WORLD With reports this month on End of Summer Charter Hot Spots, the realization of a dream for two longtime expats in the Rebirth of the Classic Schooner Talofa, and the upset victory of an all-girl team at Antigua Sailing Week.
Hurricanes? What hurricanes? If you're willing to gamble on the weather, you can sail the Caribbean when it's least crowded and save big.
LATITUDE / ANDY
ing that heavy coastal fog tarnishes the memories of many midsummer sailing days all along the coast. In September and October, however, the weather is generally splendid here on the Bay, as well as down the coast at Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and so on. As we often point out in these pages, there is no better sailing destination along the California coast than the Channel Islands, and no more perfect place to practice your cruising skills. While it may not be practical to take your own boat south for a short cruise to the Channel Islands, there are plenty of nice boats for hire in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Marina del Rey, San Diego and elsewhere. We highly recommend that you consider renting one and escape to the islands for some R&R. Many folks think you have to cruise the Pacific Northwest in the middle of summer to get any sunny days. Not true. While it's fair to say that the weather is always 'changeable' up there, it's not as if it suddenly starts storming on September 1 and doesn't let up until the end of May. If anything, it's getting warmer all the time up there. Seriously, that's the big not-so-funny joke among some of the locals in the San Juans: "The upside of global warming is that it gets hotter here every summer." We experienced it ourselves late last summer, with temps in the low 90s two out of seven days. This is not to say there will be tanning
It never gets super crowded in the Pacific Northwest, but after Labor Day, it's especially peaceful. This is Fossil Bay in the San Juans.
LATITUDE / ANDY
Late Summer Sailing Options: It's Not too Late With the turning of the calendar this week, some unfortunate sailors will be stunned to find that it's July already — and summer will soon be half over. Worse yet, they have made absolutely no plans for their annual getaway under sail. Earlier in this issue we made the case for simply cruising the Bay this summer as a substitute for lavish overseas travel. But if that's just not going to cut it for you, we have good news: While it is a bit late for making summer vacation plans, it's not too late! There are still some good boats available in prime summer chartering areas, especially if you can wait until after Labor Day. Actually, there are some strong arguments for doing just that. First of all, of course, you'll find far fewer travelers — by land or sea — after September 1, as schools will be back in session, and many folks simply accept the notion that, "Yup, that's it. Summer's over. Time to get back to work." When actually, some of the nicest sailing conditions in several choice destinations come during the late summer and fall. For starters, let's look at our own California coast. We hate to utter the 'F' word in print, but there's no deny-
weather on Thanksgiving, but during the 'shoulder season' at the end of summer, with any luck, you'll get plenty of sunny days for splendid, uncrowded cruising. Maine, too, is a place to consider for a short while after Labor Day. There are bareboat rentals, of course, but in that venue we'd probably prefer to sail aboard one of the area's classic 'Windjammers' — refit originals or replicas of New England's storied coastal schooners. Their schedules run through the end of September. How cool would it be to be sailing aboard one on September 19, which is, of course, Talk Like a Pirate Day? For us Left Coasters, who, sadly, have few cultural relics that date back more than 150 years, the Chesapeake River estuary is a wonderful place to sail, as it is chock full of reminders of the colonial, or pre-revolutionary, era. Towns such as Oxford and St. Michaels still have many