Will the Vallejo Race Be Great?
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When registration closed on Thursday, the YRA was showing 164 boats signed up for this weekend’s Great Vallejo Race. How great will the Vallejo Race be? That will depend partly on the weather. "Winds for Saturday’s Great Vallejo may yield a ‘race to the parking lot,’" said Mike Dvorak of Sail Tactics.
"Solid reachy winds in the Central Bay will quickly bring racers to a potential dearth of wind in San Pablo Bay (SPB). The wind will likely run out near Point San Pablo and utilizing the waning SPB flood in the afternoon will probably be the key to keeping your boat moving. A late afternoon seabreeze will fill from the northwest in SPB, currently scheduled to fill in around 3:30-4:00 p.m. — quite late in the race. But it’s possible the SPB sea breeze could fill earlier, so keeping a watchful eye on the NW corner of SPB; being the leftmost boat when it fills could be a winning strategy."
"Sunday is looking good wind-wise. Winds in the low teens for knots in SPB should provide just enough wind in the Napa River to overpower the morning flood current, although the earlier starts could struggle a bit. Winds on the river will likely be puffy. On both days, study the winds at the entrance to the Mare Island Channel well ahead of time."
"A large hill on Mare Island often blocks the breeze and can make an extreme left-side entrance or exit a losing strategy. Winds will build into the mid teens for the remainder of Sunday’s race and should be plentiful. As always, the Sail Tactics Day-Of Wind and Tide Forecasts, out fresh by 8:30 a.m. each morning, will have the most accurate forecast."
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Vallejo Yacht Club has dredged their harbor and will do their best to pack in all the boats, welcome the crews, and throw a memorable Saturday night shindig with dinner and live music, and a recovery breakfast on Sunday morning.
Monday Meeting on Clipper Cove
The issue of development in Clipper Cove is coming to a head, as the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has scheduled a hearing on the resolution to protect the Cove for this Monday, April 30, at 1:30 p.m. at San Francisco City Hall (Legislative Chamber Room 250, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco).
In legal speak — and according the Board of Supervisors’ Agenda — on the docket is the "Resolution responding to the recent proposal to expand the private marina located in Clipper Cove at Treasure Island; and reaffirming San Francisco’s commitment to public recreation, public education, environmental protection, preservation of public open space, and social equity."
In plain speak, opponents see the proposed expansion of the private marina as an infringement on public space for people to sail. What do you have to say?
Controversial Cop Running for Chief
On the night of April 29, 2006, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Russell Perdock plowed into an O’Day 27 on Clear Lake, killing passenger Lynn Thornton. Perdock admitted that he had been traveling between 35 and 50 miles per hour on a pitch-black night, and said the sailboat had no running lights at the time of the crash, a claim disputed by the boat’s owner, as well as witnesses on shore. Perdock was never charged with any wrongdoing, but the man at the helm of the sailboat, Bismarck Dinius, was eventually charged with vehicular manslaughter and felony boating under the influence. He faced up to three years in jail, but was acquitted.
Now, Perdock is applying to be Chief of Police for the city of Clearlake. After serving nearly a full term on the Clearlake City Council — and serving as mayor of Clearlake for two terms — Perdock resigned in February to pursue the Chief of Police job, according to the Lake County News.
"I truly cannot find the words to express the outrage of Perdock even being allowed to apply for this position," Carol Stambuk, a close friend of Lynn Thornton, wrote us. "Perdock does not have the honesty, integrity or character to be Chief of Police. His attempt at filling that position is a slap in the face to the memory of Lynn Thornton, her son John, her family and friends and we are going to do all we can to stop him."
Stambuk urged the Latitude readership, who rallied in favor of Dinius, to call Greg Folsom, the city manager of Clearlake, to express their opinions. Folsom’s number is 707-994-8201, and the City Council members can be reached at the same line. Stambuk said a protest is being planned for late May, before the Chief of Police position is filled in early June. If you have any thoughts on the strange case of Bismarck Dinius, please let us know.
This article has been updated, and corrected: We originally said that Mr. Perdock was running for Lake County Chief of Police. Perdock is running for the Chief of Police position for the city of Clearlake.
Skiers Who Sail; Sailors Who Ski
As winter draws to a close on another solid California ski season, we want to take a moment to ask what might be the no-brainer-est question of all time: Do all sailors like to ski? We ask because many of the sailors we know and follow on Instagram are swooping down the slopes whenever they’re not swooping through the water.
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
We’re curious about two points: Why sailing and skiing? Is it a love for outdoor sports? Or a love for the infuriating angst of waiting around for the right weather? Ot is it all just a pursuit in the opposite direction of responsibility, looking for different outdoor endeavors to be a ‘bum’ in?
©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
And for those of you familiar with Lake Tahoe — California’s ski/sail mecca — we’d like to gather information about the sailing scene in Tahoe. How’s the wind, what are the best parts of the lake, and where can you rent, launch, or bum a ride? Are there fun regattas that are worthy of coverage? Do you have a photo or story to tell? Please, let us know.