Smooth Banderas Bay Blast
On the weekend of December 15-16, the last of the Banderas Bay Blast races concluded with the Pirates for Pupils Spinnaker Run, which raised over $2,000 for the children of Punta de Mita. The event was started by former Latitude 38 publisher and Baja Ha-Ha Grand Poobah Richard Spindler, about the same time as the founding of the Punta Mita Yacht & Surf Club in 2005. The local sailing community supports the event. Many local establishments, such as the Vallarta Yacht Club, Marina Riviera Nayarit, Mike Danielson of PV Sailing, Paradise Village Marina and Punta Mita Yacht & Surf Club help out.
This year’s approximately 20-boat fleet enjoyed a warm, light-air sail from Punta Mita to Paradise Village. Ken Ouwehand of Vancouver, BC, sailed his Pacific Seacraft Orion 27 Island Drifter south from Redondo Beach in 2016. Ken was happy to share photos. He appreciates the support of the local cruising community and their efforts to support the children of Punta de Mita.
Like Zihua SailFest, which happens every February in Zihuatanejo, the Pirates for Pupils Spinnaker Run is one of the many ways the cruising community shows its appreciation for the opportunity to enjoy sailing in Mexico.
Ham Jam Wednesdays
In November, South Beach Yacht Club revived something they call the ‘Ham Jam’. These are just-for-the-heck of it daysails, typically on Wednesdays at noon. The Ham Jam is a two-hour sail with the destination determined by Mother Nature — and a few ideas thrown out by the skippers and crew who show up.
The Ham Jam was named after Pete Hamm, a longtime racer and beloved member of SBYC. The event was worthy of its own trophies back in the day. Now Bill Hackel, Dan Courter, Patti Mangan and Tom Giammona are leading the charge to take to the wind each Wednesday and spend time cruising, jamming and racing a bit. “Namesake Pete Hamm is in to win it as well!” says Patti.
“Interested?” inquires Patti. “Meet at noon on the deck at SBYC overlooking the South Beach Harbor — crew and skippers alike — split up onto available boats and cruise back in happy. BYOB.”
The Ham Jams take a holiday break this week but will resume next Wednesday, January 2. For details, contact Patti at [email protected].
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A Year in Caption Contest(!)s
Thanks to everyone for making another year of the World Famous Latitude 38 Caption Contest(!) such a whopping, quippy success. As many of you know, our expert panel of judges from across the world — who are recruited from the best comedy clubs, sitcoms and raucous bars known to humankind — select one winner and 10 runners up every month. We post the Caption Contest(!) around the middle of the month on ‘Lectronic Latitude, Facebook and Instagram, via smoke signals and Morse code, and, occasionally, as a message in a bottle. The winner is announced each month in the magazine in Loose Lips.
We thought that in the waning days of the year, this was the perfect opportunity to review 2018’s winners (and a few notable runners-up), and to remind said winners that you are now the proud owner of a Latitude 38 T-shirt. A confession: We don’t think we’ve sent out a single shirt the entire year. So please, if you see your caption and name under one of the following photos, please send us an email here and we’ll give you instructions on how to claim your prize. (Sorry, T-shirts are for winners only and not runners up.)
January
February
“Now we can berth this baby without worrying about a fleet of Optimists in nine months.” — Mike Turner
“These pot greenhouses are popping up everywhere.” — Roger Briggs
March
April
“The daymark kept people safe from the rocks while looking absolutely fabulous in this scarf.” — Wooden Boat Magazine
May
June
“The birth of a sailor!” — ” Becky Lacey Elmore
July
“This is why it’s called the ‘foot’ of the sail.” — David Demarest
August
September
October
“Oh, I thought you said you wanted a broach for your lapel!” — Michael Bender
November
December
