February 2, 2004

February Latitude
Hits the (Damp) Streets

February 2 –
San Francisco Bay Area

Making its way around the Bay, the state,
and beyond since Friday is the February issue of Latitude
38. If you didn’t grab one this weekend, it’s worth getting
wet to go out and pick one up!

Photo Latitude/Annie

Sausalito A-Cup Challenge

February 2 – Sausalito

John Sweeney (pictured
at left), of the IACC Challenge
Series based at Treasure Island, has just returned from meetings
in New Zealand and Australia with top sailors and designers,
with the goal in mind of putting together a Sausalito Yacht Club
America’s Cup Challenge.

“We plan to assemble a Board of Directors
and work along the lines of setting up a team that will train
in San Francisco. Our base will be Treasure Island
where the Challenge Series is currently set up. We hope to have
two yachts training by late summer 2004.”

‘Older’ IACC boats competing on the Bay in the Challenge Series
Photos Courtesy www.challenge-series.com

For more, see the YachtRacing.com Web site,
www.yachtracing.com/amcup2007/news/013004.htm.

Three Bridge Fiasco

February 2 – San Francisco Bay

A huge fleet of single and doublehanded
boats turned out for Saturday’s Three Bridge Fiasco, a tour of
the Bay’s three major bridges, in any order you choose. The sailors
who chose to go counter-clockwise from the start off the Golden
Gate YC chose wisely, as those who went clockwise got stuck in
a graveyard in Raccoon Strait, some even going aground, including
Hank Easom’s Yucca. About half the fleet finished, though
a few were disqualified for failing to show proper running lights
at the finish after sunset.

Vaughn Seifers, sailing with crew Nick
Nash, finished first overall on his Moore 24 Sparrowhawk,
one of 34 Moores which competed. Although he chose
the correct direction, he nevertheless got stuck for about ten
minutes in Raccoon Strait, but managed to catch up and pass the
boats which had rolled him. Coming in second was Ron Kell’s Express
27 Abigail Morgan, with Peter Hogg aboard.

The actual course marks are Blackaller
Buoy (near the City end of the Golden Gate), Red Rock (just short
of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge) and Treasure Island (which
bisects the Bay Bridge). For complete results, see the event’s
organizers Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Web site at www.sfbaysss.org.

From the World Record Setting Department…

February 2 – Atlantic Ocean

Francis Joyon sailing the 90-ft trimaran
IDEC, is still in line for breaking the world singlehanded
speed record. The Frenchman, who set off on November 22, is aiming
to beat countryman Michel Desjoyeaux’s 93-day record set during
the 2000-01 Vendée Globe race. Joyon hopes to cross the
finish line in the English Channel tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, that other record-setter, Steve
Fossett, is holding off until at least next weekend on his pending
Jules Verne Challenge. Fossett will skipper the 125-ft maxi-catamaran
Cheyenne (formerly PlayStation) on the Jules Verne
course and is hoping to add the world record to his already impressive
list of achievements. To break the record, Cheyenne has
to the beat time of 64 days, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 24 seconds
set by Bruno Peyron on Orange.

For more on both stories, see www.yachting-world.com/yw/home.htm.

YOTREPS

February 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 Links

Groundhog Day

February 2 – Punxsutawney, PA

Yes, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this
morning, presaging another six weeks of winter. The rest of us
need only check the calendar to find that spring is still almost
seven weeks away, plenty of time left to enjoy some winter sailing
and yacht racing. For Netscape’s winter weather page, which today
features the furry prognosticator, see http://channels.netscape.com/ns/weather/severe.jsp?cond=7

February 2 – 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.