'Lectronic Index

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Photo of the Day

February 10 - St. Maarten

Today's Photo of the Day is of a young lady letting everyone know that last year was the 25th anniversary of the Heineken Regatta on the island of St. Maarten in the West Indies. Organizers assure us that 'things' will be even bigger this year. Hmmm.

The 26th Heinie will be on March 3-5, and will feature several hundred boats, including everything from beach cats to racer/cruisers, to grand prix maxi yachts. At last word, Randall Pittman's San Diego-based canting keel Dubois 90 Genuine Risk was to be the glamor boat. But the Heinie also attracts lots of West Coast sailors who return each year to compete in the massive fleets racing charter boats.

See www.heinekenregatta.com for more info. Caution: The Heinie is like an old-time regatta, which means that in addition to lots of terrific racing, there will be nonstop loud music, wild partying, heavy drinking, pot smoking, and generally politically incorrect behavior.

If you like a little more peace and quiet, St. Maarten is also a great place to watch airplanes land - such as this 747 at Queen Juliana Airport. If that puppy - and it's not trick photography - overshoots the runway, she's going to wipe out about 50 megayachts. As much fun as it is to watch 747s try to land on the little runway, it's even better to stand right behind them as the pilot applies thrust to begin takeoff. Always wear eye protection, of course, and a life-jacket, because you're going to get your butt blown right into the waters of Maho Bay.

Work Continues at the La Cruz Yacht Club Marina

February 10 - Banderas Bay, Mexico

Lord knows that the much-needed La Cruz Yacht Club Marina in Banderas Bay has been having problems. In the first place, a large swell in December tore down a temporary breakwater, and one wave in particular caused the boom on a crane on a barge to slam into the operator's structure. And more recently there have been legal threats about the project not having the correct permits and infringing on the waterfront of nearby homes.

Once the marina is completed, we see no reason why the anchored cruising boats would have to leave.

All we can tell you for sure is that when we were there 10 days ago, work was continuing. Most of the shoreline had been cleared - although there was still the odd wrecked trimaran in the bushes - piles were being driven, and temporary breakwaters and shorelines were being put in place.

Despite this trimaran and a Coronado 27 on the side of a hill, most of the shoreline has been cleared.

If done properly, the Yacht Club Marina has the potential to be a great asset to mariners in Mexico as well as the local population.
Photos Latitude/Richard

What, No Mexican Food?

February 10 - Punta Mita, Mexico

Sure, you can still find Mexican food in Mexico, but there's more variety of cuisine than ever. Take Chef Roger's Mañana Restaurant at El Anclote, Punta Mita. It's a brightly-colored place with lights in the trees and an ambience that you'd expect to find at a little place at St. Jean Cap Ferrat or elsewhere in the South of France. And the food - oh yeah! Rudy, Chef Roger's Austrian waiter, who also does fish charters during the day, is seen here presenting a mushroom and spinach appetizer. The nice thing is that the prices are a fraction of what they'd be in the South of France.

Latitude/Richard

If you're in Mexico and have a favorite waterside restaurant, how about sharing the discovery with everybody else? A photo and a short review would really help. You can email them to Richard.

Dee Smith Joins South African America's Cup Team

February 10 - Valencia, Spain

Although perhaps not as well known to the general public as Paul Cayard, John Kostecki, or Stan Honey, Novato's Dee Smith is right up there when it comes to Northern California hired sailing guns. He's absolutely done it all. Although he's often been in on sailing projects from the ground floor, he also has a history of being brought in help flagging sailing projects. And Dee has just been named Team Manager, Coach, and Tactician for Shosholoza, the South African entry in the America's Cup.

Dee Smith
Photo Rich Roberts

Here's one Q&A from a Latitude interview with Dee a few years back, and perhaps explains the kind of gumption it takes to be a world class sailor.

38: Have you ever been scared out there?

Dee: I got a little concerned on a Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara Race in the early '70s on Rob Wade's Moore 24 Poltergeist. It was rough, blowing 30+ and we had our storm kite up. We were hauling ass, somewhere down under Sur around dusk. I still remember this ominous rumbling sound as the puff hit - it had to be blowing over 40 and now we're planing so hard that the whole boat is shaking and we're in a total whiteout. Then Jack (Halterman) freaks out - "We gotta choke it down," he yells. The moment he touched anything, we crashed with a vengeance! It was a real mess, but we got it back together eventually and won the race by five or six hours. When we finished, we heard the sad news about Pi sinking that night. . . Another memorable moment was going 21.5 knots on Leading Lady coming in from the Farallones. That had my full attention!. . . I guess there have been lots of moments that would qualify as 'scary', depending on how you define it.

Great Job Opportunity of the Day at Latitude 38

February 8 - Mill Valley

In the 29-year history of Latitude 38, we've had a total of only five account representatives. With Mitch Perkins - one of our current two representatives - moving on to pursue other interests after 18 years of terrific work for Latitude, there is now an opening for the first time since the mid-'80s. If you're at all interested about the opportunity, read the following job description carefully - but whatever you do, DON'T CALL!

The account representative is a key position at Latitude, tailor-made for a sailing enthusiast and sales professional who is well versed in relationship selling. Duties include actively selling and servicing current advertisers, as well as prospecting and acquiring new advertisers for our monthly and specialty publications. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic self-starter who has a proven track record in sales. Creativity and knowledge of advertising principles are necessities. The candidate must be detail and team-oriented, and possess excellent time-management skills. The ability to work within deadlines and under pressure is essential. Graphic/print/publishing experience is preferred, and computer knowledge is required.

Skills and Experience:
- A BA/BS degree or the equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
- At least 18 months of experience in direct selling, with previous graphic or space sales a big plus.
- An understanding of all aspects of marketing.
- Professional computer experience with Microsoft Office, Filemaker and graphic programs such as InDesign, Quark, and Photoshop would be very helpful.

A passion for sailing a must, and marine industry experience a plus. Latitude 38 is beginning its 30th year of offering entertaining and informative reading to West Coast sailors, as well as offering a terrific value to a fantastic group of marine businesses. We want someone who can contribute to this tradition.

We offer a competitive pay structure - why else would our reps stay around for 18 years? - and benefits package includes medical, 401(k), and a friendly, flexible work environment.

Please send a resume of your professional selling experience along with a cover letter of your sailing background and interests to Joy. And whatever you do, don't call!