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Photos of the Day October 18 - Pt. Richmond Today's Photos of the Day might seem bizarre. Warwick 'Commodore' Tompkins labored hard to craft a Tom Wylie-designed dinghy for his Wylie 38+ Flashgirl. Commodore then had a christening party for the tender at the Richmond YC on Saturday, during which time he, as you can see from the first photo, made like Capt. Bligh in the longboat after the Bounty mutiny. But what's going on in the second photo, as Commodore, on the right, with a slightly maniacal grin, seems to approve of the fact that his friend Danny, with the Latitude hat, is sawing his new dinghy in half! If this doesn't make sense to you, see the November issue of Latitude 38 for the perfectly good explanation. r Photos Latitude/Richard

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It's One Week to the Start of the Baja Ha-Ha October 18 - San Diego Long range weather forecasts for the Sunday West Marine Baja Ha-Ha Kick-Off and Costume Party at Cabrillo Isle Marina on Harbor Island call for sunny skies and zero chance of rain. There is, however, a slight chance of showers for the Monday start. If that were the case, at least we wouldn't be covered from forest fire ash as we were last year. And it's better than being back in the Bay Area, which is supposed to be wet from Saturday through next Wednesday. On the way to the starting line of last year's Ha-Ha, the air was filled with smoke and the ground and water covered in ash. Yuck. And yes, that's Kevin Costner's Waterworld trimaran in the center. Photo Latitude Archives We're pleased to note that currently the hurricane breeding ground near the Guatemalan border looks quiet, and there hasn't been anything big since Javier nearly a month ago. Dick Markie in Nuevo Vallarta reports that the weather has changed, from hot, humid and rainy, to "just perfect." So get ready to have a good time!

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Vallejo 1-2 Dry and Wet October 18 - North Bay/San Pablo Bay Fifty-three solo skippers enjoyed mostly overcast but dry skies for the downwind first half of the Vallejo 1-2 Race on Saturday, October 16. For the doublehanded beat home on Sunday, competitors might have stayed drier if they'd swum back to Richmond. As if the forecast rains didn't keep things wet enough, brisk southerly winds were right on the nose, kicking up a nasty chop as the fleet pounded home. However, judging from the huge grins we saw on almost every boat, a little rain didn't dampen any spirits. Like most competitors, Dan Alvarez and his crew on Miss Laney were all smiles as they passed by our photo boat. Hanging out on Pat Broderick's Santana 22 Elaine on the way to a division win. Preliminary combined results posted Sunday night show the following winners: Class I (Multihulls) - Mindbender, F-25c, Christopher Sundberg Class II - Auspice, Schumacher 40, Jim Coggan Class III - Chesapeake, Merit 25, Jim Fair Class IV - Elaine, Santana 22, Pat Broderick Class V (non-spinnaker) - Tan Tsin, Pacific 30, Steve Hocking Sportboat - Hurricane, Moore 24, Al Germain WylieCat 30 - Uno, Bren Meyer (Sorry, but we did not yet have crew names when this was written.) Shortly after the Wabbit Bad Hare Day appeared out of the gloom, the rain momentarily let up to reveal a rainbow over the Chevron oil docks behind them. George Biery's Eurydice makes a splash. Look for a feature article on the Vallejo 1-2 in the November issue of Latitude 38.

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Act III of the 32nd America's Cup Is Fleet Racing October 18 - Valencia, Spain Jan Pehrson of Sausalito took these photos of Act III in Valencia, Spain, which seem to prove that there are still a lot of people willing to put up $100 million to try win the America's Cup. The conditions for Act III were very inconsistent and fluky, which is being attributed to the fact that it's so late in the year. The results for Act III saw Team Alinghi in first, Emirates New Zealand second, and BMW Oracle in third. But for the overall season, Emirates Team New Zealand was first, and BMW Oracle and Alinghi tied for second. Everyone else was, as expected, way off the pace. Photos Jan Pehrson But there's no way the America's Cup season could end without John Sweeney reportedly telling a Spanish newspaper that the Sausalito Challenge will soon submit their entry. He's reported to have claimed they have $48 million and most of the key people in place. To date there's been so much talk and so little action that many observers have become skeptical.