December 7, 2001

Photos of the Day

December 7 – Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Most mariners assume that being a harbormaster
is both a cushy and routine job. Not so. Just yesterday, for
example, the slimy fellow in the photo – reeking of fish breath
– slid his way into the Harbormaster’s Office at Paradise Marina
just north of Puerto Vallarta and demanded a slip (see photo
at right). Manuel, the harbormaster’s assistant, tried to be
as nice as possible, and was able to find a temporary slip for
Mr. Seal. That’s when things turned unpleasant. As you can see
in the photo below, Mr. Seal refused to take the pen to sign
the berthing agreement, and furthermore, barked away about deserving
a reduced rate because he didn’t need electricity! So it goes.

Cruiser Stoned by Islamic Toughs in Thailand

December 7 – Phuket, Thailand

“Although I’m having a marvelous time here in Phuket, Thailand,”
longtime San Francisco cruiser Dave Kopec of Meander writes
in an email, “it’s dangerous here. Last week, an Aussie
named Ferguson received a telephone call that his boat was on
fire at her slip at Yacht Haven Marina near Phang Na Bay. He
roared back – including through a village at 50 mph – to find
things under control on his boat. But back at the Muslim village
– which only exists because of the money yachts pour into the
area through wages and purchases – the locals took offense at
his speeding. So they formed a mob and came down to the marina
shouting “kill Americans, kill British.” They dragged
Ferguson off his boat and stoned him. Yes, they stoned him! He
escaped by swimming for his life. He was hospitalized and later
arrested for his own protection. All this happened within 200
meters of our group of yachts. We believed the mob was going
down for a blessing from the Imam of Malaysia during Ramadan.
The trashing of the Aussie’s car with attendant banging caused
all of us to check perimeter defenses and form a battle plan
– which proved unnecessary.”

This information was forwarded to us by
Jan Pehrson of Sausalito and Florida.

Youngest Skipper First to Finish in Atlantic
Rally for Cruisers

December 7 – St. Lucia

The youngest skipper in this year’s Atlantic
Rally for Cruisers, 22-year old Ross Daniel, has led his crew
to line honors and smashed the record for the crossing in the
Formula 1 yacht Spirit of Diana, a British-owned Farr
65. Spirit of Diana and the Belgian Swan 68 Lady in
Red fought a nail-biting race to the end in Rodney Bay, St
Lucia – and had been vying for first place since the start on
Sunday, November 25, from Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. The larger
Swan had led the fleet for most of the 2,668 nautical miles,
reveling in the strong tradewind conditions encountered this
year. Ross and his 12 crew, who came in just half a mile ahead
of Lady in Red, have knocked 18 hours, 29 minutes and
three seconds off the record, previously held by Luc Coquelin
from France, in the Open 50 Multicap Caraibes a record
which was set in 2000. Amazingly, Ross, who comes from Plymouth
UK, has only been sailing for three years, and the ARC was his
first taste of ocean racing. Also onboard the winning boat was
44-year old Tim Horsfield, who is a novice to the sailing world
and was using the ARC as his first Atlantic crossing. Tim, from
Somerset UK, a competent helmsman, is actually registered blind
and used an audio compass throughout the event.

Andrew Bishop, general manager of event
organizer World Cruising Club comments: “This has been the
closest ever finish in the ARC’s 16 year history. Lady in
Red had led the fleet right from the start in Las Palmas,
however they just could not hold the lead as the winds went light,
24 hours out from the finish. They’ve still done incredibly well
and second place is their best record, plus of course they also
have the honor of having smashed the previously held record.
The rest of the 220 yachts are now making steady progress in
NE F3 winds, and we expect to see eight more finishers during
the next 24 hours.”

YOTREPS

December 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 www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/

Weather Updates

December 7 – 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 Winds and Pressure

The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology
page posts a daily
map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.

Pacific Sea State

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.