May 12, 2003

Photos of the Day

May 12 – Santa Catalina Island

Today’s Photos of the Day are from last
weekend at Catalina, where the weather was glorious. Yes, there
were small craft warnings for the channel on Friday, but it really
wasn’t bad at all. Saturday and Sunday were spectacular, with
clear skies from sunrise to sundown. It was warm, and more unusual,
it was dry. Although a cruise ship came calling, Avalon didn’t
seem crowded, which made things pleasant. Sunday morning, we
made our way up the coast to Two Harbors. The water was clear
and flat as a pancake. When it’s calm like that, there are all
kinds of tiny coves with beaches where it’s possible to anchor.
As for Two Harbors itself, it was almost empty. Just 25 boats
by late afternoon. One of the boats belonged to Marty Kasules,
who recently retired as the head of the Orange County Harbor
Patrol. He’s loving the cruising life, letting his hair grow,
and reports he can’t wait for the start of the Ha-Ha.

We think Catalina is a gem, particularly
before and after the summer months, when it’s not so crowded.
But even then it’s terrific, as it provides a tremendous amount
of pleasure to so many people. Avalon and Two Harbors couldn’t
be more different, but we think they both do a terrific job.
All the harbor folks have great dispositions, the locals are
friendly, and the prices are reasonable. We’re usually able to
come up with scores of ways places could be improved, but when
it comes to Catalina, we’re hard-pressed to think of anything
we would change. Nice going everyone!

Avalon, as seen near sundown on a wonderfully warm Saturday afternoon.

There were many vacant buoys on Saturday morning.

Isthmus Cove was spectacular, with a warm breeze funneling through.

How Many Pages?

May 12

We were flipping through the latest issue
of Multihulls Magazine when we came across a 9.5 page
feature by publisher Charles Chiodi on “How To Assemble
A Windrider” – which is a 17-ft roto mold trimaran.

Was the subject really worth that much
editorial space, or was it just an excuse to run 10 photos of
the unnamed helper, as seen in the accompanying photo? And hey,
what about that pose?

Boom Times for the ARC

May 12 – Canary Islands

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the granddaddy
of all cruising rallies, announced that on May 9 they accepted
their 225th entry for this year’s 2,750-mile rally from the Canary
Islands to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. This is the earliest in
the year they have reached maximum subscription. The most represented
manufacturer is Oyster, with 19 boats, trailed by Hallberg-Rassy
with 17, while former leader Swan had dropped to 13.

Sailor’s Ball Raises $14,000 in Donations,
Sponsorship and Matching Grants

May 12 – Treasure Island

The first annual Sailor’s Ball was a huge
success raising over $14,000 for the Treasure Island Sailing
Center (TISC) Foundation. Nearly 300 people from the city and
sailing community of San Francisco attended the first annual
fund-raising gala. Various sailing dignitaries including Paul
Cayard, John Kostecki, Morgan Larson and Dawn Riley. The proceeds
from the Sailor’s Ball will fund scholarships and boat purchases
for the summer youth and adaptive sailing programs that expect
to have over 400 participants this year, the most ever since
the sailing center began operations in 1999.

Overkill?

May 12 – Oakland

“I am enclosing a photo of my friend
Don Person on his turtled West Wight Potter 15,” writes
Mike Westfield. “I understand that there have been some
efforts to get rid of the Oakland Fireboat, but I believe this
photo suggests that it’s needed. The boat turtled at the 5th
Avenue launch ramp on May 7.”

Photo Dave Lawson

We’re not familiar with the fireboat situation
in the Oakland Estuary, so we don’t know if it’s being phased
out or not, or if it should be or not. What we know for sure
is that a fireboat makes for a terrible rescue boat, as it takes
much too long to get away from the dock and isn’t very fast.
An inflatable would be much more suited for the Estuary.

For what it’s worth, readers will recall
that last September Bill Teplow sailed from Berkeley to and around
Hawaii on his West Wight Potter 19 Chubby. A 19 is considerably
bigger than a 15, nonetheless, the Pacific Ocean and the channels
between the Hawaiian Islands are considerably rougher than the
Oakland Estuary.

Catalina Curiosity

May 12 – Santa Catalina Island

Can anyone explain why somebody would have
their generator semi-permanently hanging from their boom? In
a seaway, it could become a deadly bludgeon.

YOTREPS

May 12 – 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

May 12 – 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.