March 30, 2001
Photos of the DayMarch 30 – Banderas Bay, Mexico We spent much of the last week sailing in the 9th Annual Banderas |
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 The crew of Tom Petty’s Wylie 60 Roxanne Photos Latitude/Richard |
BCDC
Says There Is a “Glut” of Berths
March 30 – San Francisco Bay
“Do you own a boat in the Bay Area?” asks Bill Kinney
of Moorea, a Redwood City-based Northstar 80/20 ketch.
“Especially a slip where you are allowed to live aboard?
Have you had trouble finding a place to park your boat? Well,
you probably have just not been talking to the right people. One
organization that should be happy to help you in your search is
the BCDC – Bay Conservation and Development Commission – a nine-county
regional agency that regulates the waters – and therefore marinas
– of San Francisco Bay. I base this on the fact that BCDC Deputy
Director Steven McAdam was quoted as saying, ‘There is no shortage
of slips in the Bay; if anything, there is a glut.’ McAdam, according
to the BCDC Web site (www.bcdc.ca.gov),
has worked for the Commission for 26 years, and supervises the
Commission’s regulatory, enforcement and technical services staff.
He is the expert advising the commissioners on the regulatory
priorities. He will probably be happy to help you find one of
the slips in this ‘glut’. His phone number is (415) 352-3614,
and he can be emailed.”
In all fairness to McAdams, he told a Latitude
38 reporter that there were few, if any, liveaboard slips
available in San Francisco Bay. He did, however, state that there
was a “glut” of other berths on the Bay. So if you’re
looking for a regular berth in which to keep your boat, we suggest
you email McAdam with your requirements. We’d be most interested
in his reply, as he’s apparently the only person in the Bay Area
who knows about the glut, and this information should be made
public.
BCDC Quiz. How did the BCDC gain authority
over vessels? By declaring them to be “Bay fill”. No,
we’re not making that up.
Cruiser Shot off Venezuela
March 30 – Trinidad
A Swedish couple aboard the 44-foot ketch Lorna was attacked
by pirates on March 20 while three miles off the coast of Venezuela.
Skipper Bo Altheden was reportedly shot in the stomach, but is
said to be recovering in a Trinidad hospital. After Altheden was
shot, Viviv-Maj Miren, his companion, set off the EPIRB, then
summoned further help via the Maritime Mobile Service Net on 20
meters. Before long, government vessels from both Venezeula and
Trinidad were on the scene. High seas made it too difficult to
transfer the patient, so Trini medical personnel and crew sailed
the boat to Trinidad. Details of the incident remain very sketchy.
We’ll have more info in the near future. Theft has long been a
problem in Venezuela, but shootings are rare.
Cayard
on The Race
March 30 – San Francisco
Paul Cayard, the honcho in the AmericaOne America’s Cup
effort and currently part of the Oracle Racing effort for the
2003 Cup Challenge, had some interesting comments about The Race
in the March issue of Seahorse:
“So I am starting to believe in Bruno
Peyron’s vision, that this could be the premiere sailing event.
Imagine 12 of these things racing around the planet every year.
And with a lap only taking 60 days, there could easily be a few
other races thrown in to form a circuit. With a budget of $8 million
U.S., you are at a tenth of the money that the Bs are each spending
on the upcoming America’s Cup. I see some potential here. My compliments
to those who have worked so hard to paint this picture for us.
God, I hope my wife doesn’t read this.”
The Return of Iridium
March 30 – In Earth Orbit
Today marks the resumption of voice communication service of the
Iridium satellite communications system. Data services, including
dial-up access and direct Internet connectivity, will be available
in June, with messaging services later in the year. Airtime rates
are expected to be about $1.50 per minute, with no additional
long-distance, roaming or zoning charges.
The original Iridium was one of the biggest
business disasters in history, as $5 billion was spent getting
the service going in 1998. With only 55,000 subscribers, there
weren’t anywhere near enough to pay the bills. Talk about pennies
on the dollar – a new venture called Iridium Satellite LLC purchased
the assets from bankruptcy court for a mere $25 million.
Two years ago, Iridium was the official
communications provider of the Ha-Ha. Our experience with the
phone service is that about 80% of the calls went through, but
the sound quality was often very poor. Last year, Globalstar was
the Ha-Ha communications provider. Virtually all the calls went
through, and the sound quality was spectacular – better than all
the other cell phones we’ve ever used. Globalstar has a limitation
for offshore sailors, in that it only works within about 250 miles
of shore, while Iridium covers the entire globe.
Is the Admiral’s Cup Dead?
March 30 – UK
This coming Monday the management committee
will give a report to the Royal Ocean Racing Club about the status
of the Admiral’s Cup in England, which for many years has been
the “world series” of yacht racing for national teams.
Unfortunately, hardly any nations signed up this year. If the
event does go on – and the RORC says there must be a minimum of
four teams – it will only be a shadow of its former self.
Ellen MacArthur at Pacific Sail ExpoMarch 30 – Oakland Young Ellen MacArthur, who dazzled the sailing world in the process |
YOTREPS
March 30 – 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
March 30 – 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/.
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 Sea State
Seas are normal in the Pacific. But you
might check out the Pacific Ocean sea states at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
For another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.
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