The Ha-Ha text and photos are being sent over
a Qualcomm satellite telephone using the Globalstar Satellite
System. Qualcomm and Globalstar are the official communications
solution of the Baja Ha-Ha.
Photo of the Day
Wish You Were Here
November 3 – Turtle Bay
As they say, there’s always next year. Why not make it your
New Year’s resolution to be part of the Baja Ha-Ha VIII fleet?
In the meantime, check out the Baja Ha-Ha coverage below to see
just some of what you have to look forward to.
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.
Also check out http://facs.scripps.edu/surf/buoylist.html
(but note that the Java Applet is still not working with some
browsers on Macs – including your Webmistress’s Netscape Communicator!)
Pacific Ocean Weather
You can view the University of Hawaii Department of Meteorology
satellite picture by clicking
here.
While the Baja Ha-Ha is underway, our cruising section will
be on hiatus, but we’d still love to hear from you…so keep your
pictures and stories coming!
Baja Ha-Ha Coverage
Qualcomm/Globalstar Satellite systems Baja Ha-Ha VII Update
November 3, 2000 – Turtle Bay, Baja California
360 miles south of San Diego.
About half of the 112 boat Baja Ha-Ha fleet has arrived in Turtle
Bay by this morning, with another 40% expected before nightfall
in time for the unofficial Ha-Ha party at Javier’s Vera Cruz
restaurant in beautiful downtown Turtle Bay. It’s currently slow
going on the course, however, as the winds for today and tomorrow
are expected to be no more than 12 knots, and lighter in the
morning and evenings. A few late starters aren’t expected until
tomorrow, the day of the Turtle Bay Beach Party.
In yesterday’s report, we noted that the early arrivals in Turtle
Bay were mostly big boats. After polling the group this morning,
it turns out that all motored at least a little, which means
that Tom Innerarity’s J/44 ‘Wild Type’ from Lafayette – which
finished shortly after the big boats – was the first boat to
have sailed all the way. Innerarity and crew benefited from being
offshore, where after several predawn hours of 25 knots, they
decided to drop their kite and proceed under white sails alone.
Some smaller boats may have turned in even better sailing performances.
Rick Gio and crew aboard the Freya 39 ‘Gypsy Warrior’ arrived
not too many hours later, having flown their shy kite in winds
up to 30 knots well offshore. Sometimes there is more wind offshore
and sometimes there’s not; this year it paid to go offshore.
Crewman Alan Weaver reported a moment of levity aboard David
Crowe’s Choy-Morrelli 70-foot catamaran ‘Humu-Humu’. Having flown
one of Dennis Conner’s ancient America’s Cup kites during the
night, when morning dawned they discovered the big ‘U’ from the
‘U.S.’ on the sail had fallen off and was lying on the deck.
The fleet found the fishing quite good down the coast, with lots
of tuna and several dorado being reeled in. One seal was also
hooked. He wasn’t pleased, and it took nearly an hour to free
him.
Turtle Bay is a small and remote fishing community of 4,000 –
2,000 of whom are children. The arrival of the Ha-Ha fleet has
become a big event in their year, and many old friendships were
renewed. Last year the steel ladder up the pier had fallen into
such disrepair that cruisers had to land their dinghies on the
beach. But as the early boats arrived this year, they found a
welder working in the dark to complete brand new – and very snazzy
– steps. In fact, one had to be careful when grabbing the handrail
because it was often very hot.
Today’s activities include catching up on sleep, fixing broken
stuff, jogging on the beach, touring the bay, checking out Turtle
Bay’s many attractions and making friends. Air temperature here
is 74 degrees and much warmer when the cloud cover moves on –
as it often does. Water temperature is about 70 degrees. Wish
you were here.
– The Grand Poobah reporting from aboard ‘Profligate’.
Ha-Ha Note: We plan to bring you almost-daily coverage of the
rally – time and technology permitting. Check our website for
our progress in receiving the much anticipated (by us too!) pictures
of the Ha-Ha as it’s happening. (To get your fix on the days we
are unable to update our site, peruse our archives.)
YOTREPS
November 3 – 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/
Racing
Still No Racing News
November 3 – New England
Yesterday’s test still hasn’t been answered by anyone correctly,
so we offer it to you again today…
From Nov. 2 web posting –
Okay, we lied – there’s nothing particularly interesting happening
today in the world of yacht racing. Instead, we’ll use this allotted
space for a ‘pop quiz’ on cruising destinations.
Our racing editor went for a fall cruise – gasp! – in
New England in early October, and claimed to actually enjoy it.
(What’s next – golf?) Showers, moorings and restaurants were
found in every port, and the two cell phones aboard his friend’s
Baltic 39 were in constant use. “It wasn’t exactly a hardship
cruise,” he admits. The weather was dicey, however, alternating
between Indian Summer and the first cold, rainy days of the approaching
winter.
We won’t bore you with all the details. Rather, as a test to
see if anyone out there is paying attention, we’re offering a
‘Latitude 38’ t-shirt to the first reader who correctly identifies
all three ports in the accompanying pictures. In the unlikely
event of multiple correct responses, the tie will naturally be
broken in favor of the most humorous email. Send your guesses
to: [email protected].
