Archive for December 2010
Friday is New Year’s Eve so to ensure everyone can get their hands on the first Latitude of the year before they’re too drunk or hungover to stumble into their local chandlery, marina or boatyard, the January issue will be delivered to all the normal places tomorrow.
The San Francisco maritime community lost a living legend last week, when Harold Sommer died of complications from pneumonia on December 21.
We’ve been on assignment in Mexico — lucky us — for all but three days since the start of the Ha-Ha in late October.
Dutch 15-year-old Laura Dekker arrived at Simpson Bay Lagoon on St. Martin on Monday, 18 days after leaving the 2,200-mile distant Cape Verde Islands aboard her 37-ft Jeanneau Gin Fizz Guppy.
We received the following note from Dobie Dolphin about beleagured Tenacatita Bay, the four-mile by four-mile bay on mainland Mexico’s Gold Coast between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, and just north of Barra Navidad:
"As many of you know, on August 4, villagers, land owners, and tourists were forcibly evicted from their restaurants, homes, and palapas on Tenacatita Beach by a wealthy land developer, with the help of the governor of the state of Jalisco.
In Monday’s posting we published the remarkable photo (below) of former San Diego sailor Brenda Manceau standing proudly next to a massive yellowfin tuna that’s she’d supposedly caught in a recent tournament in Tonga.
Turtles on the move to lay their eggs and return to the ocean.
With its government having pulled out all the stops to put togther a bid to host the 34th America’s Cup, San Francisco is far from a lock to host the event.
No matter how you slice it, that’s a lotta sashimi! But is the photo real?
After many hours of dedicated work, three of the little skiff’s builders take her for a victory lap around Aquatic Park.
Jud Baker, left, and John Davidson, right, survived in a dinghy without food or water for three days before their rescue last Saturday.
"Please cancel the online and printed ads for my Olson 25," wrote Jim Lewis recently.
"We have to agree that a shower of any kind is a special event while cruising," writes Emmy Newbould, who has been cruising with hubby Eric Willbur aboard their Brickyard Cove-based Dutchman 37 Nataraja since April ’09 and are currenty in New Zealand.
With an 11-0 vote, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors approved the Host City Agreement for America’s Cup 34 yesterday, and Mayor Gavin Newsom promptly signed it.
Despite an extensive search that lasted nearly eight hours, Bay Area sailor Casey Speed, 28, could not be found after he fell off his Sausalito-based Island Packet Kachina near Tiburon shortly before 8:30 p.m.
Out of the gloom, Adagio seeks the solace of the sun.
latitude/LaDonna
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC San Francisco Bay is known for its fog — in summer or early fall.
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC San Francisco Bay is known for its fog — in summer or early fall.
With the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee set to vote today on whatever iteration of the Host City Agreement survives the final number crunching, the message from BMW Oracle Racing was disturbing to Cup fans who want to see the Cup come to the Bay.
As we’ve been reporting for several months now, Aussies have been coming to California to buy expensive sailboats.
With beautiful sunsets 80-degree water, and affordable prices, Cabo is a prime winter getaway.
These are pretty feet, but no, we don’t have a foot fetish. But we do like a woman who likes to have fun, and painting your toes all different colors is a strong indication of a fun-loving nature.
After two months of waiting for the hurricane season to end, 15-year-old Dutch teen Laura Dekker set off from the Cape Verde Islands a week ago, for the first ocean crossing in her planned circumnavigation.
‘Haully Green Giant’ takes Silent Sun to KKMI Sausalito’s wash down area.
latitude/LaDonna
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Since the fall of ’07, this writer and her husband’s boat has been part of a bottom paint study to test the efficacy of the biocide Econea, an eco-friendly product produced by Janssen Pharmaceutica and sold to different paint companies.
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Since the fall of ’07, this writer and her husband’s boat has been part of a bottom paint study to test the efficacy of the biocide Econea, an eco-friendly product produced by Janssen Pharmaceutica and sold to different paint companies.
And you thought it was cold at your marina lately!
© Chris Maher
Last week, when we ran a few photos of happy, barefoot cruisers celebrating Thanksgiving in the sunny latitudes of Mexico, we invited readers to send in snapshots of other on- or near-the-water Turkey Day celebrations.
Only UFS8 (#8) Ultra Flip Swivels made between June ’09 and October ’10 are included in Quickline’s recall.
When it comes to cruiser fundraisers in Mexico, the Banderas Bay Blast / Pirates for Pupils is a modest one, in part because it’s so early in the season that a lot of boats still haven’t arrived.
A wayward duckling gets some special instruction Sunday on inducing heel and trimming for light air.
Canadian cruiser Milan Egrmajer, 58, was killed on the evening of December 3 as a result of being shot four times by robbers attempting to board his Ericson 35 MkII Adena at a remote cove on the northwest coast of Honduras.
The final chance to show your support for San Francisco’s bid to host the 34th America’s Cup is coming up this Wednesday.
The Swan 80 Berenice took line honors in the ARC.
© 2010 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
The fact that it took Marco Rodolfi’s Italian-crewed Swan 80 Berenice 14 days, 1 hour to be the first boat to complete this year’s Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is a testament to how light the winds have been for most of this year’s crossing.
Today is the third and final day of the Banderas Bay Blast, the ‘nothing serious’ cruiser regatta and social extravaganza now in its fifth year.
On November 29, a little more than a month after leaving Victoria, B.C.
We hate it when we make mistakes, and never more so when they reflect badly on somebody or some company.
If you’re suffering from the Christmas shopping blues — and your brain is about to explode from stressing out over what to buy for whom — we’ve got a splendid suggestion.
Ho ho ho! The December Latitudes are hot off the presses and headed your way for some holiday cheer.
The San Francisco Port Commission voted 3-0 yesterday on two proposals to host the 34th America’s Cup on the San Francisco waterfront.
In the tidepools of the Gulf and San Juan Islands, kids – like Hayden Stapleton – can find all sorts of fascinating creatures.
Alex was an avid outdoorswoman.
© The Milski Family
"It was on the first night of last year’s Banderas Bay Blast that we learned of the death of our daughter Alex in Costa Rica," write Jim and Kent Milski of the Colorado-based Schionning 49 Sea Level.
Patsy Verhoeven (right front) and friends are obviously pleased to be celebrating a barefoot Thanksgiving.
In July, we put out a call for a sailing host family for German exchange student Viviane Farke.
There wasn’t much racing scheduled this weekend, given the holiday, so instead of wrapping-up what wasn’t, we’ll give you a heads-up on what’s coming.
Ideal tropical sailing conditions are on tap for Wednesday’s start of the Banderas Bay Blast, three days of socializing, fundraising and ‘nothing serious’ cruiser-style racing just outside of Puerto Vallarta.