March 3, 2004

Photo of the Day

March 3 –
San Francisco Bay Area

The March issue of Latitude 38 is
basking in springlike sunshine at the usual locations around
the Bay Area, after being delivered yesterday.

Photo Latitude/Annie
Setting Courtesy
Cottage Antiques,
Mill Valley

Dog Gone Drug Bust

March 3 – Alameda

It’s a rare and beautiful February day to find all four 378-ft High Endurance Class cutters in port at Coast Guard Island, Alameda
Photo Petty Officer 3rd Class Mariana O’Leary/U.S. Coast Guard

When the Coast Guard Cutter Munro
pulled into its homeport, Alameda, on February 4, Petty Officer
2nd Class David Thomas was bringing back something a little unexpected
after two months at sea: a new family member.

On December 22, the Munro was on
patrol approximately 120 miles SSW of the Guatemalan and Honduran
border when it sighted a 60-ft fishing vessel. The Munro’s
boarding team embarked the Candy1 and began an initial
security inspection. There was more than one surprise waiting
for them.

“We started hearing what sounded like
a dog coming from a back compartment,” said Lt.j.g. Nicholas
Tabori. “We were pretty careful when we opened that door
– it’s always hit or miss when you find a dog onboard. You never
know if it’s friendly or not.”

What the boarding team found was a scared
but friendly 3-year-old Dalmatian with lots of energy, which
the Candy1’s crew called Danye. “He was really skinny
when we found him; you could see his ribs,” said Tabori.
“We thought the dog would probably respond to Spanish because
of where we were geographically,” said Fireman Jesse Freeman,
“so we started saying ‘bueno perro,’ which is Spanish
for good dog, for about 20 minutes trying to calm him down.”

The Munro’s boarding team ultimately
discovered 108 bales of cocaine worth about $40 million onboard
the Candy1. Despite detaining eight men and bringing all
the drugs onboard the Munro, they still had a dilemma.
“Once we realized we had to dispose of the boat, we also
realized we had to deal with the dog,” said Ensign Gerrod
Glauner. “We couldn’t very well sink the boat with a dog
onboard.”

The first taste of life on a U.S. Coast
Guard cutter for Danye was a meal of kitchen scraps and a bath.
“We gave him a bath the first day we brought him onboard.
He turned from grungy brown to bright white with spots,”
said Glauner. Danye started to gain weight from the kitchen scraps
fed to him before Munro could stop in port and buy dog
food.

“He definitely boosted crew morale.
We made him a little alcove for sleeping in the hangar, and he
would hang out with us. He would sit there when we did our workouts
and jump up and down with our jumping jacks,” said Freeman.

“A couple different people were talking
about wanting to keep him or make him a mascot,” said Tabori,
but Petty Officer Thomas seemed to have the best situation to
take him in.

The Munro had been back about a
week when Thomas stood on the pier with his newly named dog,
Luke. A bright new-looking collar gleamed red against his shiny
spotted coat and his alert eyes seemed to catch every little
movement on the busy pier.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Dave Thomas, a Food Service Specialist
aboard the CGC Munro, proudly introduces Luke, the newest
member of his family. The Munro is in the background.

“I just kind of fell in love with
him,” said Thomas, who came up with the name from the movie
Cool Hand Luke. He was fun to play with and I started
getting attached. I told the executive officer I wanted to keep
him. My family and I were actually looking for a dog before I
left, and then this great dog just fell in our lap,” said
Thomas.

Luke checks out his new home on Coast Guard Island, after almost
two months at sea.
Photos Petty Officer 3rd Class Mariana O’Leary/U.S. Coast
Guard

Eight Bells for Kelly O’Neil Hensen

March 3 – Everett, WA

Photographer Kelly O’Neil Hensen, whose
racing photos
have graced the pages of Latitude 38 many times, passed
away yesterday from injuries she received when her car was crushed
by a truck in Auburn, WA, on February 21.

Fellow photographer Sharon Green was quoted
today in Scuttlebutt:
“I can still hear Kelly as she zoomed past me on the slopes
of Whistler a few weeks ago. We were both laughing that we, as
professional photographers, couldn’t operate a little pocket
digital camera to document our day. Kelly lived every moment
of her life with passion. Her knowledge of the sea, boats (sail
and power) combined with her dedication, talent and tenacity
as a photographer made her a celebrity, especially on her home
turf in the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of friends cherished
her effervescent, sunny and engaging personality and endless
energy. She had her unforgettable signature smile, Hershey’s
kisses, her little photo boat, her dog Whidby and endless time
for friends. We will all miss this incredible loyal friend, sailor,
mother, daughter, wife and colleague. Kelly, you have touched
our hearts and your spirit will forever be indelible.”

Damaged Orange II Heads Back to
France

March 3 – Atlantic and Southern Oceans

Following damage sustained to the starboard
hull of the maxi-catamaran Orange II, Bruno Peyron and
crew have decided to return to France, abandoning their current
attempt to improve Peyron’s Jules Verne Around the World record.

The crew detected a vibration on Monday
night and found a crack on Tuesday morning on the fairing which
protects the rudder shaft of the engine under the starboard hull.
They thought they would be able to turn into the Cape Verde Islands
to effect repairs, but that proved to be too difficult an undertaking
to attempt.

Meanwhile, American Steve Fossett’s maxi-cat
Cheyenne is more than three days and 1,377 miles ahead
of Peyron’s record with Orange I. At 0510 GMT today, Cheyenne
was 1,245nm SSW of Fremantle, West Australia, and 830nm north
of the Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Day 25 was another immensely
strong day, with 584 miles covered, at an average of 24.33 knots,
for their best yet day’s run.

On the same quest, the French Cap Gemini
and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo continues her
southward dash to the Equator, having covered 444 nautical miles
on Day 6. She’s now heading straight for the Doldrums, which
are covering an exceptionally wide area at present.

Solo Sailor Hopes to Nab Record Next Week

March 3 – North Atlantic Ocean

In a separate around the world attempt,
Jean Luc van den Heede is likely to complete his westabout round
the world solo challenge anywhere between 26 and 28 days ahead
of the current record set by Philippe Monnet. Van den Heede,
who set off from Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on November 7 aboard
his 85-ft cutter Adrien, is now in the North Atlantic
and making the most of the northeast trade winds. Van den Heede
hopes to finish sometime between Wednesday, March 10, and Friday,
March 12.

Read Sue Pelling of Yachting World’s
complete story at
www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20040201112213ywnews.html.

YOTREPS

March 3 – 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 Links

March 3 – 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

The site for the Pacific Ocean sea states
has moved to http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/PacRegSSA.shtml.

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