November 7, 2002

Photos of the Day

November 7 – Bahia Santa Maria, BCS

As you read this, gentle winds are blowing
the 2002 Baja Ha Ha fleet ever closer to the Cape.

After a booming sail south from Turtle
Bay, the fleet spent two days at desolate Bahia Santa Maria on
the outer peninsula of Mag Bay.

Fleet participants jogged along the endless
white sand beach, climbed to the top of encircling peaks and
enjoyed the hospitality of local fishermen and their wives, the
area’s only inhabitants. As in years past, the fisherfolk supplied
the Ha-Ha’ers with lobster dinners and plenty of cool beer.

If the breeze holds, most boats should
arrive at Cabo San Lucas today.

The view from above

Making margaritas

Sunset in the anchorage

Caribbean 1500 Cup

November 7 – Caribbean Sea

While the Baja Ha-Ha is underway on our
side of the world, another cruising rally has set sail on the
other side of the continent. Forty-seven yachts left Hampton,
Virginia, on Sunday, headed for Tortola, BVI, non-stop. For more,
see www.carib1500.com.

Etchells Worlds

November 7 – Auckland, NZ

With The Cup on hiatus until Tuesday, Auckland
race fans, and some Cup racers, have turned their attention to
the Etchells Worlds, running through November 10 with 98 boats
competing. The championships are hosted by Gulf Harbour Yacht
Club and held in the same area as the America’s Cup. Notable
Cup racers participating are North American Etchells champion
Dennis Conner, who is in 7th place after five races, and Gavin
Brady, Kiwi skipper of Prada Challenge, who is in 44th place.
Brady got the winning gun in the last race, only to be later
scored OCS.

Leading the fleet is defending champion
Stuart Childerley of Great Britain. Following Childerley in the
standings are five Australians, including Mark Bradford in second
place, John Bertrand (another famous Cup skipper from previous
runnings) in third, and Peter McNeill in fourth. Some Bay Area
names you might recognize include Jeff Moseley doing relatively
well in 23rd place and Kers Clausen in 90th.

Follow the action at Australian sailing
site www.sail-world.com.
See also www.etchells.org.nz.

Wrong Way Round Record Attempt Underway

November 7 – Atlantic Ocean

On Sunday, 57-year-old Frenchman Jean Luc
Van Den Heede left Moulin-Blanc à Brest, France, to attempt
a new record for a solo, non-stop circumnavigation from east
to west. The record is currently held by Philippe Monnet, and
Van Den Heede will have to return to France by April 4 at 0534,
33 seconds, to unseat Monnet. Currently at the latitude of Morocco,
Van Den Heede is about half a day ahead of the record.

Photos Benoit Stichelbaut/DPPI
Courtesy www.vdh.fr

Van Den Heede is a seasoned singlehanded
racer, having taken a second and third place in both the BOC
Challenge and the Vendée Globe. His boat, Adrien, is
an 84-ft monohull designed by Gilles Vaton and built at Gamelin
in La Rochelle. Van Den Heede’s (French language only) site is
www.vdh.fr. 

Clipper 2002 Fleet in Cascais

November 7 –
Cascais, Portugal

All of the Clipper 2002 participants have
finished Race 1 of Leg 1, with Hong Kong finishing first.
New York, skippered by the first ever female Clipper skipper,
finished just 5 minutes behind London, which came in second.

After spending the rest of this week in
the Marina de Cascais, Leg 1 will continue on to Cuba, with a
projected finish date of December 5. From Cuba, Leg 2 will take
competitors through the Panama Canal to Hawaii. This is the only
round the world race we can think of that goes through the Canal
rather than around Cape Horn. It will, however round the Cape
of Good Hope.

If you think you might be interested in
a berth on Legs 3-6 (for a fee), a few are still available. Visit
www.clipper-ventures.com
for more information.

Not Too Late to Enter Sydney-Hobart

November 7 – Sydney, Australia

Looking for a highly competitive regatta
that will really test your abilities, your yacht and your crew?
Why not sign up for the 2002 Rolex Sydney-Hobart? The Cruising
Yacht Club of Australia has extended the deadline to enter until
November 15, hoping to field a fleet of 60. So far they’ve received
more than 50 entries, 44 of them Australian. This event has always
attracted an elite, international crowd however, and race organizers
expect competitors to come from all over the world. The 630-mile
race begins December 26. For details, see www.cyca.com.au.

YOTREPS

November 7 – 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 www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/

Weather Updates

November 7 – 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/.