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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

March 28, 2016
“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 »

State of the Lakes

March 25, 2016
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 »

Sea Boa Struck by Whale, Sinks

March 23, 2016
After a whale holed his boat, singlehander Allan Tweten was rescued quickly by Mexican Navy SAR resources. In recent years, the addition of fast response vessels such as this one has greatly improved theoretical response times in many parts of Mexico. 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 »