The construction of James ‘Hot Rod’ Lane’s 65-ft catamaran Flyin’ Hawaiian was one of the more bizarre efforts in the annals of Bay Area boatbuilding — right alongside Tin Can and Plastiki. More »

The Gastonguay family were reportedly frustrated with the U.S. government, so Sean, 30, and Hannah, 26, decided to move their family to the remote island nation of Kiribati by sailing there. More »

Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s Spindrift 2 rounds Fastnet Rock. © 2013 Kurt Arrigo / RORC For reasons nobody seems to be able to explain, distance yacht racing in the south of England seems to be booming despite an economic downturn and modern life pressing everyone for time. More »

It could happen. Bob Fisher, one of the world’s most respected yachting journalists declared, “I would have thought Oracle would have the common decency to withdraw [from the America’s Cup]." Oracle Team USA’s AC45s were illegally altered. More »

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Will and Sarah Curry of the Vancouver, BC-based Beneteau First 405 Hydroquest recently had an up-close-and-personal look at a group of humpback whales during their visit to Tonga. More »

Once thought doomed to extinction, whale populations that travel up and down the West Coast are now abundant again (although still officially “endangered”). Sadly, though, both ships and pleasure craft occasionally collide with cetaceans in near-shore waters.  More »

Luna Rossa with her afterburners on, apparently about to jibe. She may not have looked so hot against the Kiwis during the LVC Round Robin races, but her team is steadily improving, having clocked the fastest course time yet in Wednesday’s race. More »

View from Pier 27: Big Blue foils to the finish line. The Swedish-backed team lost the race, but undoubtedly garnered confidence. © Lynn Ringseis Artemis Racing may not have won yesterday’s race against Luna Rossa in the Louis Vuitton Semi-Final, but they earned a salute of congratulations from many race fans. More »

Eddie and Chilengo, two of Peter Vargas’s workers at Sea Tek, empty yet another 55-gallon drum of delicious epoxy. latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC To continue the tale of the impulsive Profligate refit plus in Mexico, we thought it might be illuminating to list the materials that have been used: four 55-gallon drums of epoxy; five rolls of cloth; two rolls of heavier cloth; six 15-lb bags of filler; nine 4′ x 8′ sheets of honeycomb core; plus assorted sandpaper, grinding discs, masking tape, thinner, paint and on and on. More »

Having spent more than a decade living outside of mainstream America, this writer can confirm that you sometimes get opportunities while in far-flung places that you might never have gotten back home — such as meeting famous people, getting unusual job offers, and finding crew positions on exotic voyages.  More »