Super Cool from Supercomputers

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At this time of year when everyone seems to be gazing backwards and looking at the big picture of the past year, I thought I’d share a global view of a different sort.  For us sailing nerds, this is amazingly cool (get ready to waste some time).   Click here http://earth.nullschool.net/.

Wow, this is too awesome.  You can view the globe in any projection, and the winds at various altitudes (click the text ‘earth’ to pull up the settings menu).  Move forward in time for the forecasts.  Click on a location, and you get wind speed and direction.  Thanks to our friend Rich, creator of iNavX, for bringing it to our attention!

Anyway, as a final note, we here at J/World want to thank you all for being a part of our team.  We wish all of you and yours a continued happy holiday season, and fantastic new year!

Fair winds, and following seas, as they say.  And maybe you can use the above map to find them!

All the best,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team

Ridiculous…

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Really, it’s just nuts.  Completely ridiculous.  The winter weather in Puerto Vallarta is something to behold. Rick, our lead instructor in PV, has been reporting impeccable sailing conditions which our J/80s have been loving, and yesterday yours truly made it out on the water on the Surfin’ 65 cat Profligate.

Yesterday was the the final day of the Banderas Bay Blast, a fun-focused, low-key ‘race’ spread out over three days which goes harbor/anchorage hoping and serves as a fundraiser for the schoolchildren in the area. It was pretty much a perfect day.  There was a bit of surf out at the starting area.  A great breakfast on the beach.  Then it was out to the boats on a panga (our driver got a bit, shall we say, ‘sporty’ in the surf).  And finally, the headliner, a downwind spinnaker run to Paradise Village.

A fun crew, perfect weather, quick boat, what more could anyone ask for?  Oh yes, the whales…

Lots  of whales playing about.  Tough to see there in the background mostly because the limitations of my phone camera, but you get the idea.

If you want a getaway for some idyllic winter sailing, this really is the spot.  And J World has plenty of options to get you out on the water!

                                             

Sunshine and Daydreams…

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The San Diego Hot Rum is a tremendously fun event…  In the days-long-gone (before the Age of Litigation) the entry fee was a bottle of rum (or a couple, depending on the size of your crew).  While the sailors were finding their way around the racecourse, all the entry fees were ‘compiled’ in large vats, to which copious amount of whatever constitutes ‘hot butter’ were added, and voila…  the makings far a great post race winter party were complete.

Nowadays, everything is pretty much the same.  The boats may be sleeker and faster but the weather and good times persist.  That picture above is San Diego in late November, Hot Rum #2 of 2013, beautiful day, big fleet, and Point Loma lurking in the background.  Somewhere close to 80 degrees.  Not too shabby.

Things running full tilt right now in San Diego and Puerto Vallarta.  Get your sailing on.

Cheers,

Wayne Zittel and the J World Team