Last Chance for a Ride on the Eagle
Rumors have been circulating all year that the famous warhorse-turned-sail-training-vessel Alaska Eagle may be sold after completing her current schedule. We certainly understand the reasons why — namely that it takes a whole lot of man hours and cash to keep her in top shape. Still, the retirement of this aluminum S&S 65 from the realm of sail training would be a real shame. Since ’82 her instructional offshore trips for Orange Coast College’s School of Sailing and Seamanship have upgraded the skills and bolstered the confidence of hundreds of sailors, many of whom went on to cruise and cross oceans successfully on their own.
As sad as Eagle‘s rumored retirement may be, though, she’s not done quite yet. In fact, there is currently plenty of room on an epic ocean crossing this summer: the return trip from Hawaii to San Francisco, right after the TransPac (in which the Eagle will serve as a communications boat).
©2011 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
The dates are July 22 to August 9, and the route is expected to hold a little bit of everything. "It will start in the tropics and end under the Golden Gate," explains longtime co-captain Sheri Crowe. "There will be lots of variety in the weather; a few days beating, then into the Pacific High and some reaching. It would be a great first passage for those wanting to go to sea." We couldn’t agree more. So if this sounds like the sort of challenging opportunity you’ve been looking for, we’d urge you to waste no time in applying. We’re tempted to do so ourselves!
Cost of Cruising – First Responders
In May 20’s ‘Lectronic, we reported that Allen and Kate Barry, who have been cruising their San Francisco-based DownEast 38 Mendocino Queen all over the world for most of the last 18 years, are currently retired and cruising comfortably on just $1,500 a month in the Caribbean.
So we asked other cruisers how much money they need to live on. We haven’t received a ton of responses, but the ones we’ve gotten have been illuminating. For example, there is a family of four who cruised Mexico on their 36-ft boat for about $1,900 a month — or just a little more than what the U.S. government considers the poverty level for a family of four in the United States. Then the family moved up to a 50-ft boat. You might think the bigger boat would entail bigger expenses. To a certain extent that might have been the case, but it was overwhelmingly offset by the fact that the family have become much wiser about what is really needed to cruise "comfortably" in Mexico, and what is excess. The bottom line was that after the first year their monthly expenses dropped to about $1,100 a month — or not much more than the federal poverty level.
Many of you will assume that the family has either forgotten certain expenses or left out major expenses such as for haulouts and boat parts. No, no, and no. All these things are included and recorded in excruciating detail. In fact, we’ll be publishing them in the July issue of Latitude.
One of the more interesting responses came from a singlehander in the Sea of Cortez. He decided that since since the minimum wage in Mexico is $175 USD a month, and that in many cases a husband and wife have to raise a family on their combined income of $350 USD a month, he ought to be able to cruise — boat expenses included — on the same amount. In order to strengthen his resolve, he decided that he would just take $350 out of the ATM at the beginning of each month, and not take any more out until the beginning of next month. As time has passed, he’s found that he can indeed live on just $350 a month.
We’ll have more on the budgets of these cruisers in the June and July issues of Latitude.
But we’d also be interested in hearing from full-time cruisers who aren’t quite as budget conscious, and who might keep their boats in marinas part or all of the time, and who like to eat in more high end restaurants. We’d also like to hear from ‘commuter cruisers’ who, generally speaking, have more money than time at their disposal.
Baja Ha-Ha Graphic Arts Contest
About five years ago, the Grand Poobah decided it was high time that there be new graphics on the Baja Ha-Ha and Some Like It Hot T-shirts. As the wheels of progress grind slowly at the Ha-Ha World Headquarters, we’re just getting around to implementing that change.
The folks who do all the T-shirts have graphic designers who can come up with artwork, but we thought it would be fun to see if any Ha-Ha folks or Latitude readers would like to try submitting artwork.
In the case of the Ha-Ha T-shirt, we’re kind of partial to a simple, stylized look, such as you’d find on old fruit crates or vintage posters. But we’re open minded, so let your creative thoughts run wild.
In the case of the Some Like It Hot T-shirt, we still like the general concept of a chili pepper of some sort on the back, around which the names of all the entries can flow. But again, feel free to let fly with whatever crosses your mind. If you have more than one idea, don’t be shy. Send your submissions to Richard.
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC
By the way, the list of paid up Ha-Ha entries as of today is as follows:
Entries as of May 23:
1) Orcinius, Lagoon 440, John LeDoux & Lisa Danger, Vancouver, WA
2) MoonShyne, Catalina 42, 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) Two Sheets, LaFitte 44, Reg & Phoebe Wilson, Sarnia, ON
28) Charisma, Tayana 37, Bob Johnson, Berkeley
29) Wings of the Dawn, HC 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, San Diego
47) Holo Nui, C&C 37R, Ron Wood & Mindy King-Heard, Huntington Beach
48) Rumba, Hunter 40.5, Ray Firchau & Gary Chamberlain, Ventura
49) Companera, Tartan 3800 OC, Joel Sorum, Vallejo
50) Whistle Wing V, Peterson 50, Michael Chase, Honolulu, HI
51) Taj, Grainger 480, Peter Brown, Pt. Townsend, WA
52) Leonidas, Dreadnought 32, Tom and Ann Carr, Santa Cruz
53) DreamKetcher, Gulfstar 43, Rik Johnson & Robert Shea, Channel Islands
54) Convivia, Cal 43, Tucker & Victoria Bradford, San Francisco
55) Exit Strategy, Wauquiez PS40, Tom Christensen, Victoria, BC
56) Singularity, Mariah 31, James Dykens, San Diego
57) Hasta Luego, Hunter 376, Bob & Andrea Seddig, San Diego
58) Island Time, Pacific Seacraft 37, Jimmy Peter, Malibu
59) Grace, Ingrid 38, Michael Rogers & Heather Doherty, Riverton, OR
60) Daviana, Cal 2-30, David & Diana Burkholder, Whiskeytown
61) Deborah Lynn, CT-41, Steve & Debi Fisher, Reno, NV
62) Island Wind, Hylas 44, Ken & Heather de Vries, Vallejo
63) Spica, Catalina 36, Tim & Anne Mueller, San Diego
64) Last Resort, Catalina 470, Richard Drechsler, Marina del Rey
65) Tinuviel, True North 34, Barry Foster & Kathy Crabtree, Benicia
66) Pura Vida, Gulfstar 44 MkII, Jonathan Scarfe & Suki Kaiser, Marina del Rey
67) Go for Broke, Hawaii Steel 55, Stephen Arnold, Honolulu, HI
68) Damiana, Manta 40 cat, Roy & Marlene Verdery, Sausalito
69) Journey, CT-54, Dick & Tami Schubert, Alameda
70) Hawaiian Sol, Beneteau 58, Les & Deborah Cross, Wailea, HI
71) Good News, Islander Freeport 41, Thomas & Heather MacDonald, Portland, OR
72) August Moon, Bavaria 42, Russ Alfreds & Doreen Thibault, Vancouver, BC
73) Cleo II, Hans Christian 34, Robert & Elaine Tinus, San Francisco
74) Minnie Maru, Hunter 34, William & Mary Lynn Hinkle, Oxnard