July 23, 2002

Breaking News (Literally)

July 23 – Long Beach

Apparently one of Team Dennis Conner’s
IACC boats sank this afternoon while practicing off Long Beach.
Details are sketchy at this point – we don’t know which boat
sank or why, though it may have had something to do with the
rudder bearings. We do know that everyone aboard was rescued,
and figure that Team DC will post something soon at their Web
site, www.stars-stripes.com.

To quote Long Beach yachting journalist
Rich Roberts, who is busy chasing down this story: “Sailing
seems like it’s getting pretty dangerous lately. Maybe it’s time
to take up a safer sport, something like lawn bowling!”

Photos of the Day

July 23 – San Francisco Bay

Not surprisingly, the first boat to finish
Island Yacht Club’s 67 nm Silver Eagle tour of the Bay held on
Saturday was the trimaran Defiance, sailed by Michael
Ropers. The first monohull to finish was Morgana, Rob
Magoon’s Santa Cruz 52 (formerly named Rosebud under Roger
Sturgeon’s ownership). The first monohull on corrected time,
and the first J/105, was Steve Stroub’s Tiburon. In Division
B (PHRF 90 and below) Always Friday, an Antrim 27 sailed
by John Liebenberg, corrected out over some much larger boats.
The Division C (PHRF 91-159) winner was Katzenjammer, Dan
Mills’ Wyliecat 30. For the first time this year, the event included
a shorter course for PHRF 160+, which was won by Michael Mathiasen
and Bill Pritchard on Dulcinea. Complete results are available
on www.iyc.org. And see the
August issue of Latitude
38 for results, a report and more photos.

The start, unusually early compared to most sailboat races on
the Bay, nevertheless got off in fair breeze off the St. Francis
Yacht Club beginning at 9:30 am.

Blackaller Buoy was the first mark

In the main Bay, the competitors had a nice 10-12 knot wind,
but at the Bay Bridge they stopped dead – there was a very clear
line of demarcation – and became a drifting parking lot as they
headed for the South Bay.

All but One

July 23 – Kaneohe Bay, Oahu

All yachts but Gaea have finished
the West Marine Pacific Cup and the parties, and war stories
(see below for one of them), have
begun. Gaea’s position will be available in the position reports
on www.pacificcup.org.
Her ETA is sometime early Thursday. Remember this photo we ran
of Gaea at the start? Any wonder she’s coming in two days
after everyone else, even Fast Reorg and Moonshine,
who made it in last night despite missing the tops of their
masts?

Pac Cup MOB Drill

July 23 – Pacific Ocean

What’s up with all the sailors falling
off grand prix yachts lately?

The list of prestigious racing boats that
have had MOB drills in the last two months includes Blue Yankee,
Bright Star, Boomerang, Morning Glory – and now the R/P 86
Zephyrus V. Those of you following the recent Pac Cup
already knew that Zephyrus V had engaged their engine
during the second day of racing. Many armchair sailors suspected
that a man had fallen overboard, a fact which was confirmed when
Z-5 reported the incident to the Race Committee after
finishing.

The incident is still coming into focus,
as the Z-5 paid professionals are understandably reluctant
to discuss what happened. But word around the bar at the Kaneohe
YC is that it was the owner, Bob McNeil, who went swimming during
a night-time baldheaded spinnaker change. Conditions at the time
were 18-20 knots of breeze, with 8-foot seas. The MOB package
was deployed, and McNeil was able to swim to it.

The Coast Guard was notified of the situation,
as was Mari-Cha III, which was behind Z-5 at the
time. M-C III dropped their sails to join the search for
the MOB, at which point their bowman – who sails for Team
NZ – lost part of a finger in a block. McNeil was retrieved
by Z-5 about half an hour later, apparently no worse for
the wear. From the sound of it, the Z-5 crew reacted perfectly,
thanks perhaps in part to some unplanned practice they already
had during sea trails around the Bay (a pick-up foredeck crew
was knocked overboard for about ten minutes when he found himself
on the leeward side of the jib as it went up during a spinnaker
takedown).

Plastic Classic

July 23 – San Francisco

The Bay View Boat Club’s famous (should
we say infamous?) Plastic Classic Regatta & Concours d’ Elegance
for vintage fiberglass sailboats was held on Saturday. Ariane
Paul was kind enough to send us these photos from the Race Committee
boat of this 18th annual running of the event, which is co-sponsored
by the Islander Bahama fleet. The club hasn’t yet posted results
on their Web site, www.bvbc.org,
but check the August issue of Latitude
38 for results and more.

The fun-loving Plastic Classic finish line committee

It’s Official – Courageous to Sail
Again

July 23 – Portsmouth, RI

Courageous,
the official Rhode Island State Yacht, will be re-christened
by
the Courageous Foundation, headed by Craig Millard, and launched
this Saturday, July 27, at 4 pm, at the Hinckley Yacht Yard in
Portsmouth, where she has undergone a one-million-dollar restoration.

Photo Courtesy Media Pro

The 67-ft 12 Meter, skippered by Ted Hood,
won the America’s Cup in 1974, and then won it again in 1977,
with Ted Turner and Dennis Conner at the helm. Courageous
was recently acquired by the Courageous Foundation for the major
renovation. Along with a new keel, mast, spars, rigging and sails,
the yacht’s deck and transom have been restored to their 1977
configuration.

The re-christening will feature the traditional
breaking of a bottle of champagne on the bow of the boat. She
will then be lowered into the water and available for tours and
photo ops. Expected to be on hand are members of the winning
1974 and 1977 America’s Cup campaigns, including Dennis Conner
and Ted Hood, along with Rhode Island State dignitaries.

Photo Funnies Caption Contest

July 23 – The Wild Waters of Sausalito

Come up with the ‘best’ (a subjective term,
admittedly) photo caption for this shot by 10 am Wednesday and
we’ll send you a Latitude 38 Roving Reporter T-shirt dyed
a bright orange guaranteed to run in the wash. Email your answers
to the Webmistress.

Photo Latitude/Rob & Annie

YOTREPS

July 23 – 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

July 23 – 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 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

Check out the Pacific Ocean sea states
at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.

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