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Photos of the DayNovember 8 - Pt. Richmond  Hanging out in an I-14 and an El Toro Today's photos of the day were taken on a warm, calm Friday night at sunset, as a pair of Richmond YC boats were noodling around outside the harbor. - latitude / cw  With more sail area to catch the zephyrs, the bigger dinghy gave the smaller one a tow home. Photos Allen Smithee |
Hot Rum, Hot WeatherNovember 8 - San Diego  128 boats checked in, with 120 finishing, for the first of the three-race Hot Rum Series sponsored by San Diego Yacht Club. With a noon start the wind was spotty till about 12:30 and filled in nicely for the ocean legs of the race. And with clear skies and 85-degree weather the day couldn't have been any better.  Here's the First to Finish results for the six fleets. John Snook's Jim took line honors. Fleet 1 - Tim & Karen Batcher, Eclipse,
CM-1200 See www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/index.htm for more. - mark albertazzi  Judging by the conditions, we'd guess they ordered cold rum drinks - not hot rum - once they got back to the club. Photos Mark Albertazzi |
News from La PazNovember 8 - La Paz, BCS Sadly, the La Perla department store, one of La Paz's more famous historic landmarks, was completely gutted in a massive fire on October 11. Shortly after the store opened at 10 a.m., sparks from a welder on the roof ignited merchandise on the second floor. It didn't take long for the blaze, which burned for 10 hours, to spread throughout the entire store, destroying 80% of the fixtures and merchandise. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The 150-year-old stone structure is still standing, and Grupo Ruffo, which owns the store, announced that all 175 displaced employees will be offered positions in one of the company's other businesses - such as the CCC grocery stores, a Chevrolet dealership or computer store - until the department store is rebuilt, which will take upwards of 18 months.  La Perla was gutted by fire last month, but the owners say they will rebuild. Anyone entering La Paz Bay will likely notice some activity on El Mogote, the peninsula directly across from La Paz. Paraíso del Mar has begun construction of a large planned community on the tip of the peninsula, which will eventually include luxury homes, a golf course, and a marina. The company received the go-ahead last week to build a 500+ slip marina, though representative Tom Henson said they plan to only build 20 or so slips to start. As demand rises, they will add on to the existing structure with residents receiving priority. Construction of the marina, which will be located near where an abandoned hotel currently sits, will begin soon, according to Henson, and should take about 18 months to complete. The development will offer a low-cost ferry service from the Malecon to El Mogote so everyone can still enjoy the beaches which, by law, must remain public.  Tom Henson points out where the new marina will be built in the exclusive Paraíso del Mar planned community on El Mogote. Visitors to Baja this fall may be pleasantly surprised to see the lush greenery provided by this summer's heavy rains. Though the rains wreaked havoc on many communities, the after-effect is stunning. But now that the showers have stopped, the plants will begin to brown quickly, so hurry if you want to see some of the most gorgeous scenery we've ever witnessed in Baja. If sailing there isn't on your schedule, Alaska Airlines has just added direct service from LAX to La Paz, so now there's no excuse. - latitude / ld  Baja's landscape is usually more desert-like, but at the moment looks more like Hawaii. Photos Latitude/LaDonna |
Cruising Rallies UpdateNovember 8 - Baja California Sur and Hampton, VA The Baja Ha-Ha fleet began Leg Three this morning from Bahia Santa Maria and will begin trickling into Cabo San Lucas tomorrow. Tune in to Friday's 'Lectronic for photos and a report on the last leg of 'Lucky 13' and, of course, check out the December issue of Latitude 38 for a full report of the entire event.  Yachtfinders in San Diego, a Ha-Ha sponsor, displays their burgee collection on their office wall. They've been enthusiastic supporters since the beginning. Photo Latitude/John Arndt Over on the other side of the continent, the start of 17th Annual Caribbean 1500 Cup - a cruising rally from Hampton, VA, to the lovely Village Cay Marina on Tortola, BVI - was scheduled for Monday, November 6, but was postponed by bad weather until tomorrow at the earliest. Two boats, Between the Sheets and Faraway Eyes, from a fleet of about 75 chose to leave port anyway. They reported 30 knot winds, but both are confident in their boats. "We are hove-to for the evening," wrote the crew of Faraway Eyes yesterday. "We're getting the shit kicked out of us, but all is under control." - latitude / ld |
BAADS BoysNovember 8 - San Francisco Gregory Williams, who runs a Junior Disabled Sailing Program in cooperation with the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors, sent us this great shot of two of his sailors tearing it up in tiny boats. The boat on the left is helmed by a visually impaired sailor and is led by a volunteer. "It turned into a spirited race between these two grown boys," he wrote.  Two 'BAADS Boys' race for the mark in Access dinghies. Photo Gregory Williams Gregory's program is run out of South Beach YC and teaches people with disabilities to sail. As a T-12 paraplegic, Gregory's personal experience shows others what they can do despite what may seem like insurmountable obstacles. BAADS is a wonderful organization and we encourage anyone interested in joining or volunteering to check out their Web site at www.baads.org. - latitude / ld |
Casting CallNovember 8 - New York, NY "I'm a Casting Producer with ABC Television, and we're looking to feature families who enjoy a life of leisure through sailing and spending time with their family for the hit family show, Wife Swap," writes Rachel Hertz. "We are looking for two-parent families with children between the ages of 5 and 18 who have outgoing personalities. All featured families receive a $20,000 honorarium as a thank you for their ten-day filming commitment. We also offer a $1,000 finder's fee to anyone who refers a family that makes it on the show." You can reach Rachel at (212) 404-1439. - latitude / cw |
