A sailboat traveling from Cabo San Lucas to San Diego has gone missing, and debris and an EPIRB have been found, according to people familiar with the incident.

The boat in question is YachtCruz, a 52-ft Irwin ketch, owned by Patrick and Sandi (or Sandy) Foree. There have been rumors and speculation about the nature of the distress for YachtCruz, possibly severe weather, but nothing has been confirmed as of this writing.

"Many have probably seen posts on Facebook from my friend Sandi Foree, aka Go YachtCruz," wrote Connie Cramer Caster on Saturday. "Sandi and Patrick have been sailing for six years around the Caribbean, Panama and up the coast of Mexico. They were headed home toward their new boat slip in Chula Vista. On January 10, the Coast Guard received two distress signals from them but have not found their boat, only their emergency beacon, life jackets, some wood and a mattress on the shore.

The post was echoed by Eva Emelev, Sandi Foree’s daughter. "The Coast Guard has found my mom’s emergency beacon on shore. They have found life jackets, a few bumpers, some wood, a mattress. No other signs of their vessel. The Coast Guard did confirm that they got two distress calls from [their] vessel on Jan 10. However, no vessel was spotted from where [distress] calls came from."

We will keep you updated as this story develops.

This story has been updated.

The  BCDC’s recent loss of their case against John Sweeney’s Point Buckler Island has only caused them to modify their strategy regarding Westpoint Harbor in Redwood City. Despite numerous local citizen supporters and an award-winning environmental design, the BCDC is going out of its way to shut down the facility. In response, supporters are asking people to sign a Change.org petition and attend the next public enforcement hearing this Thursday, January 18, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, Board Room, First Floor, in San Francisco. You can review the full agenda here.

The BCDC was created 50 years ago to help remedy an exceptionally polluted Bay and prevent it from becoming filled in and landscaped, and to provide public access. Seeing so many whales in the Bay this summer reminds us what a success the environmental improvements have been. But environmental goals appear to have overshadowed public access. Is there anything that provides more access to the Bay than a marina? The BCDC touts some of its positive contributions to the Bay as, "The Bay shoreline is now fringed by hundreds of miles of trails, parks, beaches, promenades and restoration projects." But it would be wrong to confuse a Bay fringed by trails, parks and promenades with access. Access means the ability to get in or on the Bay. 

Beaches allow Bay access for swimmers, but Bay access for boaters is provided by marinas, launch ramps, dry storage areas with hoists, yacht clubs and similar facilities. This past weekend we actually wanted to launch a small inflatable for a photo session and were dismayed to find the only places to launch in Marin, a county surrounded by water, were San Rafael, Sausalito, Marshall and Black Point — exceptionally limited.

We think if the BCDC were truly committed to providing Bay access rather than just Bay views, they’d be fully supportive of model marinas like Westpoint Harbor. Sailing the Bay is one of the huge lifestyle magnets for living in the Bay Area and is one reason people might consider paying exorbitant sums to live here. But if the BCDC is going to use their authority to restrict access to the Bay they will be curtailing one of the region’s biggest draws.

We appreciate all the BCDC has done to clean up the Bay, restore marshlands, and prevent Bay fill, but we think their mandate to provide access should make the agency a huge booster of marinas and other marine businesses that support that mission. Like so many agencies the BCDC was created to solve some problems, but this type of action reminds us of the quote, "Having lost sight of our objectives we’ve redoubled our efforts." Saving the Bay and providing access are not mutually exclusive.

Besides being one of the world’s great sailing meccas, the Bay Area is also a world-renowned food and beverage destination. Napa Valley has set the standard, but the food culture that surrounds the entire Bay is unbeatable. And what’s San Francisco Bay but a valley that’s filled up with seawater? If you’re a ‘slow food type’, what could be more natural than a five-knot food-and-wine tour sailing San Francisco ‘Valley’? 

These next two weeks are an especially good time for a slow-food cruise. Both San Francisco and Oakland are promoting their ‘restaurant weeks’ in an attempt to bust your New Year’s resolutions and get you back out on the eating circuit.  Oakland Restaurant Week is January 11-21 (sorry we’re a little late with the ‘heads up’) and San Francisco Restaurant Week is January 22-31. Plus, sailing San Francisco Valley is much better than driving to Napa Valley.  

To help you navigate the Bay’s food scene, we’ve recently updated our 100% accurate, comprehensive, unimpeachable, infallible list of all restaurants within three blocks of a public dock, marina or yacht club. You can check out the list here. If you feel that we missed some spots or have any suggestions, please email us here.

Addition: Hey, we learned something new already. Laraine Salmon wrote to say it’s also Alameda Restaurant Week January 12-21.