'Lectronic Index

Previous 'Lectronic Edition

Photo of the Day

June 22 - Two Harbors

On Monday, we asked if anyone was interested in a Baja Ha-Ha Preview on Saturday, August 13, at Two Harbors, Catalina, where the Baja Ha-Ha has reserved the bandstand area. It turns out a whole lot of people are interested. This includes the two people at the extreme ends of today's Photo of the Day. They are Rennie Waxlax and Anne Blunden of the Southern California-based Swan 65 Cassiopeia, which they will be taking on their fourth - that's right, fourth - Ha-Ha this fall. Perhaps we'll be able to get them to give some pointers on how to get your crew to wear a letter of your boat's name in shaving cream on their chest. Cassiopeia's crew's have a interesting dress code for when they finish each leg of the Ha-Ha. We'll let them tell you about it, but let's just say it couldn't be done in Alaska.

Steve Bergo of San Diego says that he and four of his five Ha-Ha crewmembers will be coming to the preview. "I actually just got back from Two Harbors yesterday, having spent five days there. The weather was excellent and the water is already warm enough to trunk it. I paddled my surfboard around and
snorkeled every day. It was amazingly clear all the way to the coast, and we could see the Palos Verdes lights every night."

Spectacular Sausalito Weather

June 22 - Sausalito

Has this been the best June weather ever? If you keep your boat in Sausalito, you know that June usually means foggy mornings, 15 to 30-knot winds in the afternoon, and chilly nights. Not this June. When we went home to Profligate last night at 11 p.m., the full moon was out, there wasn't any fog, and it was T-shirt weather. And this morning? Just another June '05 spectacular morning. Clear and calm, with brilliant sunshine.

Russell Who?

June 22 - Valencia, Spain

Oracle vs. Alinghi
Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

The first Act that counts toward the '07 America's Cup has now been completed, and the pecking order has been established. Alinghi, with Peter Holmberg rather than Russell Coutts at the helm, is the top dog, as they went undefeated. Emirates New Zealand is second, having only lost to the Swiss. And BMW Oracle is third, having lost to Alinghi and just being nipped by New Zealand. The Italian Luna Rossa entry is also strong. As for China, South Africa, and the other six, it's going to be a learning experience.

WiFi for Zihuatanejo, too

June 22 - Zihuatanejo, Mexico

As we mentioned earlier, Latitude 38, perhaps along with SailMail, is planning on offering WiFi to the anchorage at Punta Mita (Banderas Bay) this winter. Well, Rick Carpenter of Rick's Bar in Zihua, which is the cruiser hangout, says he's going to do the same thing. He figures he can cover all of the bay except the little cove at Puerto Mio.

A cool thing that Rick did last year was hire a couple of 'dinghy valets' for the corner by the muelle. What a great idea! Read more about it in the July issue of Latitude 38.

Before there was a dinghy valet at Zihua, life was tough.

Faded, but Still There

June 22 - Horta, the Azores

Photo Ray Catlette

This photo comes from the Azores, where Ray Catlette of Benicia, a sometime crew on Profligate, reports that Big O's wall-painting still survives on that island. Captain Jim Drake and his crew of the then Latitude-owned Ocean 71 ketch did the painting during a pleasant eastbound crossing in 1995.

Catlette reports that he and the crew of the Swan 60 Candela also had a good trip from Antigua to Spain. "It was fairly benign, with not much wind or seas to speak of - except for the last two days out of Gibraltar. There the African winds kicked up to Force 7 on the nose. Given the wind, the seas weren't too bad. But even inside the harbor at Cadiz it blew up to 43 knots for a couple of days."