SIGHTINGS battle — cont'd
LATITUDE / RICHARD
Nayarit. The Wanderer, with a goal of removing 2,000 lbs of unnecessary weight to compensate for four drums-worth of epoxy that were added to strengthen the boat, didn't need to look far for stuff to toss. In just one deep and hidden-away section of one part of the food locker, he found 50 lbs of pasta and rice! And that was after giving a 25-lb bag of basmati rice away the day before to some workers. We always knew we could finish a Ha-Ha at Cabo and take off for French Polynesia without having to take on any extra food. In what is possibly a world record, the Wanderer found five — count 'em! — dinghy anchors Not even the utensil drawer was spared! for just one dinghy. Along with three giant spray cans of white lithium grease, engine and sail drive manuals for engines and sail drives that were removed from the boat nearly 10 years ago, and 12 pairs of mostly rusty vise grips. The list goes on and on and on. The Wanderer figures he's removed about 1,200 lbs already — who needs seven half-empty bottles of extra virgin olive oil or a half-bag of three-year-old charcoal? — and is hoping to remove another 1,200 lbs. And not to take on more unnecessary weight before the start of the Ha-Ha. To that end, all 13 members of the Profligate crew for the Ha-Ha are being advised they will not be allowed to bring more than 30 songs each. After all, every unnecessary and extravagant byte will only slow down the boat. No worries that the food taken off the boat will go to waste, as most of it will be headed to the 'work for food' program in Mita. As for everything else the Tosser has banned from the boat, the Hoarder has eagerly stuffed bags with the intention of cashing in big-time at an early December marine flea market in La Cruz. "And I get to keep all the money," she informed the Wanderer. "It's all yours," replied the Tosser. "I just never want to see any of that crap again." Any 'cleaning out the boat' stories you'd like to share? — richard
whales on the Once thought doomed to extinction, whale populations that travel up and down the West Coast are now abundant again (although still officially “endangered”). Sadly, though, both ships and pleasure craft occasionally collide with cetaceans in near-shore waters. Since 1988 more than 30 whales of various species have been confirmed killed by ships near San Francisco Bay, and it's believed that those recorded strikes account for only a small fraction of all strikes near the Bay Area. The International Whaling Commission has
delta doo dah diy Thanks to the jam-packed scheduling for the America's Cup 'Summer of Sail', this year's Delta Doo Dah was even more casual than usual. Dubbing it the Delta Doo Dah DIY, we encouraged everyone — not just the first 50 boats to sign up — to include a cruise to the warm waters of the Delta in their summer plans. The idea was that you could set your own dates, visit all the spots you couldn't when there was a fixed itinerary, and generally enjoy the perks of joining the event — discounts at marinas and a couple of fun parties — while doing your own thing. With 108 official entries, the idea seems to "You wanna Doo Dah? Do it yo' damn self!" have been a popular one. When planning our own Doo Dah DIY, this writer and her husband
LATITUDE / LADONNA
continued on outside column of next sightings page
Page 76 •
Latitude 38
• September, 2013
Devery Stockon and her crew always show guests a good time, whether it's hosting movie night or doling out farm-fresh eggs from the marina's brood of chickens.