April 6, 2001

By Grzegorz | April 6, 2001

Photos of the Day

April 6 – Miami

Earlier this week, Britain’s Royal Ocean Racing Club announced
that they were calling off the Admiral’s Cup, an event that had
once been the pinnacle of international ocean racing competition.

While
the future of the event is unclear, it’s not necessarily bleak.
The SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference) used to be the biggest
thing in U.S. offshore racing, but after about 50 years, it temporarily
folded from a lack of interest and a faltering economy. It was
revived in a much more compact format, and now, known as the
Acura SORC, is doing just fine, thank you. They had over 135
entries in last month’s edition, including quite a few from the
West Coast. For a report on the event and results, see the April
issue of Latitude
38. For the visual action, check out these fine shots
by Cheryll Kerr of www.regattaphotos.com.

Photos Cheryll Kerr

Troubling Thought

April 6 – Hawaii

If this year’s Admiral’s Cup went by the
board, you can’t help but wonder how solid the future of the Kenwood
Cup in Hawaii – a very similar event – can be. To lose that would
be a shame, because it offers some of the finest ocean racing
in the world. In fact, we can’t remember an ocean racing vision
as spectacular as the Pan American Clipper Cup – the predecessor
of the Kenwood Cup – during the early and mid ’80s.

You Really Missed It

April 6 – Tiburon

If you missed last night’s Crew List Party at the Corinthian
YC, smack yourself. It was jam-packed with boatowners looking
for crew and crew looking for rides on boats. There was obviously
a lot of interest on both sides. Also on hand was Group Commander
Coast Guard San Francisco, Tim Sullivan, who many of you will
be glad to learn is a sailor. And did we mention the free massages?
It was a good time.

If you couldn’t make it, check out the Crew
List in the April Latitude and start dialing. As we’ve
said many times before, the first couple of steps are the hardest.
Once you get on a boat or two and start networking, you’re likely
to end up with all the boat rides you could ever want.

Networking at the Crew List Party
Photo Latitude/Chris

Fossett Needs a Bigger Stick?

April 6 – West Palm Beach, FL

“While in Palm Beach last weekend shopping for a boat,”
writes Jay Kimmal of San Francisco, “we ran into adventurer
and PlayStation owner Steve Fossett while lunching on the
now trendy Clematis Avenue in West Palm. When I asked him where
his 125-ft mega-cat was, he said “at Spencer’s.” I told
him that I’d just been to the Rybovich-Spencer boatyard and must
have missed it, and the only big mast I saw was from the 155-ft
maxi-mega-monohull motorsailer Georgia. Steve kinda looked
down at the ground and then said, “Yeah, I was kinda bummed
to come into the yard and see we didn’t have the tallest mast
around.” I guess he’s not used to being second, even when
he’s not trying to set a new record or win a race. Speaking of
which, he also mentioned that as soon as PlayStation got
some work completed, she’d be going after the Miami to New York
record prior to record attempts across the Atlantic. By the way,
Fossett was a down-to-earth, super friendly guy.”

Georgia (left) and PlayStation (right)
Photo Jay Kimmal

For what it’s worth, Georgia’s mast
– something like 191 feet – is the tallest in the world. But not
for long. As for PlayStation’s attempt on the Miami to
New York record, it was called off at the very last moment when
cracks were discovered in the rigging.

Speaking of comparisons between big and
really big boats, check out the accompanying photo of Steve Dashew’s
79-ft Beowulf and Robert Miller’s 154-ft Mari-Cha III,
which up to recently owned the TransAtlantic Record. The two boats
will apparently be competing in this month’s Guadaloupe to Redonda
to Antigua Race.

Mari-Cha III (left) and Beowulf (right)
Photo Steve Dashew

Bash Is Over

April 6 – San Diego

Yesterday morning we got a report from Bruce Ladd on Profligate
that they were just 68 miles from Point Loma on their Baja Bash
up from Puerto Vallarta, and the seas were flat. Last night we
got a report they had checked through Customs and were temporarily
on the Customs’ Buoy. As Baja Bashes go, it had been very quick
and very easy – although mostly overcast and cool.

If your boat is headed north – or south
– to San Diego and will be in need of transient berthing, visit
www.sdhp.com for complete
information. They list four possibilities: La Playa Cove between
the San Diego and Southwestern Yacht Clubs; Glorietta Bay off
Coronado; the South Bay Anchorage off National City; and the
Cruiser Anchorage off the Coast Guard station at Harbor Island.
The first two have time limits and National City is out in the
boonies, but the Cruiser Anchorage is relatively convenient and
you can drop the hook there for a month at a time up to three
months. You do need to pick up a permit from the Harbor Police.
Our compliments to them on a nice Web site.

Harbor Police patrol boat, with the lovely
San Diego skyline in the background
Photo Courtesy San Diego Harbor Police

Pacific Puddle Jump

April 6 – Nuevo Vallarta

The most popular way for North American
cruisers to get to the South Pacific is to leave from Mexico
and sail to the Marquesas. That’s what the Pacific Puddle Jump
Class of 2001 are doing. We’ve been introducing them to you in
a continuing series of profiles, which we wrap today. You’ll
find the complete feature in the April issue of Latitude
38. Part II will run in the May issue.

Laughter
– Freya 39
Patrick McGibney & Lindi Doud, Morro Bay, CA

From 1985 to 1990
Patrick and Lindi cruised south through Mexico and Central America,
transited the Canal, then explored the Caribbean and the East
Coast. That was back in the good old days, when it seemed perfectly
natural to make such a trip on a sweet wooden 30-footer – a Frers
sloop named Coral.

They upgraded substantially to a Freya
39. They broke their bonds with the working world a year ago
and now, as they head west, are “excited about stops unknown
and unplanned adventures.”

Well versed in the highs and lows of traveling
under sail, they add: “Cruising’s not always an easy life,
but someone’s got to do it.”

Photo Latitude/Andy

YOTREPS

April 6 – The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific
and what kind of weather are they having? Check out YOTREPS –
‘yacht reports’ – at http://www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/

Weather Updates

April 6 – Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

To see what the winds are like on the Bay
and just outside the Gate right now, check out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.

California Coast Weather

Looking for current as well as recent wind
and sea readings from 17 buoys and stations between Pt. Arena
and the Mexican border? Here’s the place – which has further links
to weather buoys and stations all over the U.S.: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stuff/southwest/swstmap.shtml.

Pacific Sea State

Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you
might check out the Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.

For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.

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