SIGHTINGS delta doo dah
On a Valentine's Day edition of 'Lectronic Latitude, we asked you if sailing has ever brought you love. Granted, we were opportunistic in making the query, because February 14 happened to correspond with a 'Lec Lat day. Like a sitcom doing a perfunctory Valentine's Day episode, we went through the corporate holiday motions. We never dreamed that we'd get so many thoughtful, moving responses. As we said last month, you never cease to amaze us. "Chrissy and I met in the summer of 1969 when our families were on vacation," wrote Paul Kaplan. "She happened to notice that I was wearing a pair of boating shoes. This led to a conversation about sailing, and ultimately our 'date nights', consisting of racing Love takes many forms on the water. In on Friday evenings aboard the 2008 Big Boat Series, 'Great Sensa- the Cal 20 we owned, Zapato tion's Mario Yovkov asks fiancée Elizabeth Verde. The rest, as they say, is Gaynor to marry him. She accepted. history. "The sport of sailing, as we know, offers the opportunity to continue to participate your whole life. While there aren't many things better than a lifetime of sailing, to do so with your partner . . . now that is truly a blessing!" Mark Bettis said that he met his girlfriend Cathy Miskow and fell in love aboard his Pacific Seacraft 37, Shannon, where they sail out of Coyote Point Marina in San Mateo. "I'd met Cathy at Coyote Point Yacht Club on a couple of occasions, but never had the opportunity to get to know her. She sailed in some of the club races, but always aboard other boats. We had chatted from time to time, and she was on my list of crew for sailing adventures. "One beautiful Wednesday in July 2016, I planned an afternoon sail up the Bay, and put out an email a couple of days ahead to see if anyone wanted to join. All of the usual suspects were otherwise engaged, and it looked like I was going to have a solo journey (not a bad thing, but I do enjoy company aboard). Then I got an email from Cathy, asking if there was still room on the boat. I responded, saying yes, there was room, but it would only be the two of us. Would that be OK? She said OK and we met at the boat, pulled off the sail covers, cranked up the diesel and headed out of the harbor for a beautiful afternoon sail. "The rest is history. There was so much chemistry between us! Neither of us was expecting this to happen, and it was natural, beautiful, and that day changed our lives in so many ways. As we sat side by side in the cockpit, breeze buffeting our cheeks, listening to the gurgle of the passing water and the wind in the sails, we inched closer together until we both realized that there was magic afoot. Many sailing trips followed, and now, a year and a half later, we are inseparable. Cathy and Shannon had a rough start when Shannon, being a bit jealous of the attention I had been giving Cathy, decided to take a wave on the beam just as Cathy was climbing down the companionway steps. She was tossed to the salon floor and a large bruise ensued. My two beautiful girls have since bonded, and the three of us have had many wonderful adventures in and out of San Francisco Bay. "Our family recently added a fourth member as Cathy bought her own boat, a Sea Ray 280. Now when we take trips around the Bay, we have to decide which boat to take. Life doesn't get much better. I have a partner who loves to sail, loves to fish, is always up for adcontinued on outside column of next sightings page
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Latitude 38
• April, 2018
As mentioned at the beginning of Sightings, the Baja Ha-Ha Rally is observing its 25th anniversary this year. But can you believe that 2018 also marks the Delta Doo Dah's 10th anniversary? The Delta Doo Dah is a loose, do-ityourself summer-long inland cruising adventure. Entry is free, and ralliers choose their own itinerary. But, to foster a sense of community, we do organize some official events. The first will be a seminar and kickoff party at Richmond Yacht Club on Saturday, May 19, 6-9 p.m. On June 2, the Delta Ditch Run invites Doo Dah'ers
PAUL KAPLAN
PETER LYONS / WWW.LIONSIMAGING.COM
love is in the water