Cuddle Up With the New Latitude!
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC
All throughout July, the weather outside has been frightful. But ’tisn’t the season unless, of course, you live in the Southern Hemisphere. While we hope the gloom and chill that we’ve had breaks soon, we thought it’d be best not to make that assumption. With that in mind, we packed as much sunshine as possible into the August edition of Latitude 38, which hits the racks today. The biggest rays come from our rundowns on the two recently finished Hawaii races, the Singlehanded TransPac and the Pacific Cup. Yet another comes in the form of a review of local sailor Bill Barton’s new book "The Legend of Imp: The Magical Yacht That Rocked the Sailing World." There’s another in a tale of triumph in the face of motor-vehicle-borne adversity, thanks to some resolute Bay Area Moore 24 sailors. Keeping with the ‘triumph in the face of adversity’ theme, we bring you the exclusive story of three Bay Area Sailors who nearly bought the farm off the Northern California coast. If you’ve enjoyed the photos that Bay Area sailor Andrew Vik has been sending back from his summer cruising around the Med aboard the $10,000 Islander 36 Geja that he found in Latitude, then you’ll appreciate his contribution to this month’s Changes in Latitudes. Vik always semes to be triumphing in the, um, ‘face’ of triumph, and we always seem to feel a little warmer for it. So if this crazy weather has you thinking about grabbing a hot toddy, making a beeline for the pilot berth and lacing the lee cloth behind you, make sure you grab a copy of the August issue of Latitude 38 before you go.
Delta Doo Dah Deux to Decamp
If you’re wondering what that grey box is up there, it’s an image taken from a high-definition web cam mounted in the Sausalito hills overlooking the Bay. The shot was taken at 11:08 this morning and clearly illustrates what the month of July has been like on the Bay — chilly, foggy and thoroughly un-summer-like. To fight the summer ‘sog’, a group of about 50 boats are hitting the high road tomorrow and heading up-Delta in the 2nd Annual Delta Doo Dah — a.k.a. the Doo Dah Deux.
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
But first, this group of dreary-weary folks will meet up tonight at Tradewinds Sailing in Richmond’s Marina Bay Yacht Harbor for an ersatz skippers’ meeting — really just an excuse to get to know each other a little, go over what to expect, and answer any questions first-timers have about sailing in the Delta.
And the sailing should be fine. According to the forecast, the Doo Dah’ers are in for a real treat — mid- to high-80s and a southwest breeze of 15 knots. Even Stockton is promising 89° for next Friday’s Doo Dah Hooplah party at Stockton Sailing Club.
We’ll be tweeting and posting to Latitude‘s Facebook page — and of course contributing more detailed reports to ‘Lectronic Latitude — throughout the event, as well as writing a full report for the September issue of Latitude 38. And if last year’s Doo Dah was any indicator, this year should be one to watch!
It’s a Dog-Eat-Dog World
When we posted the story about Bryan and Jennifer Saulsbury’s Portuguese water dog Barley, we had no idea emotions on the topic would run so high. "If you think that dog’s a trimmer, wait till you see Peaches ‘operating’ the jib sheet," wrote Randi Harry, who sails with husband Sam Balsley aboard their Catalina 380 Barca a Vela. "Our five-lb toy poodle had never been on a boat until she was nine years old, but she absolutely loves sailing. She has her own life jacket (marked “First Mutt”) and she thinks we bought the boat just for her. She has even figured out that if she straddles the foot rail under the cockpit table, she doesn’t slide around the cockpit on a tack! As soon as we start packing up to go to the boat, she gets very excited and doesn’t settle down until she is aboard. So far, she has been to Half Moon Bay several times and Santa Cruz once, plus sailing all over the Bay and joining our yacht club on cruises to Benicia, St. Francis, Marina Bay and elsewhere."
It seems dog owners are particularly fond of having Fido join in on the sailing fun, as we’ve received a number of great shots from sailors everywhere.
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
But dogs aren’t the only pets that enjoy a fine day of sailing. Cats, for example, make fine sailors — they have excellent balance, don’t need to be taken ashore twice a day, and are just as happy snuggling in a corner when the ride gets a little rough. Birds also have a long history of ocean passages, if the old pirate tales are to be believed.
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Do you sail with a non-canine pet? Tell us about it (and don’t forget the photos)!