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Photos of the DaySeptember 5 - Monterey Today's Photos of the Day come to us from Ron Sherwin of Carmel. What, you'll probably ask yourself, caused the owners of these boats in Monterey to put barriers around the decks of their boats? The answer - and explanatory photos - appear near the end of this 'Lectronic.  |
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Mini Moët HoldersSeptember 5 - San Francisco Bay As most of you probably know, one of the major events on San Francisco Bay later this month will be the Moët (rhymes with 'no way') Cup, featuring America's Cup winner Alinghi from Switzerland, and Oracle BMW, runner-up in the Louis Vuitton Finals in New Zealand. We're happy to report that the folks from Moët et Chandon - they make champagne - have, in just the nick of time, come up with the essential Moët Cup spectator accessory - the Mini Moët Belt. As you can see from the belt modeled in the accompanying photo, the belt holds four mini Moëts in four insulated bags, keeping them at ideal drinking temperature. If you follow America's Cup racing, you're going to have to have a Mini Moët Belt, as those stupid hats that hold two beer cans with nozzles to your mouth that are so popular at football games just aren't going to cut it. There's been no announcement of a Magnum Moët Belt for owners of maxi yachts, but surely it's just a matter of time. |
 Photo Courtesy Moët et Chandon |
So Long, Freedom!September 5 - Zihuatanejo, Mexico  Photo Latitude/Richard |
Great News from RarotongaSeptember 5 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands "We have just left Rarotonga and are on a six day passage to Niue," writes Michele Scott of Gitana. "We're happy to announce that the tiny and only harbor in Rarotonga - one reason why so many boats pass it by - will be expanding to double its size next week, as the original harbor has been greatly expanded. It seems that in the last six months the fishing industry here has started to boom, so it was decided to spend money on the expansion. During our two weeks here, we awoke almost every morning to dynamiting - which kah-boomed and shook our boat as if a boat had run into us - as they were digging the new area out. It looks as if the boats that arrive now will have a nice area away from the commercial fishing boats, huge freighters, and container ships we had to share space with. The new area has 20 feet of water, and is much more protected from the swell and north winds." |
About Today's Photos of the Day |
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September 5 - Monterey "Here is the 'poop' from from Monterey," writes Ron Sherwin. "And poop is the correct word, for Monterey Harbor has been invaded by a herd of seals who are really fouling the place. In fact, the harbormaster has posted warnings about washing hands after handling anything, such as docklines, that have been in the water. And it's not a good time to be a scuba diver in the harbor. "Numbering in the high hundreds - if not low thousands - the seals first established a colony in the inner harbor near Wharf #1 - the one on which the tourist attractions are located. After the seals had invaded the sidewalk around the wharf, the city had its hands full trying to keep tourists and seals separated. The city finally erected a chain link fence to stem the invasion. Unable to establish a suitable beachhead in the inner harbor, the seals retreated to the outer harbor, where they invaded the beach below the bayside pathway - as well as the pathway itself. Surrounded by a second chain link fence, the seals have forced the city into a stalemate. "Meanwhile, the seals have enriched the notion of 'partying and boating with friends,' as the accompanying photos illustrate. The earlier photos illustrate what measures some boat owners have taken to prevent the seals from boarding their moored boats. The seals have 'hijacked' several moored boats, and have discouraged all attempts to dislodge them. The seals nearly sunk the hijacked boats after thoroughly trashing them, leaving broken lifelines and other deck hardware, and filling cockpits with droppings. Using power washers, the poor boat owners have the unpleasant job of cleaning up the mess. Cleaning up seems only partial, since fiberglass decks appear destined to retain stains and odors indefinitely." |
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YOTREPSSeptember 5 - 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 UpdatesSeptember 5 - Pacific Ocean San Francisco Bay WeatherCheck out this guide to San Francisco Bay Navigational Aids: http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/sfports.html. 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 WeatherLooking 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 PressureThe University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology page posts a daily map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds. Pacific Sea StateThe site for the Pacific Ocean sea states
has moved to http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/PacRegSSA.shtml.
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