Heading South: Latitude 38's Guide to Sailing and Cruising the Coast of Mexico and Central America

Cruising News for Mexico and Beyond

The 30th Annual Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha Departs November 4th!

The Latest Cruising News

Special Ha-Ha Bulletin

The Grand Poobah sent in the following succinct report: "At the start of Leg 3, with 160+ boats and more than 600 people, having too much fun to write. Seventy-two souls stranded on beach last night due to high surf – no casualties reported yet. Air temp 80 degrees, water temp 84 degrees, chutes all…

It was pre-Ha-Ha when Capricorn Cat passed down the California Coast, under a fiery cloud caused by the many fires burning ashore. latitude/JR©2007 Latitude 38 Media, LLC Slow news was good news for the 150 boats in 14th Baja Ha-Ha, the cruisers rally that started off San Diego on October 29. At this writing, most…

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, the modern sailing family . . . latitude/JR© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Roughly 600 sailors gathered in San Diego for the annual Baja Ha-Ha Costume Kickoff Party which, by any measure, was a smash hit. Despite the fact that every boater who’s about to go cruising has a to-do list a…

Net Times to Note

If you’re heading south to the sunny latitudes of Mexico and are new to the cruising life you may not be aware of the cruiser nets that keep sailors updated on weather, local events and other topical news. In San Diego, the local cruisers’ net is run by Downwind Marine on VHF Channel 68, daily…

From the Grand Poobah himself, here is some important info relating to the Ha-Ha: 1) Offshore flow is returning to SoCal and the air quality is much better. In any event, the conditions on the waterfront are nowhere nearly as bad as they were in 2003. "You can even see the stars at night," announced…

« Previous
1
…
92
93
94
95
96
Next »

Cruising Resources - Articles From the Latitude 38 Archives

Read the 2023 First Timer’s Guide to Mexico

Latitude 38's First Timer's Guide to Mexico Update for 2023.

Why Cruise Mexico?

Walk the docks of any marina from Vancouver to San Diego this summer and you're likely to find dozens of sailors fitting out their boats for extended cruising. Where are they headed? While some undoubtedly have lofty dreams of eventually cruising the South Pacific, the Caribbean or the Med, destination numero uno for almost all of them is Mexico.

Fitting Out: The Cruisers Back Porch

A centuries-old adage claims, "You can tell a lot about a sailor by the cut of his jib." But when it comes to modern cruisers, nothing reveals more about their sailing style than the 'back porch' of their boat. That is, the stern section, which may house everything from solar panels to surfboards, and barbecues to radar domes.

Favorite Sailing Apps

One of the frustrating aspects of living in this 'app-happy' era of endless innovation is that is it seems almost impossible to keep up with the latest, greatest developments in technology — including smartphone, tablet and computer software related to boating.

The Info on AIS

Now more than ever, the modern sailor has lots to choose from when it comes to navigation and safety instruments. Communication devices such as the Iridium GO! and Garmin inReach (which also has GPS capabilities) have complemented the single-sideband radio and VHF. Chartplotters have digitized and dramatically simplified navigation, and radar has long been an important tool for identifying marine traffic, obstacles and weather.

Offshore Communication

With the ever-expanding assortment of communications devices designed for offshore sailing, comes the dilemma of deciding which ones belong on your 'must-have' list, and which ones you can live without — especially if you're on a limited budget. With that in mind, we'll share some tips and insights here that we hope will reduce your befuddlement.

Communications: Idiots Guide to SSB

Despite several advances in offshore voice communications such as satphones, marine single sideband (SSB) isn't going away anytime soon. That's because SSB, unlike satphones, allows an unlimited number of people to listen to a transmission at the same time.

Small Boat Adventuring in the Sea of Cortez

You don't have to own a fully equipped 50-ft cruising boat to enjoy the spectacular Sea of Cortez, a vast, sparsely developed wonderland for sailors and adventurers.

Latitude reader Derek Rice and a buddy recently had big fun tapping into the region's magic aboard a 44-year-old Catalina 22 daysailer.