August 25, 2000

By Grzegorz | August 25, 2000

Photos of the Day

Z-Town Ritual

August 25 – Zihuatanejo, Mexico

For cruisers who have been there, this scene is as familar
as an old pair of shoes. The place is Z-town – about 120 miles
north of Acapulco – a cruisers’ favorite in Mexico. Most boats
anchor about 100 yards off La Ropa Beach, and during the afternoon,
folks come ashore to have lunch, swap stories, play volleyball
and swim in the ocean – and generally enjoy the good life. Air
temp is about 80 degrees and so is the water.

Sundown is always special at Z-town, as the skies are always
clear and the sun sets right behind the boats. With the day ashore
over, everybody helps one another launch their dinghies through
the surf, because sometimes it can get pretty exciting. After
a shower on the boat, everybody heads back to shore at the main
beach for dinner and more socializing.

The slow and tranquil life at Z-town is so narcotic, many cruisers
end up spending a month or more. Because it’s so far south, the
cruising season in Z-town doesn’t really take off until Christmas,
but when it does, it’s relaxation at its finest! We hope to see
you there this winter.

Photo Latitude/Richard

Weather Updates

August 25 – Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Tropical Weather

For the first time in almost a month, there is no tropical
storm activity, as Debby disintegrated while on her way toward
Florida, and Alberto, the longest August tropical storm in history,
fizzled in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Mexico remains
quiet, but there is sure to be more action soon.

San Francisco Bay Weather

To see what the winds are like on the Bay right now, check
out http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/wind/.
It’s a great time of year to be sailing the Bay.

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 Ocean Weather

Check out the graphic at right.
Click here to see enlarged graphic.

University of Hawaii Meteorology Graphic

Pacific Sea State

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

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

Cruising

Dollar Buys More in New Zealand

August 25 – New Zealand

“Hi Guys! Here is a picture of the newly redone main
salon on ‘Ricka’, our Dover, Delaware-based Taswell 43,”
report Mel and Rebecca from New Zealand. “The prices here
are so low that we just couldn’t resist. With the Kiwi dollar
reaching a record low of less than 43 cents U.S., there are good
deals everywhere, from the construction of a new custom yacht
to the purchase of a Big Mac. The latter is just $1.40 U.S.!
We used leather suede, faux animal prints and luxury Belgium
brocades, as well as natural black sheep skin carpets, and possum
wool blankets. And we had all the brass bits and pieces stripped
and nickel plated.

“Furthermore, don’t bother trying to do every last thing
on board or buying every last gadget before going cruising. Many
items you actually won’t need or use, and after some real cruising,
you’ll find you need things you never thought of. Furthermore,
you can often find things cheaper elsewhere. Take New Zealand
for example, where the U.S. dollar is king. We just bought a
brand new Harken #44 electric winch. It has a Stateside retail
price of around $5,000, and a ‘good deal’ price of about $4,000.
We got it for $2,150 right here in New Zealand! It was the same
with ProFurl furling gear.

Photo Courtesy ‘Ricka’

Not everything is a bargain, but overall the savings are great
enough to make the trip down well worth the effort. We’ve had
a bunch of stainless steel work, reupholstering, painting, rechroming,
hard doger built, all faultless work at a fraction of U.S. prices.

YOTREPS

August 25 – 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/

Racing

‘PlayStation’ Progress Thrilling

August 25 – Northern Atlantic

It’s only the first day, but Steve Fossett is thrilled with
his105-foot catamaran ‘PlayStation’s progress in pursuit of ‘Jet
Services V’s 10-year old New York to England sailing record of
six days and 13 hours. After 37 hours, ‘PlayStation’ and her crew
had covered 853 miles at an average speed of 23 knots. This puts
her three hours ahead of ‘Jet Services’ time.

Said Fossett: “Off to a great start. Last night we wove our
way between the shallow spots of Nantucket Shoals and George’s
Bank. Early this evening we should cross close inside Sable Island
off Nova Scotia. Conditions are excellent with 25 to 30 knots
of breeze from the southwest. What a change from our other 3 transatlantic
attempts where we were struggling with broken battens, electrical
system failures and out-of-control wind conditions. Now we are
settled in and just trying to maintain our concentration to sail
‘PlayStation’ at its potential.” Meteorologist Bob Rice has
the outlook on weather: “We don’t expect too much change
in conditions over the next 24-36 hours, which should support
similar boat performances. Our current plan is designed to protect
against losing our position in the wind envelope we’re in.”
See www.fossettchallenge.com
for updates and details.

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