Short Sightings: Swimming to the Farallones, and More
Catching up on the dockside news from the Farallones, Europe, Mexico, the deep, blue ocean and Redwood City. Short Sightings captures some of the news that washed across the foredeck after that last, deep trough.
Amy Appelhans Gubser of Pacifica Swims to the Farallones
You thought the Doublehanded Farallones was hard. While racers sailed there in the “comfort” of foul weather gear, 55-year-old ocean swimmer Amy Appelhans Gubser swam the 29.7 miles from inside the Golden Gate to the Farallones without a wetsuit. According to the San Jose Mercury News she jumped into the Bay at 3:25 a.m. on Saturday and swam for 17 hours to reach the islands. It can be rough sailing in that water, but to swim in the cold Bay and ocean water, in the dark, with gray fog, sharks below and the current, winds and sea state, is almost unbelievable. There are only five other people who have swum the distance, all starting at the Farallones and finishing in the Bay. She is the first to go the other direction. You can find more of these crazy people at the South End Rowing Club and Dolphin Club in Aquatic Park. The “cold plunge” is all the rage these days, but 17 hours swimming with sharks is unlikely to be as popular. Congratulations, Amy!!!
European Grand Prix Sailing Visits the US
The difference between the European and American sailing scene can be vast. While there’s a group of wealthy Europeans who come west to scoop up wooden classics such as the former Pacific vessel Viveka to restore and bring to the Med, there are also numerous commercially sponsored, heavily branded racing circuits. The US has nothing on this scale. On occasion, these events visit our shores, as they will this summer (though not the West). Thirty boats from the Vendée Globe, set to start on November 10, will come to the US to participate in the Vendée New York, sailing their IMOCA 60s from the city to Les Sables-d’Olonne in France.
It starts on 29 May at 2 p.m. PDT, off the coast of New York, with twice as many boats as in the first edition in 2016. This transatlantic regatta, which includes the favorites for the Vendée Globe, is likely to be extremely fast, with downwind conditions propelling them quickly east. With the right conditions and given the technological advances in the IMOCAs, the record time of 9d 16h 57min 52s set by Jérémie Beyou in 2016 should be beaten. The actual Vendée will have 40 competitors in the pinnacle event of singlehanded circumnavigation events. You can follow the event here.
The other European Grand Prix circuit event visiting the US is the 52 Super Series. This turbo-charged fleet usually races on the Med, but did visit the US in 2017. It is sailed in TP52s, which were orginally developed using a box rule created by Bill Lee for use in the Transpac and local racing. After some brief success on the California coast the class moved to Europe, where development has continued with three American boats involved, Quantum Racing, Sled and Interlodge. The class has loaded 10 boats onto a ship to come race two events in Newport, RI, in June and July.
These are boats and events rarely seen on American shores.
Marina Cabo San Lucas Operation Returned to IGY. Permanently?
Governments operate in mysterious ways. A few weeks ago we reported Marina Cabo San Lucas had suddenly and without warning lost its lease to the Mexican authorities who took it over.
IGY recently sent out a note with an update saying, in part, “[On} April 11, 2024, the Secretary of the Navy (Secretaría de Marina) and the Administrator of the National Ports System Cabo San Lucas (Administración del Sistema Portuario Nacional Cabo San Lucas or ASIPONA) took full control of the marina in Cabo San Lucas. IGY Marinas had no prior knowledge of this decision, nor did we participate in it, but we have taken all necessary measures to address this situation.
“On May 3, 2024, IGY Marinas obtained a favorable injunction from the federal court that allows us to resume operating and managing the marina in Cabo San Lucas and provide critical services as we have consistently done for the past 20 years.
“We will continue seeking dialogue with the port authorities and utilizing all legal and other means at our disposal to fully resolve this situation.” It sounds as if there are still issues to be resolved, but we hope that by the time the Ha-Ha arrives in November (if not sooner), everything will be firmly back in order.
Clipper Race Has Sailed on By
The world’s longest circumnavigation race, the Clipper Round the World Race, left Seattle on May 7 and has passed by California on its way south to finish in Panama. The fleet is currently between Banderas Bay and the Revillagigedo Islands (say that three times fast) about 360 miles to the west. Many California sailors have done legs of this circumnavigation in past years. We wrote about local Alerion sailor and Richmond Yacht Club member John Arnold’s recent participation in our May issue.
Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show Starts Tomorrow
We’ll be down in Redwood City this evening setting up the Latitude 38 booth for the boat show at Westpoint Marina in Redwood City. The four-day show runs May 16–19 and will have a broad display of new power and sailboats along with booths from marine vendors. You can check out more detail from Latitude 38’s key sailing supporters here and visit the full Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show site here. Sailboats on display include Bavaria, Beneteau, Jeanneau, Dufour, Excess Catamaran and Hanse. We look forward to seeing you there.