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Archive for January 2017

Youth Teams to Vie for a Free J/70

January 16, 2017
J/Boats has come up with a brilliant marketing idea to build interest among future boat owners in its hot new sportboat class, the J/70. The Newport, RI-based company is inviting youth teams representing sailing clubs from all over the country to compete at the first-ever US Youth Championship and win a free J/70 for a year. More »

Have You Seen Our ‘Circ’ List?

The greatly modified cat Ceilydh glides past the harbor entrance buoy and Moorea’s majestic Opunohu Bay. Six years later, she completed her circumnavigation in Mexico. latitude/Andy
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC Latitude 38‘s website may not be the slickest site on the Internet, but you don’t have to do too much digging to stumble onto some pretty cool stuff — and a number of improvements are being discussed for the near future.  More »

Californians Yachtspeople of the Year

January 13, 2017
US Sailing announced yesterday that Olympic bronze medalist Caleb Paine of San Diego and IKA Formula Kite World Champion Daniela Moroz of Lafayette (in the East Bay) have been named 2016 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. More »

Show Us Your Best Storm Shots

Beached boats are a nightmare for local authorities, and when owners don’t have the means to pay for their removal and associated shoreside damage, taxpayers end up footing the bill. Here, a Marin County sheriff surveys a wooden fishing boat that went up on the Tiburon Peninsula early last week.  More »

New Grand Prix Class to Grace the Bay

While some West Coast racing fleets are shrinking, we’re thrilled to announce that a new breed of cutting-edge racing machines will soon be heading our way.  Frank Slootman’s brand-new Pac 52 Invisible Hand was lookin’ good during sea trials in New Zealand.  More »

Sailor to Row Solo Across the Pacific

January 11, 2017
Lia Ditton was the youngest skipper and the only female to complete the 2005 OSTAR (Original Singlehanded Transatlantic Race), in a 34-ft trimaran called Shockwave.  Lia Ditton
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC Tomorrow night (Thursday, January 12), the Corinthian Yacht Club Speaker Series will present 36-year-old British sailor Lia Ditton, who will talk about her upcoming attempt to row, solo and unsupported, the 5,000 miles from Japan to San Francisco, early next year. So More »

In Praise of Small Boat Sailors

One of the most famous authors ever to emerge from the Bay Area, Jack London had a special reverence for small-boat sailors. © 2017 Jack London Historic Park Renowned Bay Area author and sailor Jack London famously said, "Barring captains and mates of big ships, the small-boat sailor is the real sailor." More »

Sometimes the Problem Isn’t so Obvious

Perhaps the white shell on the ‘chisel’ of the Rocna anchor reduced the anchor’s holding power.  Quixotic
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC We got a laugh out of this photo by Lewis Allen of the Redwood City-based Voyager 43 catamaran Quixotic, which is currently in New Zealand. More »

Merlin Sails into the New Year

January 9, 2017
Bill Lee’s 1977 68-ft sled Merlin has been racing in the Santa Cruz Yacht Club Midwinter Series this season. © 2017 Richard Linkemyer In October, when last we left the saga of Merlin’s homecoming to Santa Cruz, she had just had her new keel attached and her rig stepped, and she’d been splashed. More »

How Did YOU Learn to Sail?

Just as there are many ways to enjoy sailing — daysailing, racing, cruising — there are also a variety of ways by which you can learn to sail. Some neophytes take a battery of lessons from a sailing school or community sailing program, some learn from relatives or family friends, while others do their best to figure out the mechanics of the sport on their own, perhaps after leafing through a learn-to-sail book or watching a few YouTube videos.  More »