Photos of the Day

September 6 - San Francisco

Results for Saturday's Jazz Cup race from Treasure Island to Benicia have been posted on the South Beach YC Web site. We ran a bunch of photos on Tuesday, but here are some more. As you can see, an unusually wide variety of boats compete in this PHRF event. Check Race Sheet in the October issue of Latitude 38 for the complete story and even more photos.

The teak-decked Baltic 42 Setanta on the weather leg

Steve Zevanove's Cal 29, Annie, sailed past many supposedly faster boats to win Division F.

The yawl Chimera. Note the Laser sail used for a mizzen.

Anchorage Quiz

September 6 - Mystery Location

Yesterday's anchorage quiz proved to be a real stumper. Chris Maher of Blarney4 in Tortola - "who can't wait for the start of the Ha-Ha" - guessed the deep water ship on the Sacramento River above Rio Vista. Alas, it's flat in the Delta. Jeb Pickett of San Francisco guessed Cane Garden Bay in the British Virgins, which is not far from where Maher is. Not a bad guess at all, but nonetheless not correct. 'Shep' guessed Bequia in the Eastern Caribbean. A decent guess were the hills not so tall.

Since nobody got the correct answer, we're publishing another photograph - of the nearest marina - as a hint. Send your answers to Richard.

Photo Latitude/Richard

Just Four Days Left to Sign Up for Baja Ha-Ha VIII

September 6 - Baja Ha-Ha World Headquarters

With paid entries for the Ha-Ha closing in on 100 and just four days left to sign up, here are entries 71 to 80:

71) Glass Slipper / Catalina 34 / Robert Wood / Folsom
72) Kiapa / Santa Cruz 52 / Peter & Susan Wolcott / Kapaa, HI
73) Dream Catcher / Islander 36 / Vern Verling & Cheryl Lawson / San Francisco
74) Aristos / Valiant 40 / Dave Dalton & Susan Faerber / San Diego
75) New Focus / Catana 431 / Paul & Karen Biery / Livermore
76) Indigo / Tayana 48 / Robert & Patricia Norquist / Walnut Creek
77) Bronco / Morgan Out-Island 41 / Nels Torbersen / Hayward
78) Moon Me / Cross 37 Tri / Jeff Nelson / St. Croix
79) Cool Change To / Swan 391 / Dugan Baker / Portland, OR
80) Little Wing / Perry 52 Cat / John Haste / Anchorage, AK

One of the interesting things this year is how many boats are returning from last year - nearly 10% of the fleet. As is the trend with cruising boats all over the world, Ha-Ha boats are getting bigger each year. There are 11 of them over 56 feet. Just 11 are less than 36 feet.

Repeat player Little Wing

For more information on the Ha-Ha, see their Web site at www.baja-haha.com.

Felicity Moving West

September 6 - South Pacific

"After a bit more than four months in French Polynesia, we're weighing anchor with our Tashiba 31 and moving west," report Ken Machtley and Cathy Siegismund of Seattle. "Without a doubt, our stay here has exceeded our every expectation and we wish we could spend many more months visiting this paradise. But cyclone season is approaching and we still have several places to visit over the next two months. From here, we will be heading to Tonga which is 1,100 miles west. If weather conditions permit, we'll be aiming to stop at Raratonga and Palmerston in the Southern Cook Islands, as well as the small island country of Nuie. We'd also like to have a month to visit Tonga. At the end of October, we'll be at the end of the Tongan island chain with a gaggle of other cruisers all looking for a weather window to jump off for the often boisterous passage to New Zealand."

Felicity approaching Bora Bora

The Felicity gang stopped at this lookout on Huahine Itis
while riding rented Hornet motor-scooters.
Photos Courtesy Felicity

What Are Pommies?

September 6 - Australia

"Your article about the Rolex Maxi regatta makes a statement that the wind was 'strong enough to blow the Poms - Aussies - out of the pubs,'" writes Leslie King of Tropicbird. "In Australia at least, where Tropicbird spent Nov. '99 to Sept. '00, 'Pom' is a derogatory term for a Brit or Englishman. Anyway, I don't think there could be a wind strong enough to blow the Aussies out of the pub."

Thanks for the heads up. For all these years we thought 'pommies' was short for 'Prisoner of Mother England'.

YOTREPS

September 6 - 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 6 - 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.