Stranded Minke Whale Euthanized in Emeryville
It appears whales are returning to the Bay in the lead-up to summer. Reader Craig Russell of SV Aquarius out of Emeryville wrote last week, “I was out sailing on Monday between Angel and Treasure in about 50 feet of water when I spotted a telltale blow of water from a whale. I saw his back only and then it was gone. I have not seen a whale in the Bay in several years, and I sail weekly. One thought: Should I have notified the CG to let them know about this large creature in the Bay?”
We hear the odd report of whale sightings on the Bay, often all too brief, leaving the watcher wondering if what they saw was real. Over the past week, however, the whale sighting was unmistakable — a minke whale had stranded itself in the shallows off Emeryville. As people watched the animal writhe on the sandy flats, crew from the Marine Mammal Center were debating whether to euthanize the distressed animal. The minke was first seen last week on Wednesday. It returned early this week and appeared to be stranded for 90 minutes before swimming away with the high tide. On Tuesday morning it was back.
Bill Keener of the Marine Mammal Center told NBC Bay Area, “The animal for some reason really wants to stay in shallow water. That’s not a good sign, but we’re just going to observe.” Firefighters used their hoses to try to keep the animal cool and protect its sunburned and peeling skin while experts debated their action. After much deliberation and the deteriorating condition of the whale, the decision was made to euthanize. “It’s not a decision that we take lightly,” said Marine Mammal Center’s Giancarlo Rulli.
The whale carcass will undergo a necropsy, an animal autopsy, to determine what led to the animal’s unusual behavior.
Early this month a dead gray whale was found floating near Alcatraz. This whale’s death is also under investigation, though it does not appear to have been caused by boat-strike. NBC Bay Area reported that several of the gray whales had recently been seen in the Bay, leading to the Marine Mammal Center’s warning to boaters to be careful, as despite their size, the large animals are sometimes difficult to spot.
This story may be distressing to some readers, as it was to us. We ask that everyone please be respectful with their comments. Most of us know nothing about these beautiful creatures and rely on people who have done the study and have the experience to make decisions on their welfare when required. Thank you in advance. Ed.
Short Sightings — Grand Prix Foiling Hits Rough Patch
The fast foiling grand prix pro circuit zipped through California last month, but Earth’s gravitational pull is bringing them back to Earth for a bit. They sail on the edge, so it’s really not surprising for things to go wrong in the high-priced, high-tech world of foiling events. The two big ones, the America’s Cup and SailGP, have both hit a rough patch.
SailGP Cancels Brazil Event
It turns out the wing failure in March on San Francisco Bay aboard the Australia SailGP foiling cat was not a one-off situation. After analyzing the failure, SailGP has determined the same problem exists on multiple F50s in the SailGP fleet. As a result, they have decided to skip the planned next event in Rio, with the hope of finding a fix for all the wings in time to safely hold the Mubadala New York SailGP event on the weekend of June 7/8.
They’re also hoping to have fixed the Rockwool Denmark boat that hit a mark in L.A., making the boat unable to race in San Francisco.
The British America’s Cup Team Breaks Down
In the last America’s Cup, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Ben Ainslie were the teammates who took the British team all the way through the Louis Vuitton challenger trials to compete against the Kiwis for the Cup. They lost. The British team became the challenger of record for the next Cup, but since then, the Ratcliffe/Ainslie partnership has fallen apart, with each blaming the other for the breakup. It appears Ainslie’s Athena Racing Team has won out and remains associated with the Royal Yacht Squadron as the challenger of record for the next Cup. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has pulled out and will go back to making money and greenhouse gases with Ineos.
New Zealand America’s Cup Team Moves Ahead Without Peter Burling
After racing and winning the America’s Cup three times in a row over the past 10 years, Emirates Team New Zealand will no longer be sailing with their Cup-winning skipper Peter Burling. Burling was just here on the Bay with SailGP in March, with the team placing fifth in the SailGP event and standing in fourth for the season. No reason was given for his departure except that negotiations between the team and Burling did not result in an agreement.
The drama of the grand prix pro circuit happens both on and off the water.
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Lighten Up With Richmond Yacht Club Beer Can Racing
What did you do on Wednesday evening? If you were smart enough to sign up for Richmond Yacht Club’s Wednesday evening races, you probably had a better chance of enjoying one of the midweek’s best evenings on the Bay.
We did hear from one participating sailor who said, “I did a Wednesday night race at Richmond. So much fun and laughter, beer and good times! Then we did a Friday night race at Encinal, way too serious and cutthroat … please remind people of Rob’s wisdom, always have fun! Our motto is ‘Fun not Fast!'”
As linked above, “Rob’s wisdom” comes to us from Latitude 38’s former race editor Rob Moore, who wrote the original Beer Can Ten Commandments. They remind folks to take a “chill pill” to make sure the evening races are fun for all. Lots of new sailors get their first introduction to racing in Beer Can races. It’s best to leave the testosterone at the dock so the new crew comes back a second time.
Why do so many sailors stop after their first experience of sailing and racing? Perhaps because so many come to try it out but get turned off by all the tension and yelling. Because many don’t come back, we’re forever recruiting crew for racing. Sailing and racing do have their tense moments when speaking above a normal voice may be required, but everyone knows the most successful boats tend to be very quiet.
Photographer Spencer Allen also sent along an image of the Richmond Yacht Club Beer Can Racing ad.
When you walk into the Richmond Yacht Club you see a sign saying, “This club was built for fun.” They work hard to keep it that way. The Wednesday night race results are discussed at the club afterward but they are not recorded.
Some highlights from the RYC Beer Can Series Deed of Gift read:
‘This Cup is donated upon the conditions that it shall be preserved as a perpetual Challenge Cup for friendly competition between crazy yachtsmen/women/animals/inflatable dolls, etc.”
The club bravely keeps the word “diversified” in the Deed as follows: “Competing yachts or vessels shall demonstrate excessive pleasure, boisterousness, conviviality, enthusiasm and showmanship. Crew shall be diversified with a wide variety of life forms and life styles.”
And it’s duly recorded, “IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the party of the first part and the said party of the second part shall party. THE LIGHTNUP, in the presence of A BUNCH OF PEOPLE.” You can read the full deed here. This was presented by the yacht LightnUp.
You don’t have to be an RYC member to join their midweek Beer Can series. By spending the $30 to sign up for RYC Beer Can racing you will find yourself more committed to taking your boat out of the slip and enjoy evenings like those in the image above. Generally, the only boats on the Bay midweek are those that have signed up for Beer Can races. You can join the fun by signing up here. If you’re looking to sign up for midweek sailing at a club closer to your boat you can find series from Stockton to Redwood City to Monterey listed in our calendar here.
While we’re talking Richmond Yacht Club, we should let you know they are having a fundraiser for a Jocelyn Nash documentary. On Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m., you can watch Oleg Harencar’s excellent Ron Holland documentary with a minimum donation of $10 at the door.
Thanks again to drone pilot and photographer Spencer Allen for giving us a bird’s-eye view of midweek racing with RYC. If you have photos of your club’s evening Beer Can races, send them to [email protected].
If you are struggling to find crew you can find more at our online Crew List here. And make sure you and your crew all have fun.
Terri and Jay Join Barra de Navidad’s Cruise-In Week
It is February in Barra de Navidad. One by one, sailors arrive from all different directions for the eighth annual Cruise-In Week. Some sail up from the south. Others sail down from the north. For several years, the Vallarta Yacht Club has rallied its members to make the trip down to Barra. Nine boats and over 30 people made the journey this year. Bart Goodell, director of VYC’s youth sailing program, even towed three Hobie 16s down, and encouraged five of the students and their parents to drive down and compete in the race. Children helping children. You have to love that.
All come because they love this community. All come because they want to give back. And all come because it is a whole lot of fun. As the boats trickle in, cruisers gather around the pool, catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. Afternoon water volleyball quickly becomes a daily event. All are waiting for the festivities to begin.
Cruise-In Week is a fundraiser that was created in 2018 by sailors Pat and Carole McIntosh, and local resident Linda Bella Ruiz, to help fund the schools of Barra de Navidad. Barra is a quaint Mexican village along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It has kept its charm over the years, despite the influx of American and Canadian tourists who return year after year. Chiefly a fishing village, it’s also surrounded by areas of farms. It is a small, rural community, and supporting educational opportunities for the children is a challenge. The Mexican government supplies the school buildings and pays the teachers. Everything else is up to the families who live here. That is why we come. To offer support in the best way we know how: by sharing our love of sailing.
Each year, the week morphs into its own unique schedule, depending on what we’ve learned from the year before. This year, there were three on-the-water events, nicely timed by sending the cruisers out every other day. There were two music cruises and one race, affectionately known as the Flamingo Regatta.
Those of us who signed up for the music cruises took paying customers out for a short daysail around the bay, eventually finding our way to the cove in front of Barra’s sister town, Melaque. There we anchored around the music boat, Baja Fog, for a concert by the local talent.
Eva Kabande and Daniel Abela treated us to an afternoon of mellow Latin jazz. It fit perfectly with the soft breeze and gentle swells swaying the boats. Salvador took it up a notch on Thursday with his rock-and-roll cover songs. People were grooving with the music, dancing across the bow, while some sat in groups, chatting and enjoying drinks and goodies from the French Baker. Others jumped into the water for a cool dip, swimming from boat to boat. There were even some water-pistol fights.
Sailagram: A Snapshot of March Sailing
Welcome back to Sailagram! This month we bring you action and scenery from the 31 days of March. There was lots happening in San Diego at the YC’s Women’s Winter Invitational Regatta. We chose a few photos to include for a snapshot of the fun!
Westwind Yacht Management — Washing, Waxing and Varnishing
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