GRAND MARINA HAS GREAT VIEWS, GREAT WEATHER AND A COMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE.
Close to most destinations of the bay. Plus the island of Alameda is the mecca of marine services and great weather with plenty of restaurants and bars to kick back after a day on the bay.
Follow your compass rose to Grand Marina.
Give us a call to find out how you can get a complimentary weekend stay this summer.
F Prime deep water double-fingered concrete slips from 30' to 100'.
F Guest berthing available for a weekend or any day getaway.
F Complete bathroom and shower facility, heated and tiled.
F Free pump-out station open 24/7.
F Full-service Marine Center and haulout facility.
F Free parking.
F Free on-site WiFi.
And much more...
Directory of Grand Marina Tenants
Alameda Canvas and Coverings
Alameda Marine Metal Fabrication
Atomic Tuna Yachts
BAE Boats
Boat Yard at Grand Marina, The Blue Pelican Marine
MarineLube
510.865.1200
Leasing Office Open Monday thru Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 2099 Grand Street, Alameda, CA 94501 www.grandmarina.com
Mike Elias Boatworks
Mosely’s Café
New Era Yachts
Pacifi c Crest Canvas
UK Sailmakers
BOAT LOANS
Cover: Happy Fourth of July! A tight finish between Freda B and Briar Rose in the Master Mariners Regatta.
Photo by Martha Blanchfield
RUBICON YACHTS
(3) 42' AquaLodge Houseboats
55’ WATERLINE STEEL PILOThOUSE, 2000
$449,000
Emery Cove (510) 601-5010
55’ TAYANA 55, 1983
40’ ISLAND PACkET CUTTER, 1998
2020 - $115,000 ea. Mark Miner (415) 290-1347
$379,000
$199,000 Emery Cove (510) 601-5010 40
$169,000
Emery Cove (510) 601-5010
$599,000
$149,000
40’
$149,000
(510) 601-5010
Thoughtfully designed and beautifully finished inside and out, the Aqua Lodge features fiberglass pontoons, a wood-beamed lofted ceiling, a fully appointed galley, and a full bath with residential-sized fixtures. The main salon is open and bright, while the master stateroom features a panoramic water view and a private deck. With the cost of building on the waterfront ever increasing, the Aqua Lodge is an affordable alternative. We currently have three (3) identical Floating Cottages available at $115,000. each. These are new houseboats that have never been used. With the acquisition of all three one could start a unique Air B&B type business in a nice location.
NOTE: There is no propulsion included. An outboard engine could be installed on the bracket but, these boats are not equipped with any propulsion. They would need to be towed or trucked to their destination.
Emery Cove (510) 601-5010 38’ IRWIN CENTER COCkPIT, 1983
$125,000
Cove (510) 601-5010
Cove (510) 601-5010
40’ OCEANIS CENTER COCkPIT, 2000
$119,000 Emery Cove (510) 601-5010
38’ S WAN 38, 1974
$125,000 Emery Cove (510) 601-5010
Thoughtfully designed and beautifully finished inside and out, the Aqua Lodge features fiberglass pontoons, a wood-beamed lofted ceiling, a fully appointed galley, and a full bath with residential-sized fixtures. The main salon is open and bright, while the master stateroom features a panoramic water view and a private deck. With the cost of building on the waterfront ever increasing, the Aqua Lodge is an affordable alternative. We currently have three (3) identical Floating Cottages available at $115,000. each. These are new houseboats that have never been used. With the acquisition of all three one could start a unique Air B&B type business in a nice location.
33’ MASON 33, 1985
NOTE: There is no propulsion included. An outboard engine could be installed on the bracket but, these boats are not equipped with any propulsion. They would need to be towed or trucked to their destination.
32’
$69,000
$60,000
RUBICON YACHTS
Cove (510) 601-5010
CALENDAR
Non-Race
July 3-31 — StFYC Wednesday Yachting Luncheon, noon. Archived on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/3kbp3vdh.
July 4 — Independence Day.
July 4 — Hilton Foundation Fireworks Show, Venice Island, San Joaquin River, dusk.
July 6 — Free Fishing Day, California. CDFW, https:// wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing/Free-Fishing-Days
July 6-27 — Small Boat Sailing, South Beach Harbor, San Francisco, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, weather permitting. Free, but sign up in advance. BAADS, www.baads.org/sailing.
July 7-28 — Keelboat Sailing, South Beach Harbor, San Francisco, noon-5 p.m. Sundays, weather permitting. Free, but sign up in advance. BAADS, www.baads.org/sailing.
July 18-25 — Salish 100 Small Boat Cruise, Olympia to Port Townsend, WA. NW Maritime, www.nwmaritime.org.
July 21 — Open House/Introductory Sail, Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, www.cal-sailing.org.
July 21 — Full Buck Moon on a Sunday.
July 23-25 — ILCA Gorge Training Camp, Cascade Locks, OR. With coach Anna Tobias. CGRA, www.cgra.org.
July 30-Aug. 1 — ILCA Masters Training Camp, Cascade Locks, OR. With coach Al Clark. CGRA, www.cgra.org
Aug. 3 — Maritime Day, Galilee Harbor, Sausalito. Info, www.galileeharbor.org
Aug. 9-10 — 50th Lake Tahoe Concourse d'Elegance, Obexer's, Homewood. Info, www.laketahoeconcours.com
Aug. 10 — Marine Swap Meet, Afterguard Sailing Academy, Oakland, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $15 for a booth; free admission & free popcorn. Info, (510) 535-1954 or info@afterguard.net
Aug. 10 — Taste of the Delta, Windmill Cove Marina, Stockton, 1-4 p.m. Fundraiser for the Delta Chambers. $45$50. Info, www.tasteofthedelta.com
Aug. 10 — Hot Summer Nights along the San Joaquin River in Stockton. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org
Racing
July 4 — Brothers & Sisters Race around the eponymous islands north of the Richmond Bridge. TYC, www.tyc.org.
July 4 — Stars & Stripes. CPYC, www.cpyc.com.
July 4 — Fourth of July Regatta for juniors. EYC, www. encinal.org.
July 4 — Fireworks Folly. SFYC, www.sfyc.org.
July 6 — Single/Doublehanded Series. BenYC, www. beniciayachtclub.org.
July 6 — Twin Island. SYC, www.sausalitoyachtclub.org.
July 6 — In the Bay #3, South Bay. YRA, www.yra.org.
July 6 — MBYRA Firecracker. SCYC, www.scyc.org.
July 6, 20, Aug. 11 — Bender Series on Tomales Bay. InvYC, www.invernessyachtclub.com.
July 6-7 — Founders' Regatta. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org.
Take the helm
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Take advantage of programs from beginning to advanced on the largest newest fleet on the Bay. Join the club for exclusive access to events, flotillas and more. Members enjoy 40% off charter rates!
CALENDAR
July 7 — Women's Day Race. MPYC, www.mpyc.org.
July 7, 21 — Club Series. CYC, www.cyc.org.
July 9 — Cup Boat Regatta on Folsom Lake. FLYC, www. flyc.org.
July 12-14 — Santa Cruz 27 Nationals on Lake Tahoe. Tahoe YC, www.tahoeyc.com or www.sc27.org.
July 12-14 — Melges 24 Nationals. Santa Barbara YC, www.sbyc.org.
July 13 — Summer Series, Redwood City. SeqYC, www. sequoiayc.org
July 13 — Cal Cup Windsurfers. BYC, www.berkeleyyc.org.
July 22-27 — Governor's Cup youth match-racing regatta, Corona del Mar. Balboa YC, www.govcupracing.com.
July 26-28 — Columbia Gorge One Design Regatta (CGOD)/ILCA District 22 Championship, Cascade Locks, OR. CGRA, www.cgra.org
July 26-28 — High Sierra Regatta/Nationals for Mercurys. Info, http://mercury-sail.com.
July 27 — YRA Encinal Regatta. YRA, www.yra.org
July 27 — SF Classic/UN Challenge. StFYC, www.stfyc.com
July 27 — Lighthouse Race on the Carquinez Strait & San Pablo Bay. BenYC, www.beniciayachtclub.org
Happy Independence Day
CALENDAR
Arctic Raven is a performance cruising sloop designed by Robert H. Perry. This SAGA 48 (hull #2) was launched in 2004 by SAGA Marine in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada and was awarded Cruising World’s “Best Full-sized Cruiser” that year. She continues to impress. Power winches for sail management, dual helms, and space to move in the cockpit make sailing a dream. The headroom and light below are unique, making it a pleasure when below. The raised interior navigation position means you stay warm and dry on rainy cruising days. The forward cabin sports a king-sized berth, lots of storage and its own head. The galley is e cient with both a refrigerator and freezer and four-burner Force-10 range. Arctic Raven’s owner has lavished improvements on her over the past three years, including new standing rigging, B&G radar and chartplotter, new Perry-designed carbon rudder, rebuilt Westerbeke engine and other extensive systems upgrades.
July 27 — Doublehanded Long Distance #2. SSC, www. stocktonsc.org.
July 27-28 — Summer Keel. SFYC, www.sfyc.org.
July 28 — Estuary Extravaganza. EYC/IYC/OYC, www. jibeset.net
July 28 — Baxter-Judson Series Race #4. PresYC, www. presidioyachtclub.org
July 29-Aug. 1 — INSA Junior Sabot Nationals in San Diego. SDYC, www.sdyc.org.
Aug. 2-4 — Skamania Coves Invitational for ILCA Masters and Tasars, Cascade Locks, OR. CGRA, www.cgra.org.
Aug. 3 — Women Skippers Regatta. Coed crews OK. SYC, www.sausalitoyachtclub.org.
Aug. 3 — BAYS Summer #3 (kids). SFYC, www.sfyc.org.
Aug. 3 — Delta Dinghy Ditch Race and Cruising Rally, Rio Vista to West Sacramento on the Sacramento River Deep Water Channel. LWSC, www.lwsailing.org.
Aug. 3 — Singlehanded Regatta on Folsom Lake. FLYC, www.flyc.org.
Aug. 3-4 — Melges 24 PCCs. RYC, www.richmondyc.org
Aug. 3-4 — South Bay Championship/Open 5.70 North Americans. SeqYC, www.sequoiayc.org.
Aug. 3-4 — Overnight Race, Stockton-Antioch-Stockton. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org.
Aug. 3-4 — Santanarama in Pebble Beach. Stillwater YC, www.sycpb.org.
Aug. 4 — Doublehanded Races on Lake Tahoe. SLTWYC, www.sltwyc.com.
Aug. 5-8 — Chubb US Youth Triplehanded Championship for the Sears Cup in J/22s. SDYC, www.sdyc.org.
Aug. 9-10 — Laser Nationals in Corona del Mar. Balboa YC, www.balboayachtclub.com.
Aug. 9-11 — Summer Wingding/US Sailing Wingfoil Championships/S.F. Bay Challenge. StFYC, www.stfyc.com.
Aug. 10 — Great S.F. Schooner Race & Belvedere Classic. SFYC, www.sfyc.org
Aug. 10 — Round the Rock. BVBC, www.bvbc.org
Aug. 10 — Dave & Kay Few Regatta. CPYC, www.cpyc.com.
Aug. 10 — Sail Benicia. BenYC, www.beniciayachtclub.org
Aug. 10-11 — YRA/SSS Drake's Bay Race. Info, www. sfbaysss.org, www.yra.org or www.jibeset.net.
Aug. 10-11 — Classic Boat Invitational #2. SYC, www. sausalitoyachtclub.org.
Aug. 11 — Gracie & George doublehanded coed race (Gracie drives). EYC, www.encinal.org.
Aug. 11 — Day on Monterey Bay to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. SCYC, www.scyc.org.
Aug. 11 — PHRF Fall 1 & 2. MPYC, www.mpyc.org.
Beer Can Series
BAY VIEW BOAT CLUB — Monday Night Madness: 7/22, 8/5, 8/19, 9/2, 9/16, 9/30. Nick, (510) 459-1337 or www. bvbc.org
yachts. www.swiftsureyachts.com
BENICIA YC — Every Thursday night through 9/26. Steve, (415) 238-3977 or beniciayachtclubracing@gmail.com
BERKELEY YC — Every Friday night through 9/27. Tim, (530) 919-9781 or www.berkeleyyc.org
CAL SAILING CLUB — Year-round Sunday morning dinghy races, intraclub only. Info, www.cal-sailing.org.
com facebook.com/swiftsureyachts
THE CLUB AT WESTPOINT — Friday Fun: 7/5, 7/19, 8/2, 8/16, 9/6, 9/27. Larry, (650) 888-2324 or www.jibeset.net.
CORINTHIAN YC — Every Friday night through 8/30. Marcus, (415) 435-4771, racing@cyc.org or www.cyc.org
COYOTE POINT YC — Sunset Sail, every Wednesday through 10/23. Mark, (408) 718-1742 or www.cpyc.com
FOLSOM LAKE YC — Every Wednesday through 8/28. Info, www.flyc.org.
GOLDEN GATE YC — Friday nights: 7/19, 8/2, 8/16, 9/6. Paul, (415) 867-9022 or www.jibeset.net
ISLAND YC — Island Nights, Fridays: 7/5, 7/19, 8/2, 8/16, 8/30. Ed, (775) 336-7398 or www.iyc.org
KONOCTI BAY SC — OSIRs (Old Salts in Retirement) every Wednesday at noon, year round. Info, www.kbsail.org.
LAKE WASHINGTON SC — Every Thursday night through 10/3. Mark, owing78@yahoo.com or www.lwsailing.org.
LAKE YOSEMITE SA — Every Thursday night through Sept. Dennis, (209) 722-1947 or www.lakeyosemitesailing.org.
MONTEREY PENINSULA YC — Sunset Series, every Wednesday through 10/9. Mark, (831) 236-5191 or www. mpyc.org
OAKLAND YC — Sweet 16 Series, every Wednesday through 8/28. Debby, (510) 390-1620 or www.jibeset.net
RICHMOND YC — Every Wednesday through 9/25. Fred, (510) 612-2426 or www.richmondyc.org
ST. FRANCIS YC — J/22 Summer Series, Wednesdays: 7/10, 7/17, 7/24. Knarrs, Folkboats & J/22s every Wednesday 7/31-8/14. Foiling Kite, Windsurf, Wing, every Thursday night 7/18-8/22. Friday Night Foiling Windsurf, Wing: 7/19, 8/16. Info, (415) 563-6363 or www.stfyc.com.
Zepp Sticks®
Zepp Sticks®
Zepp Sticks®
SANTA CRUZ YC — Every Tuesday night through 11/5. Every Wednesday night through 10/30. Info, www.scyc.org.
The innovative and cost-effective system for easy mainsail furling on sailboats.
When moored, Zepp Sticks may be converted into a framework for a sunshade.
The innovative and cost-effective system for easy mainsail furling on sailboats. When moored, Zepp Sticks may be converted into a framework for a sunshade.
The innovative and cost-effective system for easy mainsail furling on sailboats. When moored, Zepp Sticks may be converted into a framework for a sunshade.
SEQUOIA YC — Sunset Series, every Wednesday through 10/2. Andrew, (408) 858-8385, www.sequoiayc.org or www. jibeset.net.
✓ Easy to install & reliable
✓ Easy to install & reliable
✓ Easy to install & reliable
SOUTH BEACH YC — Friday Night Series: 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/16, 8/23. Mike, (650) 823-1131 or www.southbeachyachtclub.org.
✓ No lines or complicated mechanisms to foul the mainsail
✓ No lines or complicated mechanisms to foul the mainsail
✓ No lines or complicated mechanisms to foul the mainsail
✓ No compromises to performance of mainsail
✓ No compromises to performance of mainsail
✓ No compromises to performance of mainsail
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE WINDJAMMERS YC — Every Wednesday night through 10/9. Sam, (530) 318-3068 or www.sltwyc.com.
STOCKTON SC — Every Wednesday night through 8/28. Andy, (209) 483-3677 or www.stocktonsc.org.
FOR MORE INFO
FOR MORE INFO
FOR MORE INFO
Use the handy QR code
Use the handy QR code
Use the handy QR code
Visit Us : www.zeppsticks.com
Visit Us : www.zeppsticks.com
Visit Us : www.zeppsticks.com
TAHOE YC — Lasers, every Monday night through 8/26. Dick Ferris Summer Beer Can Series, every Wednesday though 8/28. Dan, (530) 583-9111 or www.tahoeyc.com.
Email Us : zeppsticks@gmail.com
Email Us : zeppsticks@gmail.com
Email Us : zeppsticks@gmail.com
TIBURON YC — Every Friday night 7/26-8/30. Rob, (415) 577-7199 or www.tyc.org.
TREASURE ISLAND SC — Vanguard 15 Team Racing every Tuesday night through 10/1. Vanguard 15 fleet races, every Thursday night through 9/5. Info, https://vanguard15.org.
VALLEJO YC — Every Wednesday night through 9/25. Mark, (916) 835-2613, www.vyc.org or www.jibeset.net
In the Tropics
July 15, 17, 19 — Pacific Cup starts from San Francisco, bound for Kaneohe, Oahu. PCYC, https://pacificcup.org.
Oct. 6 — Todos Santos Regatta, Ensenada. Counterclockwise race around Todos Santos Islands. Club Náutico Baja, https://clubnauticobaja.mx or clubnauticobaja@gmail.com
Nov. 4-16 — Baja Ha-Ha XXX (but still PG-rated), San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with stops in Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria. Registration will close on Sept. 4. Info, www. baja-haha.com
Please send your calendar items by the 10th of the month
Zepp Sticks® is a product of Zepp Sticks LLC
CALENDAR
to calendar@latitude38.com. Please, no phone-ins! Calendar listings are for marine-related events that are free or don't cost much to attend. The Calendar is not meant to support commercial enterprises.
July Weekend Tides
Predictions for Station 9414290, San Francisco (Golden Gate) date/day time/ht. time/ht. time/ht. time/ht.
July Weekend Currents
NOAA Predictions for .88 NM NE of the Golden Gate Bridge
Seasonal, like the flu. It starts as an idea slowly followed by a plan, which, despite the identical ingress and egress of years past, is unique in some way from all the others. A fresh piece of gear, a new friend on a buddy boat, perhaps a slight change of course.
Like the layers and anticipation of a children's art book, the island slowly reveals itself. At first, a shadow draped in the marine layer, then an outline, and by mid-channel, a sketch. By early afternoon, a black and white drawing, some hints of sepia. By 2 p.m. or a beer, whichever comes first, it is a photo followed shortly thereafter by a reality. An outstretched hand of an old friend that never grows old and never stays young.
Jordan Geller, MD Althea, WD Schock Harbor 25 Marina del Rey
⇑⇓ baJa ha-ha VeteraNs
Mai Tardis II sailed out of San Diego as a part of the 1998 Ha-Ha! We left with a fleet of 82 boats and enjoyed the entire trip. Bahia Tortuga was great, as were our other stops, all ending in Cabo San Lucas. (Cabo had grown since my previous stop several years prior on a yacht delivery/retuning a yacht to San Diego.) In 1998, we settled in Puerto Vallarta for the next nine years.
Thanks to the Ha-Ha we had experiences we never would have otherwise. We wish the best to all who make the voyage. Latitude 38 continues to be the best.
Rick & Penny Rienks Mai Tardis II, Cascade 36 West Coast
⇑⇓ our boat, AND other people's
The Baja Ha-Ha is one of the highlights of our sailing lives. We did the 2000 Ha-Ha on a friend's boat, 2004 on ours, and 2005 on a friend's again. We are still cruising, and have our flag and hat (misspelled) from 2004.
Rob & Linda Jones Catnabout
⇑⇓ cruiser curreNcy (literally)
Parrot Head is a 2018 Baja Ha-Ha veteran. It was a great experience, and we are excited to be doing it again. This time we will bring plenty of $1s, $5s and $10s, because ATMs are
Catalina Island, revealing herself in February 2023, with Dr. Jordan Geller's Schock Harbor 25 'Althea' as the audience.
david BLaKe Fischer
Water, water, everywhere
control panel for modular installations
Whether you take friends away for short trips or are a full time cruiser circumnavigating the globe, a Rainman watermaker provides flexibility and greater enjoyment. It eliminates range anxiety with an endless supply of fresh water.
Powered by AC electric, gasoline, or 12VDC, we offer watermaker options for either portable or installed systems. Installations can be either framed or modular format.
Rainman manufactures to a high build quality, making for a system with maximum reliability, easy serviceability, and low life cycle cost. Our strong service reputation is backed by over 85 dealers around the world.
PETROL (GASOLINE) AC ELECTRIC 12VDC
LETTERS
nonexistent until Cabo.
⇑⇓ No coNtessa
Steve Kittle
I recognized a Contessa 35 at Vallejo YC yesterday. Margie Woods and I had just got back from the Bay; we ended up in Vallejo on Sunday night. Next time, we plan to get an earlier start and go up to either Petaluma or Napa River.)
Remember my dad's article last year about his Contessa 35? This is a sister ship, the original Black Magic that I had last seen in Stockton about 20 years ago in bad need of some TLC. The new owner has restored her, and she looks great. It must have been a big project.
Brendan Huffman Siren, Santa Cruz 33 North Bay
⇑⇓ to bash or Not to bash? or to clipper route?
In various descriptions of the "Clipper Route" a key factor is simply ignored or left out by accident. But, it is critical to what is going on. It's the position and size of the Pacific High Pressure zone. [Beau is commenting on the June issue's Sightings: The Mini-Clipper Route, aka an alternate route to sail north from the equator to San Francisco.] Every Transpac and Pacific Cup racer knows that it's key NOT to sail too close to the Pacific High, because the wind will get light. What every northbound sailor should know is that this is precisely what you want to find.
The Pacific High doesn't have a sharp edge. The wind speed drops steadily over a period of a day or two as you approach it or — and this bit really matters — as it approaches you. The edges of the Pacific High are quite clearly drafted on the regular weather faxes from NOAA, and well worth checking. But, if you're the sort who wants to do this the hard way, you can always use the technique the clipper skippers would use. Here are the rules: 1) Sail on the wind toward the west. (This would be a tight reach for a modern boat; remember, these rules are for square-rigged ships that can't sail higher than 60° to the wind.) Choose a wind angle that gets your boat moving and keeps you fairly comfortable.
2) As you get 50 to 80 miles offshore from Cabo, the wind will start to back and you'll be lifted. It will also start to get lighter. Just keep going until the wind speed drops to the point where you feel like you're going too slow. For many, this is about 10 knots of wind.
3) Once you've hit your minimum desired wind speed,
Fred Huffman wrote about the Contessa 35 'La Diana' in 'Lectronic Latitude in February 2023. Fred's son Brendan recently found 'La Diana's restored sister ship at the docks in Vallejo. Fred h u FF man
Photo By Slackwater_SF
Dry Storage Available Power and Sail
LETTERS
•
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tack and start sailing on the wind. The lighter wind speed should have a corresponding reduction in the sea state, so you can sail a little higher now without being uncomfortable.
4) As soon as the wind gets up to your target maximum wind speed, you've sailed too far from the Pacific High and it's time to tack back onto starboard. For many boats, this is about 20 knots of wind. (Choose what works for you.)
5) You're now basically sailing along the edge of the Pacific High. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are in a position where you expect to sail on a beam reach into where you're going. Then, crack off to a beam reach and rip on in to shore.
6) For a trip to San Diego, it's not really worth going all the way out to the Pacific High, but it's well worth going 70 or 80 miles out to where the wind gets lighter. For a trip to L.A., it's worth going a bit farther out. But — and this matters — for a trip to San Francisco, it is a giant win to make your distance to the north in the light winds along the edge of the Pacific High. This is because there are strong winds along the California coast from Point Conception north to Cypress Point in Monterey Bay. These conditions are seriously worth avoiding. Similarly, if you're going to Seattle, it's even more important! The winds along the coast, north of San Francisco up to the middle of Washington state, are to be avoided if possible. Far easier to sail along the edge of the Pacific High in the chosen lightwind band.
A delivery captain and veteran of dozens of Baja Bashes, Stephen Mann wrote in March 2021 about sailors' two main options for traveling north along Baja California, repeating the main theme of this Letters' thread. "The main [option], advanced by magazines, Baja guides and many other delivery skippers, is putting the pedal to the metal and motoring a mostly straight-line course against wind and waves. If you do it this way, you will definitely 'bash and crash', put unnecessary hours and fuel usage on the engine, and possibly blow out (stretch) the leech of the mainsail by the time you make San Diego by strapping it in hard to ease the rolling. The other option is the Clipper Route, so named for the square riggers that came up the coast engineless by sailing halfway to Hawaii first."
Final Note: When the clipper Flying Cloud set her first NY-to-S.F. record, she did exactly this to get north. She then set an even faster record by sailing this extra distance and avoiding the strong NW winds along the coast. The fun fact is that her navigator was a woman, the skipper's wife Eleanor Cressy. She had learned these wind patterns from talking to a variety of skippers and put them to excellent use.
Beau Vrolyk Schooner Mayan Santa Cruz
⇑⇓ from the mouth of a pNW siNglehaNder
A Seattle sailor I've discussed these routes with has done the Clipper Route 700 miles offshore several times singlehanded: Beam reach much of the way, and go offshore, then onshore.
Ijon Lynker Everett, Washington
THE FINEST SAILS BEGIN WITH THE BEST SAILCLOTH
Great Job Randall on the Figure Eight Voyage. Sixty thousand miles in the world's toughest oceans with Hood Sails.
Our patented woven Vektron® sailcloth performs like the laminates with the durability of Dacron®, especially in roller furling applications. In fact, Vektron® is lighter, lower stretch, and retains its shape over a longer life than any sailcloth we've ever offered to cruising sailors. That's because Hood Vektron® is woven, not laminated to Mylar® film. And you can be sure that each sail we roll out is built by hand, with the same care and craftsmanship that has been the Hood hallmark since 1952. To discuss your sailcloth needs – whether our state-ofthe-art Vektron® or our soft, tight-weave Dacron® – give us a call today.
Mōli, Randall Reeves with Full Batten Mainsail, 125% Genoa and Solent Jib
38
LETTERS
⇑⇓ bashiNg aNd cold turKey
Two friends and I made the bash in an Island Packet 40 a number of years back. Wind and current were on the nose. We motorsailed with the main up. Some of the "bashes" would take the speed over ground to ZERO. We stopped in Mag Bay and Turtle Bay, hung out on the south side of Cedros near a fish camp as weather went over us, then went around the island and on to Ensenada. We did lose a pump belt and sailed away from the lee shore until the engine was running again.
This was late November; we had canned turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. It got cold from Cedros on north.
Ed Clough
⇑⇓ offshore as We speaK
A friend is three days into the journey from La Paz to San Francisco on his Ericson. He is "Clipper Routing," and posting some videos of great sailing using his Starlink satellite connection. In the last one, he was about 150 miles west of Cabo and hauling the mail.
Interesting fact: He is moving the boat to San Francisco Bay because it is cheaper to keep it there than in La Paz.
Douglas R. Thorne
⇑⇓ "it's Just proper etiQuette to treat the creW to diNNer," said maX ebb aNd lee helm iN the may issue of LATITUDE
Good advice. It's especially cost-effective for singlehanded racers.
Max Crittenden Solar Wind, Martin 32 Latitude Nation
Max — I think I want to start racing singlehanded so that I can eat better and not have to share food with the other scalliwags onboard.
Michael Bender
⇑⇓ a feW more commeNts about ais beiNg reQuired by the yra for offshore races
As a racer, I wholeheartedly support the decision to require AIS. Thanks you, YRA, for making racing safe. Peter Weigt Ferox, Pogo 36
Skippers, crew and lots of drinks were flowing at the Vallejo Yacht Club some years ago.
LETTERS
⇑⇓ miNimum poWer, maXimum safety
I feel much safer knowing the big ships can see me via AIS in the fog, and I can see them. My Raymarine AIS uses minimal power, and I installed a dedicated AIS antenna off the pulpit no problems.
Chad Peddy Alameda
⇑⇓ the mare islaNd causeWay bridge Was Not operatiNg iN late may. sailors shared their eXperieNces of NaVigatiNg the Napa riVer
In March, I was transiting up to Napa Valley with my sloop, which has a mast clearance of 45 feet. It became a real nail-biter.
You need to call the bridge operators on the cell phone to let them know that you'll be transiting. I was heading from the Mare Island channel up into the Napa River with what seemed to be about a 5-plus-knot flood. We had planned our trip well from San Francisco and we were making a good 7 to 8 knots SOG most of the way on the huge flood.
It seemed to take forever for the bridge to start on its way up, and even in neutral, for us to slow down, our approach seemed much faster than planned. The engine was reversed to aid slowing us down, but it didn't seem to help much because of the strong flood tide.
A good 10 minutes after the call, and with the engine in full reverse, we were still making fast progress toward the bridge, which we only seemed to clear by a couple of feet. For a reason I don't understand, there are no markings on the bridge to show transiting vessels the clearance level.
So remember my warning that if you do plan on heading up that way, be clear on how strong the tides can be, and that you have plenty of time to reach your mast-clearance level.
Richard Leevey Artisan Marine
Richard — Even worse is the Brazos Railroad Bridge upstream from the Mare Isand Causeway, which is also unmarked with clearance distances.
I had occasion to pass under that bridge a few years ago with my sloop having a 47-foot clearance requirement. The bridge was only partially raised, and I could see a person moving around on the bridge. I wanted to phone him, but was unable to find the number. I approached slowly and cautiously, and cleared the bridge OK, but a bigger boat going the opposite direction wasn't so lucky. We watched him scrape probably $1,000 worth of electronics off the top of his mast.
After this incident, I tried in vain to obtain the phone number for that bridge; I can't believe it's unobtainable —
Be warned, be aware of the current, and be ready to put the engine in reverse when approaching the Mare Island Causeway Bridge. citY
vaLLeJO
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this seems like a public safety issue to me.
William Crowley Napa
⇑⇓ WheN birds Visit
Pelican visits on private yachts (fishing boats receive them more often, I heard) don't seem to be that rare. It happened to us as well on the way back from Drake's Bay a couple of years ago. That young pelican sat next to me while I steered my Vidö for about half an hour before he decided to leave. I have a lovely picture of this event — but I can't show it here in the comment section. He seemed to be quite happy enjoying the ride. A lovely bird!
Sandy Andersen Wertanen
Sandy was commenting on the May 29 'Lectronic Latitude: Briar Rose and the Brown Pelican — A True Story.
In May, Jack Sloane and his crew Richard vonEhrenkrook (pictured) were sailing from Bodega Bay
San Francisco Bay for the Master Mariners Regatta on Sloane's Tahiti Ketch 'Briar Rose' when they were visited by a large brown pelican. The bird lingered for some time.
⇑⇓ a delightful distractioN
On a breezy day, 1,000 miles into a Pacific crossing on our 35-ft cutter rig, we had a visit from a small egret. She stayed forward, far from us and sheltered on deck beside our overturned dinghy for a day. It was a delightful distraction, she apparently needed a rest from a long flight. The next day she was gone.
Judy Martin McCandless Author of Workaholics Adrift
⇑⇓ albatrosses aNd aNcieNt mariNers
While serving in the US Navy, we were returning to Hawaii from Japan when, on the morning of the second day at sea, an albatross hooked up with us and landed on our signal bridge. The bird would rest, then fly above us, and then roost on our signal bridge at night. When we passed just south of Midway Island, the bird lifted off and flew in a circle and peeled off northward. This was in April 1974 aboard the fleet tug USS Takelma ATF-113.
John Smith US Navy, Retired
⇑⇓ a little distaNce = a huge chaNge iN persoNality/approachability
When you're a little offshore, all sorts of birds will decide you're their friend, and jump on board for hours or days. It's kind of fun to have some passerine that, on shore, wouldn't
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to
Briar rOse
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let you within 30 feet, decide to share a cockpit.
Russell Turpin
⇑⇓ to the bat boat!
Never had a bird hitch a ride, but we had a bat attach itself to the mast one day, way offshore. He left at dusk.
Kris Williams
⇑⇓ pelicaNs … aNd chicKeNs?
While anchored in San Simeon (north of Morro Bay), I was cooking on the small grill on the aft deck of my Farallon Clipper Mistress when a pelican landed right next to the BBQ. I happened to be below getting the chicken ready to grill, and the bird stood right in the middle of the companionway. I could not go up, as it kept sending its sharp bill into my face. The only thing I could do is go and use the forward hatch. I went aft and tried to send it away but gave up.
I put some chicken on the grill and the bird sat and watched. I gave it a small piece that I washed in salt water and it lifted its head and swallowed it. What a suprise!
The bird finally left.
Jim Shubin Bay Area
⇑⇓ aNother diNNer guest
I was trolling for salmon off Rocky Point on my Newport 30 about 10 years ago when a juvenile pelican landed on our cabin. He stayed with us for half an hour. We offered him several anchovies before he decided to take flight.
A memorable day on the ocean.
⇑⇓ Very sad
Randy Grenier
We were visited by a pelican somewhere in the South Pacific, long ago, that had a hole in its bill. We assumed he was slowly starving because the fish he caught probably dropped through the hole. He left after about an hour. Very sad.
Dean
Dietrich Blackhawk, J/105
⇑⇓ a taNgeNt off the bird thread
This is amazing that this story [Briar Rose and the Brown Pelican — A True Story] showed up in my email just now.
First of all, Rich vonEhrenkrook is my brother-in-law, whom I have not seen in decades. Secondly, I was on a boat, Zanadu, in the Master Mariners Regatta in San Francisco Bay in 1976. We won, and I went on to crew (signed on as
The 'Briar Rose' pelican was such a charming and precocious fellow that we felt he deserved another photo.
Briar rOse
cook) on that boat to Hawaii. (It was my first experience out of S.F. Bay!)
After a disastrous start, breaking a piece in the steering mechanism just after entering the coastal currents, losing radio contact with the US Coast Guard after giving our navigational position, and then finding all the flares we tried to shoot up were old and non-functional, we limped our way back in to Pelican Harbor in Sausalito (with the help of the Coast Guard). What a godsend that was! We ordered a new piece, repaired the broken part, got a new captain, thank God, and went on to sail to Hawaii, making our landfall in 15 days, and thus beginning an amazing adventure of my sailing career.
I eventually sailed to New Zealand. After landing in French Polynesia, I retired from sailing, heading to the mountains for a while. I would love to hear from Rich vonEhrenkrook (there can only be one!), find out how he got into sailing, and reunite with him. I'd also love to hear from Billy Martinelli, who originally got me into sailing all those years ago.
Golde Wallingford
⇑⇓ QuiNN's lighthouse closed permaNeNtly, theN reopeNed agaiN
We ate at Quinn's last night and heard The Sons of the Buccaneers sing. Great food, especially the lobster ravioli. We're so lucky we were there on a Thursday night. Piccolo player sat at our table to talk and play a little. I was able to tell my pirate joke to all.
Joe DeJournette
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⇑⇓ goiNg electric
I converted my Catalina 34 MkII to a 20kW Electric Yacht system four years ago, and I too am very happy. It has worked perfectly, with zero maintenance, and the regenerative charging feature while sailing means that I often come back with a nearly fully charged set of batteries.
Richard McCluney
⇑⇓ the art aNd beauty of sailiNg oN display at emery coVe
We called Emery Cove Yacht Harbor home for almost seven years, raising our daughter aboard our 37-ft sailboat. We spent many days in this very spot and can't wait to come back to see all the beautiful work that's been done. What a huge accomplishment! Good job to Diane and the whole crew at ECYH! We miss our boat family!
Tight Little Tribe
The Tribe was commenting on the May 29 'Lectronic with the same name as this letter.
Good job, Diane [Isley, the harbormaster at Emery Cove Yacht Harbor]! We had such a great time living at EC on our catamaran MagnifiCat for almost two years!
Maria Keenan
Emery Cove Yacht Harbor recently renovated the entire marina, initiating a requirement for them to spend money on art.
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⇑⇓ uNiVersity of WashiNgtoN studeNt yacht club may be shut doWN folloWiNg repairs
Sounds like the same issue Cal Sailing had with the City of Berkeley Marina where they wanted to take wet slips away from Cal Sailing, even though the marina is not near capacity. Make a fuss, be a pain, maybe things will change.
Andy Newell
Andy — WYC is facing the Athletic Department juggernaut (which is strategically wielding soft power behind the scenes) which really likes to take over the waterfront a few times in the fall so people can raft up for football games.
Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on campus that is not governed by the university powers that be adds an additional layer of complications for WYC, which hasn't won allies on campus by having existed for several decades before the creation of UW bureaucracy like the Student Activities Office and the Recreational Sports Department.
⇑⇓ it's alright, ma (i'm oNly bleediNg)
"Money doesn't talk, it swears." — Bob Dylan, 1964
Ross
Ken Brinkley
Andy, Ross and Ken were commenting on the May 20 'LL with the same name as the previous letter.
⇑⇓ WheN you hear the dreaded fiVe blasts
I've heard for years that the captain of the Port of San Francisco Bay has designated pretty much the entire Bay as a "narrow channel or fairway," not just the channels indicated by buoys or the lanes marked by parallel lines on the chart. I've searched for the official language backing this up, and I think I found it once in the Code of Federal Regulations, but I didn't have the patience to read and understand the long, detailed description full of lat/long coordinates and compass directions. The bottom line is that it's more than the mythical "rule of tonnage" that requires us to stay out of the way of the big ships everywhere on the Bay.
Max Crittenden
Max was commenting on the June 12 'Lectronic Latitude, On Rule 9 and Large Ships.
Large ships, especially container ships, have a visibility problem. This 1,000-ft container ship, which is not fully loaded, has trouble seeing what's on the horizon closer than 0.3 miles, even with a lookout.
⇑⇓ "calliNg oN chaNNel oNe siX …"
Hopefully forgetting to mention that any ship large enough for Rule 9 to apply won't necessarily be on Channel 16 was just an oversight. They're required to monitor Channel 13
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and the VTS frequency, and thus excused from keeping a listening watch on 16.
R — The line about VHF 16 ("If you think a ship pilot could be at all concerned about you, be ready to respond promptly to a hail on VHF 16") indicates that sailors and other recreational boaters should monitor 16, as another mariner (including bar pilots) may hail on that frequency. If you initiate a radio conversation with a ship pilot within the Bay, do so on VHF 13. We have done that in the past when it was unclear where the ship was going to go, and thus where we should go to stay out of its way.
⇑⇓ eXperts: "orcas 'attacKiNg' boats are actually Just bored teeNagers"
I never bought into the "attacking" idea; sea mammals aren't fish. The geography is interesting, though. Along those lines, if ["attacks"] begin out here on our lovely Northeast Pacific, I think I'd just mitigate the risks of sinking and loss of rudder control.
John Lundquist
John was commenting on the June 12 'Lectronic Latitude with the same name as this letter.
⇑⇓ m-80s aNd carboN harpooNs
I now live in Charleston, and plan to do a transatlantic crossing next year to Gibraltar, so I have been following these reports with interest. Here in the wonderful Carolinas, fireworks are legal. I plan to carry a small stash of M80s. These are firecrackers on steroids, reportedly equal to about a quarter stick of dynamite, and they have waterproof fuses. I'm hoping I won't have to deploy them, just as I hope I never have to deploy my life raft. But no effin' way am I risking the destruction of my boat and our safety by a bunch of "bored teenage" orcas. I might even carry a harpoon on deck. But it'd need to be carbon, of course.
Will sailors take any kind of comfort in the knowledge that the killer whales causing mayhem off Europe's Iberian Peninsula might actually just be a playful fad among bored teen orcas (according to the Washingtion Post)?
Kirk Denebeim Latitude Nation
Kirk — We really hope it doesn't come to that, though it's only natural that you or any sailor would want to protect themselves and their boat.
To quote a research expert from the June 12 Washington Post article, please consider the potential downsides of launching "flares or other devices to deter whales. Not only could those measures deafen or harm whales, they might backfire by making the game even more fun for them. The more dangerous it is for the orcas, the more thrill they seem to get out of it."
MODERN SAILING MODERN SAILING
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⇑⇓ the Kids these days
My thoughts exactly. They need jobs.
⇑⇓ cheap reNt … iN the bay area?
Mary Westlake
There are many reasons I'm moving Sail a Vie back to the Bay, but slip rates certainly are a big one. My new slip at Coyote Point will be $900 US a month cheaper than my slip in La Paz.
Phil MacFarlane Sail a Vie, Ericson 35 Soon to be at Coyote Point
⇑⇓ NeWport beach proposes iNcreasiNg mooriNg reNt by 300%
It is somewhat sad to see the marina and moorage market escalating so much in beautiful Newport Beach, but the market is the market and it seems to be happening nearly everywhere … not so much in S.F. Bay, because of the quantity of low-quality, empty slips.
Mexican slips in the Sea of Cortez have increased significantly also, again depending on location. I am currently paying about $1,300/month at the Papagayo Marina, Costa Rica, for my Jeanneau 44DS Salty Dancer, and the marina is barely 60% occupied. Their docks are far better than most, though, and their service is top-notch.
J Mills Salty Dancer, Jeanneau 44DS Costa Rica
J Mills was commenting on the June 5 'Lectronic Latitude with the same name as this letter.
liveaboards are planning a lawsuit.
⇑⇓ dÉJÀ Vu
Newport Beach has never been fond of liveaboards. My family and I lived there on a 60-ft schooner between 1972 and 1976. During that time, most of the marinas in the harbor began to forbid living aboard, and we were forced to rent different private slips. We always thought it was because we were not sufficiently "yachty" for the neighbors — we'd dry towels on the lifelines … gasp! It gives me a strong sense of déjà vu to hear what is happening to the moored boats now.
Ken Britten
⇑⇓ your iNcreasiNgly eXpeNsiVe is my cheap
Check out the rates in Mexico — you are getting off cheap. In Tahoe, I pay $5,000 for a mooring for less than half a year. Gary Davis
Newport Beach has more than 1,200 public moorings in its waters. With a looming 300% rate hike in mooring rents impending, a group of
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Gary — Yes, but in Newport you need to buy the mooring first, which is about $1,000 per foot.
Sam
I always thought having a slip in Newport Beach would be expensive. Even at $7.71/ft it's only $308 per month for a 40-ft yacht. THAT IS CHEAP! I was paying $1,000/mo for a 40 footer in Redondo King Harbor five years ago. But Sam mentioned that there's also a $1,000/ft one time fee to buy the slip ($40k!). That's not cheap.
Chris A
Merilon's mooring ball in Puerto Escondido, B.C.S., is $361 per month, and that's a hurricane zone.
Michael Kehir
⇑⇓ let's talK about these figures for a secoNd, Which are at the heart of the issue
There's something wrong in the article with the quote "average dock permit holders pay $12 to $30 per month." Per foot? And compares it to mooring at $130? Anyway, I will say that when we visited about 10 years ago, they wanted $100 for one night on a mooring. No services. We got out of there and anchored overnight for free at Dana Point.
Doug Clark
There seems to be agreement that, relatively speaking, Newport Beach's moorings are relatively cheap — minus the potential tens of thousands of dollars it costs to purchase the mooring, though that equity is presumably transferable.
Doug — You read it correctly. It's not mistake: The dock owner pays $12 per month while mooring people are paying $140 per month for the same size boat. That's a huge difference. The government/ city is subsidizing the rich dock owner. The mooring rate in San Diego is about the same as the current rate in Newport Beach.
Also, there have been annual 5% mooring rate increases. Now, the 300% to 400% is in addition.
Peter Kaz
Sounds like those fortunate enough to have a rented mooring ball for the past 20 years have been subsidized by the public at large. No increase for the past 20 years! By the way, how do the liveaboards deal with sewage? If there's a pumpout boat, how is that paid for? If not, yikes!
Chris Berry
Chris — Poor rebuttal for those with composting heads. Again, government making laws to satisfy their misman-
HYDROVANE
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agement and greedy shortcomings. In California, you only see new laws added and never removed. Imagine how living there will be 30+ years. Welcome to the People's Republic of CA!
Stephen Poehls
⇑⇓ a fair aNd eQuitable rate
The Harbor Commission is trying to sell the increase by saying there have been no adjustments in the last 20 years. That's incorrect. In 2012, the same appraiser did an appraisal and the rate was actually reduced! In 2017, article 17 (the harbor's rules) was completely gone over and it was deemed rates would go up with CPI, which the rates have done annually.
How does the same appraiser, in about 10 years, now say rates need to be as much as 450% higher (for a 50-ft mooring; only the smallest are going up 300%) when CPI has gone
up just 31%?
But this isn't just about not wanting an outrageous increase — the real outrage is that the residential docks are paying only $0.56 per square foot just for their pier, and nothing for the boats tied to it; $12 to $30 per month is exactly comparable to a mooring paying $133 and more a month. Plus, many rent out their docks for as much as $12,000 per month (yes, that's three zeros) — that's a 50-ft yacht on each side at $4,000 each, and five Duffys backed in.
If this rate increase happens, my wife and I, living aboard on Social Security on our 50-ft mooring, will be paying 10 times what a homeowner with a 100-ft mega yacht (or two, and possibly a couple of smaller boats on the same dock) will pay! Some say we have a good deal, and they'd be right. The moorings were for the regular, working class. We mooring holders do not necessarily want the homeowners to pay more, we just want a "fair and equitable" rate.
Bud Coomans Newport Beach
⇑⇓ Very fortuNate
We pay $650.00 a month for a slip at Pier 40 in San Francisco. At the time I sold my onshore and offshore mooring in Newport in 2019, I was paying $181.04 a month for both. I guess you could say we were very fortunate to pay so little.
M. Gardner
⇑⇓ to haVe aNd to haVe Not
As a shore-mooring permittee, I've witnessed the cheap shots that dock owners are taking to remove the everyday citizen from their right to tidelands access. It's time to in-
Controversies aside, no one can argue that Newport Beach isn't a fabulous destination and wonderful venue for sailing and boating.
visit neWPOrt Beach
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volve the California Coastal Commission in this assault by the Haves against the Have Nots.
Johnny Fotsch
⇑⇓ hollyWood-laNd
On a very different note (and not to diffuse interest in this very appropriate article on mooring increases at all): I enjoyed living on Harbor Island, Newport Beach, and had the wonderful experience of securing my 51-ft ketch at my home dock on Harbor Island in the '90s while the movie Balboa was filmed at/in my home. What an exciting harbor! I hope the moorings costs are not increased to the level indicated!
kb94028
⇑⇓ a fair aNd eQuitable rate?
The wait list [for moorings] is currently 10 to 15 years. How is that allocating a public resource fairly?
Adjust prices until the wait list settles to about a year. There are so many derelict boats that never ever move. Force them out with the goal of having a more active harbor that the largest number of people can enjoy.
John Kalucki
John — That wait list is for Newport, Rhode Island! Bud Coomans
⇑⇓ a respoNse from the NeWport beach harbor commissioN
As the chair of the Newport Beach Harbor Commission, I feel compelled to address multiple points presented in the June 5 article. Respectfully, I would like to provide a counterpoint to Latitude's commentary, and explain the process leading up to the unanimous recommendation to restructure mooring rates after 20+ years of the city subsidizing them.
Firstly, the proposed 300% increase in mooring rents is not excessive, but is justifiable, particularly considering the limited adjustments over the past 20 years. The Harbor Commission's position is that this hike is necessary to meet the legal requirement to charge "fair market value for public tidelands," appropriately contribute to the $4.6 million deficit in the public tidelands fund, and make sure the burden does not fall disproportionately on the residents of Newport Beach.
To further contextualize this discussion, it is essential to consider the findings of the OC Grand Jury Report titled: "Newport Harbor Moorings: Are They Held in Public Trust or for Private Profit?" The report recommended:
• Curtailing the transfer process
• Establishing fair market rents for mooring permits and scheduling regular independent appraisals
• Basing mooring rates on a percentage of slip or berthing rates
Rates for berthing boats within Newport Harbor have increased significantly over the past couple of decades. The Netzer appraisals have evaluated boat storage in various harbors throughout the state and compared them to rates within Newport Beach. To meet the mission of the California State Lands Commission, Mr. Netzer completed a thorough appraisal taking into consideration specific data points to reach a value/rate conclusion. The Harbor Commission evaluated Mr. Netzer's number and recommended a reduction to reflect a percentage of the rates charged at the cityowned marina, Balboa Yacht Basin. This is one of the lowestcost marinas within Newport Harbor. The final number that was recommended by the Harbor Commission to the City Council was 24% of the slip rate for comparable sizes. This
Mexico Summer Savings
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76% reduction as compared to a slip was to accommodate all the services that are not available on a mooring as compared to a slip.
It is accurate that the recommended rate for a 35-ft boat would increase 300% as outlined in the Harbor Commission's final recommendation. But to understand the fiscal impact, the current rate charged by the city to the mooring permittee is $3.34/ft. A comparable slip in the Newport Beach city marina is $42.59/ft. The Harbor Commission recommendation is $10.22/ft. In addition to reducing the rates documented in the Netzer appraisal, the Harbor Commission proposed to roll this rate adjustment out over five and a half years, in effect layering in this increase to reach
the recommended rate in 2030.
The allegations of conflicts of interest between the city and Netzer and Associates, the consultant hired to appraise the moorings, are baseless. The charitable relationship between Mr. Netzer and the Newport Aquatics Center have nothing to do with the appraisal work that Mr. Netzer has historically and currently done with the city. This has been reviewed and opined on by the Newport Beach City Attorney's office.
The Harbor Commission has worked on this multi-year objective to review the mooring rates and support bringing the mooring rates and mooring permittee relationships into compliance with city and state law. The Harbor Commission has worked over two years with the mooring permittees and has conducted exhaustive public meetings to provide for feedback and the opportunity to understand the mooring permittees position. There were multiple meetings directly with the Newport Mooring Association on this topic.
In conclusion, after reading Latitude's article, I wanted to set the record straight and allow for your readers to hear both sides of this principal issue. I understand that no one wants to pay more for anything today, but that is not realistic. Today in Newport Beach, our Harbor Department provides for unparallel service and support for our mooring permittees, our city invests millions of dollars for dredging, sea walls, public docks, lowest-cost marinas, multiple levels of public safety, outstanding water quality … I could go on.
We're going to push back on commissioner Steve Scully's assertion that the proposed mooring-rent increase "is not excessive, but is justifiable, particularly considering the limited adjustments over the past 20 years." By Mr. Scully's own admission,
300%
the result of two decades of inaction in
What kind of legal drama lies ahead for Newport Beach? Time will tell.
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keeping prices aligned with inflation. And as several letters in this thread have pointed out, the bigger issue is the disparity between mooring fees and dock fees.
We understand that some of these issues, such as the rent disparity, are beyond the control of the Harbor Commission, but regardless, we're going to repeat our original commentary, and unequivocally state that a city owes its citizens reasonable — meaning gradual — price increases to prevent this kind of jarring increase. (Scully did emphasize that the rent increases will be phased in over five years.)
A Harbor Commissioner even acknowledged the jolt the increase would cause. "I know [the increases are] difficult, and I know that it will affect the livelihoods of those in this room. And since the rates haven't been adjusted for decades, we're talking about major sticker shock," said commissioner Don Yahn at the April meeting that saw the unanimous recommendation to raise rents.
Regarding that rent disparity between dock and mooring fees: Our understanding is that the Newport Beach City Council actually passed a law aimed at making dock fees more equitable, but then "unwound" that law, so that the current disparity still exists. Steve Scully told us that the Harbor Commission has nothing to do with that vacillating law, nor with dock fees, but regardless, the disparity — and the animosity surrounding it — still exists. (Mr. Scully also said it was important that the $4.6 million deficit in the public tidelands fund "does not fall disproportionately on the residents of Newport Beach." Fair enough, but hopefully we can agree that burden can't fall on mooring holders, either, because the city failed to appropriately raise rents.)
We think that Newport Beach's mooring permittees are justified in feeling a little outraged over the steep rent hike, even one that's phased in over five years. There is a consensus that Newport's moorings are relatively cheap, though we can confirm that in addition to paying rent, mooring holders must first purchase the mooring for as much as $1,000 per foot. We assume that this initial purchase represents a type of equity that should be transferable when a mooring is sold, but regardless, we're talking about a serious investment that defies the idea of "cheap rent."
Mooring rates in Newport clearly need to be raised. Hopefully the city — meaning the City Council, Harbor Commission and whatever departments are involved in decisions that affect its citizens' lives and finances — can acknowledge that some people have been caught in the gears of bureaucracy.
⇑⇓ rememberiNg graNdfathers oN father's day
I learned the ways of a boat as a child from my grandfather (a US Marine veteran of WWII and the Korean War), and my father (a US Navy veteran), on the many beautiful lakes in Arkansas. My first "vessel" was an inflatable dinghy that I rowed many summers, exploring the coves and shorelines of those protected waters.
Whatever meager skills I have in repairing anything, I owe to the lessons my father taught me. Those skills helped me maintain my previous sailboats, and gave me confidence to travel far from sight of land. When he passed away, I inherited his old toolbox. Useful things, those tools. I honor his
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LOOSE LIPS
Tiredof hanging around waiting for the wind to catch your sail? Get up there and do something about it! If you're going to be a sailor, you'd better get used to sometimes taking unusual measures to get the job done. Those daring young men in their flying machines had nothing on this guy. Below are our favorite comments.
Winner: "Sail trimmer was pressing a wrinkle out of the main, suddenly remembering this old sailor's warning: "There was a young sailor named Bates, who danced the Fandango on skates. He fell on his cutlass, which rendered him nutless, and practically useless on dates." — D Peterson.
"That'll teach him not to leave the battens at home again!" — a_bongiorno47.
"It's amazing what you can do with Velcro …" — Bob Adams.
"Experience the hottest NEW show in Vegas: Cirque Du Saileil…! You'll be on the edge of your seat watching the daring "sailors" defy gravity!" — Tom Varley.
"SpiderVang, SpiderVang, does whatever a sailor can." — Joe L Perez.
"The human/gecko hybrid finds full-time work as a Rig Inspector." — Mike Quigley.
"The sailing yoga pose, down flog." — Steve Hodges.
"This human vang system still has a few bugs to work out!" — Tim Stapleton.
"So Honey … you sure you have those IKEA directions right side up?" — J Collier.
"Downhaul Dave gives it his all." — David Demarest.
"Who handed the sail on upside down again?" — John Yannotti.
"Iknow that my life on boats has been about this: not the sailing or the sea so much as learning about self. And almost every boat I have had has taught me something." – Gary Paulsen, Caught by the Sea: My Life on Boats
If you have or find a Caption Contest(!)-worthy photo, please share with us at editorial@latitude38.com — we're always ready for a chuckle.
JORGE MORALES
brigadoon celebrates
Clockwise from top left: 'Brigadoon' was the Latitude cover girl in 2019; Terry Klaus in June; under full canvas on the Bay; Captain Lindsey Klaus. Spread: A timeless classic.
lindsey klaus
the klaus faMily
her 100th birthday
In mid-June, the schooner Brigadoon marked her 100th lap around the sun, while the Klaus family marked almost 50 years of ownership of the 50-ft schooner. Built near Boston in 1924, Joanne, as she was originally named, was the first-ever design by L. Francis Herreshoff. (If one ventures onto the bowsprit, the schooner is often classified as 65-ft LOA.) Joanne was owned by several prominent East Coast families, before she caught the eye of Sterling Hayden in 1946. The swashbuckling actor, writer and sailor renamed her Brigadoon of Booth Bay and sailed her to the West Coast in the 1940s.
Once in SoCal, Hayden commissioned famed schoonerman Bob Sloan to fit Brigadoon's previously "bald-headed" rig with topmasts. After Sterling Hayden's stint as owner, Brigadoon sailed in the 1959 Transpac and spent a few months in Tahiti. She came to the Bay in 1960, changed owners several times, and sailed in the inaugural modern Master Mariners Regatta in 1965. Brigadoon was owned by the band Quicksilver Messenger Service in the late '60s, and after serving as a "party pad," was falling into disrepair when Terry Klaus found her in 1976.
Terry decided to undertake a major restoration. Several years of hard work went into the boat before Klaus was able to see any real progress. As news of Brigadoon's restoration spread, people volunteered their labor, and sailors would drop by and donate items, such as priceless bronze fittings. Brigadoon would go on to earn numerous trophies in the Master Mariners Regatta over the decades. She also sailed to the Delta, hosting kids, grandkids and friends. In the mid-'90s, Brigadoon saw yet another rebuild, this time from the waterline down. She has been an amalgam of many lives, owners, hard work, spirited sails on the Bay, the labor of willing sailors, and the aspirations of wooden-boat lovers.
Anniversaries aboard Brigadoon abound. "I am proudly celebrating my 10th year as skipper and helmswoman," said Lindsey Klaus, Terry's daughter. "But as my dad still sails with us, he's captain in my eyes. If anyone insists I'm captain, then I protest that he's the admiral." — latitude
high school highs to annapolis and back
If there is one takeaway for San Francisco Bay's high school sailors after racing in Annapolis, it's a wish: More please. Rhett Krawitt said, "It's hugely valuable for a local team to get into the national scene. I learned so much, and it's a win for the foundations that supported us, that supported the whole community."
We might add, a win for the people who support the foundations, but we'll come back to that.
Northern California high school teams aren't used to traveling farther than Los Angeles or San Diego. However, in April, Redwood High won the inaugural Northern League Championship title and a trip to the Phebe King Memorial Regatta on June 1-2. The regatta was sailed in Annapolis YC's favored waters for dinghy racing, between the Severn Sailing Center and the US Naval Academy across the way.
The best thing about going to the East Coast, Krawitt said, "was sailing against a new group of people. I would love to go back for another chance to win." His teammate Henry Vare added, "I was curious about the East Coast competition. It's tough, but getting to know new people was the best."
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will sailgp
Here's where things stand when SailGP concludes its fourth season here in San Francisco on July 13 and 14: Team New Zealand has already secured a spot in the three-boat Grand Final, where there's $2 million in prize money up for grabs. Following Event 12 in New York in late June, which saw more Kiwi dominance — New Zealand has won five of Season 4's 12 events, or nearly half of the entire season — the Australian team is in second with Spain close behind in third, France in fourth, and Canada in fifth. Needless to say, skipper Peter Burling and the Kiwis are looking good going into event number 13 in the Bay.
Beyond the immediate drama of the final event in San Francisco, SailGP is wrapping up an enormously successful, globespanning season that has seen a little bit
Redwood High School competes in Annapolis. Clockwise from top left: Akira Bratti, left, and Rhett Krawitt; Mark Xu; Mark Xu and Akira Bratti; Morgan Headington, helming, and Henry Vare; the Redwood High School sailing team and coaches.
save sailing?
of everything, and that has presented sailing in a new light to both sailors and nonsailors alike. From changes in ownership among individual SailGP teams, to crashes, capsizes, breakdowns and frightening injuries (don't worry, everyone is OK), to gender equality and expanded event locations — not to mention expanded viewership — we no longer live in a one-major-hightech-sailing-event world, where the America's Cup monopolized center stage and the headlines, but only once every four years. Sure, the America's Cup had (and still has) its World Series Event, but SailGP is the clear winner in terms of viewership.
SailGP is clearly here to stay, and it's influence and popularity appear unbounded.
A New York Times headline and lead continued on inside column of next sightings page
high school highs — continued
Yes, this sailing thing is about water and boats, but if you listen closely, it's always about the people.
Redwood placed sixth among 18 teams (including the 2024 national champions, Severn School). Redwood had top finishes, plus a few to make you wish that high school sailing would drop worst scores. (It doesn't.) It's not making excuses to recognize that Redwood's sailors were new to the class they were sailing, suddenly new to a patch of water "blessed" with peculiarities, and not fully rested from a redeye flight and a day of touring the Maryland State House and the Naval Academy. Back home, Redwood High was still in session. The travel window was short. But no regrets, just, "More, please."
Easier wished than done, but you gotta start somewhere.
The racing kicked off in 3-4 knots, but a lot of 8-10 followed, with highs of 12 knots. "When it fills there, it's solid," Vare said. But there was one wacky episode, as Krawitt described, "when the breeze was coming across Annapolis, so it was shifty, and then it split and was coming from the left of the peninsula that Severn sits on, and it was also coming from the right." So, do you put it all on Red Four, or Black Five? Welcome to Annapolis.
There is no way to experience that except to go. High school travel regattas, however, are hard to come by. The Phebe King is a rare invitational. Otherwise, California high school teams have to place at the top of the Pacific Coast Championship to earn a place at the Nationals, and those top places are dominated by Southern California schools that proudly pump money and extra coaching into their teams. Placing top 10 at the PCCs is a frequent achievement for NorCal schools. Top five is a brick wall. It starts with the culture.
Sailing is not even an official sport on Doherty Drive in Larkspur, where Redwood shares a swath of the flats with four other schools. Official sport or not, the powers that be at Redwood High have seen fit to place the Northern League Championship trophy on display. We'll call that a win.
It's a special trophy, historic, repurposed for a new life. Five foundations joined forces to fund the travel regatta as a bonus, to inject a dose of energy into our youth sailing. This was a community effort that rallied all points of San Francisco Bay. The Richmond Yacht Club Foundation was quick to say yes to a proposal to send the Northern League Champions to Annapolis, no matter who that turned out to be. The Encinal Yacht Club foundation was a solid supporter from the get-go in 2019, when we floated the concept, little imagining that 2020 would set us back four years.
Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, which hosted the Northern League Championship, got into the game along with the robust St. Francis Sailing Foundation and Belvedere Cove. The San Francisco Yacht Club is home to Redwood's team and to Belvedere Cove, and like all the foundations, they were unwavering even when we were swimming in unknowns.
For supporters of youth sailing, this was a thing of beauty, and it goes without saying, but it can never be said enough, that it is the people who support the foundations who are the "foundation" of it all.
So, 2025? It's back to unknowns. We're testing the breeze.
— kimball livingston
Listen to a conversation with Kimball Livingston on our Good Jibes podcast #143.
remembering vadura
In February, the classic Vadura, a 91-ft Alfred Mylne-designed yacht that had become a derelict anchor-out on Richardson Bay, was finally demolished for scrap. It was an inglorious end to a storied vessel that saw countless sailors come aboard as crew, mates and captains over the decades. The loss of Vadura generated stories and many fond memories from those who sailed on her. Ernie Minney, who owned and captained Vadura for years, wrote us to set the record straight about when he sold the boat.
I actually sold Vadura to an Italian banker. He allowed me to have shipwrights install 15 feet of new teak stem, replace forward sections of bulwarks, make changes in the galley, etc. He paid in full for the boat, and I advanced about $35K of my own funds for the work, supplies etc. The sale of Vadura included my delivering the boat to Italy free of charge. When it was nearing our time of departure, I notified him that when I received the $35K to reimburse me for what I had spent on his behalf, we would set sail for Panama. The banker wired me back a telegram that said, "I'll pay you in Acapulco, please get under way."
Numerous messages went back and forth. We were ready to sail, the crew was on board and supplies stowed — all we needed to do was purchase the food. The Italian was now giving me orders; one of his telegrams stated that I was his captain and that he was ordering me to sail. Several weeks went by with several long-distance and heated conversations. Knowing I would probably be fired, I sent him a telegram stating that we were impounding Vadura, putting a lien against the boat, and that we had taken the propeller off and that she was chained to the dock in front of the popular Rusty Pelican restaurant with a US marshal on board. I also mentioned that local newspaper reporters were sniffing about. This really got his attention!
A few days after I sent the telegram, Commodore Tompkins from San Francisco showed up to survey Vadura and go over my records and receipts for the work that had been done. I had raced with Commodore several times and was pleased that such an outstanding and knowledgeable seaman had been hired to do dirt on me. Commodore spent a day on board Vadura and pretty much came to the conclusion that the banker was nuts, that he'd got about $100K worth of value, and that Vadura was shipshape and ready for the long voyage to Italy.
Several days after Commodore went back to San Francisco, the banker notified me that his attorney would meet on board Vadura to go over my records. A few hours before the banker's attorney arrived, we totally set the stage. I had Dick Higbee, a local attorney who dabbled in maritime law, represent me. We posted a big sign on the bowsprit that said, "THIS VESSEL UNDER IMPOUND BY SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA." I hired a rent-a-cop with a big sidearm to pace the deck right over the main saloon, and we had two mean-looking German shepherds chained to the bowsprit — and most of my crew were on deck to glare at the arriving attorney. We also leaked out along the waterfront the time and day of the meeting. The Rusty Pelican's upstairs bar had a record afternoon, as onlookers enjoyed the spectacle unfolding on board Vadura directly below them.
The meeting of the two attorneys went well as the rent-a-cop paced the deck above Vadura's saloon. The banker's attorney found the bookkeeping in order, and was totally distressed by the impound sign, a few friends who pretended they were newspaper reporters, the dogs, and the large crowd peering down on Vadura from the Pelican's bar.
Two days later, I got a cashier's check for $35K and a visit from David Fraser, a popular Southern California yacht broker pretending to have an
from the June 22-23 Event 12 in the Big Apple read: "F1 of the Water? Yachts race at the Statue of Liberty — thousands of spectators turned out over the weekend for SailGP, which brought a high-speed competition, and lots of champagne, to the New York Harbor." And this during a severe heat advisory.
As Latitude reported last year, it's no easy task to develop a commercial entertainment product that becomes a successful event business, and that remains sustainable without the support of its founding patron and uber-billionaire Larry Ellison. SailGP's growing audience and a new 10-
The legendary Ernie Minney, one of a handful of former owners and skippers of the legendary 'Vadura'. Minney's
—
continued
year contract with Rolex (with a 10-year option to renew) suggest the race circuit's foundation is solidifying. Success has allowed the bonuses to grow: There was $4.3 million in prize money for Season 3, with a $1 million grand prize at the end. That's already grown to the aforementioned $2 million up for grabs in mid-July.
According to SailGP CEO Russell Coutts, data shows that as many as 80% of SailGP viewers have never stepped onto a sailboat. The average age of viewers is dropping, too, which is an encouraging statistic us here at Latitude 38, who are concerned about
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vadura —
continued
interest in the lovely big ketch.
The next day, as we working out a food-and-provision list for our trip to Panama, the banker arrived with a lovely woman and was quite excited to see his stately ship with the decks freshly oiled and the brass glistening in the afternoon sun. After looking around his ship — and after a few cocktails — he politely asked if we would take him and his girlfriend for a harbor cruise. We told him, "No problem." The propeller was back on, and we and fired up the Detroit 6-71 diesel engine.
We had a lovely cruise, and as we tied up in front of the Rusty Pelican again, David Fraser and delivery legend Bob Sloan (owner and builder of Spike Africa) came walking down the dock. As they neared the boarding ladder, the banker said to me, "You're fired. Mr. Sloan is taking Vadura to the David Fraser brokerage dock in San diego to be SOLD!"
Talk about a teed-off crew!
— ernie minney
Left top and bottom: 'Vadura' in Australia in the late 1980s. Right top and middle: 'Vadura' began to suffer from neglect in the 2000s. Bottom right: 'Vadura' shortly before she was crushed in Richmond earlier this year.
the beer can ten commandments
With summer being synonymous with Beer Can racing up and down the West Coast, we're reminded of Latitude 38's late, great racing editor, Rob Moore, who penned the Ten Commandments of Beer Can Racing in the late '80s to inspire people to both race and have fun. (Otherwise, why do it?) The language might be from another time, but the spirit of the message is timeless and will help fleets and crew. Sign up, sail, and bring the spirit of the Ten Commandments with you.
1) Thou shalt not take anything other than safety too seriously. If you can only remember one commandment, this is the one. Relax, have fun, and keep it light. Late to the start? So what? Over early? Big deal. No instructions? Improvise. Too windy? Quit. Not enough wind? Break out the beer. The point is to have fun, but stay safe. Like the ad says, "Safe boating is no accident."
2) Thou shalt honor the racing rules if thou knowest them. The current US Sailing Racing Rules — unless specifically stated elsewhere in the Sailing Instructions — is the rules bible. Few sailors we know have actually studied it cover to cover: It's about as interesting as reading tax code or the continued on outside column of next sightings page
the attrition of our readers and the longterm viability of sailing. There has been an increasing number of 25- and 30-year-old viewers, according to Coutts. In addition, SailGP is attracting an increasing number of female viewers.
"Can this sailing league finally bring gender equity to sports?" Elle magazine wrote in June. "Could sailing become the biggest sport in the world? The people behind SailGP, the sports league and international F50 catamaran racing competition, think it can," the article read. "After all, it boasts high-speed, perfect-for-TV races, a new approach to gender diversity, and an impressive slate of investors that includes Issa Rae," the star of HBO's Insecure.
"Since 2021, SailGP has mandated that
Light wind, too much wind, no wind? It's no problem if you're sailing in a beer can. Just relax, just sail, and have fun.
— continued
a woman sailor be part of each four- and sixperson boat crew in every race through its Women's Pathway initiative," Elle reported. "The eventual goal is to have complete equity, with a woman in the driver position within the sixth season. The biggest message that the co-owner and CEO of the US SailGP team, wants to underscore is that sailing's reputation as a sport exclusively for wealthy, white men is changing."
As SailGP prepares to foil into our neck of the woods, we're encouraged by all this news. But where, we wonder, will sailing fandom convert into an increase in new sailors? We're waiting patiently to see a rise in all things sailing participation, as well as a rise in subscriptions to Latitude 38.
beer can commandments —
continued phone book. For beer can racing, just remember some of the biggies (port tack boats shall avoid starboard ones; windward boats shall avoid leeward ones; and outside boats shall give room at the mark). Stay out of the way of bigger boats, pay your insurance premiums, and keep a low profile unless you're sure you know what you're doing. Like most things, it boils down to common sense.
3) Thou shalt not run out of beer. Beer (aka brewskis, chill pills, thought cylinders) is obviously the beverage that lends its name to beer can racing, and obviously, you don't want to run out of the frothy nectar. Of course, you can drink whatever you want out there (cider, hard kombucha, nonalcoholic hazy IPA), but there's a reason these things aren't called milkbottle races, Coca-Cola can races, hot-chocolate races, or something else. Just why beer is so closely associated with this kind of racing escapes us at the moment, but it's a tradition we're happy to go along with.
4) Thou shalt not covet thy competitor's boat, sails, equipment, crew or PHRF rating. No excuses or whining; if you're lucky enough to have a sailboat, just go use it! You don't need the latest in zircon-encrusted widgetry or unobtanium sailcloth to have a great time out on the water with your friends. Even if your boat's a heaving pig, make modest goals and work toward improving on them from week to week. Or don't — it's only beer can racing.
5) Thou shalt not amp out. No screaming, swearing, or overly aggressive tactics. Save that stuff for the office or, if you must, for Saturday's 'real' race. If you lose it in a Friday nighter, you're going to run out of crew — not to mention friends — in a big hurry. Downing a quick chill pill on the way to the starting line has been medically proven to have a calming influence on the nerves.
6) Thou shalt not protest thy neighbor. This is extremely tacky at this level of competition and should be avoided at all costs. Perhaps it's justifiable if one's boat is damaged and blame needs to be established, but on the whole, tossing a red flag is the height of bad taste in something as relatively inconsequential as a beer canner. Besides, proving that you're unclear on the concept of beer can racing, it screws up everybody's evening, including yours. Don't do it — it's bad karma.
7) Thou shalt not mess up thy boat. Everybody knows some hardcore weekend warrior who ripped his sails up in a Friday night race and had to sit out the championship race on Saturday. The point is that it's not worth risking your boat and gear in such casual competition: Like the song says, you got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em. Avoid other boats at all costs, not to mention buoys and other hard objects. If you have the luxury of two sets of sails, use the old ones.
8) Thou shalt always go to the yacht club afterwards. Part of the gestalt of beer can races is bellying up to the yacht club bar after the race. Etiquette demands that you congratulate the winners, as well as buy a round of drinks for your crew. Besides, the bar is a logical place to see old friends and make new ones. However, when meeting new sailors, avoid the gungho, overly serious types who rehash the evening (also known as 'yachty karate') in such gory detail that the postmortem (yawn) takes longer than the race. As much as we enjoy a quick romp around the cans, there's more to life.
9) Thou shalt bring thy spouse, kids, friends and whoever else wants to go. Twilight races are great forums for introducing new folks to sailing, such as your neighbors, out-of-town visitors, co-workers or maybe even the family dog. Always bring your significant other along, too — coed crews are happy crews. And don't just make the newcomers watch — give them a job on the boat. Get everyone involved.
10) Thou shalt not worry; thou shalt be happy. Leave the cellphone in the car, or to update these rules, silence your phone and turn off notifications, but connect to the Bluetooth speaker and play some music. Have fun, and find a program that works for you — and people who you like to sail with. Or better yet, be an ambassador, take newbies out and show them the magic of sailing. We'll see you out there!
— rob moore
Let Marina El Cid Welcome You to Mexico A Cruiser's Paradise! www.elcid.com marinaelcidmazatlan@elcid.com.mx 011-52 (669) 916-3468
JOIN THE BAJA HA-HA 2024
The Baja Ha-Ha is the 750-mile cruisers' rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops along the way at funky Turtle Bay and spectacular Bahia Santa Maria.
Nearly 4,000 boats and 10,000 sailors have done a HaHa. Most participants are longtime sailors but first-timers to Mexico. Fleets are also sprinkled with repeat offenders. Several skippers have done 10 or more.
Boats from 27 to 100' can enter the Ha-Ha, though historically the average has been 42 feet. The average number of crew is four, although couples are not unusual. At least one member of the crew has to have offshore experience.
The goal of every Ha-Ha is for everyone to have a great time sailing and meeting other cruisers while making a safe passage down the coast of Baja. If you have a boat and a hunger for adventure, think about signing up for this year's 30th running. Visit www.bajahaha.com.
Latitude 38
CREW PARTY:
Sign up for our Crew List and attend the fall crew list party: September 4 at Spaulding Marine Center, Sausalito.
Marine Refrigeration
Mexico is Hot Baby! You need water for showers and refrigeration for cold beer Watermakers
www.cruiseROwater.com • (619) 609-3432
IMPORTANT
DATES
September 4, 5 p.m. Thursday – Deadline for all entries and information to be received by Baja Ha-Ha, LLC.
September 4, 6-9 p.m. – Latitude 38's Fall Crew List Party and Baja Ha-Ha Reunion, Spaulding Marine Center, Sausalito.
The place to be in La Paz, conveniently located near downtown.
marinadelapaz@prodigy.net.mx
011-52 (612) 122-1646 www.marinadelapaz.com
ARE YOU LOOKING TO CONNECT TO SAILING?
www.latitude38.com/crew-list-home
Late October — Downwind Marine Welcome Cruisers Party and Vendor Fair with wholesale discount pricing all day at Downwind Marine
During October — Evening Cruising Seminars at Downwind Marine at 6 p.m.
November 3, 8:30- 9:15 a.m. – Skipper check-in.
November 3, 9:30- 11 a.m. –– Skippers' meeting. West Marine,1250 Rosecrans. November 3, 1 p.m. – The Annual Ha-Ha Halloween Costume Party and BBQ. West Marine, 1250 Rosecrans.
November 4, 10 a.m. Monday – Baja HaHa Kick-Off Parade.
November 4, 11 a.m. Monday – Start of Leg One for all boats off Coronado Road
November 7, 2 p.m. – Daytime – BHH baseball game at Turtle Bay.
November 7, Evening: Restaurant hopping, such as it is, in Turtle Bay
November 8, Noon-ish. Friday – Famous Turtle Bay Beach Picnic Party until sundown
November 9, 9 a.m. Saturday – Start of Leg Two to Bahia Santa Maria.
November 11, Monday – Bahia Santa Maria Day; a layday for relaxing and exploring.
November 12, Tuesday – Hiking, beach walking, sports, and the annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Beach Party, sponsored by the local fisherfolk.
November 13, 7 a.m. Wednesday – Start of Leg Three from Bahia Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas.
November 14, 7:30 p.m. Thursday –Dance Party at Squid Roe.
November 15, noon. Friday – Cabo San Lucas Beach Party
November 16 – 6 p.m. Saturday – Awards presentations hosted by Cabo Marina. November 24, 4-7 p.m. – La Paz Beach Party at La Costa Restaurant.
MASTER MARINERS REGATTA
It's the first race of the season for most Bay Area wooden-boat owners, and once again this event pulled together sailing families. San Francisco Master Mariners Benevolent Association (MMBA) commodore Hans List reports that there were at least seven vessels with multiple generations aboard: Flotsam, Water Witch, Franca, Asolare, Brigadoon, Aïda and Sequestor
A pursuit-style race where slower boats start first, the MMBA Memorial Day Regatta on May 25 queued native Bear and Bird fleets to the line at noon, followed by eight additional fleet starts. Competitors start in front of the St. Francis Yacht Club and sail courses to points around mid-Bay. Course lengths vary from 12.8 to 17 miles, and crews generally tag the finish two to three hours later. As to conditions, a mere 157 years after the first chase was held: "Near ideal. A strong flood and 20-plus-knot breeze made for exciting action."
Contenders come from miles away. 'Lectronic Latitude readers may have seen the pelican brief, posted on May 29. The story recounts how Jack Sloane on Briar Rose gave a lift to a local while en route to the regatta. Was the bird a good omen? "Coming around Point Reyes from Bodega Bay in near-gale conditions with the pelican was a magical way to kick off our adventure. The way everything fell into place, it did feel a bit supernatural."
Having been tracking weather reports all week, Sloane nearly called off the journey. Fortunately, a last-minute offer of assistance came through from sailor Richard vonEhrenkrook. Ready to accompany Sloane, this highly experienced racer has served at the helm of the Farallone Clipper Mistress II for the past seven years.
"The way everything fell into place, it did feel a bit supernatural."
Briar Rose went on to place second in the Gaff II Division and received the Longest Distance Traveled award. "I would have been happy just to make it to the start on time and finish the course," Sloane continues, saying that additional satisfaction came from watching Hans List on Sequestor gradually fall behind his boat while on the course. "These
vessels are the same design and longtime rivals. The Tahiti Ketch is not a fast or particularly comfortable boat, but she is sturdy and predictable."
Sloane purchased Briar Rose right before the 2023 MMBA regatta; this was his second time to race a sailboat. First to finish in division was Sea Quest, a 45-ft LOA Angelman gaff ketch owned by Stephen Carlson, who sailed singlehanded.
Representing small-boat regatta action were Hans Hansen on Bear Velerosa #69, plus husband Mark Harris and father Bill Hansen. Magic #65, toting the
Maloney family, raced too, with Daniel instead of Tim on board; the family's other Bear, Panda #9, had to withdraw at the last minute.
"Bears are an essential part of San Francisco Bay history," Hans Hansen says. "Classic wooden boats, the singledesign sloop was conceived in 1929 by Ernest Nunes and Marty Martinson as a competitive daysailing recreational craft. At 23-ft, these are perfect for the strong winds and heavy currents on summertime S.F. Bay."
Over the next 50 years, 69 were built by the Nunes Brothers and other yards, such as Stone Boatworks in Oakland and Alameda, plus by individuals. The
Birds at the Cityfront start (top) and the schooner 'Freda B' at the finish east of Treasure Island in the Master Mariners Regatta on May 25.
REELS IN FAMILIES
first Bear was launched from Sausalito in 1932. Today, fewer than 20 remain. The first, Queen Mary, has been restored and is kept by the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park at Hyde Street Pier. Only 17 are currently in the water, about a dozen of which are in Bay-worthy condition.
Notably absent again this year was that cute little red one, Renegade #38. For years she has been pampered by the Katz family, but seems it's time for her next caretaker.
There's always a wonderful ole wooden boat in need of a next home, so check www.bearboats.com and, of
course, Latitude's Classy Classifieds. Making a return to the Bear lineup was Trigger #20, following restoration by Karl Joost. Trigger didn't complete the course — she broke a bronze turnbuckle on her port mid-stay and had to fall off. "The crew was awesome and able to make a chainplate toggle repair to leeward," explains her skipper. "It got so wet during the fix that the foredeck's PFD inflated. We made the best of it, scrapped the weather leg to Blackaller, and joined other Bears on the Cityfront."
This was Trigger's return to the Master Mariners Regatta after 18 years. She is one of the winningest Bears. She was
raced by Scotty Cauchois, then Alice Merrill, for more than 39 years total. Of note, during her "race retirement," park ranger Mary Jordan used Trigger for the commute to and from Angel Island. Chris Longaker (who learned to sail on this boat) was next to take ownership. Joost came upon Trigger a few years ago, when she was in need of major restoration. At the time, "I really needed a project, so I started looking for a Bear to work on. My wife Louise and I had sailed Panda #9 during the early years. When I learned that our old friend Scotty's boat needed care, I was excited and told my wife, 'Honey, we just have to get Trigger back sailing.'"
Remembering Scotty's verve and energy in the Bear class, Joost was
MARTHA
Clockwise from top left: The recently restored Bear Boat 'Trigger'; sistership 'Magic' on her way to a win (with 'Velerosa' in the background); 'Briar Rose' leads fellow Tahiti Ketch 'Sequestor'; 'Water Witch', 'Flotsam', 'Nautigal' and 'Kay of Göteborg'.
MASTER MARINERS REGATTA
not going to allow Trigger's demise to happen.
"After three years of interrupted work and a year of trials on the Napa River, we got to San Francisco Bay. We kept up with Magic. Hans on Velerosa mused that he couldn't catch us. Trigger still has great boat speed," says Joost.
Magic earned the first-to-finish Gerry
They heard a huge crack and the rig came tumbling down.
Trophy in this class.
The highly competitive Farallone Clippers, sailing in the Ocean II Division, generally have the longest course
at 17 miles. Brian Boyd of Hana found conditions to be mild at the start of day, building by the time he reached across the Bay from Blossom Rock to Mark 23. "Things slackened a bit as we beat to Harding in advance of a final downwind leg to Treasure Island. It was rough out there, but things didn't seem out of the ordinary for the time of year — low-20s maybe."
Mixing it up with Neja for most of the afternoon, on the last run the crew got their kite sorted, readied, then raised. They sought to pull ahead somewhere near Alcatraz, when they heard a huge crack and the rig came tumbling down.
"First and most thankfully, no one in the crew was injured. It could have been disastrous. After some time trying to make sense of the wreckage, we were
able to lift mast, sails, rigging and kite tatters onto the deck, then motor back to Emeryville. Another boat must have called the Coast Guard, as they came to check on us, which was appreciated," adds Boyd. Hana escaped mostly unscathed.
"Beers and music at Encinal YC helped put things into perspective," claims Boyd. "I'll be building a new mast this summer."
Signature morning fog along Pacificside hills, lumpy waves, San Francisco Cityfront and Alcatraz bluster, then a steady blow past East Bay views were present. The finish, in a normally benign spot in the lee of Treasure Island, was rollicking. Swell action and intermittent gusts yielded entertaining finishes.
The Sausalito YC race committee
O'Grady
Clockwise from top left: The L-36 (aka Lapworth 36) 'Eventide'; four Farallone Clippers and the 1959-vintage 'Neja' comprised the Ocean II class, seen here at the start; Richard Leland's 'Fairwyn' sailed in Marconi I; Karsten Hansson (left) and Jimmy Turdici (right) sailed on Gaff II entry 'Sequestor', the Tahiti Ketch owned by Hans and Sophie List.
A rip-roarin' good time aboard Brian Boyd's Farallone Clipper 'Hana' was followed by not-so-much fun when the mast snapped. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the sailors were able to self-recover the debris and make it home on their own.
saw "Whew, we are done!" waves from competitors; the schooner Freda B gave onlookers a grand home stretch.
Time wore on and the RC began assessing who had yet to finish. In Ocean II, not one vessel had reached the area, and none could be spied through binoculars. Up for locating were Credit and VIP; Ouessant had to bow out earlier. Included in this division was also Jim Borger on the Lapworth-designed
Dasher 32 Neja. His red, white and blue spinnaker was eventually spotted upright, then sideways, then upright nearing the north end of Treasure Island alongside the competition. Borger plowed forward 'cause nothing keeps a good sailor down — even if his boat is running slanted while crossing the line to claim a trophy. Of note, this class had its top three finishers wrap it up within 20 seconds of one another.
TheMMBA (née the Boatman's Protective Association) staged its first regatta on July 4, 1867. Now held on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, this event has become the association's largest fundraiser. For 2024, more than 49 sponsors came forward. At the end of each year, a portion of monies raised is transferred to the Master Mariners Benevolent Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which then decides what charitable distributions to make.
Left: At the Saturday night awards ceremony at Encinal YC in Alameda, Reno and Sydney of 'Freda B' accepted prizes from MMBA commodore Hans List. Right: Sunday brunch potluck at the raft-up.
MASTER MARINERS REGATTA
In addition to the May regatta, club members produce June's Wooden Boat Show at Corinthian YC in Tiburon, plus participating in Bay race events and cruises. MMBA members congregate at Point San Pablo YC in Richmond.
Bear trainer Joost on Trigger sums up this year's regatta: "Damn (doggone) exciting. Can't wait to do it again next year!"
— martha blanchfield
MMBa MasTer MarINers reGaTTa, sYC, 5/25
BIG SCHOONER — 1) Freda B, 1991 80-ft LOA gaff-rigged topsail schooner, Paul Dines & Marina O'Neill. (1 boat)
OCEAN II — 1) Neja, 1959 Dasher 32, Jim Borger; 2) VIP, 1949 Farallone Clipper, Don Taylor, 3) Credit, 1952 Farallone Clipper, Bill & Janice Belmont. (5 boats)
MARCONI I — 1) Water Witch, 1928 56-ft Stone cutter, John & Gena Egelston; 2) Kay of Göteborg, 1978 52-ft S&S yawl, Neil & Ellen Gibbs; 3) Bounty, 1950 52-ft S&S yawl, Dan & Sue Spradling. (8 boats)
MARCONI II — 1) Eventide, 1958 L-36, Gregory Miano; 2) Encore, 1966 39-ft Concordia yawl, Bert Damner; 3) Farida, 1960 38-ft Ingrid ketch, Mike & Sue Proudfoot. (4 boats)
MARCONI III — 1) Viking, 1938 30-ft whaleboat, Michael O'Callaghan; 2) Flotsam, 1963 30-ft Yankee, Wesley & Roger Nunez; 3) Vectis, 1929 36-ft Wolacot sloop, Louis & Sara Nickles. (4 boats)
GAFF I — 1) Aïda, 1961 55-ft Colvin gaff schooner, Melissa & Andrew Flick; 2) Brigadoon, 1924 65-ft Herreshoff schooner, Terry & Lindsey Klaus. (2 boats)
GAFF II — 1) Sea Quest, 1961 36-ft Angelman Sea Witch ketch, Stephen Carlson; 2) Briar Rose, 1939 32-ft Hanna ketch, Jack Sloane; 3) Freda, 1885 33-ft Cookson gaff sloop, Spaulding Marine Center. (7 boats)
BEAR — 1) Magic, Tim Maloney; 2) Velerosa, Hans Hansen. (4 boats)
BIRD — 1) Cuckoo, Bill Claussen; 2) Grey Goose, Walter Brewer; 3) Hummingbird, Will Campbell. (5 boats)
Full results at www.sfmastermariners.org
perpeTual TrOpHIes
LYNX
BILLIKEN
LYLE GALLOWAY
KERMIT PARKER
DEAD EYE
ALOHA
HOMEWARD BOUND
FARALLONE CLIPPER
Best elapsed time, Big Schooner Freda B
Best elapsed time, Gaff >30-ft Brigadoon
Best elapsed time <30-ft Viking
Best elapsed time, Gaff II Makani Kai
Best elapsed time, Marconi I Yucca
Best elapsed time, Marconi II eventide
Best elapsed time, Marconi III Viking
First Farallone Clipper to finish VIp
EVERETT J. HANSON First Bird to finish Cuckoo
GERRY O'GRADY First Bear to finish Magic
LDT Longest Distance Traveled Briar rose
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TWO BROTHERS, TWO ANTRIM DESIGNS —
"We're racing for pink slips," said Jim Partridge of the upcoming Pacific Cup, where he'll be sailing against his older brother, Cree. "Whoever wins gets the other guy's boat," Jim added, only half serious — we think.
The competition between the Partridge brothers will see them going head to head in their Jim Antrim-designed custom boats, both of which were built at Berkeley Marine Center. Cree, who owns BMC, will be sailing Glass Slipper, officially described as a boatbuilder's 40-ft carbon fiber sled, born from the same hull plug as the Antrim-designed Class 40 California Condor. "This boat is a culmination of everything that I've ever done in the past," Cree, 77, said of Glass Slipper
Jim Patridge, 75, will be sailing Rapid Transit, his 49-ft canting-keel racer with "lots of carbon in the hull," according to Antrim. "Cree is 9.5 feet shorter — I've got the waterline, that's why we're going to beat him across the channel," said Jim. Not only will two Antrim designs and two brothers be facing off against each other, but Jim Antrim himself will serve as navigator aboard Glass Slipper "I wish I could be on both boats," Antrim said of the Pac Cup. We asked him if he had any predictions for the race, and he was kind enough to indulge us. "I think Rapid Transit will get to Hawaii first. (It had better!) As to who wins on
"Where did the name 'Glass Slipper' come from?" we asked Cree Partridge (right). He smiled, and said, "This is not my boat, it's my wife Julie's boat, which means whoever gave her the glass slipper must be Prince Charming."
corrected time … I frankly think both boats have a bad rating. I think we might correct better because Rapid Transit is more complicated with its canting keel, and you need more high-end people to sail it." (The always-cagey Jim Partridge joked, "Cree stole some of my crew.")
The unique brotherly competition in this year's Pac Cup represents a kind of apex in West Coast sailing: Decades of achievement in high-level design (via Jim Antrim), boatbuilding (via Cree Partridge), and racing will be on display on the more than 2,300-mile course from San Francisco to Hawaii.
Originally
from the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles, the Partridge brothers grew up surrounded by boats. "The three of us got together and bought a boat when we were young kids — a Sabot. And wow, it just kept going from there," Cree told us in mid-June, as Glass Slipper was on the hard in preparation for the Pac Cup. "We had our family fishing boat, and on both sides of the fishing boat at the marina were sailboats. So anytime they were going out, they would grab one of us 'meatheads', and we gladly did it. That's how it all started."
Cree knew that he wanted to make boats, he said, "since I was a little kid building boats in my parents' front yard with penny nails and old shingles and things that I could grab from construction sites. I was always, always, always
interested in building."
We've spoken with Cree Patridge numerous times over the past several years on subjects ranging from green hydrogen powering boats, unique vessels built at BMC, the past, present and future of Berkeley Marina, and boats, sailing, and just being on the water. Cree has a soft, deep voice and a big, white mustache. He speaks thoughtfully about all things. He has sailed and raced all over the world. He has built dozens of boats. This might sound a little over the top, but he oozes knowledge, experience, and passion, but in a calm, unassuming way.
Years ago, he told us, "Sitting on a boat, with your legs dangling over the side and just staring at the water, is the greatest thing ever. You are giving yourself the chance to see all sorts of wonders. [Once,] this huge whale came completely out of the water, turned parallel with the surface, and went back in. I've only seen that two or three times in my life, but to be out there, as close as we were to that whale, was unbelievable."
Cree would go on to found P-Squared Yachts with his partner John Palmer in Southern California. "During the '70s, every year, the really hot racers would throw their old boat away and build a new one. We were building boats for Gary Mull, Doug Peterson, and just about
ONE PAC CUP SHOWDOWN
little port along the way before getting to San Francisco," Cree told us. "And Julie said, 'Wow, this is really pretty.' And I jumped on that."
Partridge would come to own Berkeley Marine Center, where he started a long relationship with Jim Antrim. "I was working for Gary Mull when Cree and his partner John Palmer were building a Mull design," the Bay Area-based Jim Antrim told us. "[Cree] drives me nuts," Antrim joked about his colleague and friend. "He's so optimistic, it's unrealistic. But it's nice that he's close by — it really helps to drop in and see how things are going. It's good to have either the client or the designer near the builder — you want to see things as the boat develops, and the customer gets to see the shape in 3D, because a lot of people don't have a good sense from the drawings."
to sail in his own design? "It's not that it's uncomfortable, it's just spartan," Antrim said of Glass Slipper "And because you're going fast, carbon boats tend to be pretty loud. But it's pretty dry, and the berths are comfortable."
Weasked Partridge what was on his wish list for Glass Slipper . What features did he want?
"Fast," he answered. "Just … fast."
This might sound a little over the top, but Glass Slipper seems to ooze speed, or rather, she has a kinetic quality, even while sitting in the middle of a boatyard. The bow is so narrow and sleek as to resemble an arrow, with the lines widening and carrying through hard chines at the beam and into the stern. "I like having a From left: Cree and Julie Partridge with Jim Antrim at the launch of 'Glass Slipper' last year.
every noteworthy designer of the time." Business stopped abruptly, however, because of external circumstances. "It was like they shut off the spigot," Partridge said of custom boatbuilding in Southern California. "It was partially environmental and partially economic. All of a sudden, the boatbuilding customer moved to Florida, Europe and Australia."
Costs revolving around boatbuilding have "skyrocketed," according to Partridge. "We used to buy resin for less than 10 cents per pound — now it's multiple dollars per pound," he told us. "Sure, inflation has chewed up a lot, but it just makes the numbers outrageous. The cost of building something like this," Cree said, motioning to Glass Slipper, "is not what it was in the '70s or '80s." Partridge said that financial considerations stretched the Glass Slipper build to more than five years.
As he was looking to relocate in the late 1990s, Cree and his wife Julie were on a boat trip to the San Juan Islands, "On the way back down, we gunkholed every
BMC has built at least half a dozen Jim Antrim designs including several non-race boats, such as Barry Spanier's 42-ft junk-rigged, scow-bow cruiser Rosie G, the 9-ft Chubby Girl, which unsuccessfully attempted to become the smallest boat to sail to Hawaii, and several whaleboats for the Oakland Women's Rowing Club.
"If people have an unusual idea, I have a reputation for designing it," Antrim told us back in 2018. "I lean toward performance boats — fast boats. From way back in the early '80s, I became one of the leading composite engineers, and that helped define my career. I like doing different things and taking on different challenges, especially the challenge of doing a variety of projects. I would get bored doing the same thing over and over."
This year's Pacific Cup will mark Jim Antrim's 14th race to Hawaii. What will it be like
In this corner (left), weighing in at 15,318 pounds, the 49-ft Jim Antrim-designed, Berkeley Marine Center-built 'Rapid Transit'. And in this corner (right), weighing in at 12,072 pounds, the 40-ft Jim Antrim-designed, Berkeley Marine Center-built 'Glass Slipper'. Let's have a good, clean race.
BROTHERLY LOVE IN THE PAC CUP
TWO BROTHERS, TWO ANTRIM DESIGNS —
group of people that can sit in the back of the boat at 20 knots and enjoy it, and not tear down on the bow all the time. We wanted the boat wide for the ability to carry as much sail as we could."
Launched last year, Glass Slipper hasn't seen much time in the water yet. "We did the Bluewater Bash, and that's the most we've ever been out in the boat," Cree said. "And we did reasonably well — we were first overall, but we handled the weather very well. There were no breakages of any sort. But I've never been so cold and so wet — I retired my foul-weather gear that day. We were getting 'pooped on' constantly. In one little surfing episode, I buried the bow clear up to the forward hatch as a big wave was right behind, lifted the stern, and threw us into the trough. But nothing broke."
Cree was quick to note that Glass Slipper was actually not that wet. "It's relatively dry because of the chines," he said, adding that at slower speeds, the spray goes straight up. "As soon as you get over 10 or 12 knots, all of a sudden, the spray is gone because it's going like this," Cree said, motioning his hands as if over a flat surface. "It's amazing."
Jim Partridge said that both Rapid Transit and Glass Slipper "have too much sail on them. But it gets pretty thrilling — I've made 32.5 knots," he told us. Cree was aboard Rapid Transit during a recent Transpac where they sustained 24 knots and above for over 45 minutes. "A
re you at the top of your game?" we asked Cree Partridge.
"Are you kidding me?" he responded, shaking his head. "In the '60s and '70s, we were vacuum bagging the core and laminating the skin, and we thought, 'Wow, that's really something. Look at us.' Other builders saw what we were doing, and we thought the recognition was really cool." It was here that Cree mentioned that Glass Slipper was a culmination of everything he's done, but also, what he can still do.
"I'm constantly thinking about what we can improve or do differently." Cree is especially interested in scow-bow boats, and foils. "How much advantage/disadvantage are those things?"
Cree wondered of foils. "There's a lot of things you can do with a platform like this [refering to Glass Slipper] to reduce drag and improve upper-end speed and efficiency tremendously, without changing the whole shape, and without giving up safety."
We asked Cree if there was anything he wanted people to know about him. "I just love doing it," he said. "I love being part of it. I love helping people do it. And I love to see different people get involved." latitude / tim henry
Cree and Jim Partridge (right) look over the Jim Antrim-drawn plans for 'Rapid Transit' approximately 10 years ago.
BerKeLey marine center
RIDING MAGIC MOUNTAIN — MY FIRST
Ifelt the nerves settle in my stomach, accompanying the seasickness I had finally grown accustomed to. Thankfully, the second thoughts I'd been having were not present as I was slowly gaining my sea legs. It was my first offshore sailing experience, having only sailed a handful of times in the warm, welcoming waters around Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. We were three days into our passage to Ensenada, Mexico, with 1,000 miles to go. My partner Jason is a confident and seasoned sailor, so despite my uneasiness, I sat in the cockpit of our 1976 Cheoy Lee Offshore 41, Sitka, trying to silently make peace with Poseidon.
When Jason (Jay) was selling me on the idea of joining him aboard his boat to sail the world, I remember him telling me offshore sailing can be full of the best moments of your life, and the worst, with sometimes only seconds in between. I never really understood what he meant until the day I looked up at our Windex to discover we were moments away from catastrophic rig failure.
It was the fifth day of our journey; I was finally able to stomach solid food and was getting used to the unusual sleep schedules and the motion of the sea. The sound of waves echoed against the hull as I pulled on my bibs and clipped into my harness. I made my way to the cockpit to relieve our crewmember Harry from his watch. Hours of uneventful sailing went by until I felt a tug on the trolling line off our stern. Lo and behold, a bigeye tuna, weighing roughly 20 pounds, had decided it was his destiny to feed our crew of three. It required both the captain and second mate to get it into the cockpit. This was the highlight of our offshore trip thus far. The sun was shining, music was playing, and we were preparing our entrée for that evening. In this moment I felt more alive than ever before. Jason was right; things can change in the blink of an eye.
Jason popped out the companionway. The first thing he recalls seeing were the pieces of wood scattered about our deck. Being French, he accompanied his observation with a cascade of French expletives before he turned to me and said, "We broke our port-side spreader." A sentence that will haunt me forever. I looked to the port side of the vessel and up toward the sky. Sure enough, there it was,
Still more confused than scared, I asked the captain what the next course of action was. "Start the engine and get the sails down." Of course, in this particular moment we had the most difficult sail set up. We completely furled the genoa and lowered the spinnaker pole to the deck. We then took the spinnaker halyard to the midship cleat on the port side. We tensioned it by hand, using the "jiggering" method, as we had no available winches. This stabilized the mast a little, but the risk of losing the rig was still very real. The main needed to come down and it needed to come down now. We centered the boom and attempted to bring the mainsail down … "She won't budge."
I was called to stay at the helm. Again, words were spoken to me that I will never forget. "Steer upwind and don't let the wind come from the port side. If you don't, we can lose the entire rig and we will be in a lot more trouble than we already are."
"Copy that." The nerves returned and my stomach went sour, but I wouldn't let the seasickness win. This was my boat, my home, and I was determined to help my crew make it to port safely.
Sitka was climbing waves and nose-bombing down into the swells. I held course for 45 minutes while the boys tried to pull down the main. My knees were chattering as if I were freezing cold, and then it dawned upon me that fear was making me tremble within my own skin.
While I was carefully fileting the tuna, I glanced up at the Windex. Our 56-ft Sitka spruce mast was bending 45 degrees to both port and starboard, resembling an overcooked spaghetti noodle. I may have been green to sailing, but I knew something was definitely not right. "Jay … can you come here?" I asked. The sound of shock and confusion laced my timid voice. Our sail setup was wing on wing. The main was on the port side and the genoa was pulled out on the starboard side.
or should I say there it was supposed to be — no spreader. Instead, the spreader and various other wood remnants covered our decks with splinters. Jason and Harry quickly uncovered the cause of the malfunction before moving on to the next phase of the mission. The top part of the mainsail, which has battens in it, had gone completely behind the upper shroud — that, combined with the fact that we had dry rot in the bolts of the spreader (as we learned afterwards), made for an emergency situation. When Sitka surfed down a big wave and the mainsail luffed, it put an incredible amount of lateral force on the spreader and snapped it off at its weakest point, at the bolts.
Since the top of the mast was bending so much, it bent our external track completely, torquing it just above where the spreaders lay. The mainsail was now caught and refusing to budge. In between the large swells, Jason and Harry pulled down on the luff — no change. With the mast still bending side to side and water piling onto the deck, Jason unclipped from his tether and climbed onto Harry's back. This should be a sport of its own. Now unclipped and standing 5 feet 10 inches taller, Jason attempted to get the mainsail down once and for all. Quick thinking meant he had a line in his mouth, passing it through the second reef ring. Once successful, he returned to the deck. While Jason pulled on the newly installed downhaul, Harry pulled on the corresponding reef line. This proved successful. After battling the mainsail for nearly 45 minutes, they tamed the beast. Having freed up the main halyard and
Makenna's watch included a tasty surprise.
ALL PHOTOS SV SITKA
OFFSHORE SAIL, RIG FAILURE, AND FOG
its corresponding winch, Jason now attached the main halyard to the port-side midship cleat and used the self-tailing mast winch. This stabilized the mast and gave him a chance to breathe and figure out the next step.
On one hand, we didn't lose the rig; on the other, we were 130 miles offshore and about 160 miles from the closest port in building seas, with an unstable mast.
Without our sails, we were forced to use the iron genny for what became a 39-hour motor inland.
To further strengthen the rig, Jason grabbed a boat hook and extended it between the mast and upper shroud, as high as he could reach. He then took an aluminum extrusion piece from our spare-part collection and lashed it to the boat hook, which prevented it from collapsing. He then took the clevis pins out of the turnbuckle of the upper shroud and tensioned it to help stabilize the entire rig.
The "hard part" was over but we weren't out of the woods — or sea — yet. Night was approaching and we were all on edge. Jason and Harry considered the increasing sea state, while I was too busy with my head in a bucket, losing the contents of my stomach, to notice my scary surroundings. On paper, it was now Jason's watch, but none of us was going anywhere. We were in it together as we motored into the darkness with only the red light from our headlamps.
Wind whipped around us as the 40knot gusts bit at any exposed skin.
'Sitka's crew (l to r) Jason (Jay), Makenna, and Harry, enjoy a calm sea.
Left: Spare aluminum and a boathook support the mast. Center: Always carry duct tape. Right: Even MacGyver couldn’t have done better.
RIDING MAGIC MOUNTAIN — MY FIRST
The seas were now 30 feet, resembling buildings as they hit us on our quarter, drenching the cockpit with enough water to lift us from our seats. Hand-steering to a compass course became extremely demanding, while adrenaline suppressed the fear. After an hour or so of vomiting, I was advised to hunker down below and monitor the bilge pump every 45 minutes. The boys stayed up top, switching off helm duty every hour while monitoring the condition of the boat. They later referred to this as riding Magic Mountain.
Coffee Crisp chocolate bar wrappers littered Sitka's interior — we inhaled the bars to stay awake. Despite our best attempts to be completely alert, the rest of the ride was an exhausted blur. Jay and Harry took turns hand-steering. Their watch consisted of one hour on and one hour off until finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the night melted into morning as the sun rose and painted our horizon. Light was not our only gift from Mother Nature; the seas had dialed down enough for me to take over a four-hour watch and relieve the boys from their misery. Still sick and unable to take my hands off the wheel, I decided to get crafty and tie a bucket loosely around my neck with a bowline, just to keep my vomit contained and not all over my already-gross bibs. Stupid? Maybe. But it worked like a charm.
As time went on, Poseidon seemed to have taken mercy on our weary souls, giving us manageable seas. The boys were better rested, ready to help us get to port. We were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel … until we couldn't see anything at all. Fog, thicker than pea soup, crept in from all directions, veiling our view with
gray. We had motored 30 hours straight and were nearly at the entrance to Humboldt Bay, Eureka, CA, which, according to the USCG, is the second-most dangerous bar entrance on the West Coast. What should have been a relatively easy task turned into a seven-hour ordeal due to the lack of visibility. Jason scrambled for our foghorns, only to discover they (sadly) had run out of air. Luckily we had a whistle, and blew every two minutes to warn other ships of our position.
As we slowly made our way down the river bar, with only 10-foot visibility off the bow, my olfactory senses went into overdrive. I was told that when you spend a significant amount of time at sea, the smell of earth and food hits you like a brick wall when entering a new port. Here in Eureka, motoring through dense fog, I
smelled the delicious scent of fried chicken. At the bow, as I watched and listened for buoys, my salivary glands were working at an exceptional rate. Something I'll never forget.
We did not have the correct charts at the helm; we only had them at the nav station below, as it had not been our plan to stop in the United States. We had Harry read out the navigational data from below while Jay was at the helm and I remained at the bow. The dense fog made for an exhausting entrance into Eureka, but after an extremely difficult few hours of navigating through the horrible conditions, we finally arrived at the dock. Almost as soon as the lines were made around the cleats, I was on the dock, kissing solid ground. A single tear streamed down my face. For the first time in days, debilitating seasickness was no longer taking over every nerve and muscle in my body. In only a minute, I felt completely back to normal, as if I hadn't just endured the hardest, most strenuous experience of my life.
Harry still had some energy up his sleeve (thanks to the Coffee Crisp chocolate bars) and decided to make some fresh spicy tuna rolls with the fish we'd caught before everything went to hell. We sat around eating sushi, laughing, crying and bonding over what we'd just been through, knowing we would all remember this moment for the rest of our lives. We then enjoyed the best and deepest sleep of our lives.
Today, after putting an additional 700 miles under Sitka's keel, I can confidently say there is something special about that first night of sleep after a big passage. I looked up toward the hatch in our stateroom and saw a blue sky; the fog had finally cleared. I popped my head out of
Visibility was poor, but the smell of fried chicken kept the crew on track.
Reunited with shore, Makenna's seasickness and fear fade into the background.
OFFSHORE
the companionway and let out a massive gasp, loud enough to wake up both Jay and Harry.
"What do you see?" they asked in unison. Nearly 300 feet from where we'd turned the boat around in the pea-soup fog stood a bridge that crossed the river — one that was so low we would have lost the mainmast. The mast that we had just ridden through Magic Mountain, 160 miles offshore, to save. I turned my head, and to the port side of Sitka stood a small island. How we didn't hit it when we turned around in the fog is beyond us. A true mystery. All I can say is someone or something was definitely watching over Sitka and her salty crew of three.
The following week was spent building two new spreaders for the mainmast and
tuning the rig. It was a mission, to say the least, but thanks to the help of the locals, we were able to repair Sitka and set sail for Mexico once again. As I write this piece I am sitting comfortably in the cockpit, the same place I sat on that dreadful night, but this time surrounded by clear skies, a gentle breeze, the sound of jungle and a heart full of intentions to carry on with our journey south. Riding Magic Mountain was an experience we won't forget, but I sincerely hope we don't make a return trip anytime soon (or ever).
A note from the crew: Those of us aboard SV Sitka would like to thank Mike Fortin from Victoria, BC, Canada, for being our onshore safety liaison via Iridium GO! sat phone.
— makenna shine
Editor's note: Makenna is one half of the Sitka crew. She and her partner Jason are sailing the 1976 Cheoy Lee Offshore 41 around the world. Starting at Vancouver Island, the couple has covered more than 4,500 miles together. She looks forward to more adventures — hopefully ones without curveballs.
The challenges of her first offshore voyage haven't dampened Makenna's enthusiasm.
Lee Helm would love to race to Hawaii, but between her graduate studies and her part-time work, the closest she can get is to volunteer as a pre-race inspector. I think she takes out her envy on the racers, because her inspections are well known as the toughest on the waterfront.
I have to admit, though, that it's a good thing she requires the storm trysail and the storm jib to be bent on, hoisted and flying, the bilge full of water to demonstrate that both pumps work, and the ground tackle laid out on the dock for measuring and weighing. It turned out that the tack cringle in our trysail was too big for the gooseneck shackle, so I lashed it for inspection and added "new trysail tack shackle" to my last-minute to-do list.
Same with the hand pumps. The new one we installed that could operate from belowdecks worked fine, but the old one with the pump handle in the cockpit had not been used for decades — why pump by hand when there's an electric bilge pump? — and the brittle old diaphragm disintegrated after just a few strokes. Another item for my list.
"Ha!" she smirked. "Like, that's what you think. Here's my special, extrasecret checklist of things you need but that are not required, things that are hardly ever even mentioned at the prep seminars."
She handed me another list. Yikes, lots more last-minute errands.
Lee Helm's Secret List of Optional Offshore Equipment
• Carpenter's Apron: For the cook — keep favorite utensils and seasonings close at hand. Remember, you can't just put things down on the galley counter and expect them to stay where you put them.
germ, millet seeds, or cashew pieces for extra potency. Test-drive the mix well before the race.
• Crew fan (Koonie 10mAh clip-on USB recharge or similar): This replaces the old standby, the "big box" crew fan, which needs four D cells plus a set of spares. The new model is bigger but lighter, and has USB recharge and a strong clamp to keep it aimed at your face on hot nights. Makes the cabin feel 10 degrees cooler.
Sometimes, even a theoretician like Lee Helm can compile the voices of experience.
• Keychain flashlights for zipper pulls: Cheap when you order a dozen. Every sea bag needs one, so no one has to turn on a bright cabin light when they dig for their warm hat before going on deck for the night watch. Someday I'm going to wire up my sea bag like a refrigerator, so interior lighting goes on automatically when I open the zipper.
Everything else was pretty much in order, and Lee left me with a copy of the inspection checklist that all the inspectors work from.
"Mahalo," I said. "My checklist looks about the same as yours, and I think with just a few things fixed we are good to go."
• Small bucket to fit inside head bowl: The head will break. A small bucket that fits inside the head bowl is much better than balancing on the edge of a big plastic bucket from Home Despot. Also, constipation, the "number-two" offshore medical problem after seasickness, is aggravated by the near certainty of clogging the head when things finally move "down there." Use a bucket for the first big event, worry-free.
• Anti-constipation breakfast cereal: Bring the multigrain, high-fiber concoction that works for you. Add wheat
• Lightweight flannel sleeping sheet: Hey, you really don't need a sleeping bag for a race to Hawaii. You will probably sleep in your warm watchstanding gear for the first two nights anyway, and after that it's more important to keep cool than to keep warm. Plus one less item to schlep home on the airplane. But it's nice to have a very thin but absorbent flannel sheet to curl up in. The knowledgeable folks at Bad Breath and Beyond can set you up with the right product.
• Eye shades: Makes a surprisingly big difference when you need to sleep
The bucket that fits in the head bowl. You will need it.
during the day. Get the fancy ones with cups that keep the fabric from pushing against your eyelids.
• Filleting knife and sharpening stone: Rule No. 1 for when fishing is allowed (from Jim Quanci and the Green
Buffalo crew): "Only when the boat is either way ahead or in the bottom half of the fleet."
Your ride to Hawaii will be a lot happier if you bring the right gear aboard, while still in San Francisco.
The better crew fan. Bigger but lighter, with USB recharge.
Navigator retainer straps made comfortable thanks to pool noodles.
LAUREN EASLEY
• Pool noodles: These have many uses on a race boat. For example, if race prep never got around to the task of having a canvas shop make up nicely padded retainer straps for the nav station and galley. With a big, soft pool noodle, you can use any old piece of line and some spare shackles, and the noodle provides all the padding you need.
• Self-contained emergency running lights (Navisafe or similar with two-mile visibility): Emergency running lights are required, but the old solution was powered by the same battery and charging system that might have already failed. These days, thanks to really efficient LEDs, there are some excellent selfcontained tri-colors, bow lights and stern lights that meet the legal two-mile visibility requirements. Bring a pile of AAA batteries; best to put in three fresh ones every evening.
• More flashlights than you ever thought you could possibly need: Offshore race boats eat flashlights. It's not overkill to have one small flashlight for
each day of the race. Bring extras for other crew. You'll find them all after the race.
• Personal pocket scissors (better than a knife in many situations): Here's why scissors are usually better than the traditional rigging knife: 1) You can pull them out of your pocket (or custom
scissor sheath) and start using them right away, all with only one hand, much faster than opening a folding rigging knife or multi-tool; 2) They are safer, because they are closed between cuts; 3) Scissors are exactly what you
need for cutting out patches of sail-repair tape; 4) They will cut a line under tension just as well as a sharp knife, especially if you have them sharpened. Some sailors like to file off the point of the blade, especially if it lives in a pocket with no sheath. There are better tools for when you need a sharp, pointy tip.
• Zipper lubricant: You can use Vaseline in a pinch, but a made-for-purpose zipper lubricant comes in its own applicator. Life is too short to fight with old, sticky zippers.
• Electrical contact cleaner: This fixes almost everything electronic that fails on a boat in the ocean.
Lee was right, as usual. I already had the fan and the electrical contact cleaner, but none of those other items were in my own personal equipment. Sometimes, even a theoretician like Lee Helm can compile the voices of experience.
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THE RACING
CORW = Spinnaker Cup, Coastal Cup + SoCal 300. The Delta Ditch Run was not for beginners. The YRA runs the Duxship, Bluewater Bash and Full Crew Farallones. StFYC hosts a Match Racing Qualifier, the Elvstrom-Zellerbach, and a Sailing League inaugural regatta. OYC sails the rescheduled Rites of Spring; SCYC hosts 5O5s, 470s and ILCAs; and ABYC runs the RS Tera NAs. Plus we round up Box Scores and Race Notes
California Offshore Race Week
California Offshore Race Week featured 90 boats and more than 400 sailors racing in the three events of the series. The series combines the Spinnaker Cup from San Francisco to Monterey, the Coastal Cup from Monterey to Santa Barbara, and the SoCal 300 from Santa Barbara to San Diego — like links in a chain. Now in its eighth year, CORW started on Memorial Day Weekend.
John Brynjolfsson of the San Diego Yacht Club-flagged TP52 Saga described the adventure: "Few experiences can rival the thrill of sailing with Saga's seasoned crew under the Golden Gate Bridge alongside a fleet of fellow sailors embarking on a week-long, 500-mile odyssey. As the fog lifted outside San Francisco and the flood lay behind us, the fleet converged down the coast on Monterey, our first port of call. A welcome break and authentic eateries awaited our courageous crew.
"Later legs took us to Santa Barbara and San Diego, each pushing seasoned sailors to their limits on every point of sail, Beaufort scale and sea state. Our crew dug deep, grabbing brief respites when possible, fueling up on black, hot coffee as the sun rose over California's stunning Coastal Range and Channel Islands."
The J/125s Argo 4 and Arsenal, both registered in the full series, were locked up in a tight battle after the Spinnaker
Cup. Argo 4 won Class 1 using PHRF scoring, and Arsenal led the series using ORR scoring. But Arsenal's rudder sustained damage in the Coastal Cup, forcing them to drop out. Argo 4 continued with a first in class/third overall in the Coastal Cup and second in class/ seventh overall in the SoCal 300 to lock up the CORW series overall victory. Argo 4 is the second J/125 series champ — Velvet Hammer won in 2019.
Kenny Keiding, skipper of Argo 4, commented on the victory: "Our crew was an all-Santa Barbara-based group including John Vincent, Gary Gordon, Tedd White, Bill Blazewicz, Peder Lenvik and Carly Kieding.
"The first leg of the race was relatively warm and super-fast. We saw three orcas, a first for most of us. It was really special to have my 17-year-old daughter Carly drive the boat at 22.5 knots, ripping downwind toward the finish.
"The most challenging part of the week was during the Coastal Cup, when we navigated big breeze, a pitch-black night, and confused seas. It was also super-cold. None of us got any rest that night, so it was nice to end in our homeport of Santa Barbara, with hot showers and our own beds waiting for us. We learned a bunch on the last leg, giving away a few extra miles."
Nearly 50 yachts in seven divisions started the Spinnaker Cup on May 25. Saga, Lucky Duck and Buona Sera led
down the 84-mile course. To avoid light winds near the coast, the boats stayed offshore before jibing back in to catch a fresh breeze at Waddell Beach, then continued straight into Monterey Bay. The competition was intense among the three J/125s, which finished within six minutes of one another, securing the top three places.
Saga claimed line honors with a time of 8 hours, 18 minutes (the 2013 record was 6 hours, 43 minutes). The last boat to finish was the Soverel 33 Flexi Flyer with a time of 15 hours, 4 minutes.
A dozen entries took on the 205-mile Coastal Cup. The Moore 24 Oxymoron sailed the shortest distance to finish second, nearly catching overall winner, the Dogpatch 26 Moonshine, which won CORW overall in 2023. Moonshine corrected ahead by 30 minutes despite sailing 27 more miles. Oxymoron hugged the coast, staying within about 20 miles of the coastline, while the rest of the fleet, including Moonshine, sailed as much as 50+ miles offshore.
"Our focus is a doublehanded Pacific Cup this summer — we had a very different goal than in 2023," said Moonshine's David Rogers. "It was great to see 12 doublehanded boats racing Spinnaker Cup. We were eager to push the boat in a doublehanded fleet, ultimately maybe pushing a little too hard, resulting in a pretty epic wipeout."
The TP52 'Saga' at the start of CORW Leg 2, the Coastal Cup, in Monterey.
Manouch Moshayedi helped create the SoCal 300 and donated the perpetual trophy. His Bakewell White Rio 100 is the course record holder (16:26:58 in the inaugural year, 2015) and was narrowly first to finish this year. This year's SoCal 300 overall winner was Thomas Furlong's R/P 52 Vitesse, with an elapsed time of just over 26 hours, about the same as last year's SoCal 300 winner Argo 4. "We did a great job getting across the channel and overtook many boats," commented Furlong, "even though we had some issues off the start line."
— latitude / chris
EYC/StFYC/MPYC SPINNAKER CUP, 5/25-26
PHRF 1 — 1) Argo 4, J/125, Kenneth Kieding/ John Vincent; 2) Arsenal, J/125, Andrew Picel; 3) Velvet Hammer, J/125, James Nichols. (8 boats) PHRF 2 — 1) Jubilant, J/112e, Ross Werner; 2) Twist, J/120, Timo Bruck; 3) Destin, Landmark 43, Romeo Uriarte. (7 boats)
PHRF 4 — 1) Viva, Cal 40, Don Jesberg; 2) Azure, Cal 40, Rodney Pimentel; 3) Keaka, Olson 34, Chris Maher. (12 boats)
PHRF 5 DBL — 1) Bloom County, Mancebo 31, Elliott James/Kyle Vanderspek; 2) Wolfpack, Donovan 30, Andy Hamilton/Christine Shope; 3) Sun Dragon, Jeanneau SunFast 3300, Frank van Diggelen/Sergei Podshivalov. (7 boats)
PHRF 6 DBL — 1) Solstice, Cal 40, Michael Polkabla/August Louis; 2) Domino, Wilderness 30, Ashley & Austin Book; 3) Nobody's Girl, Moore 24, Mackenzie & Dan Cook. (5 boats) MULTIHULL — 1) Calonectris, Antrim 31 tri, Nicholas Halmos; 2) Caliente, Explorer 44 tri, Truls Myklebust. (2 boats) EYC/MPYC/SANTA BARBARA YC COASTAL CUP, 5/27-29
ORR A — 1) Argo 4; 2) Lucky Duck, Rogers 46, Dave MacEwen; 3) City Lights, SC52, Aaron Wangenheim. (6 boats)
ORR C — 1) Moonshine, Dogpatch 26, David Rogers; 2) Oxymoron, Moore 24, Tom Southam; 3) Bacchanal, J/133, Ronald Epstein. (6 boats) SANTA BARBARA YC/SDYC SOCAL 300, 5/306/1
ORR A — 1) Vitesse, R/P 52, Thomas Furlong; 2) Fast Exit II, Ker 52, John Raymont; 3) Zero Gravity 51, R/P 51, Ivan Batanov. (6 boats)
ORR B — 1) Triumph, SC52, Steve Sellinger; 2) Stark Raving Mad VII, Swan 601, Jim Madden; 3) Velos, Tanton 73, Kjeld Hestehave. (6 boats)
ORR C — 1) Lucky Duck; 2) Argo 4; 3) Javelin, J/125, Daniel Murphy. (3 boats)
ORR D — 1) Bacchanal; 3) Black Marlin,
Herwig
3)
, SC37, Nick Grebe. (3 boats)
ORR E — 1) Andreas, Norseman 447, Bernt Helgaas; 2) Zimmer, Pacer 42, Michael Gebb; 3) Sage, Beneteau First 40, Richard Cowper. (3 boats)
ORR-EZ — 1) Merlin, J/99, Stephen McMillan; 2) Kanani, J/100, David Bew. (2 boats)
This year's Delta Ditch Run on June 8 was not an edition for beginners. Although conditions were nigh on perfect for the start, with 10-15 knots of breeze, the windspeed ramped up in San Pablo Bay to a steady 25, with gusts tickling 30. Add to that lingering ebb chop fetching up surfable waves for an epic spinnaker ride, until the wind came too far forward and necessitated switching to jibs.
Farther up the course, the breeze would occasionally drop to 5-ish knots — but don't be tricked! That pause wouldn't last. The wind direction had more south to it than usual, so it wasn't the normal jibe-fest. Instead of racking up the numbers on the jibe-o-meter, a lot of reaching led to more sets and douses than in a typical year. (We've tried, in typical years, to keep track of jibes with pencil tick marks, but have always given
up. This year, we can remember only a couple of jibes but lost count of sets and douses.)
Leaders in the Express 27 fleet report planing at boatspeeds in the mid-teens. Several boats ran aground, a Melges 20 lost their rig, the Explorer 44 Caliente had a crew overboard just past the Antioch Bridge, and an F-27 trimaran capsized in Suisun Bay. (Both trimarans had successful recoveries.)
First to finish was Kyle Vanderspek on the F-25C Soarin, at 5:34 p.m., with an elapsed time of 6:34. The first monohull, Rufus Sjoberg's Melges 24 Rufless, was next. But it would be Bill and Melinda Erkelens on the Moore 24 Flying Circus who would correct out to first place overall.
"Go the Moore 24s — 25 boats, 20+ knots of wind and plenty of broad reaching delivered solid racing all the way to the finish," writes Bill Erkelens. "Our start was average at best, starting outer middle going toward shore, but we managed to get back in the pack after going a little wide after the Brothers.
"Halfway to Point Pinole, we decided to pole forward a bit and cross some sterns to shift over to the inside line in preparation for the upcoming heavy reach to the Vallejo channel. We followed Flying Tiger, which looked the strongest on the inside, until we approached Point Pinole. We went even higher to get all the way up into the Point, as it looked like no lee and plenty of puff coming out of the Bay to weather.
"When the big breeze hit, we were
1D35,
Baumgartner;
Wildcard
The overall winner of the California Offshore Race Week, the J/125 'Argo 4', starts the first leg, the Spinnaker Cup, on May 25.
well set up to blast and with the extra height we were able to come away in the big puffs and managed to keep the inside line. Melinda did an awesome job keeping the boat ripping, with bow up when possible, and avoided the nose-in as the waves got steep. We did one brief wind check at full pace and lost the tiller extension, but managed to get the bow down and get ripping again quickly.
"When we got to the Vallejo channel, we had a healthy lead on all the Moores but Lowly Worm and Awkward Handshake, which sailed a solid leg."
The Cal Maritime ship Golden Bear was coming off their pier with tugs just west of the Carquinez Bridge. When Flying Circus arrived, the Erkelens decided to go above Golden Bear, "which ended up being a loss to the boats that went below, as we got light in the middle after the bridge while the boats to leeward had more breeze. We did manage to sneak through the light air and maintain a lead going past Martinez and beyond.
"From that point we sailed very conservatively, avoiding ship traffic and bigger boats' lees all the way up the river. Melinda let me drive a little near the end, when we had a few drinks."
— latitude / chris
SSC/RYC DELTA DITCH RUN, 6/8
HEAVY 1 — 1) Marrakesh, Express 34, Craig Perez; 2) Sir Edmund, Covey Island 49 schooner, Andy Schwenk; 3) Humble Vandal, J/92, Rhett Smith. (9 boats)
HEAVY 2 — 1) Viva, Cal 40, Don Jesberg; 2) Arcadia, Mod. Santana 27, Gordie Nash; 3) Sea Star, Cal 39-2, Bob Walden. (5 boats)
HEAVY 3 — 1) Can O'Whoopass, Cal 20, Richard vonEhrenkrook; 2) Alegre, Santana 22, Chris Klein; 3) Sketch, Olson 25, David Gruver/ John Collins. (6 boats)
LIGHT 1 — 1) Flight Risk, Thompson 650, Ben Landon; 2) Rooster, Melges 20, John Oldham; 3) Rascal, Wilderness 30, William Larsen. (10 boats)
Andy Newell, who sails the Santana 35 Ahi and runs the YRA's Offshore Series, filed this report:
"The YRA Offshore Duxbury Lightship race started on May 18 in puffy conditions off Golden Gate YC with winds ranging from mid-teens to about 20 knots. All boats used small jibs, and a few were reefed.
"We were sharing the race committee (YRA chairman Joe Rockmore, executive director Laura Muñoz and a few others) with the YRA's Bluewater Bash, a 150mile overnighter. GGYC had a private event happening, so the race committee volunteers were unable to use the race deck and instead set up on the breakwater road in front of the club. Dedication!
"The six BWB boats started first, then
The Delta Ditch Run on June 8, clockwise from top left: The Erkelens shredded San Pablo Bay on their way to a win; 'Motorcycle Irene' topped the Express 27 fleet; CMA's 'Golden Bear' proved an unexpected obstacle; the Cal 40 'Duende' in New York Slough. Light overcast kept temps reasonable.
after a brief pause, 22 boats started the Duxship in five fleets. We started near slack water, so the trip out the Gate was pretty easy. After a few tacks to get to Point Bonita, all the boats settled in to a long port tack to the Duxbury Reef buoy in a SSW wind in the mid-teens. The fleet quickly spread out on a close reach, a bit too far forward for kites. About two-thirds of the way to Dux, boats with asymmetrical kites were able to hoist and gained on the rest of us.
"Right as the PHRO3 fleet (affectionately known as the old and the slow) rounded Dux, the wind shifted as predicted and mostly shut off. Big jibs went up on boats that had them, and bows were pointed in many directions looking for wind. The sea state was still bumpy, so keeping the sails full in the light wind was a challenge. One by one, almost from light to heavy, the boats settled down for the slow beat to the Lightship buoy. A couple of boats tired of the exercise and dropped out. The PHRO1 (fast and new) boats were long gone and presumably missed the hole. The wind got better and better as the leg continued.
"Once we got to the Lightship, we jibed and hoisted the kite for a fun but still-bumpy ride back in. It was a pretty uneventful run with the exception of a couple of ships, including the USCG buoy tender coming in through the chan-
nel. A couple of jibes later, we were near Point Diablo and, since we could not see any boats in our fleet within striking distance either in front or behind us, we decided we would put up the jib and forego the excitement of sailing to the finish at GGYC in 20+ knots with the kite up.
"We finished a few seconds before 5 p.m., and the finishes stretched from 1:42 to 9:38, making for a long day for our race committee sitting on the breakwater."
The volunteers did not have to wait for the longer Bluewater Bashers to finish — those racers would take their own times. Jim Quanci of the Cal 40 Green Buffalo reports on the BWB:
"We did the Bluewater Bash as a Pacific Cup qualifier, which requires a minimum 150-mile passage, and also to help the crew get to know each other and get to know the boat at night (two of the crew had never done an overnight race).
"The weather report was clear: the first few hours sailing in a light southerly and then in the afternoon a building northwesterly that was going to get 'sporty' overnight. Which is exactly what the weather gods served up.
"Being in pre-Pac Cup training, I got distracted on the way to the starting line talking safety, watches, cooking, heater and so forth, resulting in our starting 13 minutes late. The late start turned out to not matter much, as we caught up to most of the fleet by the Lightship. By the time we got to the Farallones — near the rarely visited Northern Farallon St. James Island (at about 4 p.m.) — a few boats had already retired.
"We had been flying the 155% genoa out past the Farallones through the very light wind shift from south to northwest, but at sunset, with the wind building to 20 knots — and knowing we would likely see 30 knots during the night — we changed out to the #3 (97% jib) on an outboard lead.
"The race is to Longitude 124, and one can choose where on Longitude 124 to make one's turn. So no reason to bash to weather. We cracked off to 60° apparent (a tight reach), enabling us to not have to reef the main (though maybe we should have reefed the last hour before we made the turn at midnight, seeing gusts to 28 knots).
"After the turn at 124, the wind built even more to 28 knots steady with gusts
More DDR, clockwise from top left: The F-25C 'Soarin' was first to finish; the Express 27 prototype 'Dianne' wipes out; Jeff and Michele from the Sabre 36 'Syncopation' cut a rug at the party at SSC; Kim Stuart (right) convinced Phil Strause, Katie Stiegman and Nick Wright to sail 'Lone Star' — it was their first race with the new-to-them Express 27.
THE RACING
to 32. But with an apparent wind of 90° (almost a broad reach), it was manageable. That said, it was very wet: 10- to 12-ft waves throwing the boat around made driving challenging but fast, with the Buffalo going 12+ knots at times. It was quite cold, exacerbated by all of us being soaking wet and going through a few changes of gear to try to stay dry (the Buffalo has a forced-air diesel heater that the crew came to love).
"On the way home, as we neared the Farallones at sunrise, the wind started to fade and up went the jib top (155%). And then the wind died to 4 knots. So after a fast race it became a crawl the last 20 miles, doing 2-3 knots. The wind didn't build again till inside Point Bonita, where we fought an ebb, so short-jibed along the north side of the entrance. As happens so often, as we came under the bridge at 1 p.m., the wind spiked to 22 knots making for a few attention-getting jibes to the finish at Harding Rock.
"We learned back at the dock that sometime during the night the bottom full-length 17-ft batten disappeared (it wore a hole in the leech end of the batten pocket).
"Just ourselves and Cree Partridge's Glass Slipper had finished the race. An Antrim 40, she finished just after 6 a.m. and beat us by 90-ish minutes corrected. Though the most detailed wind forecasts
showed we would see peak winds of 30 knots or so with sizable waves — there was a forecast or two that said 30-40 knots — so I get that folks with a less robust boat or crew — or just not wanting to get beat up (which we were a bit) would decide to play it safe (always a good thing). The Buffalo is a bit of a tank. being heavy and having a short rig. Having done eight Hawaii round trips, we felt comfortable keeping on.
"My 2024 Pac Cup crew is now much more comfortable with the boat, their fellow crew, and driving in big wind and seas at night, which was our objective for the race.
"Congrats to my two Pac Cup rookie crew, Elizabeth Bishop and Chad Hopponen, for their first overnight in a big blow. Elizabeth also got beat up in April's Doublehanded Farallones race. The ocean was not easy this spring — 'the sea can be a harsh mistress.'"
Next up for YRA offshore racers was the Full Crew Farallones on June 15.
Andy Newell reports:
"The Farallones is a 'Goldilocks' race — we need enough wind for the fleet to get around the island before the midnight deadline, but not so much wind that we are unable to send boats out the Gate.
"Early in the week the YRA board started watching the forecasts. By
Wednesday, when the forecasts started getting less fuzzy, things did not look good, with sustained winds to 30 and higher gusts. As time passed and the higher-resolution models came online, the forecasts just got worse. By Thursday morning they showed 30 gusting to 40 with steep seas, well outside of conditions where we can run the race. Thursday afternoon we sent an email to all the boats registered letting them know where things stood and that we would make a final call by Friday afternoon.
"On Friday morning NOAA issued a gale warning for both near-shore (0-10 miles) and offshore (10-60 miles). The YRA board met on Zoom and decided we could not send the fleet to the island and would instead use our in-the-Bay alternate course. We also decided we would not count the in-the-Bay race for the offshore season. We sent a second email to the fleet letting them know so they could decide how they wanted to spend the day.
"On Saturday morning 15 of the 40 boats registered showed up for the Bay tour race. Conditions inside the Bay were relatively light, with less than 10 knots of breeze and an ebb. Our course was from St. Francis YC to the Blackaller Buoy near the South Tower, Harding Rock, YRA 7 near Treasure Island, Red Rock, Blossom Rock, Blackaller again and a downwind finish back at StFYC, a 22.32-mile course. Twelve boats finished between 1 p.m. and 2:15, with the wind
What the heck? St. Francis YC's fleet of J/22s racing on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary? Yep, it's the Saturday of the PICYA Lipton Cup on June 15. See Box Scores on page 77.
PHRO 2B — 1) Shaman, Cal 40, Bart Hackworth; 2) Sea Star, Cal 39, Bob Walden; 3) Azure, Cal 40, Rodney Pimentel. (5 boats)
SHS No finishers. (2 boats)
MULTIHULL — 1) Caliente, Explorer 44, Truls Myklebust. (1 boat)
Full results at www.jibeset.net
Match Racing Qualifier
events here, and we're looking forward to seeing him here at the Championship. — bruce stone, regatta chair
Elvstrom Zellerbach/ILCA PCCs
The Elvstrom Zellerbach on May 1819, was as expected, the Ironman of Northern California sailing. Like a marathon or triathlon, it's an accomplishment to complete the course.
It was a classic Cityfront weekend, with southwesterly winds from 15 to 25 knots, sometimes fading to about 10 knots near the windward mark, putting a premium on shifting gears and technique for the conditions of the moment. Even when compared to other venues like the Gorge, Adelaide or the Berkeley Circle, the Cityfront is a challenging venue. Puffs range from windy to OMFG, with ever-changing current and confused sea state, made even more insane with wakes from coach boats, freighters and ferries.
in the mid-teens.
"While we all wanted to visit the stinky rocks, the Bay tour in delightful conditions was a good consolation prize for the boats that did it."
— latitude / chris
YRA DUXSHIP, 5/18
PHRO 1A — 1) Lucky Duck, Rogers 46, Dave MacEwen; 2) City Lights, SC52, Aaron Wangenheim; 3) Möve, Pogo 40, Andrew Rist. (5 boats)
PHRO 1B — 1) Leading Lady, 1D35, Andrew Lindstrom; 2) Wildcard, SC37, Nick Grebe; 3) Frequent Flyer, Farr 30, Stan Phillips. (6 boats)
PHRO 2 — 1) CruzSea Baby, Beneteau 10R, Brian Turner; 2) Ahi, Santana 35, Andy Newell; 3) Duende, Cal 40, Philip Lavelle. (5 boats)
Chris Weis, with his experienced team of Noah Barrengos, Haydon Stapleton and Caleb Paine, won the US Match Racing Championships Qualifier at St. Francis YC. Weis edged out Nicole Breault and her team of Blake Oberbauer, Russ Silvestri and Will Paulsen in a tiebreaker, earning him a coveted invitation to the US Match Racing Championship to be held at StFYC in October. See full results at www.matchracingresults.com/2024/ stfyc-usmrc-qualifier.
The regatta was held in the club's matched fleet of J/22s and featured rather sporty conditions, challenging both competitors and the mark-set team. Winds each day started in the midteens and built to the mid-20s. Halfway through Saturday's first round robin, when winds reached 20 knots, the race committee called for non-spinnaker. An hour later they called off racing for the day when winds exceeded 24 knots.
Sunday's conditions were similar, with the event finishing early when winds built to 24 knots and gusts hit 27. After completing just 11 of the scheduled 14 flights, Weis and Breault each had 6 points. Weis prevailed on the count-back.
This is an Open event, with male and female skippers and crew. Match racing has grown significantly, and each of the seven qualifying regattas around the country has been fully subscribed. In our case, we were pleased to attract teams from up and down the West Coast including Vancouver.
Chris has won several important
Saturday started with a wind hold of about an hour, as we waited for the breeze to shift from a southerly to southwesterly direction to align with the Cityfront course. Once we got out, we raced through an entire ebb-current cycle, starting with an early ebb toward the shore and ending with a late ebb in the middle of the Bay and flood current along the shore. It was definitely important to understand how the currents were changing hour to hour. If you're not already using it, Saildrone Forecast is a great app for understanding currents on the Bay. Sunday was similar, albeit with a shorter wind hold.
ILCA 6 sailor Rory Walsh of Royal Vancouver YC won the Zellerbach trophy. A special shout-out goes to past Masters World Champion Chris Boome, finishing all six races at the age of 77 to take seventh out of 24 boats — pretty badass.
ILCA 7 sailor Tor Svendsen delivered a string of top-two finishes to win the Elvstrom trophy. Past Masters World Champ Rob Hallawell earned the "road warrior" award, having come all the way from Florida to race.
RS TERA — 1) Kai Hislop, 9 points; 2) Lin Zhou, 9; 3) Sonda Ngongoseke-von Wunsch, 10.
HELEN GALLI / SFYC
Splashy Bay action in SFYC's Elite Fleet Regatta in May. Top: A windward mark rounding in the J/105 fleet; bottom: Laurence Chambers' Folkboat 'Rødhætte'. For top results, see Box Scores on page 76.
HELEN GALLI / SFYC
THE RACING
(7 boats)
ILCA 7 — 1) Tor Svendsen, SFYC/StFYC, 8 points; 2) Al Sargent, StFYC/ACSC, 12; 3) Elliot Drake, Crissy Field YC, 13. (12 boats)
ILCA 6 — 1) Rory Walsh, Royal Vancouver YC, 6 points; 2) Qi Yan, NoYC, 12; 3) Walt Spevak, StFYC/Okoboji YC, 19; 4) Kaitlyn Beaver, Seattle YC, 21. (18 boats)
Oakland YC's Rites of Spring was raced June 1 in the Central Bay, ending down the Estuary at OYC. In the past several years, Rites of Spring has been fraught with bad weather, inaccurate forecasts, scheduling overlaps of similar races and few sign-ups. But in 2024, although we had to reschedule twice, we made it happen. We decided to make it a $5 entry fee (that's not a typo) and race with however many boats signed up.
The start was off the Berkeley Pier behind Treasure Island. Andy Lindstrom volunteered his trawler as the committee boat, while his crew raced his 1D35 Leading Lady. Andy and a group of volunteers were in place and had the start pin set when John Ratto's Ranger 33 Boogie Woogie made its way to the start area. Upon arriving, John and his crew were advised the pin mark had drifted and were asked to retrieve it. One of the crew, a seasoned cruiser, suggested lassoing the mark and dragging it back. It worked great. The anchor was fouled, which is why it didn't hold. With that fixed, it was time to race.
There were 10 boats in three fleets. All the fleets' first mark was Harding Rock, in a 3-knot ebb and winds of 20-25 knots. Once around, some racers headed back across the Cityfront to Blossom Rock, where they rode the current and
5O5 NORTH AMERICANS, ABYC, 5/16-19 (12r, 2t)
1) Howard Hamlin/Andrew Zinn, ABYC/NHYC, 22; 2) Mike Holt/Rob Woelfel, SCYC, 26; 3) Mike Martin/Adam Lowry, StFYC/NHYC, 27; 4) A.J. Conrads/John Bell, Tahoe YC, 30; 5) Jordan & Grant Janov, Cal YC, 48. (27 boats)
Full results at www.abyc.org
INTERNATIONAL 14 NATIONALS, RYC, 5/17-19 (7r, 1t)
1) Michael Pacholski/Patrick Wilkinson, Brady'sYC/Kaneohe YC/SBYC, 10 points; 2) Kirk Twardowski, RYC, 15; 3) John Clark, RYC, 15. (12 boats)
Full results at www.richmondyc.org
SFYC ELITE FLEET REGATTA, 5/18-19 (5r, 0t)
J/105 — 1) Ne*Ne, Tim Russell, 13 points; 2)
the wind, with some surfing. Others headed to Blackaller Buoy as their next mark, facing more challenging wind and current. With some reefed mains and poled-out jibs, all took Treasure Island to starboard and set up for the Estuary leg. Met with 0-2 knots, racers worked the hole by the Bay Bridge for about an hour. Little by little, the wind began to fill. Boats edged forward. Just past Oakland's Outer Harbor they found fair breeze. Racers got to practice their nowind, light-wind and challenging-wind sailing skills, all in this one race.
The Spinnaker and Multihull divisions raced 22.9 miles, Non-Spinnaker 14.4 miles. The three Non-Spinnaker racers finished within 2 minutes of one another, the one multihull right behind them. The Spinnaker fleet all finished within the next hour.
After putting away their boats, the racers came to OYC and each crew took home a participation award. The overall winner, Humble Vandal, skippered by Rhett Smith, scored the pony-keg prize. — debby ratto
Competitors were treated to perfect sailing conditions for the first-ever American-based event of the Sailing Champions League, held at StFYC on June 8-9. Eight teams sailed 21 races in J/22s, competing for the wildcard berth to represent the US at the championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, this September. Short races with constant boat changes ensured dynamic and fair competition.
KEEL B — 1) Holder 20, Mario Kalson, 6 points; 2) Touché, Capri 25, Carl Strahle, 8; 3) Joy Ride, Santana 23, Ilene Rubenstein, 19. (4 boats)
SNIPE — 1) Thomas Hunt, 5 points; 2) Curtis Moore, 12; 3) Eileen, Andrew Meyerpeter, 17. (5 boats)
CENTERBOARD — 1) Browny, Lido 14, Pat Jones, 10 points; 2) Fledermaus, Daysailer, Bill Rich, 21; 3) Laser, Bruce Braly, 27. (5 boats)
MULTIHULL — 1) Stars and Stripes, Hobie 21SE, Christopher Strahle, 7 points; 2) Hobie 18, Robert Frost, 16; 3) A-Class cat, Steve Lehr, 20. (6 boats)
HANK JOTZ EL TORO NATIONALS — 1) Tom
Richmond, San Diego, St. Francis, Santa Barbara, Encinal, Berkeley, San Francisco and New York Yacht Clubs competed. RYC prevailed, with skipper Lucy Wilmot and crew Haydon Stapleton, Chris Weis and Mike Quinn taking the overall win.
Six Masters (including two Legends) and one junior sailor turned up at the ILCA 6 District 24 Championship hosted by Santa Cruz YC. June 8-9 featured classic Santa Cruz conditions with the breeze building each day and shifting from southwest to west — or was it?
Leading Race 1 after the first lap, Walt Spevak rounded the right gate to starboard for the second upwind leg. Hey,
J/105 — 1) Ne*Ne, Tim Russell, 13 points; 2) Blackhawk, Ryan Simmons, 24; 3) Arbitrage, Bruce Stone, 31; 4) Akula, Doug Bailey, 34. (17 boats)
Full results at www.jibeset.net
SYC SPRING CLASSIC BOAT INVITATIONAL, 6/15-16 (6r, 0t)
KNARR — 1) Viva, Don Jesberg/Ethan Doyle,
Sailing League winners from RYC, Haydon Stapleton, Lucy Wilmot, Chris Weis and Mike Quinn, with StFYC commodore Chris Perkins.
wait a minute. Why isn't everyone else heading upwind? Uh, because the course was only once around. Legends Chris Boome and Jon Andron said, "Thank you very much," to finish 1-2.
In Race 2, Walt sailed the correct course and finished first.
In Race 3, Walt and Jon rounded the leeward gate 1-2 to start the second upwind leg. Sanjai Kohli was nice enough to call out that this was another one-lap course. It appears that not only can some Masters sailors not remember what the course is, they can't hear so well. Walt and Jon kept sailing, converting their 1-2 into DFLs. Sanjay was the happy beneficiary of Walt and Jon's senior moments, as he crossed the line first followed by David LaPier and junior Ava Beaver from Seattle, who may have been thinking, "Geez, my grandparents are younger than some of these guys."
Race 4 was nip and tuck, with Walt fortunate to catch the last wave to finish
BOX SCORES
14 points; 2) Niuhi, George Hecht, 18; 3) Kulani, Eric Kaiser/Kurt Hemmingsen, 31. (14 boats)
FOLKBOAT — 1) Polperro, Peter Jeal, 13 points; 2) Freja, Tom Reed, 15; 3) Faith, James Vernon, 20. (7 boats)
less than a boatlength ahead of Chris. Day 2 began with sunny skies and a freshening 10- to 15-knot breeze, a sure sign that Santa Cruz was going to deliver. At the start of Race 5, the individual recall flag went up. Chris, correctly, went back. The X flag stayed up. Who was over? Walt was certain he was. Jon thought he might have been. Walt led throughout to finish first with Dave second and Sanjai third. (Jon was OCS. Walt was not.) Regatta co-organizer Laird Henkel, who was spotting the fleet 30+ pounds, saw the building breeze and headed in after the first race of the day.
Race 6 saw Dave showing his highwind dominance. Going into the last race Chris, David and Walt were in position to finish at the top of the podium. It was breeze on, and David rolled the fleet. When the going got tough, Dave got going.
ILCA 6 — 1) David LaPier, 13 points; 2) Walt Spevak, 14; 3) Chris Boome, 16. (7 boats) Full results at www.scyc.org
RS Tera North Americans
Sailors from 14 junior programs raced in the RS Tera North Americans hosted by Alamitos Bay YC in Long Beach on June 8-9. The regatta got underway with a shifty 6- to 7-knot breeze that favored SoCal sailors over their competitors from St. Francis and Sausalito, who were used to planing conditions. Sunday started light again, but the breeze built to a
1) Magic, John Hansen/Tony Basso, 22 points; 2) Fast Break, Randy Smith, 23; 3) Makani, Chris Davis/Kevin Clark, 33. (12 boats)
Full results at www.encinal.org
SDYC ETCHELLS WEST COAST SPRING SERIES (3 regattas, 1t)
1) Lifted, Jim Cunningham, 7 points; 2) Rhino, Bruce Nelson, 8; 3) Louise, Thomas Carruthers, 14; 4) Happy Ending, Jim Madden, 15; 5) Rock On, Argyle Campbell, 15. (30 boats)
Full results at www.sdyc.org
THE RACING SHEET
sporty 10-11 knots. Sailors from the Bay Area and older kids from Sail Park City and Colorado started to close the gaps, as weight and stamina came into play. — latitude / chris
RS TERA NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP, ABYC, 6/8-9 (8r, 0t)
PRO — 1) Harper Swezea, Balboa YC/ABYC, 13 points; 2) Theo Goodman, Balboa YC, 27; 3) Court Maloof, Park City Sailing, 45. (15 boats)
SPORT GOLD — 1) Jack Brodsky, LBYC, 10 points; 2) Henry Richter, Union SC, 19; 3) Abel Berge, BCYC, 30; 4) Dashiell Stephens, Park City Sailing, 32. (16 boats)
SPORT SILVER — 1) Arielle Lewis, LBYC, 28 points; 2) Blake Brodsky, LBYC, 30; 3) Brook Swezea, Balboa YC/ABYC, 33. (15 boats) Full results at www.abyc.org
Race Notes
Stanford University successfully defended its 2023 title by winning the 2024 College Women's Dinghy Nationals, held May 20-23 on the Charles River in Boston, MA. Sailing in 420s, Vanessa Lahrkamp, Michelle Lahrkamp and Hannah Freeman were the skippers; Gwendolyn Donahue, Ellie Harned and
Alice Schmid were the crews. Stanford also won the College Women's Team Race National Championship.
In late May, US Sailing announced the 14 members of the 2024 USA Youth Worlds Team, who will travel to Lake Garda, Italy, to compete in the Youth Sailing World Championships. We see no team members from the mainland West Coast, but two windsurfing siblings from Kaneohe YC on Oahu — Makani and Sage Andrews — made the cut and will compete on the iQFOiL. Go to www. ussailing.org/news to learn more.
Peter Wagner's Bay Area-based Skeleton Key won the 10-race J/111 North Americans on June 5-9 at Los Angeles YC in San Pedro. This was a three-peat for Skeleton Key. Competition was tight, with five teams claiming race wins. John Staff's Obsidian, out of Marina del Rey, placed second; John Spadaro's Hawaii YC-flagged Madmen took third out of nine entries. See www.layc.org/j111
After a long break following the initial COVID restrictions, the Singlehanded Sailing Society is bringing back regular in-person meetings. Oakland YC in Alameda will provide the venue on
For more racing news, subscribe to 'Lectronic Latitude online at www.latitude38.com
June's racing stories included:
• Dorade Wins Rhody Regatta
• All the News That Didn't Fit
• Mercury NorCal Series • Rule 9
• Redwood High School Sailing Team
• More Delta Ditch Run
• Previews of July races, the US Wingfoil Championship, the America's Cup, and more.
weeknights at 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, August 8: SSS Drake's Bay skippers' meeting and LongPac awards.
• Wednesday, September 4: SSS Half Moon Bay skippers' meeting and SSS Drake's Bay Race awards.
• Wednesday, October 2: Vallejo 1-2 skippers' meeting and SSS Half Moon Bay Race awards.
• Wednesday, November 6: Vallejo 1-2 awards and general membership meeting.
See www.sfbaysss.org
— latitude / chris
This month we hear from Tom Luneau on chartering in Tampa Bay, FL — and how marine safety is what makes a fun night at sea, versus a nightmare at sea.
I am writing this to help educate sailors who are planning to charter a vessel. Despite being an experienced sailor and captain, I learned many lessons from my experience chartering a 50-ft Beneteau named Apollo in Tampa Bay, Florida. I'm going to tell you what I did right and what I did wrong, to hopefully help you navigate around the "what I did wrong" part on your own adventures.
I have been sailing for 30-plus years. I have owned or co-owned an 18-ft Hunter starter sailboat, a 27-ft Catalina, a 33-ft Morgan, a 37-ft Beneteau, and now a 44-ft Jeanneau. We logged over 5,000 miles on our last boat 'Good Times!', including sailing from California to the tip of Baja and then north into the Sea of Cortez. I have also chartered vessels in Miami, Tampa Bay, Australia, Italy, and Mexico. And yet, no matter how much experience I thought I had, I really was unprepared for what happened during the charter in Florida. There are some things all charter trips have in common.
Lesson 1: The boat you saw on the website may not be the boat you are going to sail on your trip "Why is that?" you ask. There are many possibilities. In Australia, Tropical Storm Debbie sank the vessel we were supposed to rent, one week before we got there. On our arrival in Tampa Bay, we found the Catalina 445 we'd rented had no lifelines and was not seaworthy. Likewise, the 50-ft catamaran we chartered in Sardinia was brand new and the electronics
Crew Bobby Dibart checks the safety equipment.
had not been installed, so, also not seaworthy.
To prepare for our bareboat charter in Tampa Bay, I read and researched quite a bit. The plan was for me to be the captain. We were scheduled for a morning sail across Tampa Bay south into the Gulf of Mexico, and then, after a short, three-hour sail south in the Gulf of Mexico, to tuck back into very relaxing and protected keys and marinas. The destinations were aptly named Siesta Key and Longboat Key; the nearby marinas were Safe Harbor and Siesta Key Marina. Slips were available if needed. The plan was to snorkel, swim, and dine at restaurants around the marinas.
We (my wife Lynn and I) were joined by high school friends Bobby and Lisa, who are not sailors, but have been with us on other charters. The deal we have is they allow Lynn and me to do the sailing and they do the cooking. And that's a good deal, since let's just say I'm not submitting any articles to cooking magazines.
The vessel we rented was a 2020 Catalina 445. But, as I mentioned before, it didn't have lifelines. And I'm not going to charter a boat without those. The rental company manager said the lifelines were supposed to have been repaired by the week prior, but we both knew they were not going to magically appear the next day. So the manager asked me, "Tom, can you handle a 50-ft Beneteau?"
Despite being in over my head, my instant answer was, "Yes." Sure, I had sailed and crewed on bigger sailboats, but never operated one as captain. The huge mast and mainsail were, in my mind, too much for me and Lynn to handle. We had sailed hundreds, maybe thousands of miles together, but Apollo was a big boat with a towering mast and electric winches. I had never used electric winches before. So my plan was to motor, and use the jib as the only sail.
Lesson 2: Expect delays and revised schedules
According to legend, Apollo was one of the more complicated Greek gods, and this vessel lived up to its name. Apollo was a two-year-old vessel with air conditioning (a necessity in Florida but not in San Diego, my home port). It was in a rental fleet and the renters had treated her with disregard. Cabinets were broken, table tops scratched, but it had lifelines
and everything worked fine. That is, until just before we were preparing to head out, already two hours behind schedule, the generator shut down. No generator meant no A/C away from the dock. So, more delays. Eventually, the company mechanic managed to reset the generator and voila! It worked again.
We motored out across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg. The mast on Apollo is huge. My estimate, 70 feet. We got to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and I was nervous. We had room to spare, but fear was running at full throttle. Thankfully, we cleared it with no issues. Our revised plan (all charters have revised plans) was to get out near the Gulf of Mexico and then anchor for the night. The following morning we would motorsail into the Gulf for 10-15 miles south and then anchor at Longboat Key around noon the next day.
Lesson 3: Weather is always a factor
The weather in Tampa Bay is unlike Southern California's. In Southern California and Baja, we can plan days in advance for wind, waves, and rain. Tampa Bay has erratic weather that can vary by the hour. That is exactly what happened. We were anchored and had just got out of the water after a refreshing postcruise swim. We had cruised for three hours in sunny, light-wind conditions and all was good for the night. BBQ on the back deck was the plan, after some sunset cocktails.
Bobby noticed that the weather far to the east was getting cloudy. Birds seemed to be flying west with purpose. The wind started to pick up. To the west was a beautiful, mesmerizing sunset. To the east was a tropical storm. Tropical storms in Tampa Bay are often accompanied by powerful lightning. In fact, fittingly, the NHL team for the immediate area is named Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately, we were nowhere near a marina and about 300-plus yards from land, in 12 feet of water. The dinghy was tied securely to the stern.
The storm was on us within 15 minutes of sunset. The winds outside the eye of the storm were 20-30 knots. The plan was to wait it out. The water at anchor changed from calm to 2- to 3-foot wind waves splashing the bow and sending constant spray toward the cockpit. The excitement was dramatically multiplied by the lightning.
ALL PHOTOS TOM LUNEAU
OF CHARTERING
Because it was now dark, the lightning bolts instantly lit up the sky. It was beautiful to see, but all I could think of was Apollo's giant mast being hit by a powerful strike. The wind peaked at 50 knots, and we had life jackets out and were ready to get off the vessel. I called Chris, the charter manager. He said, "I
am watching you guys and the weather. You are in the red zone of the weather map showing winds up to 50." I told Chris I was confident that the anchor was holding. As the wind increased, I increased the anchor rode. However, the lightning was very close and I was concerned. His advice was to tell the crew not to touch anything metal within the vessel, as a strike could be very bad.
Wind, rain, lightning and waves smacking the hull make for unpleasant chartering. We were watching the storm on our phones, and then suddenly we were in the eye of the storm. Lightning was still a factor, but the wind died down to 20 knots. Then the tail of the storm cranked up the rain, and wind to 40 knots. The front side of the storm had been worse. After 20 minutes the storm moved west and out of sight. The sky was clear, the waves were gone, and the wind was less than 3 knots.
We were exhausted from the panic we'd experienced. And, of course, now the generator wouldn't start. Rather than a nice BBQ, we broke out some crackers, cheese, and a bottle of wine. We'd planned for a fancy meal, but the tropical storm dictated otherwise.
Day Two of the charter, we woke up early and the sun was burning hot by 7 a.m. A "Hail Mary" attempt to reset the generator proved futile. It was obvious without A/C we were going to be miserable for the next few days. Given the storm the night before, coupled with the generator failure, the crew eagerly voted to return to the dock in St. Petersburg. We brought up the anchor. As I hoisted the heavy chain, I thanked each link for holding us during the storm.
The storm approaches Tampa Bay.
Being captain is great. Being crew is more relaxing.
WORLD OF CHARTERING
Apollo slipped back under the bridge at 6 knots. It was a fine, beautiful Florida day. Three hours later we were tied up safely to the dock. We used shorepower for A/C, and our gourmet chef Bobby created a masterpiece that made the crew happy once again. Chris apologized for the generator failure. He made it up to us by supplying Apollo a captain (Michael) at no cost the next day.
Michael sailed with us as his crew. Graciously, Apollo, with full sails and no motor, peeled off 10 relaxing miles to a local beach called Beer Can Cove. We anchored and swam in wonderfully warm, clear waters. With our captain on board, we swam to the beach and lounged with life jackets and snorkels. It was, as we say in San Diego, "muy tranquilo."
Lesson 4: Choose the times you want to be captain wisely
When I act as captain, I have the responsibility for all souls on board. Waking up every two hours at anchor is a necessary chore. I check our position, check the anchor, and check the weather. Not drinking while operating the vessel is nonnegotiable. Anyone with sailing experience knows that when things go bad, it happens fast. Alcohol can only make a bad situation worse.
If you want to relax, I recommend including a captain in your charter. He or she knows the local waters, tides, rocks, and weather. In Sardinia, we had a captain who loved to sail as much as we did. The sheets were out more than in. I slept through the night, and had a beer while heading to our next destination under full sail. Not something that I would do if I were the captain.
My experiences have taught me to expect a different vessel, expect to change the schedule, and expect sudden weather changes. But most of all, they have taught me that charters with captains are the best and safest way to charter in unfamiliar waters.
Joshua Slocum once said, "The days pass happily with me whenever my ship sails."
— dennis maggard
70’ SANTA CrUZ 70 ’85 $295,000 Chardonnay III. Turnkey Subchapter T vessel ready for charter business. Great opportunity to obtain a swift passengers-for-hire
54’ rOBerTS
’79 $225,000 Spirit. Rugged bluewater vessel designed with comfort and safety in mind. Nicely upgraded. Coast Guard Certified for up to 42 passengers.
Taking 'Apollo' back to her slip was easy once the storm had passed.
52’ SANTA CrUZ 50 ’80
Oaxaca. Designed for speed and safety. Just waiting for you to enjoy the adventure and leave the others in your wake! In Tiburon.
38’ CHeOy lee PeDrICk 38 ’85
Zephyrus. A must
CHANGES
With reports this month on Nikko's Pacific Puddle Jump; Sweethaven's "jump" from Mexico to Florida; JOIA's Puddle Jump and quick return home; and some interesting check-ins with interesting folks in Cruise Notes.
Nikko — Fraser 41
Keith and Jason Rasmussen
Southbound
Port Townsend/San Francisco
Easter morning, March 31, my son Jason, his Tam High (Class of '11) buddy
our plan was a rhumbline course to 6°N 128°W, then due south across the ITCZ, and on to Hiva Oa. And that's exactly how it played out. We had good wind from the north all the way to the northeast trades — and by good wind, I mean 25
Adin Bonaparte and I (Keith) motored out the Golden Gate in our Fraser 41 sloop Nikko, bound for Hiva Oa.
It took three years to get the boat ready to sail the South Pacific. Jason and I bought the 1982-built Nikko in Washington state, and refitted it for the adventure: new rigging, new seacocks and thru-hulls, the addition of a spinnaker setup, AIS, Starlink, storm sails, etc. We sailed her down to San Francisco in 2022 to complete preparations.
Tearful goodbyes from family at the dock and we cast off the lines. Backing out of the slip and out of the fairway, we struggled to point into the wind to get out of the marina. Finally getting out into the Bay and headed toward the Gate, we decided to have some breakfast. As soon as the bowls were out of the galley, a red channel marker appeared dead ahead. Unlock the wheel and swerve. We hit it on the beam and gained a long, red smear along the side of the boat. Off to a great start!
As we headed out the Gate that Sunday,
to Neptune.
to 35 knots and often uncomfortable. It had been 21 years since Jason and I last cruised, and I had forgotten just what it's like to do a passage in an active sea.
Like many voyagers, Keith rewarded himself with a South Seas tatttoo to commemorate the crossing.
With the crew seasick, getting anything together in the galley was a real challenge. Knives, cookware, food, and stores were flying across the galley and beyond. The cursing below was at least amusing for the retching crew above. Below, lee cloths went alee of crew, and gear not sufficiently tied down flew from all corners, including an iPhone to the forehead. Yep. It takes a bit to train yourself not to reach for anything that might not hold your weight. The galley hammock will not, but it will throw its contents across the salon as you tumble to the sole.
And it's cold, all the way until you're well abeam of Puerto Vallarta. Then it's hot! Out with the foulies
and in with the Speedos. Yikes! Unbearable heat with all fans running. Fishing was a bust as all our gear was too light, and lure after lure was gobbled up by fish larger than our boat. The boom took out our rod holder. GPS failed for the VHF/ AIS; not that it mattered as we saw maybe two ships the entire passage.
OK, OK. The night watches could often be glorious, and the first sighting of the Southern Cross is a treat. Whales so close you could spear them (kidding). There were flying fish flying into the hatches and all over the deck; phosphorescence aplenty. Much of the passage was overcast, and that meant we were usually short of power. With the one cold box
Sharp-dressed men (left to right): Keith, Jason and Adin. The guys dressed up for the equator crossing, releasing a message in a bottle (center), and watching Keith surrender some white locks
NIKKO
IN LATITUDES
eating up more and more of our solar power, we had to ration our use of Starlink to a half hour every few days for weather updates that we couldn't do much with even if we had wanted.
Snap decisions made at Costco will change your life. I am now a solid convert to Spam. I know. I'm shocked as well. And generally, after the young gentlemen got their sea legs, we ate like kings. Shelfstable beans, rice and Spam never tasted so good.
The ITCZ brought calms and squalls, but we only had to motor for a few days.
The spinnaker was lightly used, maybe 48 hours or less. Wind was either too much … or dead calm. They told me sailing would be like that.
Ah, but the equator crossing! I dressed up, we drank sparkling wine at sunrise, I hacked off my hair with scissors, and we sent off a message in a bottle, all while listening to French sea chanteys.
South of the ITCZ, we were all ready for landfall, but Neptune wasn't done with us yet. Beam seas, and finally becalmed just short of landfall, we motored into Traitors' Bay at midnight … on my 64th birthday.
So 25 days from San Francisco to Hiva Oa, using less than 75 gallons of Hetch Hetchy water, and a little less than that of diesel.
Adin works for the sailing charter Iloria Bretagne outside Lorient, France, and his fluent French was useful to all of us checking in at the gendarmerie that day. That is, on day two of trying to get into the gendarmerie. I actually find the randomness of the check-in processes around the world almost enjoyable; sometimes I miss the old days in Mexico when you were (supposed) to check in at every port, and it was an all-day adventure game.
We cruised the Marquesas for a few weeks and are now in Rangiroa in the Tuamotus, our last stop before Tahiti and a crew change for Nikko. Jason and Adin are heading out, and my daughter Jessica (Tam High Class of '13), and her boyfriend, Matt, are coming in to bring us through the Societies and Cook Islands, and on to Tonga.
It's been a wild trip thus far, and I've been a bit of a laggard with the young men doing foredeck duties and the bulk of the cooking. These men are sailors! Even the fishing has gotten serious once we got some 175-lb test line and the advice of locals. A 100-lb tuna has been reeled in and we are finally fat in fish.
Though not the common route these days, San Francisco to the Marquesas direct is fast and the winds favorable, at least this April.
Or you can just fly there.
— Keith 6/2/24
Sweethaven — Flicka 20
Noreen Light and Myron Hotinger Sea to Shining Sea, Part 3 Olympia
More than 30,000 alligators live in Lake Okeechobee. We will be traveling among those carnivores as we leave our launch point at Indiantown Marina, and venture west along the Okeechobee Waterway.
Our little Sweethaven, a Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 with very little freeboard, does not seem concerned about gators, nor does she express anxiety over the fact that most of the lake is too shallow for her 3½-ft draft to navigate. Her crew, however, is a bit on edge.
After sailing Sweethaven in the Salish Sea of Washington state, and spending two winters aboard cruising the Sea of Cortez, we trailered the boat across the southern US to the Sunshine State of Florida. Continuing the theme of Sweethaven's "Sea to Shining Sea" adventures, Lake Okeechobee is known locally as Florida's Inland Sea.
South Pacific soujourn (clockwise from above): 'Nikko' flies the Q flag in Hiva Oa; heading out the Golden Gate — next stop, Hiva Oa; sailing into one of many sunsets; local outrigger crew out for daily practice; Spam was a big hit aboard, but fresh fish was always welcome; shoreside fun.
CHANGES
Our plan is to circumnavigate southern Florida in a counterclockwise manner, through locks and under raised bridges,
westbound along the Okeechobee Waterway, turn south to explore the solitude and natural wonder of the Everglades, and find some fun in the Keys. Then, head north along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to Stuart, where we will enter the eastern end of the Okeechobee and return to Indiantown, a well-protected, inland marina for the summer layover in storage.
Launch was smooth; all systems are go! A friendly resident gator swims past our boat — in the marina — to give us a proper send-off. We wave goodbye to newfound friends on Drifter, Enola, and Chasing 28, and soon we are watching closely for the first bridge over the waterway. We have never needed to call for a bridge opening before. Shortly after the bridge would be a lock, another first for us. Then we would cross Lake Okeechobee. All on our first day in Florida waters.
"No north wind" was the mantra from local boaters. We planned accordingly, not wishing for the quick build-up of short, steep waves that would accompany a north wind across that vast fetch. All good on the weather! "Stay in the channel" was the other advice. We watch our depth like hawks, but always see more than a few feet under our keel. With low freeboard, I anxiously await gators that might try to board us. Not one attempt.
Small-town life on the Okeechobee is everything we hoped it would be. Mossdraped oaks, local libraries, small cafés, and friendly folks greet us as we stop along the way. The Okeechobee is narrow, and at times we feel like we are on a Disney jungle ride, just gliding along, listening to bird song, and enjoying trees, shrubs, and green lawns on either side.
La Belle is one of our favorite spots. Public docks are just below the library, and below the main street bridge. Everything a cruiser might need is within walking distance. And, more than one fellow boater stops by to chat about our little boat with the Washington State hailing port. We are even invited to join a potluck Christmas dinner at the Belle Hatchee Marina. The owners live onsite and graciously included us in the celebration. The kindness of strangers on Christmas touches our hearts.
As we travel farther west, and then south toward Fort Myers, we begin to see the lingering effects of Hurricane Ian. A year and a half later, damaged docks, sunken boats, and empty lots where hotels once stood are chilling reminders of
how serious weather-watching is in this region.
We are past hurricane season, but stormy weather — including lightning and hail — crosses our path more than once. At 4.5 knots cruising speed, our one-cylinder Yanmar is not going to help us outrun anything. We simply have to hug the edge of the dodger and bear the icy wind until it passes.
Fortunately, weather is mild as we enter the quiet respite of the Everglades. Mild, but still cool and just windy enough to keep the mosquitoes away. We wriggle our way into tiny anchorages, grateful once again for our shallow draft. With only mangroves, sky, and water in sight, and the scent of damp earth and vegetation, our stay in the Everglades is sublime.
IT'S NOT ALL SUNSETS AND SANDY BEACHES
We all heard about Hurricane Ian in September 2022, but unless you have lived through one, or have seen the posthurricane devastation, it's really hard to imagine the enormity of the impact.
When we set our plan to cruise in the less-populated west coast of Florida, we knew, intellectually, that there had been major damage to the area. But that occurred almost a year and a half ago.
As we talked with fellow cruisers who have been here a while, and with locals who live here year-round, the impact of Ian became a bit more real. We knew that some of the marinas near Fort Myers and other coastal communities had not yet reopened. But others had rebuilt docks and had slips available.
As we traveled west from Indiantown, on the Okeechobee Waterway, we began to hear stories of storm surge that came all the way up the Caloosahatchee River to the town of La Belle, where we stayed
on the city dock by the library. There was a large, half-sunk sailboat on the bank across the river from us. It was sad, but, at the time, we didn't think that it could possibly have been associated with Ian.
It wasn't until we moved farther southwest that we began to see damaged docks and boats on their sides along the shore, with regularity. The impact of Ian was becoming more real to us.
We talked about the debris that might still be found in previously good anchorages. Would we foul our anchor on it? Or even hit a sunken boat in the shallow water — a powerboat or dismasted sailboat with nothing above waterline to warn us? We began thinking more seriously about how different the shoaling might be; Areas that seemed to have enough water depth for us to travel through on a chart might be much shallower now.
January 2024 — We are currently on a mooring ball in the middle of the pass
between Estero Island, home of long sandy beaches, bars, shopping and other tourist attractions of Fort Myers Beach, and San Carlos Island, where we can see the commercial fishing and shrimping fleet. Our depth this morning is 10½ feet.
We are the first boat to be on a mooring ball in this mooring field since Hurricane Ian destroyed it in 2022. The ball was installed on Tuesday; we arrived Wednesday. The harbormaster, an incredibly energetic and welcoming man named Austin Gilchrist, is working hard alongside others to restore services and accommodate cruisers who, in turn, bring dollars to the city and all of its businesses. A contract with a nearby hotel allows us to use bathrooms, showers, and a coin-op laundry room on their property. All brand new, of course, as they were completely destroyed just a year and a half ago.
As we walk around Fort Myers Beach, we see boats that were carried by the
PHOTOS SWEETHAVEN
SWEETHAVEN
Myron and Noreen spend winters cruising aboard 'Sweethaven', and summers cruising the PNW aboard 'Soundhaven', their Island Packet 32.
Matanzas mooring field at Fort Myers Beach brings us back to townie time: happy hours with fellow cruisers, morning walks on a long, white, sandy beach, hot showers, and the best biscuits and gravy at a food truck called Mom's Place. One day, 11 of us cruisers all jump onto the local bus for a daylong outing to Lovers Key State Park.
Sweethaven has the honor of being the first boat on a mooring at Matanzas field since Ian hit. The missing and damaged moorings are all being replaced. Recovery is ongoing, and we are glad to be there to see the rebirth of the area and access for cruisers.
Reluctantly, we leave our newfound friends and continue south. With a storm approaching as we near the Keys, I try to
storm surge, still on land. We see lots with rubble instead of buildings. But mostly we see brand-new docks, workers putting
final touches on new buildings, and fresh paint on all. And, we see lots of tourists! It's like anything else, I suppose. In this age of citizen reporting, with cell
call for a slip at one of the many marinas. No such luck. Bahia Honda State Park is able to offer us a place on the wall for two nights. We gladly book it.
With the tide changing and current against us, no wind, and an underestimation of our ETA, we begin to realize it will be well after dark when we arrive. Shoals make our trip longer, as we give them a wide berth in the dark.
We approach an old railroad trestle, with a section cut out to allow masts to pass. It is pitch black. There are no lights on the concrete stanchions. Of course, we
phone videos and real-time live interviews, we are more closely connected to the rest of the world, but the pain of what they are experiencing still doesn't quite hit home until you see it firsthand or your loved ones are directly impacted. 149 people were killed here.
Our naiveté about just how devastating the damage was, the geographical size of the impact, how long it takes to recover, and what "recover" looks like is becoming more clear. Being mindful of all of this, we are continuing our journey on the west coast of Florida. We will be cautious. We will listen to those with local knowledge. We will, of course, watch the weather and our charts. We will pause to note the damage. We will pause to note the recovery. And, most of all, we will pause to appreciate the opportunity we have to explore this little corner of the world in our own little boat.
— Noreen
had never seen any of this in daylight, either. Myron is on the bow with our handheld searchlight, shining on first one side, then the other as I use my chartplotter. Glimpses of the pillars on either side and any good luck I've earned in life guide us through.
Next in the gauntlet is an unfortunately placed anchored sailboat, then a strange string of white floats, again unlit. Myron calls back, "We turn in here!" I start to turn. "No, not yet!" I hear as I see rocks off the bow. Trusting the chart and again using glimpses of the rocks on either side of the entrance, we slowly ease through. I realize that we have managed to enter at low tide — with a controlling depth of 3.5 or 4 feet depending on which chart is correct. Once we are in the small basin with boats side-tied to the concrete wall all around, we spin a 180 and squeeze into our alloted spot. My legs are shaking, but we're in.
After two nights, we have to move on, but another storm is approaching. This one will be worse. We decide to opt for the lap of luxury and again call around for a slip. Only one marina can take us; Safe Harbor has a single 25-ft slip open. A foot more than we need — perfect!
Not wanting a repeat of the pitch-black entry in a new-to-us area, we watch the radar closely and see a window of opportunity. We take it. However, wind, waves, and current are not our friends as we painstakingly tack toward safety.
Our slip is all the way inside the marina, with a little dogleg entry next to the Travelift. We tuck in, check in at the office, and begin scoping out the amenities.
When we round the corner and see the oceanside pool, I can't help wading right in. We decide to splurge and stay for a week, maybe two. When we find that the daily cost for 15 days is the same as the cost for
Above left to right: 'Sweethaven' looking sweet; idyllic Florida sunset; just another plane under the bridge; saying hello to a manatee; going down at the westbound W.P. Franklin lock between La Belle and Fort Myers.
Damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022 is still evident on Florida waterways.
CHANGES
a month, we say, "We'll take it for a month!"
Marathon became our base for daysailing, swimming, water aerobics, local exploration, live music and taking the local bus all the way to Key West. We met a lovely couple who took us out on their new-to-them Pacific Seacraft for anchoring and maneuvering practice. We took others out on our Sweethaven for snorkeling. And, of course, there were poolside sundowners.
Winter is winding down and we begin thinking about completing our mini-circumnavigation of southern Florida. We talk about all the big, fast, wake-making boats near Miami and up the east side of the state. We just can't find a reason to join them.
So, we take our time and work our way back up the quiet side of Florida. Back to the anchorages hidden by mangroves. Back to the beauty of small towns. Back to Indiantown for Sweethaven's safety during the summer and hurricane season.
Next year, we will head east from Indiantown, cross the Gulf Stream, and spend a season in the Bahamas. — Noreen 6/3/24
JOIA — X-Yacht 49
Stuart and Marisa Jackson
A Quick Round Trip
Channel Islands
Captain Stuart Jackson, a lifelong sailor, ARC veteran and pilot, had been planning this South Pacific odyssey for a year. We filed necessary paperwork through the Pacific Puddle Jump and set sail from Channel Islands Harbor on April 2 aboard JOIA, Jackson's 2020 X-Yacht 49, a high-performance cruiser, elegantly sporty and configured for bluewater sailing: three lithium batteries, two AGMs, inboard diesel generator, Starlink, bow thruster, power winches, watermaker, AC (which we enjoyed in the sweltering heat), a bread maker, and even a cappuccino machine.
our days splicing, repairing clutches, rewiring cables and filleting yellowtail. We swam across the equator and celebrated with a party en blanc. After 16½ days, we arrived in the Marquesas, greeted by a double rainbow, dolphins, and the Bay full of yachts on the Oyster Rally. Nuku Hiva smells of frangipani and juicy mangoes. After exploring the island and provisioning, we swapped crew — Stuart's wife, Marisa, and sister, Sue
SoPac and back (clockwise from above): There was never any shortage of sushi on the trip; PPJ crew (l to r) Madeleine, Jan, Stuart, Conner, and Yosh all in white at the equator; although navigation was electronic, Stuart kept sharp on his celestial sightings; forgot spare O-rings? Make your own!; 'JOIA' pauses for swim call; checking out the "shark nursery" at Rangiroa's Blue Lagoon; hanging out at the equator.
Aboard for the PPJ, in addition to Stuart, were Jan Passion, Connor Mullins, Madeleine Lithvall and Yosh Han.
No matter how prepared one is, one can never predict Mother Nature's moods nor how and when things break. Here's our journey in three segments.
Leg 1: Channel Islands to Marquesas, 2,800nm
We sailed through 30+ knot winds, heavy seas and gray rains for nearly a week before the sun came out. We changed our sails as many times as a Broadway musical changes costumes, relying heavily on our Code Zero. We spent
Dudley, joined the boat — and sailed to Baie de Taiohae, an enclosed anchorage surrounded by otherworldly mountainous cliffs, before setting sail for the Tuamotus.
"Swimming on the equator, going to the top of the mast enroute, stunning phosphorescent lights, and swimming at an isolated, gorgeous waterfall, surpassed my dream of crossing the Pacific." — Jan
"Compared to the ARC, we were able to push harder during this crossing — more reaching, changing sails and optimizing the trim with faster average speed."
— Madeleine
"I get it now: the sense of freedom, the stars overhead, being enveloped in nothing but sky and sea, and chasing the horizon. It's intoxicating." — Connor
Leg 2: Marquesas to Rangiroa, 600nm; Tuamotus to Mo'orea and Tahiti, 220nm Marisa and Sue had never sailed on an overnight passage and thought we were "island hopping." Instead, there were several hundred miles of brutal sailing between those islands. Nothing is more frightening than when you hear the captain shouting, "All hands on deck!" in the middle of the night. We came topside to find the boom was wobbling and
the whole rig shaking. Stuart found the gooseneck pin rolling on deck. Luckily, the team jumped from dead asleep to action mode and saved the rig. After four days of ferocious storms, we slowed the boat to enter Tiputa Pass during daylight.
Rangiroa, one of the largest atolls in the world, is picture perfect! Diving with dolphins, visiting the shark nursery in the Blue Lagoon, and a Marquesan dance performance are not to be missed! The next 220 miles were spent dodging
IN LATITUDES
Leg Three: Tahiti to Channel Islands Harbor, 4,000nm, 25 days
For the delivery home, Mark LaFevers, a heavy-equipment operator, and Doug Acker, a barefoot MacGyver sailing instructor, tapped in and we immediately put their skills to work. On ocean passages, sailors need to be riggers, plumbers, electricians and mechanics — improvising and jury-rigging unexpected glitches and breakages, like our jib and in-boom furler, which needed overhauling.
squalls. Approaching Mo'orea, one can see why it's the most photographed island in Polynesia. Tahiti's black volcanic sand gives the water a dark teal quality — an island with hidden treasures. We bid a sad farewell to Marisa, Sue and Madeleine.
"I have always had a deep-seated fear of bluewater sailing, and this trip and the crew aboard JOIA helped me face it head on and conquer it."
We left in front of a storm and continued to fight the 2-knot current bulldozing against us, waves slamming loudly, like a wrecking ball. Midway, we lost our spreader-mounted Starlink, but luckily had a spare. It was so hot we played hatch roulette, but green water kept cascading into the salon. We were sandwiched between windless clouds, erratic sea conditions and brilliant, deep-blue water. By the time we were done, we had sailed 8,000 miles in 10 weeks — the distance of crossing the continental US 3½ times. Or roughly 20 years of sailing in one go, considering the average boat in a marina goes out perhaps 20 miles in 20 weekends a year.
— Marisa
"Lovely to be home, but I love waking up to read Stuart's ship's log. In a funny way I'm missing JOIA and our adventures. Feels all a bit unreal now."
— Sue
"As an avid waterman, I've been daydreaming of wingfoiling in parallel with the boat during our crossing, or freediving down to investigate what pelagic fish might be hunting the schools of flying fish we saw along the way." — Doug
ALL
PHOTOS
JOIA
CHANGES
"I had the honor and privilege, as a shellback and licensed captain, to initiate five pollywogs into the society of Equatorcrossing Shellbacks. I anointed the seafarers with droplets of Poseidon fragrance, a scent I created." — Yosh
"This was the sailing journey of a lifetime, something I had dreamed of since my first sail to Catalina 40 years ago. Less elapsed time than Homer's Odyssey, but far more miles sailed. The best part was having my wife and sister join for a month so I didn't need to worry about suitors drinking my wine and eating my sausages." — Stuart
The crew wishes to thank JOIA's owners, Stuart and Marisa, for this epic oncein-a-lifetime high seas adventure. The bar is set high! Thanks also to the Latitude 38 Crew List and our buddy boat, Celtic Song.
— Yosh 6/6/24 www.captainyosh.com
Cruise Notes • The Hawaii-based Lagoon 42 cat, Iwa, was one of several PPJ boats that left Panama and stopped to visit the Galápagos
before making the long leg of the Pacific Puddle Jump. Owners Roberto and Elizabeth Lopes, along with Hawaii crewfriends Phil and Ian Curtis, departed Panama City on March 10, and eight days and 900+ miles later, arrived in San Cristobal. Highlights of the passage included catching a couple of nice dorados — and a strange encounter the night of March 15. "The winds started to die, and we were motoring again (on one engine) on a moonless night," writes Roberto. "Around 8:30 p.m., a vessel not showing on AIS appeared north of us in the distance. A few minutes later, we started to hear some random noises on the VHF. They had our full attention, and we slowly realized it was a large, lit-up vessel coming straight at us at a 90° angle. We attempted to reach it via VHF, but got no response.
QUALITY HARDWARE
We picked up speed and changed course, but as we moved past their course, they turned in the same direction and were quickly approaching us from behind. We changed course a second time — and they again changed course! We turned on the second engine and revved both to 2,000 rpm. They continued to gain ground. We increased to 2,500 rpm and they were right on our stern. We maxed our engines at 3,400 rpm, turned off all our lights and AIS transmitter, covered the chartplotter with a towel, and slowly started to make ground. After 30 minutes of speeding in the dark, with them right behind us, we made a 90° turn and watched them continue on our previous course.
"Some exciting moments! We don't think they had malicious intentions
After a crazy encounter in mid-ocean, Roberto and Elizabeth of 'Iwa' (inset) are enjoying French Polynesia on long-stay visas.
(otherwise their lights would not be on). Our final conclusion was that we had most likely inadvertently entered their fishing grounds, and they were just messing with us, shooing us away."
After enjoying the Galápagos for almost two weeks, Iwa changed crew and welcomed Ryan Lewendowski. They departed from Santa Cruz on March 31. After 22 days and nights at sea "with all types of conditions, from calm, light-wind days to 10 days of 20-30 knots and 10-ft following seas," Iwa made landfall in Hiva Oa, Marquesas. They are currently enjoying the Tuamotus and plan on staying at least a year in French Polynesia thanks to their long-stay (one-year) visas. • "It started with the question, 'Hey baby, what do you think about buying a sailboat?' Little did I know my rapid, 'Sounds great, count me in' would lead to our crossing the Pacific Ocean," says Theresa Baron of the Molalla, Oregon-based St. Francis 50 cat Freefall, which she shares with Joe Weber. "We've been fortunate to see a lot of the world from the air, so the boat seemed a great new way for us to explore from a different perspective.
"As we now watch the miles go by and reflect on what led us to be here in the middle of the Pacific, the purchase seems one of the easiest parts. There was a huge amount of work involved in preparing the boat — and ourselves. Truly learning the boat and all her systems takes time. YouTube alone can't save you when bad things happen far from land, even with the latest (and game-changing) addition of Starlink internet connectivity. As painful, frustrating and costly as the learning process was for us at times, it ultimately gave us the confidence to be out here on our own, relying on each other. And that is a sheer delight.
"Our passage, since leaving the Galápagos, has been wonderful. We had one tough night where we had a rudder issue and opted to hand-steer through the dark night, rather than go into the water with big seas. Morning allowed us to troubleshoot
and fix the issue, which turned out to be hydraulic.
"Winds have been on the light side for much of the trip, just starting to rise a bit today. We're on our ninth day in a row of flying our Oxley parasail and we are loving it and the easy ride. Boats just a few days in front of us haven't had the opportunity to fly anything but their white sails. It's surprising how different conditions can be only a short distance away.
"We have about 1,000 miles still to go to reach the Marquesas. The wind is beginning to increase, with more expected in the coming days. Other than keeping our boat speed up for fishing, we really aren't in a hurry. We're thoroughly enjoying this journey."
• Ohad and Sharon Kalujny of the Lagoon 40 cat Tanit are Israeli cruisers, homeported in Southampton, England, who began a planned circumnavigation in Greece. They used the Pacific Puddle Jump to complete a leg of that adventure.
"Count me in!" Joe and Theresa are currently in the Marquesas.
CHANGES
"We are on our way!" says Ohad. "After crossing the Atlantic and going through the Panama Canal, we're now bound for New Zealand."
Tanit is one of several PPJ yachts to stop in the Galápagos, which for the Kalujnys was always part of the plan.
"Many boats avoid visiting the Galápagos because of the regulations and high costs for entry. As we are both nature lovers and ex-hiking freaks, it was very clear that we would stop there."
Part of those regulations is that visiting yachts are allowed to anchor at only four bays, none of which has dinghy docks. Ohad notes that visits ashore are via water taxi or tour companies.
He also says technical support is good.
"We needed work on our generator and desalinator, and found two techs who were capable and professional.
"Provisioning is also good — better than some Caribbean Islands, including diesel, which is $6 a gallon.
"Most of the locals are friendly." Some are too "friendly" — "Every day we had to look for stowaways as sea lions overcame my blockades and climbed aboard and fell asleep on our deck," says Ohad.
"If you're doing the Puddle Jump, don't miss the Galápagos!"
• Joanne and Randy Weeton "cut the docklines" in Alameda on October 10, 2021, headed out the Gate aboard their Catalina Morgan 45 Compass Rose. They took part in the 2021 Baja Ha-Ha, and thereafter explored both the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico. They were in that latter area when, says Joanne, "We decided we needed a different boat." Why? "We're both vertically challenged," laughs Joanne, "and there was nowhere to sit with both feet flat on the sole! She was a great boat, we were just too short for her!"
Enter Whimsical IV, a 2009 Catalina
470. In April 2022, Joanne and Randy were back in Alameda, signing paperwork for the
It's not that Joanne and Randy didn't like their previous boat, but
the way around.
boat. They headed back out in June last year, taking up where they'd left off exploring Mexico.
In March 2024, the Weetons, along with crewmember Mark HInkel, left Zihuatanejo headed for French Polynesia. About 250 miles out, the autopilot broke and couldn't be fixed. Turning around, they hand-steered while motorsailing back to the Mexican mainland. Mark couldn't hang around long enough for the
Left: Ohad and Sharon. Right: Some Galápagos residents are just too friendly.
WHIMSICAL
'Whimsical IV' is a better fit all
second attempt, and had to fly home. After the new autopilot passed a sea trial, Randy and Joanne bade their friends farewell and headed offshore on their own. They arrived in Nuku Hiva 27 days later.
Their plans are to explore more of the South Pacific before heading to New Zealand for cyclone season.
We were curious about the name of the boat and what the three previous Whimsical's might have been. "So are we!"
Randy replies. "The name came with the boat. We always get asked that and would love to find out."
• "Our first Pacific crossing was a bit of everything," writes Rebecca Walters. She, husband Cole, and kids Cuyler, 4, Reed, 8, and Carter, 11, departed Banderas Bay on April 5 aboard their Ventura-based Kelly Peterson 46 Watercolors, making landfall in Hiva Oa 20 days later. "We were
expecting a calmer trip, but sailed with a reefed main 85% of the time," says Rebecca. Among the thrills was reeling in a marlin on day seven of the trip. "We had the spinnaker up so we were going pretty fast. It took us two hours to land the fish between getting the spinnaker down and hauling the fish up on our outboard motor hoist. While all hands were on deck taking the spinnaker down, 8-year-old Reed kept the line from going slack."
• "Greetings from the Tuamotus!" write Tricia Mallia and Ken Painter of the Vancouver-based Manta 40 cat Shanti III "We are well into our South Pacific cruising experience, which all began with the Pacific Puddle Jump."
After four years of exploring the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico down to Ixtapa — and more recently, "a whirlwind of
IN LATITUDES
repairs and upgrades" — Shanti III departed from Ixtapa on April 18. The 2,900mile crossing to French Polynesia took 25 days.
"Before our departure, our scheduled crew of three dropped out, one at a time, due to personal reasons. Finally it was down to the two of us," says Ken. "I was concerned about getting enough sleep, but we settled nicely into six-hour shifts.
"It was a bumpy ride even on a catamaran," he says. "We experienced unsettled weather crossing the doldrums, which seemed to follow us for three days. Breakage was minimal — the worst of it was a broken bolt in the boom vang.
"Like they say, 'Feel the fear but do it anyway.'"
Your Boatyard in the Heart of Paradise
HAULOUT
• Marine Travelift 25 tons
TahiTi CusToms PoLiCy
Foreign Flag vessels can stay on dry storage in our yard for up to 12 months out of 24.
• Marine railway 70 tons
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Raiatea Carenage will make sure paradise is everything you expected. Call, write, or sail in . . . we're here to serve you.
B.P. 1111 Uturoa Raiatea 98 735 Polynésie Française
Web site: http://www.raiateacarenage.com ~ email: raiateacarenage@mail.pf
Facebook : Chantier Naval Raiatea Carenage
The big one that didn't get away (l to r): Rebecca, Cuyler, Reed, Cole, Carter — and the marlin.
Ken and Tricia had a bumpier ride than most of this year's PPJ'ers. 'Shanti III' (above, left) took it in stride.
Large, fenced, secure dry storage area
Professional boatyard in the heart of Paradise
ClassifieDs Cl assifieDs
Dinghies, Liferafts & rowboats
8.5 FT WesT Marine rU-250 2008. Rollup inflatable dinghy. Slatted bottom allows compact storage and easy carrying in included bag. Used twice. 3.5hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard never used or started. Included are engine tools/spares and dinghy accessories. $1,200. San Francisco. bmwicklund@comcast.net (415) 971-7129
14 FT WhiTehall 2005. Sailing/rowing skiff, completely rebuilt, with added reef points to mainsail. Excellent condition. Truly a joy to row and sail. Was famous for ferrying goods to sailing ships in Boston Harbor from 1700s and 1800s. $7,500. Santa Cruz, CA. dudley@cruzio.com (831) 471-9220
11 FT Waszp 2021. Foiling dinghy hull number 3081 — ready to sail. White hull, red wing. Comes with glass fiber box and extra wing. $7,200. San Francisco. f.lix@me.com
10 FT z odiac & Mo T or. Zodiad measuring 10-ft by 2-ft. In carrying case. Never used. Tohatsu (4-cycle) 3.5 hp outboard motor. Model SG. Still in the box with papers. A steal! Contact Alan. $1,200 OBO. San Francisco. alcavey@hotmail.com (415) 567-1742
24 feet & UnDer saiLboats
19 FT Wes T Wigh T p o TT er 2001. ‘Cat’s Meow’ is set up for coastal cruising. I have solo-sailed her from Fort Bragg to San Diego. Besides the standard equipment, including a Baja trailer, here is what I added for cruising: JB Code Zero sail, Kelly Hanson main with two reef points. Hyde lapper Sailrite genny is well worn but still works. Heavy-duty storm sails. Raymarine ST1000 autopilot was recently refurbished at the factory. 6hp Tohatsu sail drive long-shaft (25 in) 2013 purchased new in 2014. AGM battery. 50-watt solar panel with regulator. Smart battery charger for dockside charging. Standard Horizons radio with AIS. $10,000 OBO. Rio Vista, CA bizmodel96@gmail.com (209) 815-7542
16 FT Way Farer (#153) 1960ish (res T ored 1988). Excellent condition, wooden cruising dinghy, w/jib, main, spinnaker, aluminum mast, boom and pole, Elvstrom bailers, anchor and rode, oars. Trailer included. Great family boat. $2,800 OBO. Orangevale, CA. graniteoak@yahoo.com (916) 420-2461
19 FT WesT WighT poTTer 1997. This fun little sailboat you can sail anywhere you can launch a boat! The roomy interior features three berths while at the same time providing seating for up to five passengers. When trailered, the Potter 19 is one of the quickest boats to rig and launch in her size! A mast-raising system allows for one-person rigging! $11,500 OBO. Alameda, CA. thejoneses2@gmail.com (510) 502-2313
17 FT norTheasTer dory 2019. Built by Carpinteria Boat Works in 2019. Great sailing and rowing! Includes trailer, cover, oars, lug sail. $7,500 OBO. Carpinteria, CA. carpdory@gmail.com
15 FT WesT WighT poTTer 1978. Very clean boat, ready to sail, lots of extras. Fully restored trailer, all new parts: coupler, tongue jack, winch, rollers, wire harness and lights, wheel bearings, bearing buddies and tires. The boat: one main, roller-furling jib and genoa, new cabin cushions, new life jackets and throw cushions. USCG safety kit, dock lines and fenders, anchor with chain and line, 3.5 hp Nissan outboard runs great. $4,600. Rio Vista, CA. steveegoble@aim.com (925) 305-6366
DAVE’S DIVING SERVICE
Southern Marin Since
Standing and running rigging, life lines, furling gear, winches, line, windlasses, travelers, wire and terminals, blocks, vangs, and much more. ~ Problem solving and discount mail order since 1984 ~ www.riggingonly.com • (508) 992-0434 • sail@riggingonly.com
24 FT J/24 1980. Several for sale, very complete with trailers at $6000 and some racers with trailers $4000. All have good sails and many extras. Some have motors. Call for details. $6,000. Valley Springs. bonnielopezunr@gmail.com (209) 7729695
20 FT Flicka 20 1981. “Live the dream, sail beyond” with this classic bluewater cruiser by Pacific Seacraft. She’s a unique eye-catcher that will hold you spellbound. Well equipped for offshore singlehanding, lines running aft, selftailing winches, autopilot. New radio with remote mic, recent bottom paint, Yanmar diesel, 3-bladed prop, two AGM batteries with 200+ amp hours. New tanbark sails and spinnaker. Beautiful open interior, excellent wood joinery and upholstery, and remarkably, 6-ft headroom! Possible slip availability in Alameda Marina. $21,000. Alameda Marina. RobertsInMiWuk@yahoo.com
20 FT Melges 20 2010. Melges 20 and trailer in very good condition, lightly used. Inventory: 3 sets of sails, 2 gennakers, Tacktick, traveling and mast-up tarps, traveling boxes and Suzuki 2.5hp. $20,000. Los Angeles. jlang@ucla.edu
24 FT ranger 24 1975. Full fiberglass hull with encapsulated keel. 8 hp Nissan, 5 hp Nissan spare. 2 sets of sails. Spinnaker pole. Large, comfortable, roomy interior. A complete boat with many extras. Recent new charging cord, battery, charger and nonskid applied to deck. More pics available. Bottom is clean and could use paint as well as some areas of the interior. $4,250. Sausalito. (415) 757-7863
27 FT express 27 1982. ‘Hang 20’ is for sale! ‘Hang 20’ is a great Express 27 set up for shorthanding and ocean racing, though she does great around the buoys too. She did Pac Cup in 2022. The price includes a single axle, roadworthy trailer, a Honda outboard motor, and full ocean gear. See URL for the boat inventory. Contact me if you are interested or have questions. $27,000. Richmond, CA. mstewks@yahoo.com www.tinyurl.com/ muu47kar
27 FT express 27 1981. Hull #9, ‘Bluette’. Extensive work completed in 2020, including new full standing and partial running rigging, new B&G electronics, new Harken two-speed Performa 20 winches, new Tohatsu outboard, etc. New Ullman Sails mainsail, with two used #1 and #3 jibs. Roadworthy single-axle trailer also included. Contact seller for a detailed list of equipment. $28,000. Richmond, CA. pathung@gmail.com
25 FT olson 1986. With roadworthy trailer — new tires, bearings. A full inventory of sails, including a brand-new Kevlar 155%. 2 spinnakers, electronics original but all operational. I have been sailing on Lake Tahoe the last couple of years; the bottom will need to be done if going into saltwater. Interior is in good condition with stove, new ice chests and VHF. $12,900. Sacramento. ralphkirberg@gmail.com (415) 971-3527
28.5 FT p earson Tri T on 1965. Sloop-rigged. Teak interior, mahogany exterior. Full-batten main. Old school hank-on jib that stores as roller furling but reefs by lowering sail. Beta Marine Kubota 722cc with three-blade cruising prop. Engel refrigerator/freezer. Icom 802. Good VHF. 22-gal diesel tank. Porta Potti. 20 gal freshwater storage. Two battery banks. Raytheon autopilot. Outlaw trailer with new 10ply tires. $17,500. Northern Arizona. dbfoster2603@gmail.com
25 FT caTalina 250 Wing keel 2002. This well-cared-for vessel is in top shape, ready to hit the water. 25-foot length: Ideal for weekend getaways. This sale also includes a custom-made trailer. $9500 for the sailboat, the trailer $4500. 530.518.1963. $15,500. Oroville Lake. ricksail84@gmail.com (530) 518-1963
27.93 FT paciFic seacraFT 25 Mk ii 1978. Sailboat with excellent trailer and tremendous amount of gear ready for someone handy. New Yanmar 2YM15 with 1.5 hrs, two furlers, six sails, cockpit and interior cushions, two anchors, wind vane self steering and tiller pilot, Furuno radar, propane system parts. Too many parts to list — contact Todd Chandler for link to photos. $18,900. Newport, OR. todd@chandlermarineservices.com (541) 992-9289
VESSEL MOVING
No ocean too big, no trip too small, no ship too large, no mast too tall. Sail or power, we move them all! When you are ready give us a call. Professional Service • cappytom@aol.com • (206) 390-1596
25 FT c al 2-25 1978. #78, ‘Showtime’. Freshwater 9.8 four-stroke electric start and trim roller furling. Trailer. $8,000. Kelseyville, CA. forddon030@gmail.com (707) 367-0498
27 FT h-BoaT 1980. Thoroughly restored and well maintained 1980 Artekno HBoat. A common racing class in Europe. Sails, rigging, electrical, equipment, and outboard are in excellent condition. Photos, maintenance and repair logs, and cruising logs are available on my website. $29,000. Berkeley, CA. proge@berkeley.edu (831) 818-4769 www.tinyurl.com/r45cw4zu
FT caTalina 1980. Dinette Interior. Exceptional condition; Quantum sails, QT 10.0 electric motor, 48V Lifeline AGM battery bank, new topsides, new bottom paint, Raymarine Autohelm and depth meter, VHF radio, roller furler. $6,500. Berkeley Marina. callen5052427@gmail.com (650) 222-4570
26 FT cU s T o M s loop 1979. Meticulously maintained. Built of mahogany using West System epoxy resin. Roller furling, 3 headsails, lazy jacks, Torqeedo outboard engine, full cover to protect her lovely finish, ready to race or cruise in elegance and style! $25,000. Paradise Cay. sea-hi@pacbell.net
27
26 FT Macgregor 26M 2006. Great lake and coastal pocket cruiser with lots of factory features. Mast raising system, roller furling, easy access cooler, trailer with brakes 60 hp outboard, new head, Garmin map/depth, sail covers Call for details. $19,995. Penn Valley, CA. chrisfrank3@gmail.com (530) 902-4832
26 FT yaMaha 1984. PHRF racer and comfortable cruiser. Interior and exterior maintained in excellent condition by meticulous owner. Yanmar 1gm10 diesel with very low hrs. Garmin chartplotter, Raymarine VHF radio, emergency beacon and many other items. $10,000. Alameda. Jnovie@aol.com (415) 271-3441
29 – 31 feet saiLboats
30 FT caTalina 1980. Completely rebuilt Universal 5411 diesel, new engine mounts. New exhaust manifold and mixing elbow and hoses. Stainless steel water lift muffler, new thru-hull fittings and plumbing. Interior in very good condition. Many wiring upgrades. Kenwood stereo with Blaupunkt speakers. Simrad Lowrance DST Triducer Multisensor, a multi-purpose instrument that has a thru-hull housing and supports 235 KHz transducer frequency. It can measure depth, speed, and temperature, and has NMEA 2000 connectivity. New stainless steel shaft and three-blade propeller. New cutlass bearing. Propspeed foul-release coating to prop and shaft. Recent bottom paint. Bottom cleaned regularly. $12,000. South Beach Harbor, San Francisco. catalina30sf@gmail.com (415) 548-3015
30 FT caTalina 30 1982. This sailboat is in excellent condition and is actively sailed with many upgrades and regular maintenance. Universal 5411 engine rebuilt in 2019 that has been serviced annually. Bottom painted in 2022 along with standing rigging inspection with a new backstay installed. All new Doyle sails in 2017, main with 2 reefs and StackPack, furling jib and asymmetric spinnaker with sock for easy deployment. Beautiful Iverson dodger and bimini added in 2018. Other improvements include new head and plumbing in 2019, new saloon cushions and induction cooktop. As you can see, this boat has been lovingly maintained and upgraded and ready to sail away today. $22,000 OBO. Benicia. coreyakiyama@gmail.com (253) 8304976
30 FT sanTana 30 1976 . 50% equity partner wanted. Great condition, recent upgrades. Perfect singlehander. Small enough to be handy, but safe and comfortable. $100 capital investment. Pay half berth and maintenance costs, but do more than half of chores. $100 Partner wanted. Oakland Estuary. joe.onorato@presidiotrade.com (206) 409-6514
30 FT knarr 1983. Fiberglass Knarr USA 132 is now available and has been consistently upgraded and always a top performer in the San Francisco fleet for years. Aluminum mast with racing rigging, composite epoxy rudder and huge quiver of racing sails from both Doyle and North. The Knarr design is well suited for the S.F. Bay conditions. This is a turnkey one-design program or family daysailer. Presently located in a San Francisco Marina upwind 35-ft slip. $38,500. San Francisco. c.griffith@ggsir.com (415) 672-3263
29 FT ericson 1970. Start your sailing adventure today. Boat and 36-ft slip for sale at Pier 39. Low-hr Beta Marine diesel ($7000 when new). New standing rigging. Solid hull. Attractive interior. $3,000. Pier 39. yknotsail2@gmail.com
30 FT caTalina 1983. Universal diesel with only 600 hrs. Recent standing rigging, mast painted, bottom job, windows rebedded, new exhaust hose, fuel polished, new electric head 2023, new bimini top 2023, good ground tackle, dodger. Perfect Bay/Delta boat. Call or email. $16,500 OBO. Stockton. arnieschweer3@gmail.com (559) 8168461
30 FT WyliecaT 30 1995. After many years of sailing adventures on the Bay and from Mexico to Canada, ‘Uno’ is looking for a new 50% partner or an outright sale. Well equipped and well maintained. Dry sailed until May 2020. Fresh Ullman square top sail, two spinnakers and carbon pole. Yanmar saildrive. New bottom 4/2023. Also available, road-ready custom galvanized trailer with all new tires. Call or email. $70,000. Richmond Yacht Club. bmeyer_co@sonic.net (510) 504-3409
29 FT kirie eliTe 1982. Performance cruiser that has everything a Bay Area sailor could want for racing or cruising. Brand-new, never-hoisted sails and rigging. New B&G Vulcan chartplotter. Reliable and fuel-efficient 2006 Yanmar diesel engine. $19,000 OBO. Benicia, CA. mike.bernico@gmail.com
30 FT Bodega 1977 . Designed to cruise, sails beautifully, good base for adventure. Force 10 stove, 4 berths, composting head, new Ullman fullbatten main and furling jib, Fatty Knees 7-ft tender, new bottom paint, one owner. $13,500. Point Richmond. lee@awarecare.com (707) 738-9387
30 FT olson 30 1983. ‘HOOT’ located Brickyard Cove dry storage space P044 is for sale. Hull #PCX301830382 (hull 183 built by Pacific Boats 1983). Dry sailed since new, has never had bottom paint. She’s been very successfully campaigned for many years, many trophies in her wake. Perhaps the lightest Olson 30 out there, set up for buoy racing, very fast boat. Custom 2007 aluminum road-ready trailer, just refurbished. Custom boom tent cover. Deck and nonskid restored in 2016. 2002 Ballenger double-spreader rig, standing rigging replaced 2016. Both stock and elliptical rudder included, many bags of sails, recent racing sails in excellent condition. Email inquiries only please. $22,500. Richmond, CA. andymacfie@gmail.com www.tinyurl. com/bdxck2ks
29.5 FT J/29 1985. Fresh off her 2023 ASMBYC High Point Series victory, ‘Zulu’ is now for sale! This ultra-competitive J/29 sailboat is fully equipped for crewed and shorthanded races. Meticulously maintained, she offers an impressive arsenal of sails and will provide her new owners a solid platform for competitive racing for years to come. $20,000. Marina del Rey, CA. welter.ryan@gmail.com (949) 554-9390
29.9 FT BrisTol 29.9 1977 . Sloop, cruise-equipped. Two chartplotters, VHF with GPS and AIS. Radar, wheel pilot, 200W solar, three AGM batteries (one start, two bank). 2qm20 Yanmar diesel, tricolor mast light, asymmetrical spinnaker. BOAT LOCATED PUERTO ESCONDIDO BAJA. $7,500 OBO. Puerto Escondido, BCS, MX. jeffreyallenberry@gmail.com (530) 3860361
30 FT BUccaneer 305 1977. Great Bay boat. Call for specs and equipment; too much to list. I am the original owner. Must sell. Doctor says. $7,500. Marina Bay, Richmond, CA. kandmcardwell@yahoo.com (916) 5017648
32 – 35 feet saiLboats
35.5 FT hUnTer 356 2002. Boat is in excellent shape in a transferable slip in Monterey. New standing rigging and most new running rigging in June 2023. Bottom paint job June 2023. Many items included. Link below for more info. See CL link for details. $85,000. Monterey, CA. doug.atkinson@verizon.net www.tinyurl. com/3dbkrph5
35 FT J/105 2006. Beautiful. Deep keel. In excellent condition. Special boat to cruise or race. Full sail inventory (plus 3 spinnakers and downwind gear), networked B&G autopilot, dodger in great cond, gorgeous navy hull. Recent upgrades: new LED anchor light/wiring, steam/deck LED, new nav station w/B&G instruments (2 companionway, 1 helm, + Vulcan 9 touchscreen in nav station), VHF antenna/ cable, Airmar depth/speed/temp, anemometer, Garmin Fusion mobile stereo. 8/23 haulout with new paint, prop, bottom and other work; new Yanmar motor mounts, maintenance, and engine panel 9/23. CG certified. $95,000. Sausalito. jeffreysd@me.com (415) 847-5306
34 FT Wylie 34 1980 . One of Tom Wylie’s best designs; fractional rig, new Quantum main and cover, other sails for all conditions, PHRF 120, Yanmar and 2GM diesel 1700 hrs. A great Bay boat! $21,500. Richmond. kurrewa59@gmail.com (808) 381-5884
35 FT x-35 2007. The X-35 is a true racing machine. With finger-light controls, she’s responsive, having more gears upwind than you’ll know what to do with. New racing bottom 1/24, PHRF SoCal rating of 68. Sleeps eight. Forward cabin double Vberth. Head, two double-berth aft cabins, stainless steel sink, hot and cold water. Ice box, two-burner stove w/oven. Electronics and navigation: Sailmon, four B&G 20/20 displays on mast. Depth and speed sensors, autopilot, Garmin chartplotter, VHF. Electrical: Shorepower cord 30A. Batteries: Two house, one engine. Sails and rigging: Fractional rig w/keel-stepped mast, rod rigging (replaced), Karver furler, carbon spinnaker pole. Engine and mechanical: Yanmar 3YM20 diesel engine — 20hp. Water heater five gal 110V/engine, shower. $109,000. Marina del Rey, CA. denisesmwyc@gmail.com (310) 490-9432
33 FT nonsUch 33 1989 . Classic coastal cruiser, a beautiful sailer, all the comforts of home when anchored, teak interior, A/C, fireplace, separate shower, new canvas, new sail cover, new fuel tank, new engine fuel lines, low hrs, new West dinghy and 4-stroke outboard, extras plus, fresh brightwork, well maintained. $90,000 Email. Grand Marina, Alameda. cbellasail@sbcglobal.net (530) 412-0144
34 FT caTalina 34 Mk ii 2001. ‘Music’ regularly sailed/professionally maintained; glad to communicate the work done/undone to a serious buyer. Example: new mast, boom and standing rigging installed in 2020 … flipside, dodger is dodgy (replace canvas in next year or two). $60,000. Point Richmond. dshanks@hotmail.com
33 FT pearson 10M 1975. Selling ‘Liberty’, hull #96 (33.5-ft, 11-ft beam, 5-ft 11in draft, 12,441 lbs displacement, 5,445 lbs ballast, hull speed 7.25 knots), after 39 wonderful years of ownership. She’s a perfect S.F. Bay and Delta family sailboat. Mostly daysailed with occasional anchorouts. Easily sailed solo, she’s been well maintained. All records are available. The Perkins 30hp diesel has 1,000 hrs and a recent service. Quantum sails. New bottom last November. Profurl with 120% jib, 220 sq ft. Loose-footed main, 320 sq ft. Wide side decks. She’s a “classic ’70s” well-built and clean family cruiser. The “ask” is $27,900. We’d like to find a buyer appreciative of the Pearson brand and William Shaw design. Call or email. $27,900 asking. Marina Village, Alameda. Robinson27@aol.com (415) 312-3152
35 FT ericson 35-3 1987. New bottom paint, prop, heat exchanger and mixing tee. Lots of TLC. Excellent condition, interior teak like new. Lying in Sausalito. Comes w/dinghy. Call for viewing. $34,500 OBO. Sausalito. kbwallace61@gmail.com (208) 309-3564
34 FT express alsBerg BroThers 1986. “Boat of the Year” Sailing World Magazine 1987. One of Carl Schumacher’s finest designs, only 28 built. Three-burner stove, and oven. Hot water. Almost-new North main, lightly used North jib on Harken roller furler. Sails to a 99 rating on S.F. Bay. Lots of sails, fully equipped. $49,000 OBO. Richmond Yacht Club. karlengdahl10@gmail.com (925) 6835929
34 FT BeneTeaU FirsT class 10 1984. Fun around-the-cans racer and weekend cruiser. A great boat for those that have mastered the simple sailboats, and who want to learn a lot more about sail trim, spinnaker sailing, fun and fast cruising. Very well maintained. Full sail inventory. Rigged for both symmetrical spinnaker with carbon pole, asymmetrical with a retractable Selden sprit. Keel-stepped mast with double spreaders. Deck equipment includes two selftailing Andersen headsail/main winches, two self-tailing runner winches, two halyard winches. Upgraded Raymarine electronics. Tiller steering with Pelagic autopilot. Price reduced so that you can have fun sailing this beautiful boat this summer. $18,500. Redwood City, CA. dropbeer14@gmail.com www.bit. ly/3xjxJv5
32 FT herreshoFF 1998. Discounted $20,000 from original price. Beautiful, strong cruising cutter. Herreshoffdesigned, bowsprit and boomkin, coldmolded hull, full lead keel, spruce spars, sails in great condition (mainsail with 3 reefs; stays’l, jib; 120% Dacron; 120% 1.5 oz. nylon; storm sail; trys’l); Aries wind vane self-steering; 10-ft fiberglass dinghy; no engine; sail into and out of upwind Berkeley berth or use 16ft oar; 4 anchors (45# 35# 25# CQR, fisherman); windlass. Sail this beauty around the world. Call Ken’s cell 925 786-7878. P.S. Consider adding an electric motor. $19,500. Berkeley, CA. (925) 786-7878
33 FT cal 33 1971 . Classic olderstyle sloop with modified scoop stern. Strong Volvo diesel 487 hrs. Harken roller furling. Tiller, older sails. Relocating and priced to sell. $5,900 OBO. Emery Cove Yacht Harbor. ngolifeart@gmail.com (747) 286-8311
34 FT cal 34 Mk iii 1977. All new paint from waterline up! Many upgrades with all deck hardware remounted following the paint upgrade. Wheel steering and a Westerbeke 30 diesel. Good sail inventory. $19,500. San Rafael. vgcparadox365@gmail.com (415) 6866998
32 FT islander 32 Mk V 1976. 24hp 3cyl Perkins. StackPack main, Profurl jib. Large bow anchor bracket, anchors. Solar, inverter, 12V reefer. Diesel heater, bulkhead-mounted wood stove, Force 10 three-burner gimbaled propane oven. Holding tank, new water heater not installed. Simrad chartplotter, GPS, AIS, integrated VHF. Autohelm, wheel steering, compass on pedestal. Recent new 4 main cabin windows. LED running lights and glow plugs. Bottom is clean and could use a repaint. Great coastal cruiser and liveaboard with 6-ft 2-in headroom and lots of fine teak woodwork. More pictures available upon request. $18,500. Sausalito. captaindougduane@gmail.com (415) 757-7863
32 FT WesTsail 32 1974. Aft cockpit cutter-rigged sailboat. Above-average condition. Have appraisal. Boat was not lived in. Very rare and well-kept sailboat. Serious buyers only. Email only. Will send more photos and appraisal to serious buyers through email. $55,000. Coyote Point, CA. marisamiah@gmail.com (707) 317-8073
35 FT sanTana 35 1979. Fair condition, needs TLC, sails complete. As is. Role: Racer/Cruiser. Waterline length: 26.50 ft. Beam: 11.92 ft. Draft: 6.25 ft. Displacement: 8,500 lb. Ballast: 3,300 lb. Engine: Volvo Penta MD7A 13 hp diesel — good condition. Please text. $4,500. Richmond. Slighmj2@sbcglobal.net (415) 819-4515
33 FT paciFic seacraFT Mariah 31 1978. Stout boat of legendary strength and seaworthiness. Highly sought-after for bluewater sailing. She is in excellent condition, spartan appointments and in original condition with no modifications. Newer standing rig, crisp sails, fresh bottom job. $45,000. Alameda. sailingfearless@gmail.com
33 FT ranger 1970. Actively sailed and raced boat. New Yanmar diesel (115 hrs), 2022 chainplates inspected, and rebedded. Roller-furling jib, main with lazy jacks, spinnaker. Tiller steering with autopilot. Priced for quick sale due to partner’s health. $13,000. Photos: https://tinyurl.com/eyysyejuhtml. (510) 708-5581 Berkeley Marina. vroom704@gmail.com
36 – 39 feet saiLboats
39 FT irWin ciTaTion 1979. Built in Florida for San Francisco Bay. Great liveaboard and coastal cruiser. 2023 bottom painted. Extensive rebuild/replacement of most systems in 2006 including Yanmar 3JH4. Monitor vane/e-rudder. dodger/bimini. Call or email. $45,000. Richmond, CA. svcasablanca1979@gmail.com (925) 391-1250
Tayana 37 Mk 2 cUTTer. Bluewater cruiser, plenty of head room and storage. She is sound but is a project boat. Needs work on motor and some electrical. Batteries in good shape, all new thru hull fittings. New standing rigging, electrical wiring and LED lights, VHF antenna of this past year. Brought overland from East Coast so lifelines, stanchions and bow sprit were removed and need to be reinstalled (all included). Stainless frames for dodger and Bimini but no canvas. Sails and covers in fair condition. Interior cushions in good condition. Nice interior layout. Priced to reflect engine and other work to be completed. $20,000. Sausalito. jaygrant11383@gmail.com (415) 4136707
36.5 FT p earson 365 1977. Great liveaboard potential. One-year slip in Santa Cruz Harbor. Beautiful interior, new cushions. Priced to sell. $19,500. Santa Cruz Harbor. pcvanden@hotmail.com (831) 334-1978
37 FT Tayana 37 c T 1977. Original wooden mast replaced with a Ballenger mast and boom. D2-40 Volvo Penta 40hp installed 2015. Autohelm. Replaced bowsprit with clear Doug fir. Teak decks removed and nonskid applied. Chainplates replaced. PSS shaft, seal replaced 2023. Electric head. Sails in good condition. VHF radio. Electronics need to be upgraded. Lots of spare parts. $37,500 OBO. Puerto Vallarta, MX. saillar77@gmail.com (916) 390-2332
36 FT arcona 355 2002. From Sweden. Airex-cored hull. Full mahogany “furniture” interior. Healthy teak decks. Volvo diesel with 1560 hrs. Integrated B&G and Raymarine instruments. Hallberg-Rassy quality with J/Boat weight. Set up for singlehanding, island cruising and club racing. PHRF 120. Fully equipped. Call Blake. San Diego. (619) 655-7398
38 FT h ans c hris T ian 38T 1985. Bluewater cruiser in paradise! New engine, new tanbark sails, new rigging completed in 2022. Extensive refit in 2017 on hull and decks. Positioned in the perfect place for a Pacific cruising season. $85,000. Hiva Oa, French Polynesia. sailing.vessel.sedna@gmail.com (907) 209-3327 www.sednastories.com
36 FT Farr 36 1977. ‘Sweet Okole’ – Bruce Farr-designed, 36-ft with coldmolded construction. 2017 Southern carbon spar and boom plus full set of Ullman sails from Dave Hodges. Raft and safety gear for more crossings. We have done 15 crossings: first overall in ’81 Transpac, second overall in ’85 Transpac, first in class in ’19 Transpac, second in class in ’23 Transpac, multiple class wins in Pac Cup. Would consider sailing with the buyer to Hawaii on 2024 Pac Cup. $75,000. Richmond Yacht Club. ldeantreadway@gmail.com (510) 6041990
37 FT alBerg 1974. ‘Island Time’ gets compliments everywhere she goes. She is a yawl designed by Carl Alberg. Sailing enthusiasts appreciate the Alberg 37 for its impressive performance under sail. It is renowned for its sturdy construction and seaworthiness. Crafted by Whitby Boat Works in Canada, this vessel is built to handle a variety of conditions, providing both safety and comfort for extended voyages. Whether you’re navigating coastal waters or embarking on an offshore adventure, ‘Island Time’ makes it ideal for both experienced sailors and those new to the sport. Her recent work includes bottom paint, rigging, and shaft and prop cutlass bearing. Condition and Valuation Survey available. $20,000 OBO. Redwood City, CA. Island.time.a37@gmail.com
36 FT cascade 1977. Bluewater-ready turnkey sailboat. 55 hrs on new Yanmar 30 hp, navigation autopilot, leather interior hand-carved wood. Dickinson diesel heater, full head with hot shower, full galley and more. Great liveaboard with large V-berth, comes with transferable slip! $25,000 OBO. Newport, OR. sureshanjie@yahoo.com Suresh (510) 459-8018or Dustin (808) 756-1389
38 FT carrera 38 1987. Imported by Sven Svendsen. 2023, mast removed with new standing rigging installed, two new batteries, two new compasses, new bottom paint, new zincs, new service of the outdrive/prop, hydraulic outhaul, vang and mast bend, twocylinder Volvo recently serviced with oil change/pump/filters, all work done by Svendsen. Two mainsails, two spinnakers, genoa and two roller jibs, spinnaker pole, Ballenger mast and boom. $22,500. Pt. Richmond Marina, CA. franzsteinerarchitect@comcast.net (510) 914-1289
40 – 50 feet saiLboats
45 FT JeanneaU sUn kiss 1984. Strongly built, comfortable, well maintained racer/ cruiser. Three double cabins, large main salon. Second owner (since 1992). Ballenger mast. North mainsail and jib. Quantum jib and spinnakers. Carbon pole. Navtec backstay. Three- and two-speed Harken winches. B&G electronics. Needs stove and refrigeration. Used only for casual sailing on San Francisco Bay for the last 15+ years. More information at jeanneau45.com. $79,000. San Francisco. John@jeanneau45.com www.jeanneau45. com
40 FT colUMBia 1965. Project boat looking for a new home. A moderate amount of work to be a daysailer — a good bit to be a world cruiser. Equipped with Electric Yacht 20kW electric drive with AGM battery bank with less than 100hr run time. Hasn’t been out of the water in 10+ years and now needs to be hauled for driveshaft maintenance. Rigging and sails in serviceable condition. Please note that slip is not transferable. Negotiable. Mission Bay, San Diego. rhardt99@gmail.com
40 FT sanTa crUz 40 1986. Modified. Transpac veteran. New rod rigging, new Harken furler, new refrigeration, sprit pole, new dodger, stay pac, electric head, all lines led to cockpit. This yacht has traveled from San Francisco to New York via the Panama Canal, several seasons in Mexico and Seattle. Available for viewing in Santa Cruz. $59,000. Santa Cruz. kevin@skyhighway.com (831) 359-1077
40 FT J/120 1998. The perfect performance cruiser and club racer. 38hpYanmar diesel, H/C water, cockpit dodger, Hall aluminum rig, carbon sprit, B&G instruments, full complement of sails. Well maintained and cared for. Possible 40-ft Newport mooring available for purchase. $105,000. Newport Beach, CA. bsfs14@gmail.com (939) 701-0647
43 FT Wes T sail 42 1974. The legendary ‘Nomad’ for sale. Successful offshore voyager and private charter. Buy the boat, the business or both. Year sublet in Santa Cruz. Too much to list. Schedule appointment to talk/ visit. It’s your turn! $85,000. Santa Cruz. brian@nomadsantacruz.com (831) 359 0254 www.Nomadsantacruz.com
44 FT BreWer 1990. ‘Sea Bella’ is an exceptionally well-built and -equipped cruising sailboat capable of fast and safe offshore sailing in a wide range of conditions. The Brewer 44 is a durable heavy-displacement boat made to be comfortable at sea. She is equipped to be an offshore boat to sail around the world. Delivery considered. $135,000. Tonga. wscotterwin@yahoo.com (805) 610-3875 www.tinyurl.com/3wp6deww
50 FT hU dson Force 50 1978. Center cockpit. Ford Lehman, approx 4500hrs. Yanmar generator. Lower teak decks removed. Main spruce, mizzen aluminum. Sails good. $59,900. Berkeley. tcparfitt@yahoo.com (707) 861-2954
42 FT siMonis FasT 42 2003. Turbo modified. 2021 high modulus carbon rig. Water Rat carbon shaft rudder. Extensive race and cruise equipment. 1.2 J pole and sprit. Extensive safety equipment. Proven winner. Gloss cherry wood interior. Two aft private staterooms plus large V-berth. Technautics CoolBlue refrigerator/freezer. Turnkey to race or cruise. Ready for Transpac or Pacific Cup. Email if interested. $149,900. Ventura, CA. dgcmd@pacbell.net (805) 798-1027
42 FT BaVaria 2000. In excellent condition. Volvo 56hp diesel. Three staterooms, two baths with showers. Gas stove, barbecue, flat screen television, electronics Simrad NSS16 EVO2 touchscreen all in one autopilot, radar, course map. Beautiful teak deck. $159,000. Newport Beach, CA. alexpiazza5@gmail.com (510) 461-1111
44 FT kelly peTerson 1981. Bluewater center-cockpit cruiser designed by Doug Peterson. Makes a great liveaboard. Equipped for cruising. Perkins 4-154 diesel. Monitor windvane. 2019 12-ft Caribe dinghy with outboard. Cutter rig. Jib/staysail furlers. Newer 900Ah AGMs (2020). 675W solar panels. Spectra watermaker. New bottom paint. New fuel/water tankage. No teak decks. $99,000 OBO. Coronado, CA. lusitana@sbcglobal.net (619) 985-5138
43 FT n a UT icaT 43 1987. We just finished our five-year Mexico adventure. It’s your turn. Start your cruising in La Paz; it’s awesome! Email me for more info. Richv4rich@gmail. com. $135,000. La Paz, BCS, MX. richv4rich@gmail.com (707) 974-7181
48 FT Tayana 48 cc 2005. Please email me for additional information. $329,000. Redwood City. kovi95050@gmail.com
45 FT h ardin 1978. Center cockpit ketch, Great condition. Custom teak interior, teak decks, 11 sails, 2 dinghies, 2 outboards. Fully equipped for cruising or liveaboard, New sail covers, batteries. Isuzu diesel runs great,. $79,000. Pillar Point Harbor. vkarawanny@gmail.com (406) 291-1509
40 FT challenger 40 1974. Good news! Extensive refit was begun in 2020 including: Thorough cleaning and repainting of storage, mechanical areas, and bilge. New motor mounts and turbo assembly on Yanmar 4JHTE. New throttle and gear Morse cables. Scupper hoses replaced. PSS seal installed. Shaft cutlass bearing replaced. New raw water intake thru-hull. New raw water intake hose. New AC/DC panel. Rewired entire boat. New LED cabin lights. New outlets w/GFCI. New Group 31 starting battery, Aux. 5-amp engine battery charger, 660AH lithium house bank, Victron 3KVA inverter/charger, Victron AC/DC distribution w/remote monitoring, Dec. 2023 Micron 66 paint. Needs holding tank (has manual head and portable toilet), Needs freshwater tank and plumbing (has drains for sinks). $37,000 OBO. Marina Bay, Richmond, CA. seanmcal@gmail.com (310) 971-5208
47 FT Ted carpenTier lido shipyard 1957. Ketch with 11-ft beam, 7-ft draft. Hull is strip-planked tongue and grooved. This vessel was built by naval architect Ted Carpentier, who also worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft and was a personal friend of Howard Huges. It was custom-built for the CEO of United Airlines (the original spinnaker is in United Airlines colors). I have owned this boat since 1996. The interior has been refinished, Elco EN7000 motor installed, teak deck and a new carbon fiber mast and boom and new toilet are ready to be installed. Coast Guard Vessel documented. She is a fine vessel in the San Francisco Bay area. $85,000 OBO. San Francisco Bay Area. vksbo@hotmail.com (510) 967-8421
43 FT serendipiTy 43 1981. Very well equipped for cruising, this classic Doug Peterson design is located in Mexico and is seriously for sale after a circumnavigation. Universal diesel, two spins, two mains, Moniter vane, Maxwell windlass and much more. $54,500 OBO. Mexico. geneosier@yahoo.com
45 FT d ix 43 1991. Professionally built steel sloop/cutter by Hout Bay Yachts, South Africa. Ready to explore! Full fine hardwood interior joinery. Yanmar turbo 70hp 1800hrs. Currently cruising PNW. Contact for a full info package. Courtesy to Brokers. $129,000. Pacific Northwest, USA. bduggleby@sbcglobal.net
47 FT Vaga B ond 1979. Bluewater Yachts Vagabond ketch. The true image of an offshore cruising yacht, the classic, beautiful William Garden center cockpit ketch is a proven bluewater cruiser. Contact for links with photos, full description. 2022 AIS, watermaker, wind/solar. $125,000 OBO. La Paz, MX. art@artcanoes.com (206) 818-3955
43 FT cUsToM schock keTch 1973. Professionally built of mahogany over oak, ‘Debonair’ has been lovingly maintained and extensively upgraded. A seaworthy passagemaker, ‘Debonair’ recently completed a 16,000-mile Pacific tour. From rig to sails, systems to safety, ‘Debonair’s voyage-ready. $72,900. Port Hadlock, WA. ketchdebonair@gmail.com www.tinyurl. com/2s36wtce
49 FT cUsToM choaTe peTerson sloop 1988. Solid performance racer/ cruiser. Spacious headroom, storage, large galley and main saloon, with roomy aft cabin and separate head. Rod rigging, great winches and running rigging layout. $70,000 OBO or Trade. Sausalito, CA. libertyshipmarina@comcast.net (415) 613-3665
46 FT sTeel yaWl 1958 FUlly reFiT in 2005. ‘Endeavor’ is a strong, sea-kindly vessel, designed by Henk Tingen and built in Holland in 1958. Purchased 1987 and brought back from near-extinction. We had 15 years cruising about the world; maybe now it’s your turn. Fall in love with your dream boat. Lots of good kit included in the sale, she can be ready to sail to Norway in 2024! Contact C. Masters for complete list. $80,000 NEW PRICE! Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. svendeavor1958@gmail.com (206) 9603793
48 FT sUncoasT 1980. Type of vessel: ketch. Estimated speed: 10 kt power, 6-8 kt sail. Built Netherlands 1980. Time of lay-up: fall 2012. Hull: length 48-ft, beam 15-ft, draft 7-ft. Frames: varied dimensional steel. Topsides single skin steel plate, 1/4″ thick estimated; bottom single skin steel plate, 1/4″ thick estimated; deck and bulkheads steel plate. Hull layout: V-berth, forward head, forward triple berth, settee/berth, chart station, galley, captain’s berth, engine/machinery/ maintenance room, after master bath, after head, straight inboard diesel engine auxiliary powered. New bow thruster (2010), electronics, autopilot, forward underwater sonar. Six-cyl Leyland diesel, midline, 350 gal water, 250 gal fuel. Pictures at website. $54,900. Cleveland, OH. maudeij@yahoo.com.au (954) 235-2527 www.guapasailboat.com
51 & over saiLboats
50 FT dUFoUr 525 grand large 2011. Beautiful owners version, extensively refurbished with all systems checked and upgraded. See Yachtworld URL listing. Would consider downsizing to a Jeanneau 47-49-ft sail. Contact broker Dan Krier (206) 369-3348 to arrange showing, or call me for details. $374,500. Bellingham, WA. a64me@yahoo.com (360) 360-0953 www. tinyurl.com/3z9vcr9p
55 FT saMpson 1975. Ferro cutterketch rig, pilot house helm, center cockpit helm, emergency tiller helm, 22 tons, 400 gal fuel tanks, 200 gal water tanks, Isuzu diesel, 10 sails, ground tackle, lots of extras. Please call. $34,000. Antioch. sailsurfoot@yahoo.com (279) 675-0222
52 FT sanTa crUz 1998. Fast is fun! One of the best boats ever built. The only SC52 that has gone around the world. Lightly raced and is ready to be your excitement. $225,000. On the way to S.F. Bay. wine4boats@gmail.com (925) 235-9382
60 FT h ar T og s chooner 2000. Attention, wood boat enthusiast! The schooner ‘Latitude’ is for sale. Custombuilt wood schooner designed by Joe Hartog. Cold-molded, mahogany-planked hull. Douglas fir deck over marine plywood. For more information visit website. $45,000 Partial trade for smaller trailerable powerboat. Richmond, CA. jimegeorge@gmail.com (408) 406-3884 www.schoonerlatitude.com
53.2 FT soUThern ocean gallanT 53 1970. The Gallant 53 was designed by naval architect and yacht designer E.G. Van de Stadt. These Gallants soon gained a reputation for their good looks, bulletproof construction, superb motion in a seaway and, as has been proved, the ease with which they can be handled with a minimum crew. Twenty-two were built by Southern Ocean Shipyard Ltd and by Tyler’s in England from 1967 to 1973. This Gallant has had only two owners. She is actively being cruised, and is currently In French Polynesia. French Polynesian import tax has been paid, the boat can stay in French Polynesia indefinitely. Rigged for singlehanded sailing. $145,000. French Polynesia. sv.auntie@hotmail.com www.tinyurl.com/ mpxyp9hx
60 FT cUsToM crealock 1997. Just back from NZ! This 60-ft steel schooner will take you anywhere you want to go. Available to view in Tiburon. $200,000. Tiburon. otterkicks@gmail.com (707) 499-9414 www.schoonershellback.com/
54 FT JeanneaU 54 ds 2009. Fully loaded in mint condition — This boat was truly loved on! She is ready to take you anywhere in the world with safety, class and style. Please call for extensive inventory list. Must see her! $425,000. Alameda, CA. lrtravioli@hotmail.com (559) 269-7669
31 FT corsair 31r 1995. New Somerset main, new Quantum jib, 2021 screacher, asymmetrical spinnaker with snuffer. New trampolines, original bow nets. Recently installed Tides Marine mast track, 9.8 Nissan four-stroke engine runs well. New VHF radio, Raymarine ST60 instruments. Anchor and chain, new main cover, Lifesling. Wallas kerosene stove/heater in good working order, new marine head, rebuilt water and holding tank. Comes with 1995 Pacific trailer, redone surge brakes and light bar, recently replaced tires and bunks. $75,000 OBO. Richmond Yacht Club, CA. pjwindsurfing@gmail.com
24 FT diaM 24 one design 2016-2017. Boat/Multihull of the year 2017. Well maintained, in very good shape. Hulls recently polished. Easy to sail, very well designed and inexpensive to maintain. Inventory: custom Torqeedo electric outboard plus remote and two batteries. Electronics: SpeedPuck speedometer (3 cradles), Tacktick Micro Compass. Eight sails, jib cover. Security equipment (pump, lights, anchor), righting kit. Airdock for storage out of the water (hulls always clean and launch in minutes. Berth in Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, available for new owner). Dolly for main hull and two for the amas (standard flatbed trailer required for road; not included). Four fenders, mooring lines. Rudders, trampoline covers. $29,500 OBO. Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, Richmond, CA. frederic.bouju@outlook.com (510) 5128366 www.tinyurl.com/2dyyu87k
23 FT Farrier F-22s 2019. The F-22S is a high quality, turbo’d version of Ian Farrier’s famed folding trimarans. The 22 is a fast, fun pocket cruiser. Easily folds to fit on its superb custom molded trailer. This one is 2nd to last of the NZ build, freshwater sailed, lightly used. Fully-battened furling main, continuous drum furling jib and screacher. Centerboard model. Powered by 3hp Torqeedo. $69,000. South Lake Tahoe. www.tinyurl.com/mtsen5wd pete@kiapa.com
25 FT JiM BroWn searUnner TriMaran 2017. Ready for the next voyage. Fully restored in 2017. Cutter rig. Has been freshwater-kept its entire life. For tons of photos and details about this boat visit searunner25.com. This boat is designed to fold for transport on a seasonal basis — folding/ unfolding takes a few hours. Can help load in Seattle for delivery. Email me to set up a video tour. $24,000. Seattle, WA. Nibiru@searunner25.com www.searunner25.com
Power & hoUseboats
37 FT dUTch canal Barge 1920. 37-ft LOA, 10-ft beam, 28-in draft. Mercedes OM617 5 cylinder diesel propulsion 450hrs. Bow thruster, 2 lithium 220Ah batteries, two 340W solar panels, Blue Sea Systems distribution, Victron inverter/charger/solar controller/ management. New bottom paint and keel cooler 2021. Fully navigable, great liveaboard. Fore/aft layout: bow locker, main berth, head, salon/galley, wheelhouse, engine room below aft deck. Needs head plumbing work and new galley sink installation. $35,000. Sausalito, CA. jim.kiriakis@ucsf.edu (510) 816-7789
1440 sQ FT cUsToM hoUseBoaT 1988 . Beautiful two-deck houseboat. Two bedrooms, one bath, at Point San Pablo Harbor. Open-floor living room with dining area, separate bedroom/ office, large wraparound deck, Bay view. Propane water heater, oven, wall heater, washer/dryer. Concrete hull. Great condition, survey available. Parking for two vehicles included. Email for info or appointments. $350,000 cash. Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor. hangtran1018@gmail.com (408) 412-2329
25 FT c-dory 25 crUiser 2003. Fully loaded for extended comfort and cruising. All systems and gear new 2019. Extensive upgrades and custom additions. This boat is ready to go. Trailer included. Dinghy and watermaker options. Call/ email for details. $69,500. Monterey, CA. danagrnmt@aol.com (831) 402-9169
CLassiC boats
20 FT neW 20-FT Mahogany MoTor laUnch 2023. Professionally built replica of a 19th century fantail launch. Honduras Mahogany on oak frames, teak deck & cabin. New 2 cyl Yanmar diesel 2023. Custom galvanized trailer. Will be displayed at Wooden Boat Show, Corinthian YC June 22-23. $21,000. Marshall Boat Works, Tomales Bay. rvwedel@gmail.com (510) 233-0102
25 FT alBin 1971. A classic Swedishbuilt fiberglass trawler. Original engine (AD21) (running). Sleeps 4. Thousands of these still grace the waterways of Europe and the USA. Transferable slip in Marin. Sold as is and where is. $9,000 OBO. Marin County, CA. flintston2ca@yahoo.com (707) 539-8626
38 FT keTTenBUrg 1955. Mahoghanyplanked on oak frames. Needs varnish and paint, engine work if you must. Now berthed in Berkeley, she wants to get her sails wet! I am nearly 80 and she is only 68 and needs a stiff breeze! No leaks. Decent old sails ready to sail today. Bottom refastened with hundreds of bronze screws, then corked and painted. Will instruct in sailing, varnishing, Cetol application, and bottom caulking/painting. New carburetor included! $199 OBO. Berkeley Marina I Dock. Richard@newmed.com (510) 527-3600
32 FT MalcolM caBin crUiser 1936. Under roof in San Rafael. Beautiful interior, sleeps 5. Four-cylinder diesel. All new Renogy electric system. New cushions and curtains by Marcia of San Rafael. We use her all the time on the Bay. $45,000. San Rafael Yacht Harbor. melco@mcn.org (707) 884-4836
PartnershiPs
non-eQUiTy parTnership in caTalina 27 . Very well maintained. Recently upgraded with new self-tailing Lewmar winches, Autohelm, depth and knotmeter, VHF and GPS. Reliable diesel, good sails, very clean. $250/ month. $250. Fortman Marina, Alameda. mcsheats@gmail.com (415) 948-1433
2004 hUnTer 41 eQUiTy share . Join our long-standing and congenial partnership. Vessel is a 2004 Hunter 41, well maintained by KKMI. Recent survey. Ideal slip location, with ample parking and immediate access to the Central Bay and the Golden Gate. $20,000. West Basin S.F. Marina. samjlord@gmail.com
priMe s.F. Bay Sailing Opportunity. Seeking well-qualified new member to join our established group of sailors and co-owners of a classic well-maintained 38-ft yacht berthed in Sausalito. For less than the monthly cost of berth rent, enjoy turnkey sailing on a regular basis without the usual responsibilities of ownership. Modest initial equity buy-in also required. Call or text for more info and appointment to see boat. (415) 342-8011. Sausalito. macdonaldtom4@gmail.com (916) 5296582
caTalina 36 parTnership doWnToWn saUsaliTo. Non-equity partnership, outstanding berth location in downtown Sausalito. $400/mth for two weekend days/five weekdays access. Maintenance fund TBD. $400. Sausalito Yacht Harbor. chris@venturepad.works (415) 309-0331
cal 34 parTnership saUsaliTo. Join our fun and experienced sailing partnership! Seeking operational non-equity partner. Experienced and newer sailors welcome. Open sailing calendar with no restrictions on days. Well maintained Lapworth design, with spacious and comfortable interior. Dues $2000/yr. Sausalito. bill.martorano@sbcglobal.net
seeking 25% non-eQUiTy parTner seaWind 1000 caTaMaran. Solid, clean, safe, comfortable, fun catamaran. Convenient location. Easy scheduling/ sharing. See website. Email sailing résumé and three references. Price to be negotiated – between $500-$1,000/ month. For one week-plus use per month. Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, Richmond, CA. JanPassion1@gmail.com (925) 303-3747 www.sailhokahey.com
racer-crUiser aT soUTh Beach harBor . 1986 Dehler 34 at , racercruiser, tiller, Yanmar. $300/month: two weekend days, four weekdays, fuel, electricity, parking, and insurance. A semi-annual maintenance contribution of $500 is required for a non-equity partnership. An ownership option is available. $300. South Beach Harbor. valtaft@gmail.com (650) 670-5300
looking For BoaT parTnership. Looking for partnership on 30-50-ft sailboat, preferably East Bay. Equity and non-equity considered. Have 20+ years of experience sailing on the Bay and chartering internationally. I have partnered successfully on a 31-ft Beneteau for five years. Now I have a small sailing dog that I want to sail with me and the others are allergic. Looking for a clean boat in good condition that is sailed regularly, and responsible, nice sail partners. Berkeley. ddodgesf@gmail.com
Crew
creW: honolUlU To seaTTle. Crew needed with Pacific crossing experience for delivery of a 52-ft Amel Mango ketch from Honolulu to Seattle early July to early August. ‘Annie M’ was participant in 2022 Vic Maui race and is now returning to Seattle. Contact John McCarthy to discuss your availability and qualifications. jjmccart@comcast.net (505) 412-1220
ha-ha creW aVailaBle. I want to help you get to Cabo safely on the HaHa. This will be my eighth Ha-Ha. Share expenses, provision, cook, and clean up all meals. Captained my boat to Ztown and back to S.F. in 2018/19. 40 years sailing on S.F. Bay. Currently own 40-ft sloop and sail 2-3 times a week. Email Craig. fungod@gmail.com (510) 517-0445 www. h2uh0.blogspot.com/
ProPerty for saLe or rent
enchanTing alaMeda hoMe WiTh WaTer VieWs & BoaT dock. Discover the charm of waterfront living in Alameda’s East End. This unique property features two buildings: a main house with two+ bedrooms and two bathrooms, and a onebedroom, one-bath Casita in the back. Both blend traditional charm with modern amenities and offer peaceful water views. On the Estuary side of the property is a 40-ft deepwater dock. Experience Mediterraneaninspired architecture, complete with custom finishes and historical essence. The chef’s kitchen leads to a sunlit breakfast nook, perfect for leisurely mornings. Enjoy private gardens, a wet bar, and seamless indooroutdoor living. Located steps from top schools with easy San Francisco access, this home transforms everyday living into a luxurious retreat. $1,900,000. Alameda, CA. sally@eastsidewest.com (510) 610-5009 www.3243Fernside.com
FloaT ing oFF ice / h o U se B oaT A rare opportunity to have a unique waterfront (literally ON the water) building. The structure is built on a 16 x 40 concrete barge produced by the renowned Aquamaison in Sausalito, the premier builder of most of the houseboats that populate Sausalito and Alameda. The interior space currently consists of one large front office space (reception, lounge, office or?), a back office or conference room, a large storage area/ kitchenette, and expansive ‘basement’ storage with two access hatches. Use this ‘as-is’ for an office, studio, workshop, or? Or convert to a one bedroom, one bath home, add a roof deck, lots of potential! Currently berthed in Marina Village, Alameda. $149,000. Alameda, CA. wayne@sailing-jworld.com 415-606-2634
Maine coasT coTTage For renT. Enjoy breathtaking sunsets from this lovely 3BR, 1BA home perched above the gentle shore of Beal’s Cove, perfect for kayaking adventures, watching wildlife, and relaxing by the sea as the afternoon light floods the windows. You’ll love exploring all the islands have to offer during the day and retreating to the cottage in the evenings to catch the gorgeous pink, purple and orange hues of a Harpswell sunset. marcia@homesandharbors.com 866-8350500 www.tinyurl.com/43475rkj
d ra M aT ic WaT er F ron T a la Meda To W nho M e. Dramatic waterfront Alameda 3BR/2.5 BA townhome with a private 44-ft deep-water slip attached to the property. An impressive 2,054 sq ft with multiple living spaces all designed to overlook the glistening Ballena Bay. $1,249,000. leah@leahtounger.com (510) 701-6497 www.tinyurl.com/3wdmepyu
berths & sLiPs
sUMMer slip renTal in saUsaliTo. 30-ft slip in Blue Water Yacht Harbor in Sausalito. Available June 1 through September 30, for four months. Rent is $535/month plus electricity. You will be renting directly from the marina; this is not a sublet. Please call or text me with any questions, or call the harbormaster, Christopher, at (415) 289-0135 or (415) 8479088. Thank you. Albert. $535. Sausalito. albertba@earthlink.net (707) 536-5799
FloaT ing h o M e Ber T h. Looking for single-story floating home or vessel. Have an awesome spot on the Canal. Need low-impact person. $1750/mo. plus electric. Pumpout available. $1,750. San Rafael Canal. e.stancil53@gmail.com (650) 771-1945
eMery coVe BoaT slip For renT Berths for rent. Size 35-ft x 13-ft, $472.50/ month C dock and 40-ft x 13.5-ft, $540/month E dock. Dockominiumrun marina in Emeryville. emerycove. com. Brand-new docks, aluminum with Ipe wood deck, brand-new restrooms, beautiful grounds and just dredged. Great location center of S.F. Bay and great monthly rate. Email. Emeryville, CA. www.emerycove.com studio6161@icloud.com
redWood ciTy Marina slips aVailaBle. Slips 30 -75 at great rates! Amenities: parking, bathrooms, laundry, pumpout, free wi-fi, keyless entry. Guest berths also available. Call for availability. 451 Seaport Court, Redwood City, CA 94063. crevay@redwoodcityport.com (650) 3064150 www.redwoodcityport.com/marina
bUsiness oPPortUnities
pUerTo VallarTa BUsiness For sale. Discover the exciting chance to own ‘YUMMIES Mexico,’ a frozen food sensation with a perfected menu and a loyal customer base aged 40-80. This successful Puerto Vallarta business is now on the market and ready for a new chapter. Explore detailed information on website and FB: www.tinyurl. com/mjb9v9je. La Cruz , Nayarit, MX. yummiesbydonyteri@gmail.com 52 (322) 275-3322 www.Yummies-Mexico. com.mx
Job oPPortUnities
c har T er c r U ise c ap Tain. BAE Boats is seeking sociable and hard-working Captains to join our team for chartered cruises in Sausalito. If you hold a 6-Pack License and have a passion for the sea, we want to hear from you! Sausalito, CA. robyn@baeboats.com
T W o h ar B ors h ar B or paT rol p osi T ions aVaila B le. Positions available for 2023 season! Two Harbors Harbor Department, on the west end of Catalina Island. Looking for experienced boat operators for seasonal harbor patrol positions (March–October). Harbor patrol assigns and facilitates the use of 700+ moorings on the west end of Catalina Island and assists with transporting passengers to and from shore. USCG license required for passenger transport, seasonal mooring included for patrol personnel with liveaboard vessels. Rates from $18-$21/hr. Two Harbors, Catalina. Jrconner@scico.com (310) 510-4201
Join oUr TeaM oF insTrUcTors! Spinnaker Sailing in Redwood City is looking for ASA-certified sailing instructors to teach out of our Redwood City Marina location. Part-time, flexible schedules, midweek and/or weekends. Please contact Rich or Bob by phone or email. Redwood City Marina. office@spinnakersailing.com (650) 3631390 www.spinnakersailing.com
sailing science cenTer – conTracT and VolUnTeer posiTions open. Community Engagement Coordinator, Graphic Artist, Photographer(s) wanted as contractors or volunteers. Volunteer docents wanted for educational science exhibitions. Ask about other roles. info@sailingscience.org (510) 390-5727 www.sailingscience.org/
insTrUcTors WanTed. Join the captains at Club Nautique and start teaching US Sailing’s most comprehensive curriculum of sail and power courses, both offshore and inshore, in the nation. We have openings now for USCG-licensed captains who exhibit exceptional communication and boating skills, and the willingness to train and work in a professional environment. All instructors are classified as employees, not independent contractors. $28-$35 depending on experience. schooldirector@clubnautique.net (510) 865-4700 x313 www.clubnautique.net
experienced yach T B roker / salesperson needed Rubicon Yachts is seeking a professional yacht broker/salesperson for its new Alameda, CA office. Yacht sales experience required, must be a self-starter, membership in CYBA is a plus. Contact owner/broker Mark Miner. Alameda, CA. mark@rubiconyachts.com www.rubiconyachts.com
licensed capTain WanTed Wanted: Licensed Captain with towing endorsement for TowBoatUS./Vessel Assist on the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Preferred if you live by SF waterfront, Alameda or Bethel Island areas. towboatus.bay.delta@gmail.com (925) 382-4422 www.towboatusdelta.com
slo sail and canVas is hiring — MUlTiple posiTions. SLO Sail and Canvas is hiring for multiple positions in our busy sail loft in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. We specialize in building boat covers, trampolines, and sails for sailing dinghies, one-designs, and beach catamarans. The following job opportunities are open for immediate fulfillment: Sailmaking Department Manager, Manufacturing Assistant — Industrial Department, Production Sewing & Prep — Trampoline or Boat Cover Department, and Office Assistant. To learn more about each job opening, visit website. erik@slosailandcanvas.com (805) 4796122 ext.9 www.tinyurl.com/fpdkrmt
non Profit
donaTe yoUr BoaT. The Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors strives to make sailing accessible to people with disabilities. BAADS is always on the lookout for donated boats to support its mission. Help an all-volunteer organization while receiving a charitable tax deduction. boatdonations@baads.org (415) 532-9831
soUth of the borDer
plan yoUr Mexican geTaWay noW. At the gorgeous Cielo Y Mar condos. Located in Punta Mita, 35 minutes from Puerto Vallarta, available to rent from private owner. On the beach, 10 feet from the water, they offer spectacular views of ocean and mountains, the biggest infinity pool in the area, an endless beach, great surf breaks, great fishing, tremendous views of whales, bird life and the islands. While uncrowded and tranquil, just a fiveminute walk to several waterfront restaurants. Choose from a spacious, beautifully furnished one- or three-bedroom unit, or an amazing two-story penthouse with lovely shade trellis on the top floor. To reserve, call or email Dona de Mallorca. puntamitabeachfrontcondos@gmail.com (415) 269-5165
gear
yanMar 2yM15. Yanmar 15 hp diesel motor with transmission. I’m repowering ‘Flying Cloud’, Moss Landing C16, with a new transmission and motor. Transmission is in working order, the motor’s top end needs to be rebuilt. The motor, the crankshaft and the body of the motor are in good order, so if you’re looking for a transmission for a 2YM15, you get the motor. If you need a motor, you get the transmission. Both ways you get a full setup. $1,961. Moss Landing. pcummins569@gmail.com (831) 2477939
liFe raFT. Viking valise life raft, offshore. I used for two Pac Cups. Needs repack. Great condition. $800. Redwood City. captmaddog@gmail.com (650) 533-7732
MisCeLLaneoUs
songs aBoUT BoaTs, Beaches and Bars?. Island Crew, a trio playing lap steel, pan drums, guitars, marimba and congas, is available for gigs with nautical audiences. Call Ernie. – www.facebook.com > IslandCrewLive. islandcrewernie@gmail.com (916) 7129087
crUising gear. Offshore Commander 3.0 life raft 4 person $1900. EPIRB global V5 cat 2 $700. WM PSB 310 PVC dinghy $1000. Fortress collapsible anchor with storage bag 21 lb. $500. Watermaker Rainman portable highoutput 30 gallons + per hour with selfcontained Honda generator $5200. All items purchased last fall for Ha-Ha trip. Heading back to San Diego May 1. $1. twasik6747@gmail.com (775) 691-9147
trying to LoCate
looking For 24 FT piVer TriMaran “no naMe”. We’re former owners of the plywood 24-ft Piver trimaran that sailed around the world in the ’70s. The boat’s last known location was San Diego. We’d appreciate hearing from anyone who might know the whereabouts of ‘No Name.’. wolfinds@mindspring.com ″(415) 8063334″
Viking
Wishing you had had Jim paint your boat? Maybe he did! We’ve got lots of his work here in Point Richmond and we are having fun inventoring the collections. Enjoy!
ADVERTISERS'
INDEX DeWitt Art Gallery & Framing (510) 236-1401 pam@jimdewitt.com Online Stores: www.jimdewitt.com www.DeWittAmericasCupArt.com
Annapolis Sailboat Show 19 www.annapolisboatshows.com
ATN 68 www.atninc.com
Atomic Tuna Yachts 31 www.atomictunayachts.com
Bainbridge International 33 www.bainbridgeintusa.com
Harbor Island West Marina 91 www.harborislandwest.com
Helmut's Marine Service 35 www.helmutsmarine.com
Hood Sails 25 www.hoodsails.de/en
Hotel Coral & Marina 92 www.surfnet.com/coral
Hydrovane 35 www.hydrovane.com
Keenan Filters 20 www.ktisystems.com
KKMI - Full Service Boatyard 108 www.kkmi.com
KKMI Chandlery 3 www.kkmi.com
Lind Marine 57 www.lindmarine.com
Annual Baja Ha-Ha!
More than 3,000 boats and 12,000 sailors have done the 750-mile cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Here are some of the main reasons. 1) It’s really, really fun. 2) Superb safety record. 3) You get a Ha-Ha backpack filled with swag at the Halloween costume kick-off party. 4) To a great extent there is safety and shared knowledge in numbers. 5) Daily roll call in ports, professional weather forecast, and net.
6) Six social events in which to make lifelong cruising friends. 7) You’ll be featured in the Ha-Ha bio book. 8) Experienced leadership. Collectively, the three event leaders have transited the Baja coast 100 times. 9) The fleet will able to check into Mexico at Bahia Santa Maria 10) It gives you compelling deadline to leave the dock. And Bonus Reason #11, most cited by past participants, all the new cruising friends you’ll make.
List Marine Enterprises ........ 68 www.listmarine.com
Marina de La Paz 38 www.marinadelapaz.com
Marina El Cid 38 www.elcid.com
Mariners Insurance 26 www.marinersins.com
Modern Sailing School & Club 34 www.modernsailing.com
