Psyching Up For Strictly Sail

If you haven’t yet marked your calendar, let us remind you once again that this is boat show week in the Bay Area. And in these challenging times, exhibitors will be more motivated than ever to wheel and deal. Having recently morphed to include power boats, the annual event is now called Strictly Sail Pacific & Power Boat Expo, and will run this Wednesday through Sunday.

Yeah, we know, the name is just a wee bit ironic. We would have preferred Not-So-Strictly Sail Pacific, but what do we know. Anyway, regardless of what you call it, this year’s show will be chock full of opportunities to view new and used boats, buy all sorts of gear at special prices, and enhance your boating knowledge via dozens of worthwhile seminars. See the website for complete details.

If you are considering doing the Baja Ha-Ha cruisers’ rally this year, you’ll want to attend one of our Ha-Ha seminars, Friday at 2 p.m. (Tent A) or Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (Tent B). Also, if you have fantasies about sailing to French Polynesia in your own boat or chartering there one of these days, check out our Destination Tahiti seminar Saturday at 4:45 (Tent A).

The two most cherished words in the cruiser lexicon — ‘free beer’ — come into play when describing Latitude‘s booth party, Friday at 6 p.m. It serves as a Ha-Ha and Puddle Jump reunion, but wannabes are always welcome. Also, as noted last Wednesday, Latitude and several partners are sponsoring a very special ‘Salute to John Guzzwell’ at the Oakland YC, Thursday at 6:30 p.m. So pull out your comfortable shoes, clear your calendar and set your sails for Jack London Square. We’ll see you there.