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April 29, 2016

May Latitude Out Today

Springtime sailing outside the Golden Gate. Sweet!

latitude/Annie
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

One thing that keeps us motivated here at Latitude 38 World Headquarters is often hearing compliments from readers about how much they love our content. So thanks to all of you who’ve chimed in lately.

As our way of saying ‘thank you’. . . well, we’ve just published issue 467, which is being distributed throughout the greater Bay Area as we write this, and will reach distribution points in SoCal, the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii in a few days. A reminder, though, that this and all recent issues of Latitude can also be read online and/or downloaded for free from the website.

In our features section this month we recap the Bay Area’s first three offshore races of the season, introduce you to a wildly diverse group of Pacific Puddle Jumpers leaving from Panama, and discuss smart strategies for equipping your boat with safety gear. Max Ebb gives his unique perspective on classic sailing films. 

In our Sightings section we introduce you to America’s oldest solo nonstop circumnavigator and to dock neighbors-turned-lovers who now intend to circumnavigate, and we recap the record-breaking Newport to Ensenada Race and the Clipper Round the World Race’s rough and rowdy leg from China, plus much more.

As always, Letters is chock full of insightful commentary, the Racing Sheet reports on a wide range of recent races, World of Chartering gives food for thought on sailing getaways, and Changes in Latitudes offers firsthand reports from cruisers all over the world. 

So, pick up your copy today or check us out online. Happy reading!

Baja Ha-Ha Signups Begin at Noon Monday

Are you ready to Ha-Ha? Organizers of the West Coast’s largest cruising rally have come out of hibernation and are now gearing up for the 23rd annual San Diego-to-Cabo San Lucas rally, the Baja Ha-Ha. Online signups will begin Monday, May 2, at noon on the rally’s official website. This year’s activities begin October 30 — with the start of Leg One on Halloween morning — and end on November 12.

Picture yourself sailing to the sunny latitudes of Mexico without a care in the world — except perhaps keeping the spinnaker full. Seen here is San Francisco-based charter boat Bay Wolf on sabbatical. 

latitude/Andy
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC

If you’re eager for a sunny getaway south of the border, we suggest you shanghai a few of your favorite sailing partners and join us on this 750-mile offshore cruise off the Baja coast, with rest stops along the way at Bahia Tortugas and Bahia Santa Maria. 

As in years past, all sorts of people will enter, with backgrounds as diverse as the boats they sail aboard. Sailboats (and powerboats) of 27 feet or longer that were built, equipped and maintained for offshore cruising are welcome to enter. (Sorry, no singlehanding.) The price to enter is still $375 per boat, regardless of how many crew are on board, or $325 if your boat length or the skipper’s age is less than 35.

Tom Price (left) of the San Francisco-based Beneteau 473 Vitesse and his crew toast the beauty of unspoiled Bahia Santa Maria — the rally’s second rest stop, which lies roughly 600 miles south of the border.

latitude/Andy
©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC

On the website, you’ll find the complete event schedule, along with sponsor links — many of which offer enticing discounts — and the free, downloadable First Timer’s Guide to Mexico, which contains updated info on everything from immigration regulations to fishing licenses. 

We’ll see you in San Diego!

Sixty-eight-year-old Canadian sailor John Ridsdel, who’d been held captive in the southern Philippines since September by Abu Sayyaf militants, was beheaded Monday after the deadline for his ransom had passed.