Two sailors died early this morning during the 103rd Annual Chicago-to-Mackinac Race when a severe thunderstorm sent wind speeds into the 50s. The Kiwi 35 WingNuts was reported capsized around 12:40 a.m. by nearby competitor Sociable, whose crew ended up rescuing six of the stricken boat’s eight crewmembers. Sadly, owner Mark Morley, 51, and Suzanne Bickel, 40, didn’t make it to the surface, and the Coast Guard recovered their bodies several hours later. Morley had six Mackinacs under his belt and Bickel two.

Though a number of boats have been damaged or lost during the 289-mile race, according to the sponsoring Chicago YC, these are the first deaths ever to occur due to weather or accident. 

After a series of obstacles that have prevented us from heading north from La Cruz to do the Baja Bash with Profligate, we were all ready to go. Then we looked at Passage Weather.

It’s true that the ‘storm’ is currently only Tropical Depression #4, and there’s a possibility it won’t amount to much. And if all went well, we could probably be in San Diego before the storm reached the latitude of Cabo. But we’ve convinced ourselves that our insurance company would prefer it if we didn’t run the risk of having engine or other problems while trying to outrun a hurricane. That’s because it gives us a chance to stay down here longer and enjoy the wonderful summer weather on Banderas Bay. The thought of a foggy California coast, and its icy water, sends a chill down our spine.

The good news is that the forecast for Tropical Depression #4, if it develops into a named storm, has been getting better. Originally Passage Weather had the storm skirting the coast of mainland Mexico then heading right up the center of the Sea of Cortez. Then it was going to go a little further offshore. As of the latest forecast, it appears it will go even further off the coast. Let’s hope that trend continues.

Like many longtime sailors, we’ve had a fascination with tall ships for decades. And having observed many of them both in port and under sail, we decided long ago that the Chilean Navy’s four-masted, 370-ft Esmeralda was one of the most beautiful — if not the most beautiful — of them all.

It’s not just that she has extremely graceful lines or that she’s one of the longest and has one of the tallest rigs of any tall ship. For us, the thing that sets her apart, and makes her so elegant under sail, is her sail plan. In contrast to most sail training vessels of her size, which are rigged primarily with square sails, Esmeralda is primarily rigged like a topsail schooner — although the squares on her foremast technically make her a Barquentine. She carries 21 sails in all, including six jibs!

Hopefully she’ll have her full complement of sails flying when she enters the Golden Gate at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, for a five-day port call in San Francisco Bay — and hopefully skies will be clear. We plan to be out on the Bay to usher this elegant lady into the Bay, and we’d encourage you to hop in your boat and join us. Tall ships of this caliber don’t often pay us a visit, so this is a rare opportunity you won’t want to miss.

If you can’t break away from your workaday routine, however, you can check her out at San Francisco’s Pier 27, where she’ll be open to the public this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (July 21-23) from 2 to 6 p.m. Esmeralda will depart Sunday at 3 p.m. Next stop: Victoria, B.C. See the ship’s website for detailed info.