SAN FRANCISCO AND FOG

Yesterday I visited the sites for bases for the next America’s cup. The fog rolled in and out several times yesterday. Many of us are intrigued about the weather here in San Francisco, if the window for weather will co operate during the racing. These photographs were taken after noon and as you see the fog is ever present.

I JUST WANT TO SEE THE SAILING

I was looking around on the internet for information about parking near Marina Green during the America’s Cup event in August in San Francisco. I still do not know where I can park. In today’s world it is one of the first questions one asks.

MARINA GREEN

 

America’s Cup yacht regatta organizers are attempting to redefine sailing by offering a free show to anyone who can find a clear view of the race course on San Francisco Bay. But that’s not to say race officials will neglect sailing’s historical fan base among the rich.

Last week, the America’s Cup released VIP packages offering prime seating and other perks such as easy parking and wine tastings from top-notch Napa Valley vineyards. You and 10 guests can have all of that — over a four-day period — at a price tag of just $26,000. Individual tickets for the same four-day package will go for $3,000, and
two-day passes will cost $1,500.

The tickets are being offered for the cup’s 2012 events in San Francisco, including a round of races from Aug. 23 through Aug. 26 and another series that coincides with Fleet Week from Oct. 4 through Oct. 7. Those races will involve the AC45 boats, which will be dwarfed in comparison with the 72-foot yachts planned for the America’s Cup finals coming to San Francisco in September 2013.

The VIP area will be set up adjacent to the St. Francis Yacht Club in The City’s Marina district. Promoters have touted the America’s Cup as the third-best international revenue magnet for host cities — outdone only by the
Olympics and the World Cup.

Normally raced on the open ocean, the 2013 edition of the America’s Cup will be available for wider public view because of the highly touted “natural amphitheater” created by the rim of the Bay. For spectators, especially those willing to pay $26,000, organizers are promising a big show.

“The boats are wing-sailed catamarans, capable of sailing twice the windspeed,” says a brochure for the VIP passes. “Sailing fast is easy, maintaining control is critical, and the physical challenge imposed on the athletes is immense.”

dschreiber@sfexaminer.com

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/06/america-s-cup-vip-tickets-going-26000#ixzz227GidBVE

OLYMPIC FEVER

I love watching the Olympics. Ben Anslie is probably the best know name in sailing. He will be in San Francisco four days after he finishes in Weymouth; sailing for Oracle. So much for national pride.
For most of you the idea of sponsorship is an everyday thought. For me, the tiny reference about his coach sailing when there was no sponsorship and you had to make your way on your own resonates. I had qualified, but the idea of asking other people for help so I could go sailing was more than I dared to do. I could not afford to persue that path and had to move on. It is a different world. When I sailed in the America’s Cup it was amateur as well. As one friend said to me:” we were lucky to get a T shirt or a belt.”

ORCAS AT PLAY

Can you imagine steering to Bermuda with this show on the stern? Many thanks to AJ Evans who forwarded the link.

Killers at play: extraordinary photos of orcas chasing down yacht

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Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.Click for more photos

Killer whales play in yacht’s wake

Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico. Photo: Loreto Cast N’ Reel Charters

  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.
  • Orcas surf in the wake of a fishing boat off the coast of Loreto, Baja, Mexico.

Extraordinary pictures of orcas surfing the wake of a boat off the coast of Mexico show the marine mammals playing in jet bubbles and chasing down a yacht.

A fishing company from Loreto, Mexico, runs charters off the Baja Coast. Cast ‘n Reel owner Ashley Ross said it was “magical” to be able to snap the shots they did about a month ago.

“As far as we know this is the first time orcas have surfed the wake of a boat here in Loreto.

“They never played so closely to us. They usually keep their distance until we turn the engines off. Then they circle the boat and even swim underneath,” she said.

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“The orcas that we find here are magical. To see them so happy in their natural state is priceless.”

New Zealand orca expert Jo Halliday said it was not uncommon for orcas to play in the same way dolphins did.

While orcas were normally found in cooler waters near both poles and in the Pacific, Halliday said they were quite happy in temperate waters as well.

While there was no evidence of orcas attacking humans, people should still keep their distance, Halliday said.

While commonly called “killer whales”, orcas are actually large dolphins.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/killers-at-play-extraordinary-photos-of-orcas-chasing-down-yacht-20120725-22ptl.html#ixzz21jg0YHPG

THE RUSSIANS CAME AND THE AMERICA’S CUP ARRIVED

 

The America’s Cup circus arrives from Newport by train in San Francisco. 120 cars.

Ft. Ross was a Russian outpost from 1812 until 1842. California was still Mexican. I find it a fascinating piece of history.

CHINATOWN, SAN FRANCISCO

Anyone who was not chinese had a camera around their neck; I looked just like every other tourist. It is stepping into another world; the sights and colors are exciting. I started out with a different thought for this post and as I began to look over the photos a pattern emerged; the banks. The effort they had made to integrate into the culture I found striking. The churches were another institution that made great efforts to integrate, the exception being the catholic church.

On the square was music and singing, for me one of the areas that made the cultural distinction. It would definitely not be my choice in music.

SATURDAY NIGHT IN PENNGROVE

I have a new camera and last night, Saturday night, in downtown Penngrove, Jake and the band played in the local hotspot. This gave me an opportunity to shoot in very low light conditions. It has been a long time since I was in a place with characters like this; each with a great story. Slim, was ready for anything. A sheath knife on his belt on saturday night,; it would not surprise me if he had an ankle holster with a pistol. In fact I was surprised not to see a six gun on his hip.

The man in the yellow shirt and cowboy hat had recently lost his wife. He was being consoled by the women to his left. It was too soon for his daughter’s likes. The wives and girlfriends of the band cheered every chord. Everyone told us Jake was too good to be playing here. Did Billy Joel write a song about this place?

Every face you see has a story behind it.