Archive for March 2014
The gigantic Hetairos II, which we’re told Paul Cayard will be driving.
latitude/Richard
©2014 Latitude 38 Media, LLC The St.
©2014 Latitude 38 Media, LLC The St.
Ricardo Brockmann, owner of the R/P 52 Vincitore, is largely responsible for this year’s MEXORC Copa Corum, as president of the organizing committee.
Clouds never seen before in 35 years of cruising.
© Mexicolder Mike
When we received an email titled "Clouds over Mazatlan," we groaned.
It’s often said that making landfall in the Marquesas, after weeks on the open ocean, can be one of the most magical moments in a sailor’s life especially if he/she arrives in one piece.
We recently received the following letter from David Cleveland of San Diego:
"Latitude 38’s coverage of the Mexican boat impoundings has been extensive, and obviously personal to publisher Richard Spindler, as (his boat) Profligate was an impounded boat.
On Friday, March 21, the paperwork was completed to "liberate" the last of the ’embargoed’ foreign boats at Marina Coral in Ensenada — nearly four months after they had been impounded.
Our recent photo quiz was a snap for many Bay Area sailors, as Rat Rock lies right near a popular weekend anchorage off China Camp State Park in Marin County.
As Flyer, then Alaska Eagle, this famous S&S 65 has traveled far and wide - most recently, through the canals of Amsterdam.
If you haven’t heard yet, Tom Siebel’s MOD70 Orion smashed the San Diego-to-Puerto Vallarta race record, set in 1998 by Steve Fossett and crew aboard Lakota.
We’ve spent a lot of time sailing Caribbean waters, but we have to admit we’d never even heard of this annual March regatta before receiving this report from San Francisco Bay sailor Lynn Ringseis:
"Here’s an ideal recipe for a fun-filled regatta: 1) Mix together 30 sailboats, a handful of competitive sailors, boatloads of cruisers looking for a party, and a cluster of ‘senior’ race committee members.
We know that most people go cruising to get away from television and its associated evils.
Can anybody play? Yeah, pretty much. The long-established Banderas Bay Regatta is fun for boats of all shapes and sizes.
In this year’s 1,000-mile San Diego to Vallarta race two trimarans have each broken a long-standing speed record.
Don’t miss this year’s Strictly Sail Pacific boat show. Once again, Oakland’s Jack London Square is where all your sailing friends will be this April 10-13.
We’re not asking this in a derisive manner, but out of curiosity. We all have our preferences, and in case anyone hasn’t noticed, those of us at Latitude 38 are more inclined to like the tropics than cooler cruising areas.
Down in the West Indies some theatergoers have a habit that’s both annoying and amusing: At tense moments in a film, it’s common for folks in the audience to stand up and coach the characters on screen.
Hmm, forested island, verdant hills behind. . . Where is it? New Zealand, the Caribbean, French Polynesia?
It’s a fact that most cruising sailors never race. That’s partly because they feel they’d be ‘sailing their house’, which is too heavily laden to be competitive, and partly because many of them have little or no previous racing experience.
But not all cruisers think this way, as evidenced by this note from Robin Weber: "When we read about the Banderas Bay Regatta in Latitude 38, it sounded like a great event for cruisers.
Dawn in the tropics, a very pleasant and sensual experience.
latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC After a long winter of extra strong Christmas trades, early mornings in the Caribbean have now turned sweet.
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC After a long winter of extra strong Christmas trades, early mornings in the Caribbean have now turned sweet.
Whether gliding along on a light breeze or pushing the limits of her 2,000-square-foot spinnaker, the schooner Santana was always a splendid sight on the Bay.
This week, the Vallarta YC is abuzz with excitement about the 22nd annual Banderas Bay Regatta, which it hosts as a not-too-serious competition for cruising sailors.
If you’re planning to submit a Classy Classified for the April issue of Latitude 38, be aware that the deadline is this Saturday at 5 p.m.
In real-life situations, ‘survivors’ are rarely this cheerful, but thanks to Sal, it’s become an annual tradition to sample an authentic raft’s ‘cozy’ interior.
)
Cat Ppalu, the well-known, high-speed 74 x 28-ft, Peter Spronk-designed ketch-rigged catamaran, was holed on a reef near Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten on Sunday while the cat’s owner, D.
After disappearing without a word from Mazatlan in mid-January, Bob Buchanan has resurfaced not surprisingly in Hawaii.
"Coastal" SAS (safety at sea) training is required for 30% of crew to participate in OYRA- and SSS-sponsored ocean races (and others) this year.
The previous incarnation of AC45 fleet racing was a huge international success. But this time, Ellison hopes to stage races in 10 different countries, which would be even better.
Warm temperatures and light breeze had some observers wondering if any boats would start this year’s Big Daddy Regatta, hosted by Richmond YC.
As we noted last week and in March’s Sightings, registration for this year’s Delta Doo Dah will open tomorrow, March 11, at noon at www.deltadoodah.com.
The ever-popular Banderas Bay Regatta is focused on not-too-serious fun, as it attracts cruisers who are essentially racing their homes.
Latitude 38 has featured Webb Chiles before — the intrepid singlehanded sailor and author has circumnavigated the globe five times under sail and is now in the final stages of preparing for an epic journey around the world in his flush-decked Moore 24 Gannet.
A representative of Hacienda, the Mexican IRS, has told 75-year-old American John Hards of the Nuevo Vallarta-based Pelican that he is to be fined 84,000 pesos — a little under $7,000 — for a typo in his Temporary Import Permit.
In Wednesday’s CB #2, we reported on how we discovered that rats/mice had gotten aboard the Wanderer’s Olson 30 La Gamelle and started feasting on candle wax, tampons, boogie boards, mayonnaise, a North Gatorback main, and other goodies.
La Gamelle spent the summer at the St. Martin Shipyard. She’s the boat in the back of the photo, not the front.
There will be no shortage of crew aboard the Hughes 58 cat Li’l Explorers.
World-class solo racer, Alex Thompson is well known in racing circles for singlehanding the Hugo Boss-sponsored Open 60 around the world.
You didn’t want to be transiting the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance this weekend.
So you’re in charge of Search & Rescue for the Coast Guard, and somebody calls and says "My friend who is sailing a 24-ft boat from Hawaii to San Francisco sent me a message that read, ‘I lost my life raft, in danger now.’" What the heck does that mean?
With the America’s Cup in an off year and the next AC World Series not having started yet, fans of stadium racing on big catamarans fortunately have another option; the Extreme Sailing Series.
"I was also in a meeting at the SAT (Mexican IRS) with their legal department, Banjercito (the military bank Temporary Import fees are paid to), Aduana (Customs), and other agencies, with Maria Elena Carrillo, the attorney for our Mexican Marina Owner’s Association," reports Tere Grossman, president of the Mexican Marina Owner’s Association.