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Archive for March 2016

Looking for an Inspirational Speaker?

You might consider Jack van Ommen, one of Latitude’s heroes. Readers might remember that after going bankrupt in his early 60s, van Ommen had almost nothing left to his name but Fleetwood, a Nadja 29 he completed from a kit and had sailed in the Singlehanded TransPac many years before. More »

Starving for Attention

“Where’s my cape?”  That’s what this writer said after assisting in the rescue of a starving sea lion pup earlier this month at the Channel Islands Harbor Marina in Oxnard. The poor little pinniped had been spotted around the marina several times in the days leading up to its rescue, and by the time Jen Levine of the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute was called to the scene, the pup was in dire straits. More »

New Flexibility on Harbor Closure

Santa Cruz Harbor has always struggled with winter shoaling, but this year the problem grew to new extremes. With special permission, some vessels may now transit the harbor mouth again.  latitude/Chris
©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC The Coast Guard’s total closure of Santa Cruz Harbor March 18 left a lot of sailors and commercial fishermen extremely frustrated — to put it mildly. More »

Entries Growing for 2nd Alaska Race

The Race to Alaska was born last June in the spirit of tradition, exploration, and the self-reliance of the Gold Rush. At 750 miles, R2AK claims to be North America’s longest human- and wind-powered race, with the largest cash prize ($10,000) for an event of its kind. More »

The Tab for Electricity and Garbage

Can somebody remind the Wanderer what the average monthly cost is for electricity and garbage for a four-bedroom house in California? He’s trying to compare it with what he’s paying to anchor off Gustavia, St. More »

State of the Lakes

Although California is still operating under drought-induced water restrictions, this season’s El Niño has brought so much relief to lakes and reservoirs that some have been able to release water into formerly parched creeks and rivers. More »

Major Upgrade to Angel Island Anchorage

The lovely double-ender Sonamara was one of the first boats to try out Ayala Cove’s new buoy system. © 2016 Woody Skoriak Here’s some excellent news for Central Bay boaters: Just in time for Easter weekend, all 28 moorings in Angel Island’s popular Ayala Cove anchorage have just been replaced with a new system that has a much cleaner look, and are rigged with ground tackle beefy enough to hold even big, heavy-displacement boats in a strong blow.  More »

The Mast, the Poor Man’s Drone

The catamaran Beach House and two monohulls transit the Pedro Miguel Locks in Panama.  Scott Stolnitz
©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC Scott Stolnitz of the Marina del Rey-based Switch 51 Beach House wanted an aerial shot when locking through the Pedro Miguel Locks of the Panama Canal. More »

All About the Fastnet

This Friday, March 25, Sequoia Yacht Club in Redwood City will host Bay Area sailor Mike Reed for his presentation on the 2015 Rolex Fastnet. Reed, who has more than 20,000 ocean miles and is a veteran of the Rolex Sydney Hobart, Pacific Cup and Chicago Mackinaw, will detail the challenges of sailing the Fastnet, which is considered to be one of the top three most difficult races in the world. More »