It was a spectacular weekend on the Bay. Here’s more proof:
Photos Latitude/Richard
Cat Fun
August 7 – San Francisco Bay
As mentioned in yesterday’s
‘Lectronic Latitude, Profligate will be going sailing
on Saturday with a group of folks interested in big cats and
in supporting Profligate’s ‘sister city’ in Mexico. Now
we understand that Humu-Humu, David Crowe’s 70-ft Morelli
& Melvin cat – see photo – will also be coming out to play.
If you’re interested in joining us email Richard.
Humu-Humu
Photo Latitude/Richard
San Francisco Company Backs Seattle America’s
Cup Challenge With $10 Million.
August 7 – San Francisco
Paul Allen, who owns most of Microsoft that Bill Gates doesn’t,
has just thrown in with Seattle YC’s OneWorld Challenge for the
31st America’s Cup. The OneWorld Challenge was founded by Craig
McCaw, who, thanks to reversals in the tech world, has been looking
for partners to help shoulder the financial load. Allen, a multibillionaire,
will be providing the money through San Francisco-based Tech
TV. Allen already owns the Portland Trailblazers basketball team
and the Seattle Seahawks football team. Here’s the official announcement:
“TechTV announced today that it will
join forces with Craig McCaw on the OneWorld Challenge campaign
to win the 31st America’s Cup. The San Francisco-based cable
television channel is the leading network covering technology
news, information and entertainment 24 hours a day. Vulcan Northwest,
which owns TechTV, will support the campaign on behalf of TechTV
through a $10 million sponsorship to the America’s Cup syndicate,
which was founded by McCaw.
“‘There is no better partner to have
in this effort than my friend Paul and the team at TechTV. Paul
is a true sports enthusiast, a man who shares my concern for
environmental stewardship, and someone who loves the adventure
of boating and being on the water,’ said McCaw.”
[For what it’s worth, McCaw owns a small
armada, headed by the nearly new Le Grand Bleu, which
is the largest privately owned American yacht. She carries 65
crew, the 68-foot motoryacht, and the 72-foot Dubois-designed Bellatrix. Last winter we raced against Bellatrix
in St. Barts on New Years. The New Years before, we raced against
McCaw’s other sailboat, the 118-ft Frers designed Extra Beat.
(Keith McCaw, Craig’s younger brother, owns the nearly new 303-ft Tatoosh and the big motoryacht Katrion. A dropping
stock market means that Tatoosh was on the market less
than a year after she was built. We’re not sure what role, if
any, Keith has in OneWorld.) Paul Allen currently owns the 198-ft Meduse, which usually spends the summer in Antibes, France,
and last New Years was at St. Barts – reportedly with Gates aboard.
It was recently announced that he paid $5 million for an Antibes
berth, apparently for a new and larger boat he is building. While
the McCaw brothers may not be as wealthy as they once were, Allen
is doing just fine.]
The players’ toys:
Le Grand Bleu,
Craig’s motoryacht.
Tatoosh, one of Keith’s motoryachts.
It’s unclear what role, if any, he has in OneWorld.
Meduse, Paul
Allen’s motoryacht –
although he may be building bigger.
Doña de Mallorca tugs at a mooring buoy in
Antibes used by Meduse.
All Photos Latitude/Richard
About Vulcan Northwest Inc: Vulcan Northwest
Inc. was founded by Paul G. Allen in 1986 to manage his personal
and professional endeavors, including various investments, more
than 100 portfolio companies, the six Paul G. Allen Foundations,
First & Goal Inc., the Experience Music Project museum, Clear
Blue Sky Productions and others. Vulcan is headquartered in Seattle,
Washington.
About Craig McCaw: He is an active technology
investor, primarily through Eagle River Investments, whose primary
investments include substantial interests in Nextel Communications,
XO Communications, ICO Global Communications, Inc., Teledesic
L.L.C., Nextel Partners and a series of smaller technology companies.
Mr. McCaw was the Chairman and CEO of McCaw Cellular Communications,
Inc., which was sold to AT&T in 1994 prior to the formation
of Eagle River. He has been an active philanthropist through
the Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation supporting education, environmental
and human service causes across the globe.
About OneWorld: In May of 2000, the Seattle
Yacht Club and telecommunications investor Craig McCaw launched
the OneWorld Challenge campaign for the America’s Cup, to be
held in Auckland New Zealand in 2003. OneWorld assembled a world-class
team of 85 people including designers, boat builders and sailors
from around the globe, many of whom were already America’s Cup
winners, Olympic medallists and world champions. The OneWorld
mission is to win the 31st America’s Cup in the name of the health
of our planet. The syndicate will use its profile to draw the
World’s attention to a broader environmental message. Underwriters
of OneWorld at this point include Craig McCaw, Paul Allen’s TechTV,
SAIC, and Ford/Lincoln Mercury.
Allen’s investment makes OneWorld a player
once again in the next America’s Cup. It also makes for great
drama, as intense business rivals will be playing out their animosity
on the water in Auckland. Oracle Racing’s Larry Ellison, of course,
is an intense rival with Microsoft and Allen, as well as with
Hasso Plattner of SAP, who has given big money to the Kiwi team.
Help Needed in Spanish
August 7 – Mill Valley, CA
If you’re completely fluent in Spanish as spoken in Mexico, we
could sure use your help in translating a letter from the Secretary
of Tourism regarding possible changes in the procedures for checking
in and out of Mexican ports. Email: Richard.
YOTREPS
August 7- 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/
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 Winds and Pressure
The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology
page posts a daily
map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.
