Photos of the Day

September 4 - San Francisco Bay and Carquinez Strait

Today's Photos of the Day are from Saturday's 25-mile, mostly light air Jazz Cup from Treasure Island to Benicia. We'll have more photos later in the week.

Mac and Mary Shroyer to Sell Marina de La Paz

September 4 - La Paz, BCS

"Soon after Mac and I left La Paz for our summer vacation, we received an offer to purchase our Marina de La Paz, which has vaguely been for sale for about a year," reports Mary Shroyer. "The purchaser is serious, and interested in the transaction taking place soon. Mac went to La Paz this past week to meet him and sign an agreement to sell. Should all go well, the sale will take place at the end of December. Mac and I will continue to work for the new owner during a transition period of up to a year, and the rest of our staff will remain indefinitely. Why are we selling? We are of that certain age when it seems the thing to do. What are we going to do? Winter in Mexico just like the rest of the sane people we know and spend the summers somewhere cool, traveling, spoiling the grandchildren, and so on.

"Once the year is over, the new owner can tell you himself the changes he has in mind. He is young and full of energy. He states that he wants to maintain the good client relations which we have always worked for, and we think he can do so."

Swiss America's Cup in the States?

September 4 - Switzerland

When Herb McCormick of the New York Times asked Ernesto Bertarelli, who put up $50 million for the Swiss Alinghi Challenge, where the next Cup would be held if his Russell Coutts-led syndicate won, Bertarelli replied, "I would consider the United States or even Cowes." But then he confessed it would probably be held in the Med, which is where he learned to sail and where his heart is.

Although still a young man, the Harvard-educated Bertarelli, CEO of the biotech conglomerate Serono, is one of the richest people in the world. Sailing is his passion. During the recent America's Cup Jubilee in Cowes, he was aboard while Coutts and many Kiwi crew won the Grand Prix division of the 12 Meter racing.

McCormick's article on Bertarelli appeared in the Sunday New York Times.

Up the Mast

September 4 - San Francisco Bay

While hanging out on the boat this weekend, we noticed some folks up their masts. Since our Nikon was handy, we decided to snap a couple of photos. The one with the man up the mast was interesting, because the green hills and houses in the background made for such a contrast. The second photo was interesting, because it was the youngest person we'd ever seen go aloft - well, semi-aloft - in a bosun's chair.

From the Caribbean to the Pacific via Nicaragua

September 4 - Nicaragua

While it may no longer be possible for typical sailboats to make it up Nicaragua's Rio San Juan and across Lake Nicaragua almost to the Pacific, it apparently can be done in shallow draft boats. Dale Dagger reports doing it with a 34-ft Vietnamese-style sampan powered by a Perkins 4-107. There was trouble with the bar on the Caribbean side and at some rapids, and naturally the boat had to be trailered the last 20 miles from Lake Nic to San Juan del Sur, but he made it. He now uses the sampan for surfing charters. Check out his story at www.nicasurf.com.

Paris Tropical Restaurant No More?

September 4 - Tenacatita Bay, Mexico

Cyril and Vinciane, the French couple who ran the extremely popular Paris Tropical Restaurant at the old McHale's Navy movie set in Tenacatita Bay, report that contrary to some reports, the fate of their restaurant is in grave doubt.

"If nothing changes, it's the end of the Paris Tropical," they told Tom Hayward and Susan Hamilton of Limerick. "The Blue Bay Hotel wants to recover the place. We are so small! In fact, the problem of the ownership hasn't been solved. For sure, we think that for the season 2001-2002, we don't have any chance to be in Tenacatita Bay. We have some other propositions in Manzanillo, but nothing for sure yet. We return to Mexico in October, and we'll send more news at the end of that month."

What a bummer for all cruisers visiting Tenacatita Bay.

YOTREPS

September 4 - 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/

Weather Updates

September 4 - 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/.

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/stuff/southwest/swstmap.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 another view, see http://www.oceanweather.com/data/global.html.