Storm-Charged King Tides Flood Bay Area Foreshores
There’s no doubt that Saturday was wet, but in this instance it was not just the rain that caused mayhem, it was the addition of the king tide. The image below shows a marine warning that was issued by National Weather Service Bay Area.
Jeff Berman of the Tartan 4000 Maverick sent in this video of a barge that escaped its mooring and dragged up onto the frontage road near University Avenue in Berkeley during the king tide. Anything that goes aground during a king tide will be hard to get afloat!
NWS also shared a GIF of the weather system moving through the Bay Area.
📡Radar Update [9:40 AM] – Impressive cyclonic signature on radar moving across North Bay right now. This larger scale feature is what helped provide enough forcing to produce the rotation signature prompting the tornado warning @ 5:51 AM. **TORNADO THREAT HAS ENDED** #CAwx pic.twitter.com/GzHUh06F1V
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 14, 2024
Latitude racing editor, Christine Weaver took a couple of photos at the City of Rio Vista launch ramp at lunchtime on Friday.
Back in Sausalito, Woody Skoriak and John Arndt donned their foul weather gear to see how the town was faring. It wasn’t pretty.
How did your part of the Bay look on Saturday?
Pip Hare Dismasts in the Vendée Globe
Pip Hare, skipper of the IMOCA 60 Medallia, was in 16th place in the Vendée Globe when she was dismasted in the southern Indian Ocean last night at around 2145 UTC. She was about 800 miles south of Australia when the dismasting occurred. While the cause has not been determined, she has secured the rig, has already set a jury rig, and is sadly now heading toward Australia at about 4 knots.
It’s a tragic ending to her race. After her last successful Vendée Globe in an older boat, Hare returned for this race on a more competitive boat with better preparation, but something failed, ending her hopes. She is uninjured and safe as she makes her way to safe harbor.
Meanwhile, at the front of the race Charlie Dalin’s 300+ mile lead has been whittled down to just 17 miles this morning. Yoann Richomme aboard Paprec Arkéa is showing superior downwind speed as he closes in on the race leader. The frontrunners are now nearing Point Nemo, the most remote place, away from land, of anywhere on Earth.
You can follow the race on the tracker here.
Free Vessel Check with Every Haul Out San Francisco Boatworks
Good News: Oakland Estuary Cleanup Action Plan
Good news has reemerged on the Oakland/Alameda Estuary. After several successful steps cleaning up ADVs (Abandoned and Derelict Vessels) in late 2023 and early 2024, the enforcement lapsed and conditions relapsed. The good news is in an email Brock de Lappe received from USCG Commander Dave Herndon, Chief of Response Operations at UCSG San Francisco. The email outlines an updated plan for Estuary cleanup to occur over the next couple of months.
As we wrote in a recent ‘Lectronic Latitude, Oakland’s budget problems had caused the elimination of funding to Estuary patrols, resulting in an increase in both anchor-outs and possibly related crime along the Alameda shoreline. This was a huge disappointment, since in 2023/24, about 15-20 derelict vessels had been removed, and it wasn’t long before the problem returned.
The good news is that the Coast Guard and the Oakland Police Department now have funding to renew patrols and are planning to conduct public outreach and awareness to alert occupants of vessels anchored in the Estuary about an upcoming operation to tag and remove ADVs.
They will be letting vessel occupants know what resources are available to them and how to access them. Following that, the patrols will be pulling alongside or boarding vessels with the intention to tag them for removal within 10 days. The Coast Guard says they will also be advising anchor-outs of federal anchorage regulations and how to contact harbormasters.
Although this all depends on “confirmation” of funding and procedure, barring any unforeseen obstacles, the plan should be underway shortly. Hopefully the Estuary will soon return to a cleaner, safer waterway.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of November Sailing
Welcome back to Sailagram. We hope you enjoy these photos from November’s sailing adventures. This month is turning out to be a mix of sunshine, rain, and stormy interludes. Throughout it all, sailors are still getting out there. Have fun! Be safe! And take photos! Drop them into the folder for next month’s gallery at Sailagram. Or, send them to us at [email protected].
Sailing on a Dream — the Big Kahuna
Spring 2024 marked the official 10-year anniversary of my passion for sailing. I moved to San Francisco when my best friend found me a job at a startup in the marine industry. I’d also wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a surfer girl in California. But after learning how cold and challenging the waters are in Northern California, I decided I’d rather be on the water than in it. I attended the 2014 Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party for work, but left with a spot on a J/88 racing team and a determination to learn to sail. By May, I was taking sailing lessons, racing three times a week, and treating (or torturing, depending on whom you ask) all my friends with weekend trips around the Bay aboard the beginner boats at the local sailing club.
For the past 10 years, I’ve done everything I could to sail whenever and wherever possible. The more I sailed, the more inspired I became. I fully immersed myself in the industry to see where it might lead.
In 2017, I decided to pursue my 6-pack Merchant Mariner Credential (aka MMC, aka captain’s license), and in 2019, I earned my 100-ton Master MMC. By summer 2023, I had amassed hundreds of days sailing through racing, coaching, and instructing ASA courses. I’d spent several seasons crewing on commercial vessels and started a women’s sailing program at the very school where I’d taken my first classes. I’d logged 20,000+ miles in near-coastal and ocean waters, including one Atlantic and two Pacific Ocean crossings, plus multiple OYRA races. I’d become a delivery skipper and branched into private instruction and charter gigs worldwide.
My ultimate goal loomed on the horizon: the Pacific Cup — the Big Kahuna. In 2023, a friend introduced me to Aaron Wangenheim, owner of City Lights, a Santa Cruz 52, a boat I’d dreamed of sailing on. He needed crew for the 2023 Rolex Big Boat Series, and I was invited to join. Little did I know, I was training for something bigger. We placed third at RBBS, and the following spring, Aaron launched a 2024 Pacific Cup campaign. Once again, I was invited and even asked to be the delivery skipper, along with my partner, to bring the boat back to San Francisco. The Big Kahuna — it was happening!
After months of preparation, race day finally arrived. We set off for Hawaii on a true bluebird sailing day, July 17. The Pac Cup bills itself as “The Fun Race to Hawaii” — and I’d agree. For nine days, we sailed downwind with spinnakers flying almost the entire way! Our team consisted of eight people on a four-hours-on, four-hours-off watch schedule. The first few days were tough, but a full moon illuminated the sails.
One Month Free at Alameda Marina
