June 14, 2002

Photo of the Day

June 14 – Cat Harbor,
Santa Catalina Island

Today’s Photo of the Day is a mystery boat
part, discovered about 150 feet up a bluff at Cat Harbor on Catalina.
The outside was smooth fiberglass, and appeared as though it
might be part of a keel for a small boat. Sure enough, on the
‘inside’, there was an irregular mixture of epoxy, lead chunks,
and junk. Back in the old days, second tier boatbuilders used
to sweep up the shop floor, mix it with epoxy, and use it as
‘filler’ in the keel. It looks as though that was the case with
this boat part. But what was such a heavy piece of junk doing
so far up the bluff?

Photo Latitude/Richard

Tracy’s Women-Led Maxi-Cat Smashes 24-Hour
Record!

June 14 – Atlantic Ocean

Although owner Tracy Edwards wasn’t aboard,
her 110-ft maxi cat Maiden II (ex-Club Med) yesterday
established a staggering new 24-hour sailing record of 697 miles
in 24 hours – an average speed of 29 knots. The cat’s coed crew
was headed by skipper Helena Darvelid, navigator Adrienne Cahalan
and watch captain Brian Thompson. Thompson, known to many folks
in Sausalito from his days aboard the trimaran Lakota,
was also aboard as a driver. A specific attempt was made at the
record during a ‘delivery’ east across the Atlantic. A top speed
of 44 knots was clocked on a GPS.

Helena Darvelid, skipper of 24-hour record Photos Courtesy www.maiden2.com

The previous record of 687 miles had been
set last year by Steve Fossett and the maxi cat PlayStation.
Fossett was quick to congratulate the new record holders: “Congratulations!
You have won a real prize. We knew the competition would heat
up for this 24-hour record. There are five boats that can contend
for it, and we didn’t think our record would last for more than
about a year. But this is one time I wish we hadn’t been right;
it would have been nice to keep it a little longer! I wasn’t
really interested in improving our own record before, but now
we’ll have to reconsider whether we target this 24-hour record
– for a third time. This record really defines the fastest sailboat
– and the fastest sailors – in the world, and you should be extremely
proud. Enjoy your success.”

The new record is entirely a function of
the new generation of maxi cats. The 500-mile record was first
set in 1984 by the 70-ft Ollier cat Credit Agricole. The
600-mile barrier wasn’t broken until June of 2000 by the 110-ft
Ollier cat Club Med – now Maiden II. Now the question
is, who will be the first to join the 700-mile club?

The new record should provide terrific
inspiration for women sailors everywhere. Although it may seem
counterintuitive at first because maxi cats are so big and powerful,
it’s far easier for women to be competitive with them than the
boat used in the Volvo Ocean race, because once the boat is set
up and going, raw muscle isn’t so constantly in demand.

Mexico Really Is Inexpensive

June 14 – Mexico

In the last couple of issues of Latitude 38, some folks
have been shooting down Mexico, claiming that it’s very expensive.
Those claims are now being severely challenged, however, by people
who’ve kept receipts and compared prices in the U.S. and Mexico.
We think folks headed to Mexico this winter will be pleasantly
surprised. Check the feature in the July Latitude.

It’s least expensive to eat
where the locals eat, although it may not be as healthy.
Photo Latitude/Richard

Ha-Ha Entry Packets Sent Out

June 14 – Tiburon

They were a few days late, but the folks
at the Ha-Ha report they mailed out the first 110 entry packets
for this fall’s Baja Ha-Ha. It’s good to return them quickly,
as the earlier a boat signs up, the better chance they have –
usually – of getting a berth in Cabo.

If you’re interested in signing up for
the 750-mile cruisers’ rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas
with stops at Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, send a $15 check
and 9×12 envelope to Baja Ha-Ha, Inc., 21 Apollo Rd., Tiburon,
CA 94920. For more information, see www.baja-haha.com.

Monday is also the last call for anyone
interested in doing the Ha-Ha aboard Profligate
on a “shared expenses” basis. If you’re interested,
email Richard. Mind
you, expenses for big boats and long deliveries are considerable.

Is El Salvador Safe?

June 14 – El Salvador

Cruisers are saying great things about
El Salvador, thanks to the hospitality shown by folks at Bahia
Del Sol and Barillas Marina. So far cruisers haven’t reported
any trouble; however, the honchos at Barillas Marina have long
urged their guests not to travel without guards, something most
of the cruisers have ignored. Nonetheless, El Salvador is on
the State Department’s ‘critical’ list for being a potentially
dangerous place for American citizens. And just yesterday, 68-year
old Mauricio Gonzalez of San Ramon, CA, was kidnapped and murdered
at he and his wife’s modest beachfront vacation place in El Salvador.
There was a demand for $500,000 in ransom, but some suggest that
this was merely an afterthought to cover up an ordinary robbery
and murder. If it really was a kidnapping, it would have been
the fourth of an American since January of 2000. None of them
are believed to be politically motivated. And now, a cruising
boat gets ransacked in Corinto.

San Diego Yacht Ransacked at Corinto,
El Salvador

June 12 – Corinto, El Salvador

Here’s the report that Bob Willmann of
the San Diego-based Islander 37 Viva sent to friends:

“I’ve been promising to tell you all
about this strange place, but there’s too much, both good and
bad, to do at one sitting. This place is fascinating. It is by
far the poorest place I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something.
Many people are hollow-eyed and approach you with their hand
out, making hand-to-mouth gestures asking for food. There are
very few cars, so everybody is walking, riding bikes – police,
rich guys, etc – or just sitting around. There is very little
work, so they just sit around hungry. Everyone warned me about
crime and said that getting robbed would be a given, happens
to everybody. So I’ve been careful to lock up the boat, leave
a light or radio on inside, and not keep any regular patterns.
When I go to town for provisions, I don’t flash bills around
or buy too much at any one time.

“So one night last week I was sitting
in the cockpit reading ’til about 10 PM, and then lay down to
sleep. About four hours later, I got up to visit the head – and
found that my boat had been ransacked! While I was sleeping in
the cockpit, some guys came aboard and stole my radio/CD player
(auto variety, pried it out of the bulkhead which was about 6
feet from me), lots of little things, a hanging net full of crackers
and bread, some towels, my backpack, and all my T-shirts. When
I realized what had happened, I wished that I had awoken and
caught them. Then I looked further and saw that my machete was
laying right next to where I had been sleeping. The police explained
that one guy was standing over me with the machete, and that
if I had stirred, he would have done me wrong. I have always
thought I was a light sleeper, but I’m glad I slept soundly that
night.

“There’s no chance of getting anything
back, and in a way I hope the jerks don’t get caught. After all,
they didn’t hurt me when certainly they could have, and they
didn’t take anything – other than the CD player – that they didn’t
need. They didn’t take the laptop, my binoculars, HAM radio,
or anything to sell. Isn’t it ironic to get robbed while you’re
home rather than while the boat is unattended?”

YOTREPS

June 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

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