July 26, 2002

Photo of the Day

July 26 – Kaneohe Bay, Oahu

Today’s Photo of the Day is of the jury
rig that Robert Ward and Mike Robinson put together on the Dog
Patch 26 Moonshine, which was dismasted halfway to Hawaii
in the recent Pacific Cup. They set up the jury rig in five hours.
The hardest past was dealing with the jagged bottom of the carbon
fiber mast, as they didn’t have a saw. So they used the saw feature
on a Leatherman and after an hour, they got the job done.

Photo Mike Robinson

French Twist

July 26 – Mediterranean Sea

As far as the French are concerned, there
is no small vessel sailing stunt that isn’t worth trying to pull
off. Stuff like taking a Hobie Cat across the Atlantic is run
of the mill to them, and you have to cross in a mooring buoy
to get much attention. The latest plan is that of a female windsurfer,
Raphaela Le Gouvello, to sail 7,600 miles across the Pacific
in 2003 and 2004 aboard a special windsurfer. She’s just taken
off across the Med in preparation.

Same Name, Different Guy

July 26 – Kaneohe Bay, Oahu

Madforsailing.com does a great job of covering sailing, but they
do make their own blunders. In today’s report on Zephyrus
V in the Pacific Cup, they report that John Bertrand was
one of the crew. That’s true, but where they screw up is identifying
him as John Bertrand, the guy who won the America’s Cup for Australia.
They’ve got the wrong guy. The John Bertrand who is the project
manager was originally from Marin County and made a name for
himself while becoming an Olympic medalist. He went on to many
other great sailing endeavors, including running the I-48 one
designs. Right now, he’s running what’s probably the fastest
monohull in the world. Aussie John Bertrand, on the other hand,
came to the States and started Quokka, the Internet sports magazine,
which blazed bright, then crashed after going through $500,000,000.

Usage Fees in Puerto Escondido

July 26 – Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Some San Francisco cruisers, whose names
are withheld by request, are currently in the Sea of Cortez and
write in with this report: “Just a heads up with the latest
on the new proposed ‘usage fees’ (formerly proposed ‘anchorage
fees’) for Puerto Escondido that are in the works. FONATUR approached
the local cruisers there and had scheduled a meeting for July
24 to discuss their proposed fees. It’s all tentative but FONATUR
has commented that they are thinking $1 a day or $25 a month
would be appropriate for all boats anchored in the bay, including
the Waiting Room anchorage.

“The ‘usage fee’ would entitle boaters
to use the dinghy dock (built and currently maintained by the
local cruisers), the garbage shed (currently maintained by the
local cruisers), and water dock. In the meantime they have put
a new lock on the water cage and increased the water fees, with
a minimum charge of 20 pesos/$2US. Monthly parking has been increased
from 150 pesos to 200 pesos. The launching ramp prices have been
doubled.

“Due to a scheduling conflict, FONATUR
postponed the July 24 meeting and as of July 25, have yet to
schedule when the meeting will take place. Obviously there are
many questions that will be brought forth by boaters at this
meeting. Most of us cruising in the sea this summer are wondering
if we would be subject to these ‘usage fees’ if we pull into
Puerto Escondido (best hurricane hole around) for a couple days
and do not leave our boat. There has been a dramatic decrease
in the number of boats basing out of Puerto Escondido this summer.
I’m sure the U.S. economy has something to do with it, but more
likely it’s a combination of the port captain fees, Loreto National
Park fees, and the ongoing rumors of proposed FONATUR fees.”

From Aboard Mari-Cha III

July 26 – Pacific Ocean

Charlie Wroe, a Brit aboard the Briand
147 Mari-Cha III in the Pacific Cup, was nice enough to
share these photos with us.

From the masthead at KKMI just before the
start.
The boat next to Mari-Cha is the Mumm 30 Rainbow.

The reaching conditions in the early part
of the race. It was here that the big ketch had a slight advantage
over Zephyrus V, but the wind never blew hard enough to
fully exploit that potential advantage.

The mizzen cockpit area. Those things that
look
like 55-gallon drums are actually winches.

The tropical running conditions, with about
half the crew spread around the deck. It took 27 to jibe the
boat when in racing configuration. When cruising, the hydraulics
can be used, and the boat can be singlehanded.
Photos Charlie Wroe

For what it’s worth, the crew of Mari-Cha
briefly interrupted their race on the second morning to help
look for the person who went overboard from Zephyrus V.
The Mari-Cha crew told us that it was indeed owner Bob
NcNeil who had gone overboard. For whatever reason, the Zephyrus
crew had been trying to hide his identity. After spending 20
minutes in the water, McNeil, we’re glad to report, was in good
condition. Let all the recent overboards be a lesson to everyone
– one hand for you, and one for the boat. And for God’s sake,
wear a PFD, at least at night.

YOTREPS

July 26 – 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 26 – 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/.