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Photos of the Day: Women's Keelboats

October 6 - Annapolis, MD

Today's Photos of the Day come from the very challenging Day 4 of US Sailing's 2003 Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship. Winds topped out around 25 knots, with gusts to 30, during Thursday's racing on Chesapeake Bay.


Photos Dan Nerney/Rolex

After the racing ended on Friday, Sally Barkow of Nashotah, WI, and her crew of Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, NY), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, MI) and Annie Lush (Bournemouth, England), had won the regatta, which was hosted by Annapolis YC. Going into the final races, Barkow's team held a 20-point lead over the 66 teams competing on J/22s Sept. 29-Oct. 3. In light 8-10 knot breezes, the foursome once again showed command of their boat-handling skills and the scoreboard. With finishes of 3-8, they maintained a healthy lead on the fleet and became champions in what has become one of the world's most prestigious women's sailing regattas.

Paula Lewin/Team ACE Group, with 58 points, came in second; Carol Cronin/Team Atkins, finished third with 60 points, and Mary Brigden/Team San Diego, 71 points, got fourth. Betsy Alison of Newport, RI, who started out with two bullets and led on and off for much of the regatta, ended up in eighth place due to two black flags (a penalty incurred after two general recalls). Donna Womble of Carmel Valley, a Monterey Bay J/22 sailor, finished thirteenth. One of three New Zealand teams, skippered by Kylie Jameson, included well-known SF Bay sailors Melinda Erkelens and Stephanie Wondolleck, and came in seventeenth.

For more complete results and more news and photos, see www.race.annapolisyc.org/rolexkeelboats.


Mari-Cha IV Breaks 24-Hour Record - Twice

October 6 - Atlantic Ocean

Robert Miller's 140-ft super maxi, Mari-Cha IV, bettered their 24-hour distance record further at 10:28 UTC this morning. Between 10:30 UTC on Sunday, October 5, and 10:28 UTC on Monday, October 6, Miller and his crew sailed an incredible 511.4 nm (to be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Council).

Mari-Cha IV broke the previous record of 484 nm, set by John Kostecki and illbruck on April 29, 2002, during the Volvo Ocean Race.

The new canting-keel two-masted speed machine had already rewritten sailing history, at 07:30 UTC this morning, by becoming the first monohull ever to sail over 500 miles in one day, achieving 505 nm.

Mari-Cha IV is now more than half way through her transatlantic record attempt and looks set to complete the voyage in well under eight days. The existing record is 8 days, 20 hours, 55 minutes and 35 seconds, set by Bernard Stamm with the Open 60 Armour-Lux.

Robert Miller, speaking from Mari-Cha IV this morning, said: "What an amazing feeling. We have designed and built this fantastic yacht with one aim in mind, to break records, and here we are on our first attempt and we have broken one already! I have a great team consisting of some of the best sailors in the world and together I'm pleased to say that we're really showing what this awesome yacht can do.

"All of us onboard are in high spirits, but the hard work is, as always, relentless. We are well on course for the transatlantic record, but will continue to push hard until we reach England."

For photos, and updates as they happen, see www.mari-cha4.com.


Beer Can King and Queen

October 6 - Emeryville

A missive from the Beer Can King, "I saw the Beer Can King article. [Page 118 of the October issue of Latitude 38.] First rate write up! Your edited version was much more clear and readable than the version I sent you. One mistake that has the crew laughing: I'm not in the picture that you chose. The handsome gentleman that the caption identified as Mel Atwood is in fact Mike Weller. Chello (our Queen) is correctly identified. Attached is a picture with me in it: I'm the one standing in the green hat and the red vest. Chello is sitting with the bandanna on. Or, clockwise from left: Ralph, Joe, Susana, Lorne, Mel, David, Chello. Thanks for the fun."


Photo Courtesy Tangiel

Atwood won the coveted title by sailing his Emeryville-based Newport 28, Tangiel, in five consecutive beer can races in one week. He shares the throne with crew Chello Perez, as she was onboard for all five races: Bay View Boat Club on Monday, Sierra Point YC on Tuesday, Sequoia YC on Wednesday, all the way up to Benicia YC on Thursday, and Berkeley YC on Friday.


Transat 6.50

October 6 - Atlantic Ocean

Since last night the leaders in the singlehanded Transat 6.50 (aka the Mini Transat - so called because of the size of the boat, not the size of the course) have been stuck in the Doldrums, drifting along toward the equator in three knot breezes, with no hope of more very soon. American Jonathan McKee on Team McLube retains the lead. Pierre Roland, sailing Extrado far to the west of everyone else, is in second place. In third, to the east of McKee, is Armel Tripon on Moulin Roty.

The official Web site (www.transat650.org - check out their phototheque) is in French only, but Joe Andresen sent us the following English-language sites offering coverage: www.yachtinguniverse.com, www.bakewell-white.com, and www.seattleyachtclub.org/Sailboat/News/JM%20Transat2003.


Tales of Survival Outside the Gate

October 6 - Sausalito

The Richardson Bay Maritime Association (RBMA) is sponsoring a free event on Thursday, October 16, at 7 pm, at the Bay Model in Sausalito.The Coast Guard will be giving a presentation on "Survival Conditions - Actual Rescues Outside the Golden Gate." In addition, the RBMA will be sponsoring the release of a new book, Sausalito Wooden Boat Tour, a self-guided walking tour book of the historical Sausalito waterfront and the eclectic collection of wooden boats that grace her harbors.

For more information see www.butterflute.com/rbma_survival.html and www.butterflute.com/boat_tourBook.html.


One More Marty Damage Report

October 6 - La Paz, PCS

Big Rick Stuart, afternoon/evening jock at KFOG-FM, is a loyal Latitude 38 reader and fishing enthusiast. He sent us this link to a Baja fishing site which features a hurricane aftermath report and an excellent photo of dock damage in La Paz. See www.bajadestinations.com/hbarc/hb2003/hb030929/hb030929.htm.


YOTREPS

October 6 - 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 6 - 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.


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