July 25, 2003

Photos of the Day: Everest Horizontal

July 25 – Bermuda

Today’s two Photos of the Day are really scary, as they are of what Tim Kent’s Open 50 Everest Horizontal looked like while still turtled on July 2, as seen from underwater. In the one on the left you can clearly see the sails, in the one on the right, the tiller extension is flopping around. Kent, a Wisconsin-based sailor who completed the 29,000-mile Around Alone race in May, had been on the second half of the Bermuda 1-2 when, 10 hours after the start and about 110 miles north of Bermuda, the keel bulb fell off. Kent and crewman Rick McKenna went over with the boat, but managed to swim free without incident. Luckily, a cruise ship was coming up behind them and they were rescued within 90 minutes of the capsize. Everest Horizontal, a Jim Antrim design built by Jim Betts of Lake Tahoe and launched in the Bay in 1999, became sort of a modern-day Flying Dutchman for awhile. She’d be sighted, but when Kent went out to the area on a chartered fishing boat, he couldn’t find her. Finally, the third time, her orange keel strut was spotted. Kent and a ‘dream team’ of guys from Bermuda were able to right the boat after cutting her rig away. She was pumped out and towed back to Bermuda, which is where she is now. Kent spent the last of his money rescuing the boat and isn’t quite sure how he’s going to get her back to the U.S. – or back together at all. One possibility is to motor back; the boat’s diesel engine was resurrected within a day or so of her arrival in Bermuda. For the complete story of the rescue, see the August issue of Latitude 38. You can read Tim’s own account of the rescue (and the Around Alone race) at www.everesthorizontal.com.

The photo on the left shows Everest Horizontal turtled. She sure looks stable upside down, doesn’t she? The photo on the right shows her after being flipped right side up. All Photos Courtesy Tim Kent

More America’s Cup Class Action on the
Bay this Weekend

July 25 – San Francisco Bay

Six America’s Cup class boats have already
started racing in this weekend’s Il Moro Cup – saluting
the first of the IACC designs – on San Francisco Bay. If you
caught the Sausalito Cup last month – see accompanying photos
– you know how spectacular these boats are.

They will not be sailing an America’s Cup
course, but rather a tour of the Bay: From the front of Angel
Island to near Yellow Bluff, to the Golden Gate YC, to Blossom,
up the Cityfront, to Elephant Rock off Tiburon, and back to the
finish near Yellow Bluff. There are great viewing opportunities
from onshore and on the water. If you’re on the water, please
give the boats plenty of room, as they are very fast – and very
dangerous.

For more details, visit www.challenge-series.com.

Photos Latitude/Richard

Express 27 Back in Production

July 25 – Christchurch, NZ

It seems a little crazy to us, but one
of the late Carl Schumacher’s finest designs, the exciting Express
27, is going back in production. In Christchurch, New Zealand,
of all places. The photo to the left shows what one looked like
in the recent Silver Eagle Race.

Photo Latitude/Richard

Fossett to Try for Jules Verne Trophy

July 25 – English Channel

Ending speculation, Steve Fossett has announced
that he’ll be going after the Jules Verne Around the World Trophy
this winter with PlayStation, his 120-ft Morrelli &
Melvin catamaran. Despite owning 10 of the 13 fastest sailing
passages, Fossett has never won the Around the World, which he
considers the most important.

Also taking another crack at it will be
Olivier de Kersauson with his maxi-tri Geronimo.

Any Santa Cruz 70 Chutes in Your Garage?

July 25 – Sausalito

Latitude
is looking to buy a couple. Email Richard.
But please, no half ounce chutes.

YOTREPS

July 25 – 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 Updates

July 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

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.