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Archive for October 2009

Fleet Week Draws the Crowds

October 12, 2009
Who’s that peeking around the bow of Royal Prince? © Jeff Berman Boats poured onto the Bay this weekend to take in Fleet Week festivities. Unfortunately, fog prevented the stars of the show — the Navy’s elite flying team, the Blue Angels — from performing on Saturday. More »

Batten Down the Hatches

A doozy of a storm is set to wallop Northern California tomorrow so you’d better grab Toto and run for the cellar — but not before you check your boat. Forecasters have been watching the front, which was born in Russia, move closer to the West Coast. More »

Mexican Navy to Shepherd Sailors

Frequent news reports on the so-called Mexican drug war has dampened enthusiasm for travel south of the border at a time when the Mexican economy is already struggling. But the government is determined to re-establish confidence, especially among boaters. More »

Tragedy in Australia

Well-known Australian skipper Andrew Short, 48, died when his PriceWaterhouseCoopers (formerly Shockwave 5) foundered on the rocks off Flinders Islet. Navigator Sally Gordon, 47, was also lost when the R/P 80’s boom swept the two overboard early Sunday morning as they attempted to round the islet during the 92-mile Flinders Islet race. More »

More Photos of Geja’s Summer Cruise

October 9, 2009
Milna, Brac, just another beautiful stop in Croatia. © 2009 Andrew Vik If you’re read this month’s Changes, you’ve no doubt seen 36-year-old Andrew Vik’s second installment on his second summer cruise in the Med and Adriatic aboard his Islander 36 Geja. More »

It’s Time for Fleet Week

All the boats you see here are out to see the Blue Angels, and they’re all just outside the Angels’ ‘ditch zone,’ set between Alcatraz and the Cityfront. latitude/LaDonna
©2009 Latitude 38 Media, LLC It’s time once again for Fleet Week! More »
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Relief Efforts on Niuatoputapu

After being told by the Red Cross in Samoa that they had too many volunteers, Nick Jaffe of the Contessa 26 Constellation — along with a number of other cruisers — set their humanitarian sights on the tiny Tongan island of Niuatoputapu. More »
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Saving the Bay

October 7, 2009
Saving the Bay premieres on KQED Channel 9 tomorrow night from 8-10 p.m., with Part Two running October 15. This series of four one-hour episodes focuses on the geological, cultural and developmental history of San Francisco Bay and the larger Northern California watershed from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Farallon Islands. More »

Cruise Wreck Weekend in Fiji

In the absence of cooperative dolphins, these boat dogs were recruited to tow a pair of ‘survivors’ in the dinghy parade. Scarlett O’Hara
©2009 Latitude 38 Media, LLC In stark contrast to last week’s tragic events in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, 12 boatloads of cruisers were all smiles in Fiji on September 26, as they took part in the first annual Likuri Island Cruise Wreck Race/Fun Day. More »

Mainly for Sale

Mainly saw many such sunsets during the Olszewskis’ stewardship. This stout cruising boat is ready for a quick sale after the skipper’s death. Mainly
©2009 Latitude 38 Media, LLC The death toll from the tsunami that wreaked havoc on Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga last Tuesday seems to be holding at 183 — 142 in Samoa, 32 in American Samoa, and 9 in Tonga. More »