January 14, 2002

Photo of the Day

January 14 – St Barts

The skies have looked a lot like this in the Bay Area this winter,
haven’t they? This shot was actually taken during our recent
visit to St. Barts in the Eastern Caribbean. The difference is
that when skies look like this in the Bay Area in the winter,
it’s cold as hell. In St. Barts, it’s still hot. Heck, even the
water is still 80 degrees.

Singlehanded – and Singlelegged – Circumnavigation
for Robert Case

January 14 – San Diego

“I crossed my outbound track and completed the solo circumnavigation
at 10:30 pm, December 29, 2001, as I was being boarded by both
the Coast Guard and Border Patrol in the approaches to San Diego
Harbor,” reports Robert Case of the San Diego-based Suntrekka,
an Endurance 37 ketch. Case lost a leg in the military service.
“My visitors arrived in the dark with no lights and were
welcomed aboard. They were courteous and professional, and I
escaped with only a warning ticket for out of date flares. I
never knew the Border Patrol had boats!

“My sail up from Costa Rica began
November 24, and included about 250 hours of motoring. I stayed
between 60 and 180 miles off the coast. If I did it again at
the same time of year, I’d probably stay a bit closer to the
coast and stop to rest in the anchorages along the coast. I lost
20 pounds during the trip from having to tend four sails. I beat
into mostly light winds till after Cabo San Lucas, then beat
into moderate winds till 100 miles south of Ensenada – when the
wind gave out altogether.

“I had stayed 180 miles outside the
Gulf of Tehuantepec – actually, I stayed outside a line drawn
across the gulf. When it blew 25 in the gulf, it was never more
than 10-15 where I was. The winds were all NW and NE, and the
only high wind I experienced was crossing outside the Sea of
Cortez after a quick stop in Manzanillo for fuel. Even so, they
were only 25 to 30. I found the weather forecasts broadcast on
SSB by the Coast Guard to be fairly accurate and sufficient for
my needs. I’m now reconnecting to civilization after four years
around the globe. It’s good to be home.”

Well done, Robert. By the way, Latitude
38 will be hosting a party for all circumnavigators at Sail
Expo in April. We hope that you’ll be able to make it. For details,
see www.latitude38.com/features/circumnav.html

Bon Voyage for Ocean Planet

January 14 – Alameda

“I need to let everyone know that we are planning a bon
voyage party for Ocean Planet on February 9 at the Encinal
YC,” reports skipper Bruce Schwab. “After that, I’ll
leave for the Puerto Vallarta Race, the Panama Canal, Antigua
and the East Coast of the United States. My goal is to make the
start of the Around Alone Race.

For more details on the party, to which
everyone is invited, visit www.oceanplanet.org

Moke Me Out to the Boat, Will You?

January 14 – St Barts

There are a lot of weird dinghies in the world, but one of the
most unique is the Moke replica we saw in Gustavia. In the old
days in St. Barts, you used to see a lot of Moke and Gurgels,
which despite being a cross between a go-cart and a real car,
are street legal. Come to think of it, about a month ago we saw
somebody driving a Moke in Marin County.

Radioactive Steam in Auckland

January 14 – Auckland, NZ

Unlike Americans, the French don’t have such a fear of nuclear
energy. In fact, 80% of their power comes from nukes. So it’s
not surprising that Areva, a French nuclear energy company, has
put up $15 million to help sponsor Le Defi, the French
entry in the America’s Cup.

The sponsorship is really going to rankle
the natives in New Zealand for two reasons. First, the country
is anti-nuclear power. Second, back when we first visited Auckland
in 1985, French commandos had just bombed and sunk a Greenpeace
ship in Auckland that had been harassing French nuclear testing
in the South Pacific. The Kiwis don’t permit tobacco advertising
in the America’s Cup, but they didn’t think to ban advertising
for nuclear power.

YOTREPS

January 14 – 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

January 14 – 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 is www.nws.mbay.net/home.html.

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.