Photo of the Day

August 23 - Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Today's Photo of the Day comes from Brian Larky. "I was moving some files from one system to another tonight, and found this photo from a few months ago when I was fortunate enough to help deliver Velsheda, K7 of the J Class, across the Atlantic pond to Spain with my friend Capt. Mike Cox. The current news about all the America's Cup scandals and lawyers made me think back to when these powerful beauties were the epicenter of competition. As this week is the 100th anniversary of Ogden Nash's death, perhaps his words are fitting: 'Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long.'"

The second photo is of Larky a month ago, when he helped sail Naughty Hotty, the Wylie 38, to third overall in the West Marine Pacific Cup.

Photos Courtesy Brian Larky

The Brightest Stars Are Starting to Shine

August 23 - Marina del Rey

Rich Roberts reports: "A one-second win by Bermuda's Peter Bromby over England's Iain Percy Thursday was the overture to what looms as a rousing three-way battle Friday for the 81st Nautica 2002 Star Class World Championship. Bromby only wishes he could be a part of it. Instead, it will be Percy and crew Steve Mitchell fighting to hold off the relentless Brazilians, Torben Grael and crew Marcelo Ferreira, and those persistent Frenchmen, Xavier Rohart and Yannick Adde, for the most prestigious of one design crowns. Grael won it in 1990; Percy and Rohart would be the first from their nations to win it.

"After discarding his worst score - 19th in Race 1 last Sunday - Percy counts only a string of 4-1-3-2 finishes for 10 points, 4 better than Grael. He broke Grael's three-day grip on first place today, but neither could shake off Rohart, who discarded a 33 to leave him at 19 points with a 3-1-5-5 record. Grael can afford to sail more aggressively than the other two because his worst finish has been a ninth. 'He can come for us because he has a discard to give,' Mitchell said, 'and if he comes for us there isn't much we can do.' 'We'll just have to sail a safe and smart race,' Percy said."

Photos Rich Roberts

The leaders (after 5 of 6 races, worst score discarded):
1. Iain Percy/Steven Mitchell, UK, (19)-4-1-3-2, 10 points.
2. Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, Brazil, 3-1-5-(9)-5, 14.
3. Xavier Rohart/Yannick Adde, France, 6-8-2-(33)-3, 19.
4. Paul Cayard/Hal Haenel, San Francisco, 7-9-4-8-(40), 28.
5. Rick Merriman/Bill Bennett, San Diego, (53)-7-8-4-15, 34.

Puddle Jump 2002 Passage Data

August 23 - French Polynesia

There's no shortage of cruising guides that give strong opinions about ocean crossing strategies, but it's rare that you actually see a pooling of data from groups of present-day cruisers. Thanks to the hard work of Jan and Signe Twardowski, however, we're happy to share this fascinating data base of passage stats from this year's Pacific Puddle Jump group - that is, those boats which crossed the Pacific from the Mexican mainland to French Polynesia. The Twardowskis made the crossing aboard their Deerfoot 64 Raven. Look for their complete report - along with some great photos - in the September issue of Latitude 38.

BOAT NAME	BOAT TYPE	BOAT LGTH	DEPART PORT	DEPART DATE	LANDFALL MADE	TRIP MILES	# OF DAYS	MOTOR HOURS	EQUATOR CRSG	AVG SPEED	BEST DAY
Avventura	Tayana	37	PV	27-Mar	Hiva Oa	3,000	25.4	51	132.5	4.9	146
By Chance	Passport	40	PV	3-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,857	23	104	131	5.2	147
C'est La Vie	Catalina	47	PV	24-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,830	18	72	132.3	6.6	165
Cardinal Sin	Tartan	44	PV	30-Mar	Nuku Hiva	2,766	19	0	130.3	6.1	175
Cherokee Spirit	Cal	36	PV	1-May	Hiva Oa	2,911	27	239	133.6	4.5	143
Different Worlds	Valiant	40	Zihua	21-Mar	Mangareva	3,398	24.4	65	-	5.8	185
Duet	Custom	45	PV	16-Feb	Hiva Oa	2,841	16.92	3	127.3	7.0	180
Final Straw	Mason	54	PV	24-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,790	16.9	3	132	6.9	181
Foxtrot	Custom Perry	70	PV	2-May	Nuku Hiva	2,950	17.4	185	131	7.1	195
Gitana	Cheoy Lee	38	PV	12-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,901	24.1	50	131	5.0	166
Julia	Stevens	50	PV	1-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,955	20	35	128	6.2	173
Kiapa	Santa Cruz	52	PV	31-Mar	Hilo	2,805	16.25	17	N/A	7.2	220
Kirsten Jayne	Vagabond	42	Cabo	4-Mar	Fatu Hiva	2,950	21.7	20	128.7	5.7	175
Lantana Camara	Bowman	48	PV	5-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,794	21.2	42	130.4	5.5	164
Lev	Ocean	34	Zihua	21-Mar	Fatu Hiva	2,865	28.5	111	124	4.2	125
Mahurangi	Peterson	44	Cabo	8-Mar	Fatu Hiva	2,614	20	5	128	5.4	170
Mithrandir	Alden	54	Zihua	8-Mar	Fatu Hiva	2,865	18.8	50	125	6.3	174
Mobisle	Perry	58	PV	20-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,736	18	133	131.9	6.3
Nootka Rose	CS	36	PV	21-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,851	26.2	120	127.5	4.5	136
North Road	Beneteau	37.5	PV	27-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,800	20.9	3	131.8	5.6	158
Onnetar	Jonmeri	40	PV	30-Mar	Nuku Hiva	2,838	20.4	2	131.6	5.8	164
Oric Halcum	Jeanneau	30	PV	21-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,970	20	18	130	6.2	190
Priority III	Spencer	46	PV	11-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,900	18.5	20	130	6.5
Pura Vida	Hylas	47	PV	8-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,914	20.5	132	129.2	5.9	186
Raven	Sundeer	64	PV	30-Mar	Hiva Oa	2,846	15	122	128.6	7.9	243
Reflections	Esprit	37	Galap	14-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,992	19.1	15	N/A	6.5	184
Roxanne	Wylie	60	Galap	1-May	Mangareva	2,885	13.1	64	N/A	9.2	264
Saperlipopette	Santa Cruz	52	PV	21-Mar	Nuku Hiva	2,800	16.4	30	130.7	7.1	200
Soya	Westsail	32	PV	11-Apr	Fatu Hiva	2,901	24.1	33	131	5.0	166
White Hawk	Grand Soleil	46	PV	7-Apr	Nuku Hiva	2,997	18.1	16	133	6.9	191
Wilhelm	Custom Steel	44	PV	23-Mar	Fatu Hiva	2,800	22	128	131.5	5.3	150

Note: To print out this table on letter-sized paper, you may need to switch to landscape format (sideways) in Page Setup.

The Big Aussie Piercing Cat

August 23 - San Francisco

"The 323-ft long x 88-ft wide Australian-built HSV-X1 - which appeared in the August 23 'Lectronic - could have been doing her service speed of 40 knots, and the rooster tail from the four 10,000 horsepower Cat diesels driving waterjets can easily be 30 feet high and 100 feet long," writes Tom Dick of Sausalito and Honolulu. "She has recently completed an around-the-world mission with time in the Arabian Gulf. These are seriously impressive vessels.

"Large wave-piercing catamaran technology does not exist in the U.S., although it has come to dominate international fast ferry routes over the past 15 years, replacing the last English Channel hovercraft last year. These ships can carry up to 900 passengers and 270 vehicles or 700 tons. Wave-piercers have superior economics, weight carrying capacity, reliability, and seakeeping vs. hovercraft due to diesel power vs. gas turbine (aka jet engines) and a non-lifting body hull.
There are two technologies the U.S. lacks: one is the wave piercing hull form, pioneered by Incat, a Tasmanian firm. [See www.incat.com.au.] The second is the metal cutting, forming, and welding technology needed to form 80mm (over 3 inches) aircraft grade aluminum alloy sheet into the world's largest welded structures. (Don't try this at home...) Bollinger shipyards (www.bollinger-incatusa.com) in Louisiana has licensed Incat technology, but it takes a many million $$ investment and substantial time to construct the sophisticated 'metal bashing' equipment and capabilities. Which is why our military now operates two second-hand Australian ferry boats. The other is a 330-ft Austal ship which is long-term chartered to the U.S. military based in Okinawa for logistics."

YOTREPS

August 23 - 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

August 23 - Pacific Ocean

Fausto Is in the House

It's been a relatively quiet hurricane season off Mexico this summer. Currently Fausto is ripping with 95 knots, but he's well offshore and heading further out.

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/.