March 5, 2003

Photos of the Day: Manzanillo

March 5 – Manzanillo, Mexico

Today’s Photos of the Day come from Manzanillo,
which is at the southern tip of Mexico’s Gold Coast. It might
look a little bit like the Oakland Estuary, because it’s a big
and busy port with lots of containers and raw materials coming
and going. They’ve also got a Navy base.

Since the folks at nearby Las Hadas closed
down their fuel dock, we took Profligate to the very innards
of Manzanillo Harbor in search of the fuel dock. When we finally
found it – see accompanying photograph – we found it a little
too rough for our topsides. Having only fumes left in our tanks,
we sailed up to Barra de Navidad – a beautiful sail – and filled
up at the marina there. They’ve got a very nice fuel dock, complete
with sparkling showers and restrooms.

The Next America’s Cup

March 5 – Auckland, NZ

The Protocol for the 32nd America’s Cup
has just been announced by the defending Club, the Société
Nautique de Genève (Alinghi) and the challenger of record,
the Golden Gate YC (Oracle BMW) in San Francisco. Russell Coutts
explained the general principal: “Our goal is to create
a competitive sporting regatta for all competitors to release
the commercial potential and to promote it as the premier event
in world sailing with the traditions and regulations in the Deed
of Gift.”

The two Alinghi boats
Photo Courtesy http://americascup.yahoo.com

Here are some specific highlights: 1) IACC
boats will be used again, although perhaps with AO sails so races
can be held in winds as light as seven knots and over 25 knots.
2) No ‘hula’ skirts. 3) A venue is to be picked in a large part
for its reliable winds, ideally so races can fit into 90-minute
television time slots. The venue – Lisbon and Palma are top contenders
– should also provide for spectators to be close to boats, perhaps
with a mark near shore. The site should be chosen before the
end of the year. 4) The windward/leeward courses are here to
stay. 5) Although no dates have been set, it looks like the summer
of 2007, as Europe will be too busy with the World Cup in 2006.
6) There will be a very limited amount of fleet racing in the
early going. 7) Residency requirements are out, so Kiwis won’t
have to keep expensive but empty apartments in Geneva. 8) The
entry fee is up to 450,000 euros, and it’s hoped that as many
as 20 syndicates will bite. 9) The IACC class will have an annual
world championship, a trial run of which will be held on San
Francisco Bay this summer.

Help Needed

March 5 – Granada

Steve Shultz, Ruth Olson, and their children
cruised Mexico for about three years aboard Kabunza, which
we think was a Pearson 36. They were well known in the cruising
community. Two years ago they bought the Nautitech 43 catamaran
Kabunza Kat in Guadeloupe, which they cruised and chartered
in the Caribbean. Ruth has just passed along the terrible news
that while in Grenada in late January, Steve suffered three strokes
as a result of a ‘paper cut’ on the inside of one of his arterial
walls. He was released from the hospital on February 1, but faces
a difficult recovery back home in Healdsburg.

At this point, the last thing Ruth needs
to be bothered with is the task of getting Kabunza Kat
from Grenada to Florida, but she needs to get the job done relatively
economically. To tell you the truth, this is actually a dream
trip, and at just the right time of year for it. If we could
get away for a couple of weeks, we’d be glad to do it for nothing.
So if you’re a friend of Steve and Ruth, and a responsible and
competent skipper who might be interested in the delivery at
a friend’s price, contact Richard.
If you sound like a likely candidate, we’ll pass the information
along. Meanwhile, think good thoughts for Steve, who retired
young from H/P not long ago.

Will They Become Known as the ‘180-Day
Yacht Clubs’?

March 5 – Sacramento

Some marinas in Ensenada are now known
as the ’90-Day Yacht Club’ because generally speaking, Californians
who buy boats ‘offshore’, then keep them in Mexico for 90 days,
are not subject to California sales tax. Legislation has been
introduced in Sacramento to increase the 90 days to six months
in the first year. It would apply to boats and cars. As you probably
know, the elected folks in Sacramento spent money like the dot
com boom was never going to end and are now trying to create
new revenue to cover all the commitments they’re finding they
can’t keep.

No Puddle Jump for Us This Year

March 5 – Careyes, Mexico

While in Careyes a few weeks ago, we bumped
into Michael and Mary Brooks of the San Francisco – we think
– based Ericson 38 Danseuse de la Mer. They told us that
they and friends aboard Waking Dream would be heading
to the South Pacific. But cruising dreams change all the time.
Michael and Mary have decided that because of boat insurance
problems, they’ll spend the summer in the Sea of Cortez and head
to French Polynesia next season. The Sea or French Polynesia,
either one would be great.

The Jewish Viking Passes On

March 5 – Sausalito

Dick Levine, the large and colorful owner
of Sailboats/Sausalito in the ’70s, passed away last week. A
very aggressive dealer for Columbia, Islander, and other brands,
he took great pride in the fact that competitors referred to
him as ‘the Jewish Viking’. In the course of selling lots of
boats, he made a lot of friends – and a few enemies. He had to
leave the boating business in the early ’80s due to financial
irregularities with the Bank of America. Levine’s life was marked
with lots of tragedy, but he still managed to laugh and get others
to laugh.

YOTREPS

March 5 – 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

March 5 – 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.