February 8, 2002

A Gentle Giant Falls

February 8 – Alameda

We are saddened, devastated actually, to
report that our friend Carl Schumacher passed away unexpectedly
last Tuesday night at his Alameda home. He was only 52 years
old, and we – like everyone else in the sailing community
– are struggling to make sense of this incomprehensible
loss.

Carl, as most
West Coast sailors know, was a gifted naval architect and an
excellent sailor. Thousands of sailors have enjoyed racing on
his production boats – most notably the Express 27, 34 and
37 – and his many custom boats, including Wall Street
Duck, National Biscuit, Heart of Gold, Swiftsure 2, Recidivist,
Surprise and, most recently, Q. Carl was working on
two more big custom projects, and was scheduled to go to New
Zealand in a few weeks to check on their construction.

Carl was a member of the Encinal and St.
Francis Yacht Clubs, and he gave his time and knowledge unselfishly
to many other sailing organizations, including the local PHRF
board and Sailing World’s annual Boat of the Year judging.
He sailed in many fleets during his lifetime, and achieved national
prominence by winning the Quarter Ton NAs twice with his breakthrough
boat, Summertime Dream. He also owned two Express 27s
over the years (Moonlight, New Moon), and was currently
active in the Mercury class, as well as a partner in a new project,
the Express 37 Golden Moon.

Photos Latitude Archives

But these are just some of the facts, cold
and hard. What’s more difficult to capture is Carl’s spirit – his
humility, patience, intelligence and kind demeanor. He was respected
and loved by all, one of the real class acts in the sailing industry.
We sailed dozens of races with Carl over the last 20 years, including
long trips to Hawaii, Mexico and Jamaica, and in the course of
many night watches came to know and appreciate him on many levels.
He was a deep man, devoted to his family and also quite active
in his church. Through his faith, Carl believed strongly in the
afterlife, a fact we find comforting in this difficult time.

We’ve received dozens of emails and phone
calls about Carl in the last few days, an outpouring of genuine
emotion from his many friends and admirers. Of course, we plan
to run a tribute to Carl in the March issue of Latitude 38,
and welcome any and all further remembrances. We’ll keep you
posted about plans for a memorial service.

In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers
are with his wife Marilyn, and children Sutter and Evan – and
for Carl, one of the finest men we have ever had the privilege
to know. We already miss Carl tremendously, and will never forget
him.

– rob moore

Solo Sailor Hits Iceberg

February 8 – Southern Ocean

It’s not just Volvo Race competitors who have to watch out for
icebergs. According to Dan Mills, on October
1 of last year, Ed Arnold departed Sitka, Alaska, on what he
hoped would be a non-stop solo circumnavigation aboard his 36-ft
Nomad. Arnold, who is in his mid-60s, had done a circumnavigation
with his family many years ago, and recently completed another
circumnavigation with his wife. It took Arnold just under three
months to sail from Sitka to Cape Horn, and about five weeks
to near South Africa. Alas, at about midnight on January 8, Nomad
struck an iceberg. While the hull and mast were not damaged,
the jib furler and bow pulpit were. As a result, Arnold will
have to put into Cape Town for repairs. It should take him about
a month to get there. For more information, visit www.gonesailing.com.

Photos: Above, Ed Arnold; Below,
Nomad in Alaska

Photos Courtesy www.gonesailing.com

Aloha, Mahina Tiare!

February 8 – Hawaii

John and Amanda Neal report that they are
about to make landfall at Hilo, Hawaii, in the next few hours,
having sailed from Cocos Islands by Clipperton Atoll. They started
this year’s voyaging from Northern Europe in May. “There’s
a drought here, and Hawaii is crystal clear in front of us, with
snow on both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.”

Mahina Tiare III sailing in tropical waters
Photo Courtesy www.mahina.com

Boat Shipping Info Needed

February 8 – Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

We recently reported that longtime Canadian cruisers Les MacNeill
and Marcia Stromsmoe of the Victoria, B.C.-based Corbin 39 Rio
Nimpkish were badly beaten during a robbery in Rabaul, Papua
New Guinea. Here is an update from Marcia:

“First, thanks for the report of the
attack on Les and I in Rabaul, PNG. We are both back in Victoria,
British Columbia. I am okay. Les will be okay also, although
he is still in the hospital and he has lost his left eye. For
the record, we were attacked by a total stranger – he didn’t
attempt to rob us – while we were hiking. It was not boat related
– other than we would not have been there if we didn’t have a
boat. It was our only negative experience in five and a half
years of sailing. While Les is recovering, my job is to get Rio
Nimpkish back to Victoria from Rabaul. I know Latitude
did an article on shipping boats some time ago, and would appreciate
a copy. I’d also appreciate any information on hiring a delivery
skipper. We know it’s going to cost a huge amount of money to
have the boat brought home, but I can’t imagine myself on her
with anybody but Les. And he’s not going to be sailing for a
long time, and maybe never offshore again. Thanks for any help
that you can give.”

We’re emailing you a copy of that article
today, although it only deals with shipping boats from as far
south as Tahiti. We know other readers have shipped boats back
from New Zealand and Australia, and are hoping we’ll get some
response from them, as well, perhaps, as some recommendations
on delivery skippers. We can be reached by
email.

Photographer Identified

February 8 – Juneau, AK

Yesterday’s
photos of snowbound boats in Juneau,
Alaska, were taken by Jeff Coult, who is up there with his Alameda-based
Landfall 39 Northern Exposure. “In winter, only the
really hard-core sailors get out. Even these really dedicated
sailors can have a difficult time, since the harbor is pretty
well frozen in and you have to chop the ice to move your boat.
As you can see, the harbor department provides a totally different
type of service here than we are used to in the Bay Area.”

Photo Jeff Coult

Paul Cayard Reports from the Volvo Race

February 8 – Southern Ocean

“I get up on deck and immediately
I am pelted in the back by a wall of water. I work my way to
the back and acclimate for three minutes. Then grab the wheel.
The boat is very much under control and I am able to weave in
and out of the 30-foot seas easily while we sit on 25-28 knots.
My top speed was 32 knots for the two hours. At one point, two
or three waves had come together to make one huge wave. We got
up on it and looked down a 120-foot runway that was about 30
degrees. Everyone’s eyes were huge. It was a phenomenal wave
that Dalton said was the biggest he had ever ridden. The water
was coming down the deck so hard and deep when we would plow
into the back of the waves that Bouwe Bekking was pushing against
my back to hold me forward. It just went on and on. There were
endless waves to surf, endless amounts of fun. It was simply
the reason I came to do this leg.”

Technical Delays

February 8 – Zihua Bay, Mexico

We’ll have a report on last weekend’s Zihua
Sail Fest and the Tenacatita Regatta in Monday’s ‘Lectronic.
We’ve had technical problems. Meanwhile, here’s a shot of some
of the foredeck crew aboard Profligate as she begins to
overtake Capricorn Cat in the charity race at Z-town.

Photo Latitude/Richard

YOTREPS

February 8 – 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

February 8 – 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/.
The National Weather Service site for San Francisco Bay has moved
to 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/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.