Twice a day local fishermen can be seen launching their boats off Zihua’s downtown beach.

Following last year’s dustup over rating limits and oddities in the Offshore Racing Rule, the Transpacific YC announced it has bumped up the limit for next year’s race to include boats up to 100 feet.

Le Ponant, a 288-ft French luxury yacht, was on its way back to the Med from the Seychelles on Friday when it was overtaken by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia.

It took us about a week to get over the post-sail bliss from our once-in-a-lifetime trip aboard Gitana 13 last week.

Last night’s annual Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party at Golden Gate YC was once again a can’t-miss affair.

Tom Perkins, the Belvedere-based owner of the 289-ft Dyna-Rig Maltese Falcon, has confirmed reports that his big boat is up for sale.

As of yesterday afternoon, the Coast Guard was still broadcasting a "Local Notice to Mariners" for Pteradactyl, which has been sailing on its own since owner Luc de Faymoreau and crewman Disun Den Daas were washed overboard when a "freak wave" pitchpoled the boat on the way home from last Saturday’s Doublehanded Farallones Race.

Luka looks to be in pretty good shape considering she just finished a ‘wrong-way’ circumnavigation.

A Crew List Party tradition is the life raft demo by Sal’s Inflatables of Alameda.

There has been a staggering amount of Monday morning quarterbacking in the wake of the tragic loss of Kirby Gale and Tony Harrow, whose Cheoy Lee 31 Daisy disappeared during the Doublehanded Lightship Race on March 15.

On a day in which a very large southwest swell was pounding the north shore of Banderas Bay, this couple had no problem landing their dinghy in the lee of the new breakwater.

“You can call me skipper!” Sailing courses build skills and confidence – and they’re fun!

Cruisers – and especially commuter cruisers – looking for less expensive yet brand new berthing on Banderas Bay, should take a look at the plans for the new Marina Nuevo Vallarta.

If you were one of the several readers who made your way to the Bay Model in Sausalito Wednesday night to catch two films on Irving Johnson only to find they weren’t being shown, please accept our apologies.

We don’t want to say ‘we told you so’, but when Fiji recently announced that it was going to reduce the time foreign yachts were allowed to stay from nine months to three months, we suggested cruisers not get excited.

Some of you may recall the strange tale of the Darla Jean, a 48-ft motorsailor that washed up on Fanning Island last December after spending 95 days "drifting" across the Pacific from Moss Landing.

Dismastings in the Clipper Round the World Race will delay the start of the upcoming Honolulu to Santa Cruz leg.

All merchant mariners and charter skippers will soon have to get a ‘biometric’ I.D.

Cherie Williams gives a belly rub to an appreciative ray in Belize. © 2008 Rod Williams "The death of the woman struck by a jumping eagle ray during a freak accident in Florida last week, and the earlier death of the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, may give some people a wrong impression of these generally harmless cartilaginous fish," writes Rod Williams of the Alameda-based Catalina 42 Azure.

Just a reminder that all boats entered in tomorrow’s OYRA Crewed Lightship Race are invited to pick up daisy flowers from volunteers on the docks at  the St.

We know that this is Robby Fouts (left) with Robert & Kristi Hanelt of the S&S 53 yawl Skylark, but where are they and what are they celebrating?

As you read in Monday’s ‘Lectronic Latitude, last weekend two local sailors perished during the Doublehanded Lightship Race on March 15.

Strictly Sail Pacific at Jack London Square in Oakland is coming up April 16-20, and a great way to plan your assault on the show is to download the free Pre-Show Planner.

Sally and Geoff figure the open ocean can’t be more dangerous than highway traffic.