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Photo of the DayJuly 16 - Atlantic Ocean ![]() Today's Photo of the Day is of Steven Bougon and his best friend William - we don't know who is whom in the photo - holding up a sign indicating they are 1,000 miles into the Atlantic on a trip from France to the United States. The smaller photo is of Bougon's boat FoLaLieR on approach to Panama. What's interesting about the 10,000-mile trip is that right up until the moment Bougon decided to do it, he hated sailing! To check the full story, see Letters in the August issue of Latitude 38. ![]() Photos Courtesy FoLaLieR |
Good News Coming Out of MexicoJuly 16 - San Carlos, Mexico Terri Grossman of Marina San Carlos in the Sea of Cortez reports that earlier this month she, as part of the Marina Owners Association, traveled to Mexico City to meet with President Fox and cabinet ministers about ways to make Mexico more attractive to visiting mariners. She received some excellent news: as of September 1, diesel prices for pleasure boats will be lowered. This was almost certainly done to appeal to mega motoryachts that burn fuel by the ton, but there's no reason for cruising sailors to complain. As for the much hoped-for change in clearing procedures so boats would only have to check in and out of Mexico - and not every time they changed port captain districts - it's not a done deal yet. But the signs are promising. For in order to make such a system really slick for visiting skippers, the Mexican government wants to put all the necessary officials together in one building. Fox has announced they will do this in Ensenada, Cabo, and Cancun. This is a little like putting the cart before the horse, but it's nonetheless encouraging. Grossman said there is other potentially good news, but that it will have to wait until we can speak on the phone. As for the Escalera Nautica, or 'nautical stairway' along the Baja coast, on both the Pacific side and in the Sea of Cortez, it may not be dead, but it probably should be shot. The director of Fonatur, the tourism development agency, told Grossman that they will soon start building some marinas. He mentioned Santa Rosalillita on the Pacific side, which is completely out of the way for boats headed north or south along the Baja coast. He also mentioned Fide Paz in La Paz, which is another complete loser of an idea. Why? With the soon-to-be-opened Marina Baja, La Paz will suddenly have doubled its supply of berths, so the market will be pretty saturated. Then, too, Fide Paz will have the worst location of any of the three major marinas. For not only is it the furthest in town and away from the islands, it needs constant dredging to stay open. The whole Escalera Nautica idea was a dumb one from the start, so it's comforting to know they are being consistent. |
MaxZ86 Class Hits a Rough Patch at Cork Week in IrelandJuly 16 - Crosshaven, Ireland Hasso Plattner, owner of the MaxZ86 Morning Glory, has pulled out of Cork Week and his battle with Roy Disney's near sistership Pyewacket. Novato's Dee Smith of Morning Glory said it was for "safety reasons," citing the fact that the protest committee upheld Morning Glory's protest against Pyewacket for not giving them enough room at the first leeward mark yesterday. There is also the matter that the two 86s have been lapping the smaller boats on the course. According to an article in today's dailysail.com, there's more to the rift than that. Plattner, who has gotten the better of Disney in three events so far - the Heineken and Antigua Regattas in the Caribbean, and the Newport to Bermuda Race - is believed to be unhappy that Pyewacket is being sailed much more aggressively than before, that Pyewacket has gotten new sails, and that he, an amateur, is driving against Robbie Haines, a pro, on Pyewacket. Haines counters that Pyewacket is sailing normally, that it would be unreasonable to expect the 75-year-old Disney to drive on short windward-leeward courses, and complains that Morning Glory has added a spinnaker on a bowsprit without having their rating adjusted. The accusation of Pyewacket sailing more aggressively will surprise some observers, for the Morning Glory crew is made up of the best hard-core professionals available, while Disney's program is considered half 'family' and half hard-core pro - with a slight overall edge going to Morning Glory. Speaking more generally, Haines voiced disappointment that other MaxZ86s weren't being built, but instead, even longer boats using the same technology. As such, the 86s would be at a disadvantage for line honors. Haines wisely noted that the problem when dealing with people who can afford such expensive boats is that it's hard to get them to agree on anything. What all this means to the future of 86Z racing, and the expected battled in next year's 100th anniversary TransPac, is unclear at this time. |
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Baja Ha-Ha Paid Entries Top 60July 16 - Tiburon "I'm submitting for 'Lectronic Latitude readers' approval, the most current list of paid-up Baja Ha-Ha entries," reports Ha-Ha Honcho Lauren Spindler. "If anyone else would like to receive an entry pack, they need to make out a check for $15 to Baja Ha-Ha, Inc., and send it, along with a self-addressed 9 x 12 envelope with $3 postage, to 21 Apollo Road, Tiburon, CA 94920." Raptor Dance
/ Valiant 50 / Bill Finkelstein & Mary Mack / Santa Rosa |
Classy Classified AdJuly 16 - San Diego ![]() ERICSON 38, 1982. Roller furling, wind generator, solar, 2.5kw inverter. Adler-Barbour, watermaker, Monitor windvane. Givens liferaft, ICOM 710 SSB, Pactor II. Delta with 280, chain. Lofrans windlass, spares. New: Solid vang, lifelines, canvas. $75,000. San Diego. Call (619) 297-9896 or email. |