Photos of the Day

June 2 - San Francisco Bay

If you're a sailor, there's no better place to be in the world during the Northern Hemisphere summer than San Francisco Bay. The sailing is spectacular, with areas of strong winds, areas of light winds, and fabulous scenery. And when it's warm and fog free - as it was on Saturday and Sunday - it just can't be beat.

We went out on both Saturday and Sunday, and came home rejuvenated. And despite a dirty bottom, we got some great speeds out of Profligate. On a reach from Treasure Island to the lee of Angel Island, schoonerman Alan Olson had the 63-ft catamaran charging along at steady 15 to 17 knots. Then there was a slight increase in wind, and the boat settled in at 18 and 19 knots, finally topping out at 19.4. This was carrying a 50% jib and a full main. It was sensational. But as the folks in the Photos of the Day prove, you don't need to be going that fast to be having great sailing fun.

Cruising Boat Boarded by Intruder in Mexico

June 2 - Los Coronados Islands, Baja California

"On May 24, after a very nice sail out to Los Coronados Islands from San Diego, we anchored in the lee of South Coronado Island with about a dozen other boats," report Dwain and Nancy Lentz of the Tempe-based Hunter 340 Dancy. "We grilled some nice steaks, baked some potatoes, and sat down with a glass of wine in the salon. Halfway through dinner we heard a commotion on the cabin top - someone or something was boarding our boat. Seeing a shadow cross the overhead hatch, I jumped up and rushed to the companionway to find the intruder right in my face! This guy had no fear, and wasn't about to be scared off easily. After many attempts to scare him a way, I called for a piece of steak from below. I had to show him the meat and then toss it overboard to get him to follow. He dove off amidships and quickly found the meat. After bringing it to the surface for examination, he ate it. He then went to the back of the boat and tried to board again, this time up the swim platform. By this time, all four of our crew plus the dog were in the cockpit, but that didn't deter him. I had to put my foot in front of him to keep him away. Obviously, I shouldn't have fed him, but at the time it was the only way he was going to leave, as he certainly had no fear of humans. Thank goodness he was a only a juvenile."

The Winds Deal Fossett a Bad Hand

June 2 - Atlantic Ocean

Steve Fossett's weekend attempt to challenge the 24-hour sailing record with the 125-ft cat PlayStation has been terminated as a result of a 15 degree windshift and a drop in windspeed from 26 to 20 knots. On their way back to shore, they'll have to battle a storm front.

Ironically, the 24-hour sailing record is held by Brian Thompson, who used to crew for Fossett on Lakota and PlayStation. While skipper of Tracy Edwards' maxi cat Maiden2, Thompson and crew sailed the boat 692 miles.

Marina Map's Internet Site Is Pretty Cool

June 2 - Cyberspace

Interested in marinas and marina services in Australia, Turkey, Thailand, or other places in the world? Now you can find out about them easily courtesy of Marina Map at www.marinamap.com. It's a pretty cool resource that's presented in English, French, Spanish, German, and Turkish, and it's free.

On their site, you click on the map to search for a marina.
Graphic Courtesy www.marinamap.com

Inspired by Last Friday's Photo of the Day

June 2

"I wish I had a great caption for the accompanying photo, but I can't think of a good enough one," writes Jerry Profit. "I served on the USSN Enterprise back in the late '60s and can attest to the awesome power of these ships."

YOTREPS

June 2 - 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

June 2 - 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.