'Lectronic Index

Previous 'Lectronic Edition

The August Edition Is Being Delivered Today

July 28 - Mill Valley

Photo Latitude/Richard

We've got coverage of the West Marine Pacific Cup, the Singlehanded TransPac, the debut of the 289-ft Maltese Falcon, a comprehensive review of the Pacific Puddle Jump, and so much more. And despite having far more editorial than any other sailing magazine we know of in the English-speaking world, Latitude 38 is still free. So get yours today. The e-Book version of Latitude, which will be free for just one more month, should be available for downloading from www.latitude38.com/ebooks.html next week.

By the way, the August cover photo is of the Antrim 27 E.T., which Liz Baylis, Todd Hedin, and designer Jim Antrim raced to Hawaii in just 11 days and 10 hours. What an incredibly quick ride for a 27-footer.

- latitude / rs

The Rest of the Story on Janice Of Wyoming

July 28 - San Francisco Bay

We ran a photo of the accompanying boat, Janice of Wyoming, in the Sightings section of the August issue. At the time, we didn't know that much about her - as you can tell from the copy in that issue. Here's what we know now:

She's a Dubois 130 that was built by Alloy Yachts in New Zealand for a St. Francis YC member who, in addition to having been a major financial supporter of Paul Cayard's America's Cup campaign, prefers to remain anonymous. Janice was launched in April of '05, spent a year cruising in New Zealand, had her final warranty work done this spring, and then came to San Francisco via Tahiti. When crossing oceans without the owner aboard, such boats use delivery sails. How many people does it take to lift the main from such a big boat? Just one - the guy operating the crane.

Photo Stephen Shidler/www.oceanfilmboat.com

The accompanying shot of Janice was taken while her owner was giving past commodores of the St. Francis YC a little joy ride on the Bay recently.

We can attest to the quality of work on Janice's exterior, as she's berthed just a few feet away from Profligate. She'll be in Northern California for another month or so, then head to Southern California. After the beginning of the year, she'll sail through the Canal to the Caribbean, then across to Valencia, Spain, for the America's Cup. Her owner apparently is supporting the Kiwi team this time around.

Ken Keefe of KKMI was the project manager for the boat and supervised construction. He's proud to say that Janice won the Show Boats award for Best Boat Under 40 Meters.

- latitude / rs

They've Been Having the Same Regatta off Cowes since 1826!

July 28 - Cowes, UK

Currently called Skandia Cowes Week, it's been going on for 180 years, making it one of the longest running sporting events in history. This year more than 1,000 boats will be competing in 37 classes. Of the 8,500 crew, about one third are women.

In the late '70s and '80s, this week of racing, followed by the 600-mile Fastnet Race, is what comprised the Admiral's Cup, an event in which three-boat teams represented different countries. At the time, it was the epitome of international offshore yacht racing, and San Francisco owners and crews regularly participated - and kicked ass. Dave Allen of Belvedere led the way, with two brilliant performances with his Ron Holland-designed 40-ft Imp. Monroe Wingate had great success with his Serendipity 43 Scarlett O'Hara, now a cruising boat. Randy Short of Belvedere participated at least twice with Sidewinders, as did Piedmont's Irv Loube with various Bravuras.

It's a pity that the Admiral's Cup had to fall by the wayside, but Cowes Week flourishes. Good sailing to all!

- latitude / rs

Now You Can Ha-Ha Between the Charing Cross Underground and Waterloo Station

July 28 - London

"I was over in London recently," writes Ernest Chiswick of Berkeley, "and while walking the alley between the Charing Cross Underground station and the Waterloo station on the other side of the Thames, I came across the Ha-Ha Bar and Canteen. Has Baja Ha-Ha Honcho Lauren Spindler decided to further the Ha-Ha brand?"

Photo Ernest Chiswick

No, she hasn't. But with a name like the Ha-Ha, we'd like to know if the food is any good.

Irving Johnson, the Tallship, Looking Good Once Again

July 28 - Santa Cruz Island

Photo Courtesy Lovely Reta

"We had witnessed the grounding of the tallship Irving Johnson outside Channel Islands Harbor a few years ago," report John and Debby Dye of the Channel Islands-based Lovely Reta. "But we'd heard that she'd been relaunched in San Pedro after a $2.5 million rebuild. Well, we were recently at Prisoner's Anchorage at Santa Cruz Island, and Irving Johnson came into the anchorage and dropped her hook. Her guests were members of a Senior Hostel group, and they seemed to be having a great time. We did get a tour, and can report that the finish is once again of yacht quality."

As most Latitude 38 readers know, the Irving and Exy Johnson are the two 90-ft on deck brigantines that were built for and are operated by the non-profit Los Angeles Maritime Institute.