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May 4, 2011

Forty-Six Ha-Ha Entries After Just Two Days

Come November 4, you could be freezing your ass off in California, or you could be on the beach in Cabo with a couple hundred of your best new sailing friends. The choice is yours.

latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

The Grand Poobah is chuffed to report that after just two days, the adventuresome owners of 46 boats have signed up for Baja Ha-Ha XVIII. The ‘Barely Legal’ edition of the popular cruisers’ rally will depart San Diego for Cabo San Lucas, via Turtle Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, on October 24. For entry information, visit www.baja-haha.com. Why sign up early? The earlier a boat signs up, the higher she is on the list for a slip at the finish in Cabo San Lucas.

While we’re looking forward to a terrific summer of sailing in California, it’s great to have the Ha-Ha carrot out there for when the California weather turns grey and cold this fall. Looking down the following list of Ha-Ha XVIII entries, a couple of things stick out. First of all, that friends Myron and Marina Eisenzimmer of the San Francisco-based Swan 44 MKII Mykonos are doing yet another Ha-Ha. That there are two classic plastic Acapulco 40s — Richard Maure’s Marina del Rey-based Tomorrow and Rick & Judith Rosanna Eitniear’s Chula Vista-based Tension Reliever — entered. We can remember hanging out aboard a friend’s Acapulco 40 in Mazatlan in 1978! Speaking of classic glass, entry #17 is Stephanie Mortensen and Robin Kirkcaldie’s Santa Barbara-based Bounty II Red Witch. Not only were the Phil Rhodes-designed Bounty IIs the first large production fiberglass sailboats ever built, they were built in Sausalito. Wait, like they say on television, there’s more! Latitude 38 was founded aboard the Bounty II Flying Scud in Sausalito in 1977. It’s also fun to note that entry #14, the Redondo Beach-based Pacific Seacraft 37 Solstice, is owned by John Alden. What a name for a sailor. We’re also pleased to note that Mike and Dawn Hilliard of Friday Harbor have entered their 85-ft schooner Destiny. Speaking of big entries, Edward King and Aric Ludwig have entered their Oakland-based Lagoon 450 L’Obsessive. We went aboard the Lagoon 450 at the Strictly Sail Boat Show in Oakland last month, and have to tell you that the Leopard 45 ‘ti Profligate we have in a yacht management program in the Caribbean seems about half the size of the Lagoon.

Anyway, as you can probably tell, the Grand Poobah is already jacked up about this fall’s Ha-Ha.

 

1 Orcinius Catalina 42 John LeDoux & Lisa Danger Vancouver, WA
2 MoonShyne Wauquiez Pretorien 35 Stephen & Bente Millard Santa Barbara
3 Mykonos Swan 44 MKII Myron & Marina Eisenzimmer San Francisco
4 Ustupu Mary Lightfoot 31 Dan Schroeder & Sylvie Ouellette Vancouver, BC
5 Papillon Slocum 43 Dan & Kelly Freeman Seattle, WA
6 Stella Maris Hylas 46 Tom Madden Newport Beach
7 Tomorrow Acapulco 40 Richard Maure Los Angeles
8 Moondance Islander 36 Conor & Lanea Riley Sausalito
9 Abracadabra Canadian Sailcraft 36 Molly Arnold & Bryce Andrews San Francisco
10 Sisu Hans Christian 43 Christopher & Barbara Warnock San Francisco
11 Bella Brisa Tayana 37 Rich & Cathy Warner Alameda
12 Mimiya Catalina Morgan 440 Mark Koehler Alameda
13 Wind Spirit Hunter 466 Paul & Priscilla Zaro Pt. Richmond
14 Solstice Pacific Seacraft 37 John Alden Redondo Beach
15 Ventured Tartan 37 Erlin Loving Bainbridge Island, WA
16 Huck Shannon 43 Joe Rademacher & Heidi Camp New Orleans, LA
17 Red Witch II Bounty 41 Stephanie Mortensen & Robin Kirkcaldie Santa Barbara
18 Destiny 85-ft custom schooner Mike & Dawn Hilliard Friday Harbor, WA
19 Wings Passport 40 Constance Livsey & William Ennis Anchorage, AK
20 Aldebaran Olympic Adventure 47 Rob & Lynne Britton San Diego
21 Kyalami Swan 44 Norman & Candace Thersby Pt. Richmond
22 Marsha Dee Coronado 32 Fred & Coleman Oceanside
23 Entre Nous Tayana 42 Joel Tuttle Alameda
24 Robin Ann Tayana 52 Steve Hogan & Robin Barrow Redondo Beach
25 Harmony Tayana Vancouver 42 Terry & Diane Emigh Anacortes, WA
26 Seychelles Hylas 49 John Stone & Nicki Germain Douglas, AK
27 Second Wind CA LaFitte 44 Reg & Phoebe Wilson Sarnia, ON
28 Charisma Tayana 37 Bob Johnson Berkeley
29 Wings of the Dawn Hans Christian 52 Robert & Sherry Bennatts Friday Harbor, WA
30 Camanoe C&C Landfall 39 Dave Satterwhite & Stephanie Esposito San Francisco
31 Koh-Ring Tayana 48 DS Wolfgang Hausen Sausalito
32 Rancho Relaxo Islander 30 MKII Paul Ingram Chula Vista
33 Endeavor Taswell 49 Rick & Gina Phillips Vancouver, WA
34 Snug Harbor Catalina 470 Charley & Mitzie Eddy Alameda
35 Tension Reliever Acapulco 40 Rick & Judith Rosanna Eitniear Chula Vista
36 Delicate Balance Andrews Custom 56 Douglas Storkovich Monterey
37 Sail Time Catalina 34 Mk II Ken & Twila Sanford Oceanside
38 Hilbre Catalina 36 MKll John & Anita Meyer Henderson, NV
39 L’ Obsessive Lagoon 450 Edward King & Aric Ludwig Oakland
40 Oceanaire Tayana 47 Garrett & Lissa Caldwell Alameda
41 R & B III Catalina 36 Brad Older & Richard Weed Santa Cruz
42 Sans Frontieres Tartan 3700 Nicolas & Jena Jonville San Diego
43 Time Piece Coast 34 John Spicher Anacortes, WA
44 Cracklin Rose Island Packet 380 Bill & Rosie Everingham Alameda
45 Seascape Passport 37 Roger Smith Vallejo
46 Tranquility Irwin Citation 34 Richard Hirscht & Cynthia Cameron

 

Little Boat Weekend Racing Wrap-up

John Liebenberg crosses the finish line during the 58th annual Bullship Race.

© RYC Photo

John Liebenberg proved on Saturday that age and wisdom never miss an opportunity to beat up on youth, when he beat 31 other El Toros to win the 58th Annual Bullship Race. The 70-year-old Liebenberg may have taken only 50 minutes to get from Sausalito across the slot to the San Francisco Marina, but all it took to beat the 30-something runner-up Will Paxton, was about 10 seconds. After trailing Paxton most of the way across, a little extra in the bank helped Liebenberg slingshot past Paxton just in the nick of time.

“I started on the shore, stayed on shore to the Point, then stayed right," Liebenberg said. "Will went further left because he expected ebb and did not find the ebb that he found at other times. Will had a 20-30 second lead when we separated.”

From left, John Liebenberg, Will Paxton and Jim Savatone are 1-2-3 in the El Toro YRA’s Bullship Race.

© RYC Photo

In third was the first woody, recently built, and sailed by, Jim Savatone, whose autopilot-style tactics were founded on a very simple precept.

“Followed Will is what I did," Savatone said. "You pick a mentor and stay with him.”

His mentor is a third his age. Last year’s winner Max Fraser put off his trip back to Connecticut where he’s conducting a 29er Clinic.Why?

“Perfect conditions 4-8 knots of breeze and flat water," Fraser said. "You could see the Gate; there was no fog. I didn’t have to do a single tack or jibe the entire race. My one saving grace was I stayed inside the current line. I’ve gotten swept out the Gate, and also won this race so my goal was somewhere in between."

Paxton won the cold and rainy ’09 race while his dad Fred was second that year. On Saturday the elder Paxton was way back. He ended-up camped out with Chris Nash near Alcatraz.

“We looked real good for about 2 minutes," Fred Paxton said. "I didn’t listen to my kid.”

This Bullship is a family-and-friends affair, word gets out fast. Even before the awards celebration, Teresa Paxton passed texted congratulations from her daughter, Julia, at the New York Maritime Academy to her nephew, Will. Julia  probably then texted David Liebenberg about his Dad’s victory, which David probably passed to his mom, sailing the Vallejo Race. In spite of all this instant communication, the guy taking finishes didn’t have a watch out, so we’ll never know if Liebenberg actually broke John Amen’s “46-minutes-and-change” elpased-time record. — John Dukat

Emma Creighton just finished the Pornichet Select with her Mini Transat Pocket Rocket.

latitude/Rob
©2011 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Emma Creighton Finishes the Select — After a long hiatus following last year’s Pacific Cup, Emma Creighton’s campagin to compete in the ’11 Mini Transat got back on the water over the weekend when she raced the opening singlehanded event of the Mini season, the Pornichet Select, finishing 31st. Creighton has proved to be a prolific and timely blogger of her pursuit, and she already has a full report up on her blog with all the details.

College Sailing Semis — College Sailing’s Seminfinals were hosted by USC over the weekend, to determine which 18 teams get to advance to College Nationals from May 30-June 1 at Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. West Coast Schools had a tough go of it, with only Stanford making the cut at 5th out of nine in the Eastern bracket.

Keep an eye out for these parades all weekend long. And there should be quite a few more boats when the regatta gets going today.

latitude/John
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Oppies invade — San Francisco YC is hosting the massive Opti Team Trials this week, which start today and run through Sunday, so keep an eye out for the little ones out there!

 

No More Kaboom

If you’ve planning to do KFOG’s famous KaBoom, an annual synchronized concert and fireworks display on the Cityfront, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. It seems the skyrocketing costs of organizing the event combined with lowered attendance — which was blamed on the change of venues last year from Pier 30/32 to Candlestick Park — has resulted in its demise. "We were unable to find the right home for KaBoom, so unfortunately we’ve had to cancel the event," said KFOG Promotion Director Brian Comstock. "We’re very thankful for everyone’s support over the years, and we’re hard at work planning new events for the coming months."

The Aussies are Coming!

We were up in the Harbormaster’s Office at Marina Bay in Richmond last week, where we bumped into Phil Howe, an old friend and yacht broker. Phil had a big smile on his face because he’d just sold a Beneteau 40.7 to a buyer from Melbourne, Australia.

"It was kind of funny," said Phil, "because I had two Australians who wanted the boat, and the guy who got the boat is the one who got his check in first."

That’s my Beneteau, mate! The Australian dollar has been giving ours a prolonged kick lately.

© 2011 Mad Max

As some readers will remember, there were several Aussies in last year’s Ha-Ha, who had just bought expensive boats in California. What’s the deal with the guys from Down Under buying American boats? It’s all about the fall of the U.S. dollar and the rise of the Aussie dollar. When we were in Australia a couple of years ago, the Aussie dollar only got you about 75 U.S. cents. Now the Aussie dollar gets you about $1.10 U.S. The result is that for Aussies, boats in the U.S. are as dirt cheap as boats in Europe were for Americans in the ’70s.

For a lot of Aussies, it makes lots of sense to buy a boat in the U.S. rather than Oz, and take a couple of years to cruise home. That’s because when they sell the U.S. boat in Oz, they can almost certainly recapture not only what they paid for their boat, but all the expenses incurred in cruising home.

The flip side of the coin is that if you’ve got American dollars, don’t even dream of buying a boat in Australia. This point what brought home by some Aussies from Perth, who laughed at that fact they could buy a bottle of Corona beer on the beach in Mexico for $1 U.S., while back home in Australia, their yacht club was having a Sunday ‘special’ on Corona beer — at $6 each! 

 

Last week we reported on Laurie Chaikin’s successful trip under a 70-ft bridge on her Leopard 45 Charleette II, which sports a 71-ft mast.