Photos of the Day

January 10 - Southern Ocean

We opened this week with rainbows on the Southern Ocean, courtesy the Around Alone fleet, so perhaps it's appropriate to close the week with twilight shots from the same event.

From Ocean Planet (in 6th place in Class I)
Photo Bruce Schwab

From Spirit of Yukoh (in 5th place in Class II)
Photo Kojiro Shiraishi

The second competitor has arrived in Tauranga, NZ. Thierry Dubois, sailing Solidaires, finished in the middle of the night. Blown sails, faulty electronics, and a missing rudder slowed the French sailor down. "Yet again victory has eluded me and I am getting so frustrated to always be just one step behind," Dubois said referring to losing a third time to Bobst Group Armor Lux. Given the troubles he had during the leg, his performance was remarkable. For more, including standings, see www.aroundalone.com/raceviewer/archive.

Solidaires (2nd place in Class I)
Photo Thierry Martinez

Clipper 2002 Departs Galapagos for Hawaii

January 10 - Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

Race 5 (part 3 of Leg 2) from the Galapagos to Hawaii started on schedule at 1200 local time today, January 10. The yachts used a Le Mans style start controlled by Skipper Ed Green on London. Ed reported light winds and rain for the start, and that they were looking forward to getting back into some stronger trade winds. The fleet had been in Academy Bay on the south side of Santa Cruz Island since January 3-4.

Clipper 2002, run by same organization, Clipper Ventures, that runs the Around Alone, puts amateur, paying crew (with professional skippers) on eight 60-ft monohulls representing eight cities. Jersey, London and New York currently hold the top three positions. While the Around Alone skippers are trying to get around as quickly as possible, Clipper 2002 bills itself as "the longest circumnavigation race at some 34,000 miles."

The start of Leg 2 in Cuba
Photos Courtesy www.clipper-ventures.com

Final Challenger Round Begins Today

January 11 - Auckland, NZ

Racing begins today on the Hauraki Gulf to determine which team will make it to the America's Cup, the Swiss Alinghi or the Californian Oracle BMW Racing. These two teams have raced against each other six times during the elimination rounds, and Alinghi has won all but once.

Russell Coutts (left) and Chris Dickson yuck it up
with the press before the Louis Vuitton Finals.
Photo Bob Grieser/Louis Vuitton Cup

After Alinghi smashed Oracle in their last pairing, Alinghi's Kiwi skipper Russell Coutts prophesied, "They're a good team. I'm sure we'll see them again in the future." Coutts has great respect for Oracle skipper Chris Dickson: "I think Chris is a very determined sailor," Coutts said. "He's proven his skill over the years. He made an impact coming into Oracle, no one can argue that."

About Alinghi, Dickson commented, "We have a lot of respect for their team. We're under no illusions as to whom and what we're up against."

The teams will be without laser range finders, which have been used throughout the competition so far, in contravention of the event rules, to help work out how fast opposition boats were going. This round the teams have decided to abide by the rules, concerned after the issue came up towards the end of the semifinal repechage, primarily because of the mysterious 'Goose' on the back of Oracle's boat.

Today's racing will see on-board umpires for the first time ever in America's Cup history. The on-board observers' duties will include determining when an overlap is established or broken, and immediately passing that information on to the skippers.

For more, see www.louisvuittoncup.yahoo.com. The Outdoor Life Network plans to air coverage of the Finals at 9:00 pm ET/PT on race days, with reruns the following day. For a complete schedule, see www.olntv.com/__1781.cfm.

YOTREPS

January 10 - The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific and what kind of weather are they having? The YOTREPS daily yacht tracking page has moved to www.bitwrangler.com/psn.

Weather Updates

January 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.: 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.