From the December Issue
There a certain white and red J/35 that you’ve probably seen at almost every Bay Area race. Jarlen has been a staple of YRA and coastal racing for almost 30 years. The boat is owned by Dr. Bob Bloom, who has played a role in training generations of new sailors. "Bob has been a huge influence on my development as a big-boat racer," said former Jarlen crew member Viktor German.
We profiled the boat and her owner in this month’s Sightings.
Looking for How-To Stories
Have you ever impressed yourself by installing, removing or repairing something on your boat that you thought was impossible to do on your own? Did you tackle a project that you really didn’t think you could manage — a project that you were going to pay a professional to do, before you asked for advice on the dock, watched a YouTube video, and decided to take a shot?
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A common request we hear from our readers is to feature more ‘Do It Yourself’, ‘How-To’, and ‘Idiot’s Guide’ projects. So we thought we’d start by asking all of you the question: What have you done yourself? And what can you explain to the rest of us boat owners (who don’t exactly have naval architecture or mechanical engineering degrees)?
Unlike our annual spring boatyard tour story, where we feature several boat owners shaking off the cobwebs after a long California winter, we are looking for very specific projects. Have you installed AIS or other electronics? Have you repaired your own diesel engine? Have you modified your rigging?
To all the how-to-ers out there, we’d like to hear from you.
Panama Posse Rally Kicks Off
"The Panama Posse kicked off their rally to Panama last Wednesday, November 29, with a huge party hosted by Marina Puerto Isla de Navidad, Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico," writes Bay Area sailor Lucie Mewes of the Van de Stadt 41 Georgia, which has been cruising Mexico the last three years.
"The fleet consists of 40 yachters on sailboats and motoryachts who intend to cruise the coast of Central America over the next six months to years. Created by Dietmar and Suzanne Petutschnig of the Lagoon 440 Carinthia, the Posse intends to share fun, weather and notes on anchorages, surf and dive spots as they make their way south. Participating hosts include Marina Riviera Nayarit, Marina Chiapas and the El Salvador Rally."
We asked Lucie if the fleet left port the next day. "Yes, several were sober enough to head out [Thursday] morning. Five more left [Friday], with another three to four leaving over the weekend. Others, like us, want to go to SailFest and GuitarFest in Zihuatanejo before crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Stops in Acapulco, Huatulco and Chiapas will catch the fleet before it leaves Mexico.
"There is a daily Panama Posse SSB Net at 15:15 UTC on 8728 USB. Mike on the Ingrid 38 Easy spoke with his dad in Auburn, California, this morning," added Lucie on Friday. "It’ll be great for providing local weather and anchorage information."
Lucie reports that the first boat arrived at Isla Grande, Ixtapa, on Monday afternoon. See www.panamaposse.com, and the (closed) Facebook group PanamaPosse.