October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

— cont’d nereida — cont’d
Speaking of safety, the Mexican Navy
wants all fleet members to know they
have recently expanded their Search
and Rescue fleet dramatically, with new
helicopters and U.S. Coast Guard-style
runabouts, based out of Ensenada, that
are capable of 50 knots. Their personnel
have been trained by the USCG, and all
speak English.
As you'll read in our second installment
of profiles, this year's fleet has some
very interesting characters, and some very
accomplished offshore sailors. We look
forward to meeting them all — in fact, we
can hardly wait for the Ha-Ha to begin.
— andy
SIGHTINGS
We’ll publish Jeanne’s updates periodically, but in the meantime,
you can track her progress — as well as donate to her charity — at
www.svnereida.com.
— ladonna
shake rattle and roll —
remembering the quake of ‘89
No one who experienced the 1989 earthquake in Northern California
will never forget where they were or what they were doing in
the early evening hours of October 17. Though the 6.9 temblor was
not nearly as powerful as the Great Earthquake of 1906 (estimated
to have been a Richter magnitude 7.8), the Loma Prieta quake will
always been the ‘Big One’ of our time.
To refresh your memory: shortly after 5 p.m. on October 17, the San
Andreas fault slipped in an area 10 miles northeast of Santa Cruz. The
actual epicenter was
in Forest of Nisene
Marks State Park, but
the quake soon took
on the name of nearby
Loma Prieta Peak. The
main tremor lasted for
10-15 seconds and,
according to varying
reports, was felt
as far away as San
Diego to the south,
Southern Oregon to
the north, and Western
Nevada. When the
final numbers were
tallied, 63 people had
been killed, more than
The marina fire as seen from the Marin Headlands.
3,700 injured, and upwards of 10,000 left homeless. Some 12,000
homes and 2,600 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Forty buildings
collapsed outright. Most of the fatalities occurred when the top
deck of the double-decker Nimitz Freeway in the East Bay collapsed
onto the bottom deck, crushing scores of cars. The most concentrated
damage occurred in the Marina District of San Francisco, where we
all learned about a thing called ‘liquefaction’, in which landfill over
marshy areas amplifies the shaking — and the destruction. The quake
caused an estimated $6 billion ($10 billion in today’s dollars) in property
damage, becoming one of the most expensive natural disasters
in U.S. history at the time.
Although we ‘covered’ the boating aspect of the quake in our November
issue that year, the reality is that, back then, and for months
to come, sailing didn’t matter. All that mattered was making sure loved
ones were okay, you had someplace warm and dry to sleep, and that
you could put your life back together.
But that was then. On this, the 20th anniversary of Loma Prieta,
we asked readers (via ‘Lectronic Latitude) to remember where they
were and what happened that day — but only if it related to boating.
The stories we got were so great we wonder why we didn’t ask the
same thing years ago. From one couple who completed a 21,000 mile
circumnavigation of the Pacific that day when they sailed under the
Gate to the sailor who helped ferry people to the East Bay, all the
stories were riveting.
Instead of editing them down to fit our space limitations, we’ve
posted the best ones on our website at www.latitude38.com/features/
lomaprieta.html.
— jr
October, 2009 • Latitude 38 • Page 87
LATITUDE / JR