Schooner Santana Leaves the Bay
Although the Kaplan family is thrilled to have found a great new owner for their beloved S&S schooner Santana, her recent departure from the Bay was undoubtedly bittersweet. She is now headed for the East Coast, where new owner Wendy Schmidt (a philanthropist and wife of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt) plans to race her actively.
After an exhaustive refit 15 years ago, Paul and Chrissy Kaplan raced this 1935 thoroughbred warhorse — which was once owned by actor Humphrey Bogart — extensively on San Francisco Bay, lending a touch of classic elegance to every competition she entered. We will certainly miss the sight of her gracefully slicing through Bay waters with her full complement of sails all perfectly trimmed.
Pre-Departure Puddle Jump Fiesta
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.
Last Friday cruisers were also the focus of the club’s activities. But in that case, the emphasis was on sailing across 3,000 miles of open ocean, rather than racing around buoys in beautiful Banderas Bay.
©2014 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
With the YC (located at Nuevo Vallarta’s Paradise Village Resort) being our longtime generous cosponsor, Latitude 38 hosted its annual Pacific Puddle Jump Send-Off Party for several dozen boats that are currently staged to head west from Banderas Bay in the coming weeks. As always, we gave a multi-part presentation on making the crossing and French Polynesian legalities and customs, as well as tips on cruising the archipelagos. The YC provided a bountiful assortment of hors d’oeuvres, and Latitude pitched in for free drinks for all, plus official Pacific Puddle Jump burgees.
For us, the only tough part of the gig is doing dozens of back-to-back interviews with the various crews. But that’s also the most fascinating part of the day, as we meet all sorts of people from all walks of life who all share similar dreams of bluewater voyaging.
©2014 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
©2014 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
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In the coming months you can meet all the Banderas Bay Jumpers in the pages of Latitude 38. We’ll also be introducing you to many international sailors who are ‘jumping’ this year from Panama and the Galapagos — a great diversity of adventurers, all of whom had fascinating tales to share.
Classy Deadline
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.
Classy deadlines are always on the 15th, regardless if that day falls on a weekday or a weekend. So if your ad is not submitted by 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15, it will not be published until the May edition (although it will go online next week, and stay there through May.)
So get your ad submitted by Saturday, 5 p.m.! Monday will be too late. This holds true for renewals as well.
The easiest way to place a Classy Classified is online at: https://www.latitude38.com/classifieds/index.html