Although Cyclone Evan passed on the opposite side of Fiji’s Viti Levu Island, its force was strong enough to ground the container ship Captain Tasman and another ship at the Suva harbor entrance. More »

As this NASA satellite image reveals the storm winds were very tightly packed as it slammed into Viti Levu yesterday. © 2012 NASA Although the islands of Fiji are often referred to as a tropical paradise, they’ve been more like a tropical hell for the past 24 hours, as Tropical Cyclone Evan battered the island nation’s western portions — including Nadi, the third largest population center, and nearby Vuda Point Marina, where many cruising boats lay over for the season. More »

Authorities in Washington are warning mariners of a massive dock that was spotted by a fishing boat on Friday about 16 miles northwest of Grays Harbor. The dock was reported to be about the same size as the 66-ft beast that grounded itself on an Oregon beach in June. More »

Walkway to nowhere? No, it’s a pedestrian ramp at the St. Francis YC boat basin during last year’s King Tides. © Matt Richardson If you woke up this morning and saw that sea water had encroached onto roadways and walking paths where it doesn’t normally travel, you may have been tempted to think those much-publicized doomsday predictions — asserting that the world will come to an end in late December — might actually be true. More »

Sailor James Blackford is making an unplanned trip to Japan this week aboard the motor vessel Global Explorer. Although a visit to that island nation probably wasn’t part of Blackford’s original cruising itinerary, we’ll bet he’s not complaining. More »

Peyron may be one of the oldest competitors in these AC events, but few if any have more experience racing multihulls. © Gilles Martin-Raget / ACEA The 34th America’s Cup is among the strangest ever for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Loïck Peyron, the great French sailor, is not only the helmsman for the French Energy Team in the America’s Cup World Series, but he’s also the "test pilot" for the Artemis Racing’s new AC72. More »

This wooden double-ender wound up wedged under a dock at a Belvedere home Saturday morning. © 2012 Tim Sell Bay Area sailors who’d been curious about the effectiveness of their cockpit scuppers and bilge pumps got their answers over the weekend, as the final volley of a three-storm series walloped the region with torrents of rain and gusts higher than 50 knots. More »

Islands of The Philippines are currently taking a beating from Super Typhoon Bopha, which skirted Palau yesterday. We just learned that at least two West Coast sailors weathered that blow as it passed. More »

Although you may have to wade through hip-deep water to get yours, the December edition of Latitude 38 is being distributed today in the Bay Area and beyond. latitude/Annie
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Inside, you’ll find our usual mix of racing news, cruising reports, chartering advice and news updates, plus an interview with Webb Chiles, a complete Baja Ha-Ha XIX Recap, and Max Ebb’s thoughts on holiday gift-giving. More »