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April 4, 2012

Tropical Photo Quiz

There’s something about this tropical ridge line that gave it a special name. If you’ve sailed these waters, the red marker in the foreground will give you a clue to the location.

latitude/Andy
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

At first glance, you might think the above image is of just another lush mountain ridge in some tropical paradise. But there’s something very special about this ridge line. Can you see it?

The locals have a nickname for the ridge which describes what they see in its contours. Care to guess?

Tell us A) what you see in the shape of this mountain, and B) where you think it is. (Hint: It’s from a place we write about every year.) 

The first respondent to email us the correct answers will receive some ‘official’ Latitude 38 swag.

 

 

 

Cruiser/Pilot Missing in Palau

Longtime Changes in Latitude contributor and former Monterey resident Frank Ohlinger went missing off Palau on Sunday after the plane he was piloting lost its GPS at night. Ohlinger had been hired by Palauan authorities to fly two officials to the site of a burning Chinese fishing vessel suspected of poaching giant clams in the Ngeruangel Atoll marine preserve. Officials believe the fishermen aboard set the mothership on fire before boarding a smaller vessel in a failed getaway attempt, and wanted photos before the ship sank.

At some point during the flight, Ohlinger reported that his GPS had failed. The airport shot off flares and turned all its lights on to help Ohlinger locate the landing strip, but during his final transmission around 8:15 p.m., he notified the airport he would run out of fuel in a matter of minutes. A search of over 6,500 square miles — performed by Palauan vessels, the Coast Guard, and Paul Allen’s 414-ft yacht Octopus, which happened to be in the area and offered assistance — has yet to turn up any sign of the plane or its crew.

Ohlinger’s last report in the January issue of Latitude recounted his delivery from Palau to New Zealand in November aboard the Apache 40 catamaran, Cadence, he’d just sold. We hope Ohlinger was able to ditch his plane safely, and that he and his passengers are awaiting rescue.

“Hurray! Let the games begin!” latitude/LaDonna
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC We’re thrilled to announce that the Delta Doo Dah ‘Fab 4’ edition, July 28-August 3, is now open for registration.
Thanks to a well-coordinated effort by several US Coast Guard resources, two injured crew were safely transported Sunday from the Clipper Round the World Race vessel Geraldton Western Australia to the cutter Bertholf.
In Friday’s preview of the four-race Voiles de St. Barth, which begins tomorrow and will run through Saturday, we incorrectly reported that one of the entries would be Rambler 100, which participated last year — and then late in the summer flipped off Fastnet Rock during England’s Fastnet Race.