bay anchor outs alone. The Senate Pro Tem, Burton is so powerful that not even the BCDC will cross him. It would be nice if Burton spent a little time around Richardson Bay so he could see the results of his well-meaning 'compassion'. And the very least we can do is rename the area the 'John Burton Anchorage', a fitting tribute to what sometimes appears to be a tyrant operating within a democracy.

More Photo Funnies

July 10 - Cyberspace

Fun at the ramp
Photo Courtesy Kerry Myers

Sailors Have a Friend in the Delta

July 10 - Oakley

"Just thought you would like to know that I have purchased Big Break Marina - from DuPont - near the Antioch Bridge in the Delta," writes David Biron. "The marina sits on more than 40 acres and has nice protected bays with more than 300 slips and a launch ramp. We will be installing new slips that have plenty of room for large cats such as Profligate, as well as an upscale restaurant, fuel docks, and waterfront retail businesses." Biron can be reached at (925) 679-0900.

More Inroads for Multihulls

July 10 - Europe

For a century and a half, the de Rothchild family of Europe has owned and raced a series of lovely yachts named Gitana. The latest, Gitana X - symbolic of increasing interest in multihulls - is a 60-ft trimaran designed by Gilles Ollier, who is more used to designing and building maxi cats. The boat will be skippered by Lionel Lemonchois, and among other things, will be entered in November's Route du Rhum.

How About the Route du Rhum

July 10 - St. Malo, France

While the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Series will be getting lots of press in November, the most exciting action will no doubt be in the Atlantic, where an incredible 51 world class yachts have already signed up for the Route du Rhum race from St. Malo, France, to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The R du R fleet will include 16 state-of-the-art 60-ft trimarans, 14 other multihulls, 13 Open 60s, and seven other monohulls. The Pacific Ocean has never seen anything remotely like such a fleet. Among the familiar names are Michel Desjoyeaux and Ellen MacArthur, who finished one-two in last year's Vendée Globe Singlehanded Around the World Race.

Fun Facts

July 10 - Auckland, New Zealand

An America's Cup boats weighs about 25 tons. About 80% of the weight is in the keel.

YOTREPS

July 10 - 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

July 10 - 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. (please note, this URL has been updated): www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southwest.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 views of sea states anywhere in the world, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/.