October 1, 2003

Photo of the Day

October 1 – Tenacatita, Mexico

Kendall and Quincy Winship study in a typical school day aboard
the Crowther 30 catamaran Chewbacca, cruising out of Alameda
for the past two years. We’ll have more from the Winships on
home schooling and Tenacatita Bay in the November issue of Latitude 38.
Photo Bruce Winship

Crew Party in Alameda Tonight

October 1 – Alameda

Planning (or hoping) to head to Mexico
this winter? Come to Latitude 38’s Mexico-Only Crew List
Party tonight, from 6 to 9 pm. You pay $5 to get in (unless you’re
on the crew list published in the October issue or a paid-up
Baja Ha-Ha skipper or first mate), receive a color-coded name
tag detailing your wishes for the Mexico cruising season, buy
a drink at the bar, grab some free munchies, and let the merriment
begin.

The scene for this casual networking and
serious frolicking will once again be the Encinal Yacht Club
in Alameda. For complete info, a map and directions, see www.latitude38.com/crewlist/CrewParty/CrewParty.html.

October Latitude 38 Already Out

October 1 – SF Bay Area

Photo Latitude/Chris

Distribution began yesterday for this month’s
issue of Latitude 38. Pick yours up at the usual places,
or, better yet, come to the Crew
Party (see item above) and get one there.

Spanish Gold

October 1 – Cadiz, Spain

Wrapping up on September 25 after 13 days
of intense competition in Cadiz, Spain, the ISAF World Sailing
Championships saw all nine Olympic classes crown their 2003 champions.

The U.S. scored medals in two events –
gold for the Yngling team of Hannah Swett (Jamestown, RI/New York, NY), Joan Touchette (Newport, RI) and Melissa Purdy (Tiburon) who won the 2003 Yngling World
Championship; and bronze for Meg Gaillard (Jamestown, RI/Pelham,
NY) in the Europe World Championship. Additionally, strong performances
in five events were rewarded with Olympic qualification, leaving
the U.S. with only one class (470 Women) left to qualify. For
a flashy but difficult to use site for this event, see www.mundovela.com/ing/index.asp#.

Mini Transat

October 1 – Atlantic Ocean

As of 1500 GMT Tuesday, Jonathan McKee
had taken a five-mile lead in the Mini Transat singlehanded transatlantic
race to Brazil. Because the first three days were particularly
difficult for the 21-ft boats, 20 out of the 68 starters have
dropped out of the 2900-mile stage from Lanzarote to Brazil.

1. Jonathan McKee, Team McLube,
2,234.5 miles to finish.
2. Armel Tripon, Moulin Roty, 2,239.5 mtf
3. François Cuinet, Reglisse, 2,264.5 mtf
4. Samuel Manuard, Tip Top Too, 2,270.9 mtf
5. Pierre Rolland, Extrado, 2,276 mtf

Event Web site: www.transat650.org.

Mini Transat Sidebar

(Jonathan McKee’s wife Libby just returned
from the volcanic island of Lanzarote after the start of the
second stage of the Mini Transat. Following are some of her impressions
about the singlehanded sailors who will spend the next three
weeks at sea.)

They come from all ages and levels of experience.
Some have dedicated their lives to sailing and hope to become
France’s next famous singlehanded sailor. The Mini is a rite
of passage for those want to do the Open 60 circuit or the Solitaire
du Figaro. The likes of Isabel Autissier, Michel Desjoyeaux and
Ellen MacArthur have all done the Mini Transat. Others are the
young ‘unwashed’ out for an adventure and have no plan for after
the race or for their next step in life. They sleep on their
boats in the harbor (quite common for all levels of Mini sailor)
and have pulled together every last dime to build their boats
and do this race. Others are professionals – lawyers, businessmen,
yachtsmen – who have left jobs and lives ashore to do this race.
(They are more likely to sleep in a hotel or at least have a
few good restaurant meals when in port!)

Because of the mix of levels of sailors,
finances and the fact that the boat is singlehanded, the Mini
Class has a feeling of camaraderie and friendship among the competitors.
Everyone helps each other. When the last boats arrive, people scramble to help those needing repairs, to get
them done and ready for the start. – Libby McKee

Women’s Keelboat Championship

October 1 – Annapolis, MD

Held on J/22s in Annapolis this week, the
Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship continues through
Friday.

The 66 four-woman teams come from as close
(to us) as Monterey Bay (Donna Womble of the J/22 Toucan,
with her regular crew of Erica Museler, Karen Loutzenheiser
and Emily French), and from as far away as New Zealand
and South Africa. Southern California teams include Mary Brigden,
Stacy Szabo, Jerelyn Biehl and Julie Mitchell of San Diego and
the Long Beach YC team of Claudia Wainer, Molly McCloud, Carrie
Dair and Elizabeth Tran.

Team Toucan, from Monterey Peninsula YC, currently in ninth place
Photo Courtesy Annapolis YC

Monday’s heavy wind with 25-knot gusts
showcased boathandling skills, but Tuesday’s shifty, light air
put a premium on tactics. With Monday’s top four overall performers
turning in mediocre performances yesterday, the door was kicked
open for Sally Barkow (Nashotah, WI) to climb from sixth to second
overall behind Betsy Alison (Newport, RI). Alison, the event’s
five-time winner who finished 12-9 yesterday, used her allowed
throwout race to trim off a whopping 67 points (taken Monday
for jumping the gun on a black-flag start) from her final score.
Alison and Barkow now share a 23-point score, with the tiebreaker
going to Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Molly
O’Bryan (Kaneohe, HI) currently sits in third with 28 points.

For daily reports and more photos, see
www.race.annapolisyc.org/rolexkeelboats
and www.regattanews.com.
Regatta updates, including live mark rounding positions and individual
race finishes, are posted as they occur.

Canal Cam

October 1 – Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

John Haste, of the San Diego-based Perry
52 catamaran Little Wing sent us this report, as they
prepare to transit the Panama Canal: “Big John Folvig, Mark
Sciarretta and I left Puesta del Sol Nicaragua on Tuesday and
stopped at Banana Bay Marina Costa Rica until Saturday. After
a great close reach we should arrive in the canal area today,
making the passage overnight. After speaking with an agent, we
expect to transit the canal within 48 hours, this being the off-season.
As for boat repairs, they are ongoing from the lightning damaged
inverter, sailing instruments, through-hull transducers, VHF
antenna, microprocessor boards for the watermaker, autopilot,
GPS, refrigeration and engine relays. We appreciate Profligate’s
simplicity. See you on the Ha-Ha – I will be crewing on Pantera.”

Crew Mark Sciarretta, a Ha-Ha vet himself,
adds: “There’s a live Web-cam of the first series of locks.
If you wish, you may come aboard ‘virtually’. Check this out:
www.lebontempsroule.org/panamacanalcam.htm.”

Little Wing raced
the last three Banderas Bay Regattas with Profligate.
They are now headed to the Eastern Caribbean. The two cats plan
to resume battle in St. Barth on New Year’s Eve . . . assuming
that both make it there.

Miracle Boat Stays on the Breakwater

October 1 – Puerto Escondido, BCS

Lonnie Spencer of Palo Alto writes, “I
am the owner of Sambita, the miracle boat that ended up
intact (more or less) on the breakwater at Puerto Escondido [during
Hurricane Marty]. I have been instructed by the insurer to leave
her as she lies until an adjustor can get there. Hope another
storm doesn’t arrive in the meantime.”

Photos Courtesy Sambita

YOTREPS

October 1 – 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

October 1 – Pacific
Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

Check 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 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

The site for the Pacific Ocean sea states
has moved to http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/PacRegSSA.shtml.

For views of sea states anywhere in the world,
see http://www.oceanweather.com/data.