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Photo of the DayJanuary 18 - |
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Fossett Wins AgainJanuary 18 - Portsmouth, RI "I'm a happy, happy guy," said Fossett. "It is very gratifying to be recognized by my peers in the sport, especially for the kind of sailing I do." The highlight of Steve's year was a new west to east Transatlantic record, which Steve and his nine-man crew shattered in October - breaking the 11-year old mark by almost two days with a new mark of 4 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes, 6 seconds. It was the 24th attempt on Jet Services 5's 1990 record - and, indeed the fourth by Steve and PlayStation since 1999. During this same passage they also broke the 24 Hour Record, raising that standard to 687.17 nautical miles (28.63 kts average speed). |
Steve Fossett Photo Courtesy Media Pro |
Is That You Dale?January 18 - St. Barts It had been years since we'd seen Dale, so we weren't sure if the guy walking by Cheeseburgers was really him. It was. And it turns out, he's recently become skipper of a boat in the Caribbean - a near new 95-footer named Valkyrie. So Dale's not only doing something he loves, but he's obviously very successful at it. He says "hello" to all his friends back in Sausalito. Dale in Paradise A day or two later while walking around Gustavia, we bumped in Edda Rottscheidt, who had done the 1999 Ha-Ha aboard the Lagoon 37 Adia. Edda has been cruising the Caribbean aboard a Tayana 52 for the last few months with a guy she met through a crew list. Alas, she's about to return to San Francisco to resume her career.
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Who Wants to Be a Sailor in the Movies?January 18 - Rosarito, Baja California Those interested in appearing in the film should send a current photo (color print or Polaroid) - a portrait that features the face. In addition, include information about height, weight, hair color, experience, sailing and acting skills, etc., as well as telephone numbers and email address. Photographs and information should be sent immediately to: Judith Bouley, Casting, Commander Productions, 6341 Arizona Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90045. |
Maybe We Were Wrong to Believe MadonnaJanuary 18 - Antarctica For the last several years Madonna and a bunch of Hollywood types have been ranting and raving that we're all going to die because of global warming. Any scientist who said that such a conclusion might be a rush to judgment was labeled an idiot or a flunky of industry. Based on recent reports, maybe we should enjoy Madonna for her music and antics, and leave the science to others. According to the recent issue of Science, the ice in West Antarctica is actually thickening, meaning it's less likely that the ice caps will melt and sink half the islands of the world. And just last week, Nature reported that Antarctica's desert valleys - a bellwether for climate change - have grown noticeably cooler over the past 15 years. This is a reverse of the trend in the last 100 years where the valley temperatures were getting warmer. The bottom line is that we don't know if we're in the midst of global warming, and we don't think anybody else knows for sure either. After all, we're just getting snapshots of very long-term trends. |
Tropical Cyclones Is the AnswerJanuary 18 - Tonga The question is why do most cruisers leave the South Pacific in November for New Zealand or Australia. On New Year's Day, tropical cyclone Waka smashed into Neiafu, Tonga, where only six weeks before many cruisers had been enjoying the tropical life. For the complete story, check out the February Latitude 38. |
Corbin Still CrazyJanuary 18 - Hawaii Many readers know by now that Ron Corbin, who did the Singlehanded TransPac and Ha-Ha with his much traveled Olson 30 Still Crazy, lost the boat earlier this month when she ran onto some rocks just north of Banderas Bay as he was sleeping. Not only was the Olson lost, but so was Betty, the inflatable doll that has made many ocean crossings with him. Still Crazy in Mexico Photo Latitude/Richard During a phone conversation the other day, the beat up Corbin was, as always, upbeat. He told us that after the end of the last Singlehanded TransPac, he'd met "some chick at Princeville" who had turned him on to Gene Wells, who had a 40-ft cold molded pilothouse sloop he wanted to sell. Although Corbin admired the boat, his heart belonged to Still Crazy. But with Still Crazy now gone, Ron, still crazy, flew to Hawaii hoping to purchase Wells' boat. |
The San Francisco Sports & Boat ShowJanuary 18 - San Francisco The San Francisco Sports & Boat Show runs through this Sunday the 20th at the Cow Palace. While not Pacific Sail Expo it does have some sailboats on display, some marine electronics and some great boat show deals. Of course, in true Cow Palace fashion you can also see a motorized hot dog and a stretch limo Hummer. The sailboats on display include the boats from Sydney, Caliber, Dufour, Hunter, Jeanneau, MacGregor and Windrider trimarans all with great boat show deals including some 0% financing. Other items available for sailors include inflatables, sailing schools and cold beer on tap. For the really big display of everything a sailor might want you'll have to wait until Pacific Sail Expo at Jack London Square in Oakland coming April 17-21. However, the days are already getting longer and the summer sailing months aren't that far away so a quick trip to Cow Palace might just help you get the season started a little sooner. |
YOTREPSJanuary 18 - 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 UpdatesJanuary 18 - Pacific Ocean San Francisco Bay WeatherTo 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 www.nws.mbay.net/home.html. California Coast WeatherLooking 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 PressureThe University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology page posts a daily map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds. Pacific Sea StateCheck out the Pacific Ocean sea states
at: http://www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov/RSSA/PacRegSSA.html.
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Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.