July 10, 2002

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/.