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Archive for February 2017

Caribbean 600 Begins

February 20, 2017
The view of the start of the Caribbean 600, as viewed from Block House. There were 77 entries.  latitude/Richard
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC If you’re going to watch the start of a yacht race, as opposed to being on one of the boats, there isn’t a much better place than Antigua’s Block House for the start of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Caribbean 600. More »

16 Years of Cruiser Philanthropy

Young scholars enjoy a pleasure cruise around Zihua Bay aboard the big daysail cat Picante. For some it was probably their first boat trip ever. © Margaret Reid / Sailfest If you’re ever lucky enough to sample the laid-back cruising life south of the border, it won’t be long before you realize how privileged your leisurely lifestyle is compared to that of typical Mexican families ashore. More »

Clipper Sailor Recognized for Bravery

Clipper Race sailor Gavin Reid climbs the mast of a stranger’s boat to go to the aid of a crewman stuck at the top. Mission Performance
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC During one of the Clipper Round the World Race Australian legs last January, from Hobart, Tasmania, to the Whitsunday Islands, the Clipper 70 Mission Performance answered a distress call from an unrelated sailboat. More »

Mariners Dodge Widespread Debris

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners about debris in the California Delta. In this photo, marine debris surrounds a navigation daymark in the Sacramento River. © 2017 Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory Mendenhall / USCG Aids to Navigation Team Given that this is one of the rainiest winters on record in the Bay Area, no one should be surprised to see abnormally large amounts of storm-generated debris in waterways and marinas throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta — debris that could easily damage or disable both powerboats and sailboats.  More »

Berkeley Marina Entrance Tips

February 15, 2017
"Now that the days are starting to become a little longer and dare I say drier soon, we’ll be hopefully enjoying some late afternoon and early evening sailing once again," writes Chuck Bullett, vice commodore of Berkeley Yacht Club. More »

Hey Sailor, for a Good Time in NZ

Former Point Richmond cruiser Antonia Murphy stands in the doorway of the one-bedroom brothel she co-owns in Whangarei. © 2017 New Zealand Herald One of the most colorful cruising couples with one of the most colorful cruising boats we can remember were Peter and Antonia Murphy and their Point Richmond-based Mariner 36 Sereia. More »

Puddle Jump Sendoffs in Mex & Panama

An outrigger sailing canoe glides across the Moorea lagoon. The island of Tahiti lies in the background, 12 miles away.  latitude/Andy
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC In ports all along the west coast of the Americas, several hundred adventurous sailors are preparing to set sail for the storied isles of French Polynesia — an annual migration we call the Pacific Puddle Jump.  More »

Colman Dismasted in Vendée Globe

February 13, 2017
The young solo skipper Conrad Colman, after dismasting in the North Atlantic Ocean on February 10. © Conrad Colman The final miles of the Vendée Globe nonstop race dealt a brutal blow to Kiwi-American solo skipper Conrad Colman when his IMOCA 60 monohull Foresight Natural Energy dismasted Friday night. After More »