Pacific Puddle Jump Pan Pan
Andy Turpin, of the Pacific Puddle Jump rally, got in touch with us to share an alert for a sailor whose boat has not been heard from since May 13. David Wysopal and his son had signed up with the PPJ rally before heading offshore.
We received a call from JRCC [Joint Rescue Coordination Center] Honolulu regarding concern for a Pacific Puddle Jump rally member who hasn’t reported in their position after regular updates. We forwarded the information to the PPJ organizers, who put out the following message to the fleet: “Organizers of the Pacific Puddle Jump rally, the US Coast Guard’s JRCC (Joint Rescue Command Center), Honolulu, JRCC Tahiti and others are seeking info on the status of American flag vessel Yasukole, a ketch-rigged, 45-ft Island Trader sailboat.”
“Having departed La Paz, Mexico, in mid-April, the father-and-son crew were sending regular position reports via SPOT transmitter until mid-May. The vessel’s last reported position, on May 13, was near 03*25N 130*46W. (Roughly 900nm from the Marquesas Islands, sailing on a fairly steep angle; 1600nm from Tahiti.)
“The captain is known to be a very experienced seaman, but his boat apparently has no easily trackable equipment, such as AIS, sat phone, Iridium GO!, etc. The skipper registered with the Pacific Puddle Jump rally about a week before his departure, but opted not to participate in the fleet’s free tracking program, facilitated by PredictWind, and did not include PPJ rally organizers in the recipient list for his SPOT reports. The PPJ rally has had no contact from him.”
“If you have info on this vessel please contact: Andy Turpin, Pacific Puddle Jump via: [email protected], +1 415 272 3654, JRCC Honolulu, [email protected], [email protected], +1 (808) 535-3333; JRCC Tahiti, [email protected], +689 40 54 16 15.”
Please share this information with anyone who may be in the South Pacific right now.
Good Jibes #94: Mark Mills on Designing Performance Yachts
This week’s host, John Arndt, is joined by Mark Mills to chat about making boats and races better. Mark is the founder of Mills Design, one of the most successful performance yacht design offices in the world. His boats have won many races, regattas, and Boat of the Year titles across the globe.
Hear stories of sailing serendipity, the similarities between airplane and boat design, how Mark got his first design clients, how to create opportunities for yourself in the sailing world, and what he would do to improve racing.
This episode covers everything from yacht design to ocean racing. Here’s a small sample:
- What kind of boats did Mark start sailing on?
- How do you design performance yachts?
- Where are the racing rules heading?
- Does Mark do any racing these days?
- What projects does he have on the drawing board now?
- How do you build a community around a boat class?
- What types of sailing are growing in Europe?
- Short Tacks: Where’s Mark’s favorite place to sail?
Learn more about Mark at Mills Design Ltd.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Evolution Sails’ Summer Sale
A Rare View of a Race From the Decks of a Bay Schooner
Standing on the decks of schooner Freda B for the Master Mariners Regatta gave a rare, insider’s view of the schooner at work. Or, rather, at play! Freda B normally runs charter trips on the Bay, but for the regatta, it was a playday for the captain and crew. With full sails set and full lunch provided, it was a full day of sailing, enjoyed by all.
Captain Paul Dines and his partner Marina O’Neill of San Francisco Bay Adventures were magnanimous hosts for the friends and family invited aboard for the race. Some esteemed sailors were onboard for the cruise, as Paul announced during our pre-departure talk. “Today is about gathering together to celebrate a rich history and community. Every one of you was invited by our team, and it is really special to have friends onboard.”
It was fascinating to watch the vessel navigate and sail more technically than the usual under-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge sail plan. Rounding marks, stealing wind from other boats, and getting first place in our class, as the only boat in our class, was lots of fun. We had a bag of potatoes on board to throw at the mark just in case we, as a schooner, could not successfully round the mark (a special allowance given to boats of our class). No potatoes had to be thrown, however, due to the expertise of Captain Reno at the helm and the veteran crew working to make it a smooth, fun day out on the water.
Marina reflected at the end of the trip that it was a very special day for herself and Paul, who have devoted so much time and care to growing both the charter business and a community of fast friendships and loyal supporters. She felt that the group gathered onboard was a moment worth noting for its multigenerational members. “Today, we have sailors who have gone before us, those who are doing the work now, and the ones coming up today. There just aren’t many communities like this in our world.”
*All photos taken by Heather Breaux.
Tomorrow Is World Ocean Day — What Can We Do To Help?
Tomorrow is World Ocean Day, and all across the internet are listed events, competitions, celebrations and ideas on how we can all help take care of this vital part of the globe. As sailors, we recognize the role the ocean plays in our lives, but we can go deeper than just sailing across its surface. How often do we stop to think about what goes on beneath the visible waterline, and how everything down there affects everything up above? And when we do think about it, who takes action to ensure the ocean and its inhabitants are healthy? It has to be us.
As we already know the “who,” let’s consider the “why,” before we get into the “how.”
The ocean makes up more than 70% of the earth’s surface. It supports myriad marine organisms, both plant and animal, all of which ultimately help support our own “human” lives. The following chart shared by NOAA shows how the ocean supports us through everything from food to medicine to transport, to climate.
The World Ocean Day website describes its mission in this way: ‘World Ocean Day rallies the world for ocean and climate action on 8 June and throughout the year. We work in partnership with youth leaders, zoos, aquariums, museums, and other youth-focused organizations, as well as a huge range of diverse organizations and businesses from all sectors in a growing global network. Together, we effectively engage the public, inform policymakers, and unite the world to protect and restore our shared ocean and create a stable climate.”
According to The Ocean Project, 2020 saw the beginning of the 30×30 campaign, the idea of which is to “protect at least 30% of our blue planet’s land, waters and ocean by 2030.” And, they write, “Thanks to recent victories, there is great momentum to protect and restore our ocean, and help stabilize the climate.”
With organizations around the world working together to make positive changes for ocean health, what is it that we, as individuals, can do?
The World Ocean Day website offers a range of activities that people can join, and suggestions for events and other ways in which people can get involved. There are cleanups, online events, and an art contest for students ages 11 to 18. Surfrider Foundation has a whole page about its mission; there are also music and film screenings. Here’s a link to water movies that might interest you: https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/water/.
But all that aside, apart from celebrating on this one day, we can take action every day through our consumer choices, and through simply picking up trash, both on land and on the water. After all, as we wrote last year, the ocean is a source of enjoyment for racing, cruising, daysailing, swimming, and even just being.
San Francisco on the Bay: Dock, Dine, Stay, Play
The List: Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.