US Sailing Team and Kilroy Realty to Host Crissy Field Beach Cleanup
US Sailing and US Sailing Team premier sponsor Kilroy Realty are hosting a Sustainability Day for youth sailors in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, August 13, 2021, at Crissy Field.
US Sailing has invited youth sailors and summer camp participants representing the Bay Area for a fun day focused on best practices in sustainability and protecting our oceans and waterways. The event will also feature a collection of the top kiteboarders in the country, who will be teaching the participating youth sailors about the sport.
Activities will include marine debris cleanup and hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education activities involving sailing. The participating youth will engage in a simple-machines scavenger hunt as part of US Sailing’s Reach initiative for STEM education. They will also learn more about kiteboarding and opportunities to participate in this exciting sport.
Featured Community Day kiteboarders scheduled to participate include Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, California), a four-time IKA Formula Kite Class World Champion and two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (2019 and 2016). Moroz will be joined by other top kiteboarders Evan Heffernan and Markus Edegran. These athletes will be competing in West Marine US Open Sailing – San Francisco, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, Treasure Island Sailing Center, and San Francisco Yacht Club on August 13-15, 2021.
The US Sailing, Kilroy Realty and Surfrider Foundation community beach cleanup is open to the public starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 13, at Crissy Field.
To learn more contact Jen Guimaraes at US Sailing.
Delta Doo Dah at Owl Harbor’s Color Rhapsody Extravaganza
Devery Stockon and her crew at Owl Harbor Marina really outdid themselves this year, perhaps making up for last year’s hiatus. Their annual tenant party pulled out all the stops, and Delta Doo Dah cruisers were invited.
Dinghy Poker Run
The day’s events started with a dinghy poker run in the morning. The fleet of small craft (and even one craft-less swimmer) made its way from dock to dock picking up poker cards.
The best five-card stud poker hand won $100 and the low hand won $50 in cold hard cash.
Chris Maggiora of Sausalito had the low hand; she keeps a Harbormaster houseboat on B Dock. Owl Harbor’s Jenny Kauffman handed out the cash under the watchful eye of Captain Barbados.
Back on Land
Partygoers whiled away the relaxing afternoon in the shade of colorful umbrellas and white paper lanterns.
Artists could try their hand contributing to a group painting, and a tie-dye station was set up under the trees below the levee.
Happy hour rolled around with a fabulous (in presentation and flavor) charcuterie board, followed by a BBQ supper with homemade salads and decadent desserts. An outdoor movie on the grass (The Sandlot, 1993) capped off the day.
One official event remains on the 2021 Delta Doo Dah itinerary, on August 14 at Delta Bay Marina; we’ll have info on that in ‘Lectronic Latitude on Friday.
San Francisco on the Bay: “Trail Guide”
Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.
Latitude 38’s Fall Crew List Party Is Shaping Up
Woo-hoo! Latitude 38‘s fall Crew List Party is only five weeks away. That’s long enough for us to get organized and ensure that you have a good time and have every opportunity to meet with sailors and people who are keen to become sailors. The whole idea of our crew list parties is to bring the sailing community together, and while they’re together, help them to forge long-lasting friendships and sailing connections. Past parties have resulted in crew finding boats to sail on, and boat owners finding crew to join their boat — whether they’re into racing, daysailing or cruising, all manner of connections are made at out parties. We even know of life partners who met at a Latitude crew party — though, when you think about it, if sailing is life, then all sailing connections made are essentially life partnerships. Yes?
A feature of the fall Crew List Party coming up on September 9 is the annual Cruising Mexico seminar. This seminar is presented each year by Dick Markie of Paradise Village Marina and Geronimo Cevallos of Marina El Cid, and runs from 4:30 to 5:45 — it ends right before the party starts so you can sail from one to the next. The seminar is largely for sailors signed up for the Baja Ha-Ha and is a valuable resource. Seats for the seminar are first come, first served, so sign up early.
The party will also feature a number of Baja Ha-Ha sponsors, all of whom will be sharing the latest information about what to expect and how to prepare for your voyage south. Of course they’re not there just for the people who are signed up for the Baja Ha-Ha; the sponsors have information for anyone who’s planning on heading south, whether sooner or later. Plus there’ll be local sailing partners and organizations who will also share their knowledge and stories, and no doubt invite you to look at or join their crews.
And let’s not forget the fact that the crew parties are just downright fun! Who ever came away from a Latitude 38 crew party and said, “That was boring; I wish I hadn’t gone.” No one, ever! If that did happen to anyone, well, we can only presume they’re not sailors.
So, here’s how to join the party.
Date: September 9
Place: Bay Model Visitor Center, Sausalito.
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cruising Mexico Seminar time: 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
How to get tickets: Go to our Party page on Eventbrite. When you land there, hit the big green button that says ‘Tickets.’ You will then be directed to a page on which you can choose a ‘General Admission’ ticket – $10.00, or a ‘Baja Ha-Ha Skipper & First Mate ONLY’ ticket – $0.00. Whichever ticket you choose, you will have to go through the motions of ‘purchasing’ even if you’re getting the ‘Free’ ticket. Easy!
Now that you have your ticket, here’s the next step — sign up on our Crew List page and get a head start on making those connections.
From 5O5s to Kite Foiling: Mike Martin Embraces the Speed
Sailors are no doubt familiar with the name Mike Martin. In 2019 we shared the news that US Sailing had named Mike and his crew Adam Lowry (both International 5O5 World Champions and both from Mill Valley) as Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year. In February 2020 the pair were honored at the awards ceremony aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. In the same ceremony, IKA Formula Kite Class World Champion Daniela Moroz of Lafayette was awarded Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year for the second time. Did rubbing shoulders with Moroz inspire the champion 5O5 sailor to take up kite foiling?
Mike Martin was competing at this year’s Delta Pro kite foiling event at Sherman Island, Rio Vista, CA, when Kite Foil League caught up with Martin to talk about his transition to kite foil racing. A big thanks to Kite Foil League for sharing this interview with us. Here’s a transcript:
Mastering the Foil with Mike Martin
At California Triple Crown event number one, the Delta Pro at Sherman Island, Mike Martin took charge of the Masters Division leaderboard. We caught up with Mike to find out about his path so far, on the foil.
So Mike, you were ripping out there at the Delta Pro — when did you start foiling and what has that learning curve been like?
I started foiling in 2014. I saw that the future of sailing was foiling, and kite foiling seemed like the best way get into it. Compared to the other options, Moths or cats, it was simpler, less expensive, and faster. As far as the learning curve [goes], it has not been as steep as I would have liked. It is interesting to see that in foil kiting, youth is a big advantage. In pretty much every case that I have seen, younger riders pick up skills quicker than older riders. That said, for any age the sense of accomplishment in improving kite foiling skills is super-rewarding.
Obviously a lot of people know you from your successes in the 5O5, 18-ft skiffs, I 14s — a lot of two- or three-person boats — but now you’re out there on a singlehanded foil, going three times the speed. Was it a daunting transition?
Singlehanded sailing is nothing new to me. When I was younger I sailed Lasers, winning the North American Champs in a year before most kite foilers were born :-). I also did Finn Olympic campaigns for ’88 and ’92. As for speed, I have always gravitated toward the fastest boat around. Believe it or not, Lasers were considered fast back in the day. Likewise, 5O5s were the fastest dinghy when I started racing them. The same is true for 14s and 18-ft skiff. In the ’90s the windsurfers were the fastest thing on the water so I did a bit of that. So when kite foiling came along it was the next step. The speed is definitely daunting, but that is what I like.
You won the Masters Division at the Delta Pro and were mixing it up with a lot of the younger riders in their 20s and some even younger. Do you think your racing experience gives you an edge? Are you thinking about the race course the same way you do in the 5O5?
Racing experience definitely gives me an edge. It helps make up for everyone [having] better boat- [board-] handling skills. The basics are the same as any boat; it is still racing. You need to assess which side of the course is better based on wind strength, direction and current. You need to determine the cost of doing a maneuver vs what you can gain from it. This is true in any boat.
After racing you seem like the ringleader who rallies the whole group, and gets them to sit down for a debrief. Where did that start, and how has that impacted the learning curve?
Sharing of information started in our 5O5 training group in Long Beach. Everyone gains, which forces even the top sailors to keep improving to keep up. This philosophy has spread to the whole West Coast fleet with amazing results. In the last 5O5 Worlds West Coast sailors were 1,2,3,5.
Do you have any tips for sailors who may have a lot of racing experience, but who are on the fence about learning to race on the foil?
Go for it. It is lots of fun and it will improve your regular sailing. If you have never kited before [it] is probably best to start on a twin-tip and a tube kite until you are comfortable flying the kite. Also, if you have questions, ask the top sailors; they will be happy to help you out. The crew that was third at the last 5O5 Worlds, Eric Anderson, is getting into it, so look out for him in the future.
Final question: I saw that your 5-O [5O5] crew, Adam Lowry, is registered for the Seabreeze Invitational in July, so I have to ask … Who’s going to win the head-to-head!?
Good question! Adam is a bit faster upwind, I am a bit faster downwind, and we both need to work on our maneuvers. When we go head-to-head on Thursdays, whoever sails better comes out ahead, so it should be a good matchup.
Thanks Mike, and good luck in Long Beach at the Seabreeze Invitational!
The Seabreeze Invitational, the second event in the California Triple Crown, was held last month at Belmont Kite Beach in Long Beach, CA. Martin, who competes in the Masters Division, finished the weekend with his “first top-five race finish of the Triple Crown,” which puts him in sixth place in the overall standings. The last event in the series will be the Leadbetter Classic on August 20 – 22 in Santa Barbara.