Screwed Up Address for Dawn Wilson

October 13 - Dublin

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I screwed up giving the address to help Dawn Wilson get out of prison," writes Terry Kennedy. "I was in such a hurry to get things going that I misunderstood Congressman Filner's office with regard to the address for the Parole Commission. The correct address is Parole Commission, Attention Tifanny Moore, 5550 Friendship Blvd., Suite 420, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Phone (301) 492-5990. Fax (301) 492-6694. I am so sorry for the mistake because this is so important as it could get Dawn released very quickly. Please re-direct letters of support, and personal reference letters to this address. You must include Dawn Marie Wilson's prisoner I.D. number, which is # 47256-180. I'm sorry to be a pain, but this means so much!"

Fleet Week

October 13 - San Francisco Bay

Photo Latitude/JR

There was a good crowd on the Bay enjoying the grand finale of Fleet Week festivities this past weekend. Highlights included the Parade of Ships on Saturday, and the airshow at 3 p.m. on Friday (actually a practice show), Saturday and Sunday. Without taking anything away from the fabulous Blue Angels, who have performed in past years, this year's aerobatics, performed by the nine-plane Canadian Snowbird team, left nothing nothing on the table as far as thrills and chills.

Act II of America's Cup Is Over, and Kiwis Win

October 13 - Valencia, Spain

That was a surprise, because just a couple of weeks ago their main boat was knocked over and damaged in a windstorm in Marseille. But after spending $1 million - what's a few bucks - to ship their other boat up, they kicked ass. Both BMW Oracle and Alinghi weren't as powered as expected. BMW Oracle, for example, struggled to beat South Africa, the last place team.

As for the Valencia wind conditions, they were all over the place. The last day of racing, for example, had to be canceled. Results: Emirates Team New Zealand, 11.5 pts; Luna Rossa, 10.5 pts; BMW Oracle Racing, 9.5 pts; Team Alinghi, 9.5 pts; Le Défi, 5.5 pts; K-Challenge, 4.5 pts; +39 -3.5 pts; Team Shosholoza, 1.5 pts.

Help Transfer Supplies for Zihua Fest

October 13 - Zihuatanejo, Mexico

"We need Baja Ha-Ha cruisers to help get donated school supplies delivered to the Netzahualcoyotl school for indigenous kids in Zihuatanejo which is supported by the Zihua Sailfest and cruisers in Mexico," write Ha-Ha vets Vince Moore and Jan Dahl of the Westsail 32 Alaya. "Downwind Marine in San Diego has agreed to hold several small boxes of school supplies and materials for cruisers who plan to continue on down to Zihua. The boxes will be available for pick-up at Downwind Marine from Saturday 10/2 to 10/26. They are packed securely and labeled. Our boat is currently in San Carlos, Sonora. We are taking some materials back with us, but our Westsail 32 doesn't have enough room to take it all."

Zihua Sailfest - which we're proud to say was our idea, although everybody else did all the work - has been a smashing success in its three years for a terrific cause. And it's caught the imagination of the people of Zihua. This year's Zihua Fest will be held February 2-5, and there will be all kinds of activities. Visit www.zihuasailfest.com for complete details. We hope to see you there!

Photos Latitude/Richard

Little Boats for a Big Ocean

October 13 - San Francisco Bay

Minis - the Open 6.5 meter ocean racing sailboats - are huge in Europe, and some folks in the U.S. are trying to get the fleet off the ground here. Bay Area resident Jean-Yves ('JY') Lendormy can be seen here tearing it up around the Bay on his '91 Marc Lombard-designed proto, Mini #72. Accompanying him was fellow Bay Area sailor John Saul. In a highly developmental class like the Mini, a '91 boat is quite old, so a new Owen & Clarke design is expected to start construction next month. Target date for launching the first production mini ever built outside of Europe is late Spring '05. For more info, visit www.minisinamerica.com.