February 27, 2004

Photos of the Day

February 27 – Hawaii

Manon Belzile, who sails Zubenubi out
of Pillar Point Harbor, was feeling nostalgic for warm and sunny
weather one recent cold and gloomy day, so, “I looked back
through my photos of this summer’s trip to Hawaii.

“I found a few enlightening pictures.
The first one is of a Pacific white sided dolphin (with me and
the boat in the reflection) and the second one is of Admiral
Finn on watch. The admiral was then 8 months old. Is he the youngest
sailor to have sailed SF to Hawaii and back before turning 1?
We’d be interested in hearing if there are others.”

Photos Manon Belzile

Doublehanded Farallones Turns 25

February 27 – Gulf of the Farallones

The San Francisco Bay Area Multihull Association
is holding its Silver Anniversary of the Doublehanded Farallones
race, testing crew and boat (monohulls and multihulls alike)
in the rough waters outside the Gate, on Saturday, March 27.
To help celebrate this milestone anniversary, BAMA is breaking
with tradition and awarding trophies appropriately in silver.
Other changes include an award for best team finish (top three
finishers from a club/association as indicated on the entry form)
as well as a new award for best co-ed crew finish. See www.sfbama.org for race entry forms, race
information, and stories of past races. Be prepared for conditions
that range from mild to wild. BAMA is celebrating its 26th year
and is a charter member of SFYRA.

Spindrift, an Express 37, rounds the Farallon Islands
in last year’s Doublehanded Farallones. See more photos at www.sfbama.org/2003/dhf/photos/index.html
Photo Courtesy BAMA

Racing Begins in Acura SORC

February 27 – Miami Beach, FL

A consistent breeze between 14 and 17 knots
allowed for three races to be held in the Acura SORC’s first
day of racing just off Miami Beach yesterday.

The Farr 40s kept the action going on the
Acura Course, with three different boats registering wins on
Day One. Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad took first place
in the opening race and topped the class with nine points for
the day. Peter De Ridder’s Mean Machine trails closely
with 11 points, tallying second and third place finishes. Steve
and Fred Howe’s Warpath notched a first place win in the
second race, but rested in third place overnight.

Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory rebounded
from an 11th place showing with two third place finishes, ending
the day in fourth place overall. John Kilroy Jr.’s Samba Pa
Ti, featuring Paul Cayard, finished first in the final race
of the day and sits in fifth place. Returning Acura SORC champion
Massimo Mezzaroma’s Nerone sits in ninth place overall.
H.M. King Harald V of Norway, racing Fram, highlighted
his day with an 11th place finish in the second race of the day.

The Sailing World Course was also
alive with activity as the IMS and three PHRF classes kept the
action rolling. On Friday the J/105 class joins the action. Racing
continues through Sunday the 29th. See www.acurasorc.com for all the info, results
and wonderful action-packed photos by Sharon Green.

Orange Restarts

February 27 – Ouessant, France

Orange, Bruno
Peyron’s maxi cat, restarted her Jules Verne Around the World
Record attempt yesterday morning, after putting in to repair
the crash box on the starboard bow.

Orange this morning, restarting near Ouessant (Ushant)
Island
Photo Gilles Martin-Raget/Orange

Rival Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson, on
his trimaran Geronimo, re-started nine hours earlier than
Orange yesterday and reported a 495 nm first day. The
two multihulls are currently engaged in a dual off the coast
of Portugal.

Meanwhile, on the same attempt, Steve Fossett’s
maxi cat Cheyenne has rounded the Cape of Good Hope 850
miles ahead of the previous record, set by Peyron’s previous
Orange in 2002. A chill is in the air and the crew is
beginning to sight late summer icebergs. Must be the Southern
Ocean!

Update on Capsize off Ocean Beach

February 27 – San Francisco

Randy Reid, owner of the sailboat which
capsized off Ocean Beach on Wednesday, February 18 [covered in
‘Lectronic Latitude on February
20], comments on the loss in a letter to the Newport owners’
group.

“Yes, it was my Newport 30 that was
lost off San Francisco. I had purchased the boat in Marina del
Rey, sailed it for a week in January and left it in Santa Barbara.
Myself, my son Erik and a friend, Brad, went back down on February
13 to Santa Barbara and were sailing up to San Francisco when
the accident happened.

“My son has not been found. Most of
the newspaper articles are totally inaccurate and should be read
with a large grain of salt. There were no helicopters involved,
the winds are exaggerated, and there are many more inaccuracies.

“The subject is difficult to talk
about at this time, but if you would like to debate something
worthwhile it might be whether to wear the harness or flotation
devices, in what scenario or when? My son was at the helm and
was wearing the harness and tether as was our practice all the
way up the coast. Brad was wearing a Mustang floater coat and
I was not wearing either. I was the one who should not be here
today. The tether is likely to have been the cause of my son’s
death, as it seems he was not able to release himself from the
boat when it went down. Only speculation is possible why not,
but no definitive answers.

“The boat to my best guess went down
in approximately 45 seconds. The waves were 15 seconds apart
and we got hit broadside by three when Brad and I were washed
overboard. My son was still aboard the boat at this time, and
I saw one more wave coming at the boat then. The boat was never
seen again. I believe the safety harness dragged Erik down with
the boat.”

YOTREPS

February 27 – The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace

Who is out making passages in the Pacific
and what kind of weather are they having? The YOTREPS daily yacht
tracking page has moved to www.bitwrangler.com/psn.

Weather Links

February 25 – Pacific Ocean

San Francisco Bay Weather

Check out this guide to San Francisco Bay
Navigational Aids: http://sfports.wr.usgs.gov/sfports.html.

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.

The National Weather Service site for San
Francisco Bay is at www.wrh.noaa.gov/Monterey.

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/Maps/Southwest.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

The site for the Pacific Ocean sea states
has moved to http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/PacRegSSA.shtml.

For views of sea states anywhere in the world, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data.