'Lectronic Index

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Photos of the Day

August 8 - French Polynesia

Today's Photos of the Day come from Warwick and Nancy Tompkins' Wylie 38+ Flashgirl in French Polynesia. Our favorite is of 'Commodore' rowing Nancy around in the Wylie-designed nesting dinghy Taxi Dancer that he built last fall and launched at the Richmond YC.

A second shot shows Commodore - and this will be a shock to to all his friends - banging out an email on a computer. The man who has been sailing across oceans for more than 65 years had previously been slow to embrace digital technology. Despite no longer being a spring chicken, Commodore is still fit.

This can be seen in another photo showing him climbing the mast freestyle - meaning no bosun's chair, mast steps, or anything. We've decided not to publish that photo, however, as Commodore was starkers at the time, and the editor of 'Lectronic just isn't into men's naked butts. Not that there's anything wrong with it, of course. So we've substituted a shot of him with a sail covering his 'package'.

Photos Nancy Tompkins

Light Air Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race

August 8 - Santa Barbara

Prior to the start of this year's 81-miler, some folks were predicting five knots of wind and lots of fog. Fortunately, there was more than five knots in the middle of the race and there was hardly any fog. Still, it wasn't a gear-buster, which is why it took Bill Gibbs and his 55-ft cat Afterburner 10 hours and 23 minutes to cross the finish line. Michael Campbell's Dencho 70 Peligroso, the first monohull, finished less than seven minutes later. Keith Lorence's modified Hobie 33 Magic Light corrected out first in fleet, about half an hour ahead of the nearest competitor, which is a huge margin.

Peligroso was the first monohull to finish in a relatively pedestrian 10.5 hours.

Randy Reynolds' Cat 16, a Reynolds 33, just about lifts a hull near the start in all of about seven knots of wind.

Michelle, one of the crew aboard Profligate, nearly gets tickled by an F-31 behind Anacapa Island.

Sundown north of Pt. Dume.
Photos Latitude/Richard

Ha-Ha Preview at Two Harbors on Saturday

August 8 - Two Harbors

If you're in Southern California and will be doing the Ha-Ha this fall, you may want to try to swing by Two Harbors on Catalina this Saturday for the Baja Ha-Ha Preview. It will be a casual affair during which we'll go over some of the basic stuff, answer questions, and give everyone a chance to meet other folks who will be heading south. The basic plan is to start gathering by the bandstand between noon and 2 p.m. Starting at 2 p.m. we'll have a relaxed seminar about clearing into Mexico, roll calls, the stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, boat gear, and so forth. About 5 or 6 p.m. we'll start firing up the BBQ area for a potluck. Remember, a cruisers' potluck means you always bring more than you eat, and you bring your own eating weapons. After dark, we'll be showing slides from previous Ha-Ha's.

Aldo Alessio Regatta

August 8 - San Francisco Bay

St. Francis YC hosted its annual three-day, four-race Aldo Alessio Regatta over the weekend, providing a range of courses and conditions for 50 boats. The series, which most crews used as a tune-up for next month's 41st Big Boat Series (Sept. 15-18), began with a foggy, light-air, abbreviated ocean race on Friday, followed by two moderately windy Cityfront races on Saturday, and concluded with a fun 20+ mile Bay Tour on Sunday.

J/105s playing pinball -- no place for the faint of heart.

Mr. Magoo at left, leads the J/120 charge.

Phil Perkins won the big pickle dish, the Alessio Perpetual Trophy for best performance in Friday's ocean race, with his all-conquering J/105 Good Timin'. Perkins sailed with boat partner Dave Wilson, Tom 'Isi' Iseler, Darren Ward, Dennis George, and Aimee LeRoy. It was a good weekend for the Perkins brothers - while Phil was taking care of business at home, brothers Jon and Chris finished first and second, respectively, in the Knarr International Championship (IKC) in Oslo, Norway.

Good Timin' showed her transom to the J/105 fleet again.

IRC winner Zephyra, encounters the fishing fleet off Irv's Rock.
Photos Latitude/Rob

J/120 - 
1) Chance, Barry Lewis, 12 points;
2) Mr. Magoo, Steve Madera, 13;
3) Jolly Mon, Mark Bowman, 14. (10 boats)

J/105 - 
1) Good Timin', Phil Perkins, 5 points;
2) Aquavit, Tim Russell, 8;
3) Brick House, Kristen & Peter Lane, 19;
4) Orion, Gary Kneeland, 26;
5) Arbitrage, Bruce Stone, 31. (24 boats)

IRC - 
1) Zephyra, DK 46, Robert Youngjohns, 9 points;
2) Scorpio, Wylie 42, John Siegel, 10;
3) Double Trouble, Sydney 38, Andy Costello, 13;
4) Bustin' Loose, Sydney 38, Jeff Pulford, 15. (12 boats)

PHRF - 
1) White Dove, Beneteau 40.7, Mike Garl, 6 points. (4 boats)
Full results - www.stfyc.com.

West Coast Marine Eco-System Not Going to Hell After All?

August 8 - West Coast

On July 12, the S.F. Chronicle ran a front page story saying, "Oceanic plankton have largely disappeared from the waters off Northern California, Oregon and Washington, mystifying scientists, stressing fisheries and causing widespread seabird mortality. The phenomenon could have long-term implications if it continues: a general decline in near-shore oceanic life, with far fewer fish, birds and marine mammals. No one is certain how long the condition will last. But even a short duration could severely affect seabird populations because of drastically reduced nesting success, scientists say."

It all sounded pretty scary. But in the August 7 Marin Independent Journal, that report is debunked by William Cochlan, an ocean researcher at San Francisco State University's Romberg Center, who is just back from a three-week trip in those waters. He is quoted as saying, "There are some who are saying the food chain is crashing and it's doom for the ecosystem. But that's not the case. The food chain is totally back to normal."

Cochlan agrees that earlier in the year there wasn't the normal upwelling of phytoplankton, which is at the bottom of the food chain, and upon which everything above it depends. He says that was because the normal strong winds were late arriving this year, so the upwelling was late. But now that the winds are strong, they are seeing some of the most persistent upwelling in years.

Co-researcher Barbara Hickey of the University of Washington notes that it's hard to get the word out that the marine ecosystem appears to be fine. "Saying that things are OK is not as sexy as saying that things are dying," she said.