Archive for May 2010
After we pulled the two French women out of the water, we called the Port Captain in Gustavia, and Jacques and another man came out to complete the rescue.
As we reported in an update on Monday’s story about the loss of three sailors on Sunday, the couple who fell off the Ranger 33 Barcarolle near Ocean Beach were Jeff and Beth Easterling of El Sobrante.
There’s no better way to stand out in a crowd than by wearing a Latitude 38 T-shirt or hat, available in an array of fruity colors.
Last month marked the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Not to take anything away from the horror of that night, but come on — hasn’t the whole Titanic thing been pretty well beaten to death?
Thanks to everyone who took the time to send us their feedback on ocean racing entry deadlines.
Feral sailed ashore at Venice Beach yesterday afternoon. Her skipper, an experienced solo sailor, Tom Kirschbaum is missing.
In these slow economic times, yacht brokers are pleased when any potential customer walks through the door.
Ethan triumphantly holds up the kind of fish he can’t find around Ya Ta Hey, New Mexico.
Felix Knauth, 80, set sail from Monterey aboard his newly acquired Santana 22 in the early morning hours of May 12.
"Looks like we’ll be coming home sooner than we thought," wrote Mike and Cindy Miller in an email to friends last week.
For the first time in 16 years, the KaBoom will not be held at Piers 30/32.
Our Wednesday posting regarding this weekend’s Singlehanded Farallones Race got some feedback, specifically with regard to the the quote from Coast Guard LCDR DesaRae Janszen that "singlehanded races to the Farallones are one of the most dangerous races on the West Coast."
SSS Race Chair Emeritus Max Crittenden wrote to point out that the SSS’s safety record is unblemished.
"I took this cute photo of friends Mike and Sue Proudfoot just after giving them the April and May editions of Latitude 38," writes Jay Gardner of the Bay charter boat Adventure Cat.
"After surviving two tsunamis, three cyclones, pneumonia, dengue fever, ear infections, a dog bite, a frustrating government job, altercations with a loser neighbor, and nearly constant noise and foul aromas from a nearby tuna cannery over the past eight months, we are ready for a new neighborhood." So wrote cruiser Kirk McGeorge of the St.
Showing signs of wear and tear — not surprising after suffering a number of knockdowns — Ella’s Pink Lady brings her own lady home safely.
With just over a month to go before the start of the Singlehanded TransPac, a handful of entrants have yet to complete their qualifier sail.
Ever thought about doing the Baja Ha-Ha rally? Are you considering joining this year’s fleet?
We’d like to think our piece in last Friday’s ‘Lectronic contributed in some small way to the 133-ft schooner Adventuress‘s narrow win of the popular vote — and a $125,000 grant — in the Puget Sound Partners in Preservation initiative, a grant ‘competition’ sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Elizabeth Larson of Lake County News reported yesterday that Lake County Sheriff Rod Mitchell confirmed that Russell Perdock — Mitchell’s once-upon-a-time right-hand man — was fired from the Sheriff’s Office late last month.
Considering that she slammed her boat into the side of a freighter during her shakedown cruise, Australian singlehander Jessica Watson, 16, has turned out to be one smart and tenacious sailor.
It was a wild time down at the docks in old St. Barth in the French West Indies this morning, as MemoireStBarth.com and Groupe Bel, the last two of the 25 doublehanded entries in the TransAt AG2R La Mondiale, crossed the finish line at the entrance of the port of Gustavia just seconds apart.
The Coast Guard has been scouring the waters about 70 miles northwest of Pt.
We neglected to take any photos of John or Lynn or of the Moorings/Sunsail base on Tortola, so all photos that accompany this piece are of The Baths on Virgin Gorda.
The human brain has some remarkable ways of dealing with extreme situations. In instances of severe trauma, for example, it seems to shut down certain body and brain functions — such as memory — and switch into survival mode.
Imagine you’re on an idyllic crossing, halfway between Hawaii and Fiji. The sky and sea are impossible shades of blue, the wind fills your sails, and life couldn’t get much better.
A day like today makes sailors long to find their pot of gold so they can head somewhere warm.
Peter Stoneberg’s Formula 40 Shadow blasts under the Gate on the way to posting an elapsed time of just under six hours in the Full Crew Farallones Race.
With start of the Singlehanded TransPac just over a month away, skippers are undoubtedly getting ready to start provisioning for their solo run to Kauai.
Those who know us well would fall off their chairs in a state of hysterical laughter if we purported to be technical experts.
Adventuress was a work boat on San Francisco Bay for many years before being taken to Seattle.
Russell Coutts and Vincenzo Onorato have a plan for the 34th America’s Cup.
The fact that more than four million gallons of oil have now spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the Deep Horizons Rig explosion begs these questions: Is offshore oil drilling a reasonable safety risk?
Former long-time Sausalito yacht brokers Clay and Teresa Prescott were each sentenced yesterday to eight months in the county jail for stealing more than $200,000 from their clients.
The extent some people will go to in perpetrating a fraud never ceases to amaze us.
Many sectors of the marine industry may still be shaking off the economic slumber of the recession, but there’s apparently plenty of sailors gearing up for a Mexican cruise this fall.
The fleet stretched far and wide on Saturday’s slide to Vallejo.
© Erik Simonson
The 2010 Great Vallejo Race wasn’t just great, it was downright awesome.
We’re happy to report that we’ve gotten our new Baja Ha-Ha entry forms all set up on the website, and as soon as this ‘Lectronic Latitude posts, we will flip the switch, officially beginning the registration process for Baja Ha-Ha 17.
Those Potter Yachters sure do get around. If they’re not getting stuck in South Bay mud or exploring the Mothball Fleet, they’re getting their transoms handed to them on Monterey Bay or scooting up-Delta in search of back issues of Latitude.
Hittin’ the streets – the May issue is out today!
latitude/Annie
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC The May issue of Latitude 38 hits both newsstands and the interweb (later) today, and you don’t want to miss out.
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC The May issue of Latitude 38 hits both newsstands and the interweb (later) today, and you don’t want to miss out.
After leaving the Bay on March 20, Plastiki racked up an impressive 92-mile-per-day average.
Saturday could look a lot like this, albeit with more breeze.
© Peter Lyons
The party hats and hangover kits are being packed, and the division splits are up, because its time for The Great Vallejo Race.
If you’ve been chompin’ at the bit to sign up for next fall’s Baja Ha-Ha rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, your time has come!