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October 27, 2021

A Relaunched Annapolis Sailboat Show and Sailboat Market

It’s been over a week since we returned from our annual pilgrimage to the Annapolis Sailboat Show — annual except for last year. Returning this year was once again a rewarding and reinvigorating experience. Annapolis is a beautiful town, rich with sailing culture, October is an ideal time to visit, and most of all, the show is packed with sailors, vendors and sailboats to inspire and fulfill any sailing dreams.

Tartan 37 Isobel
Kevin and Alice Miller from Akron, OH, sail their Tartan 37 Isobel out of Sandusky.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

You run into people from all over the country and all over the world. And we were sure we’d encounter some Californian sailors when we ran into Kevin Miller, wearing a black Latitude 38 T-shirt. Once again we were reminded: Never make assumptions. Kevin travels to San Francisco on business and started enjoying reading the magazine and continues to follow it on ‘Lectronic Latitude regularly. This while he and Alice enjoy their summer sailing on Lake Erie in Ohio.

Latitude 38 restaurant
Did you know Annapolis is also on Latitude 38? That’s why this local restaurant claims they didn’t name it after a West Coast magazine.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John
Annapolis Lots of Boats
There were flags flying from lots of boats on sunny days.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

Monohulls still outnumber multihulls, but there were plenty of both, and mostly they all come in large and extra-large. There were some small boats from Zim, Topaz, Hobie, Melges and RS, but the trend toward big, fancy cruising boats continues with boats from Oyster, Amel, Royal Passport, and Hylas (pictured below), plus mid-size to large, beautiful boats from all the major production boat builders.

Hylas 57
Peggy Huang of Hylas Yachts shows off their new 57.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

Last year’s cancellation only made the show more refreshing and rewarding this year. We spent four days walking the docks, tents and booths, confirming the accuracy of the headline news — sailing is very popular, demand for boats, gear and equipment is strong, and the primary constraints are the supply-chain issues of finding people, materials and distribution to deliver the finished product to waiting sailors.

Annapolis Boat Show Line to get in
At 10 a.m. the line to get into the show stretched around the block.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

Aside from a late-afternoon rain squall on Saturday, October 16, the weather this year was perfect. The lines to get into the show each morning stretched down the street, and the lines to board a boat stretched down the docks. Dealers and manufacturers were taking orders for boats, with many of the deliveries scheduled a year or two, or more, in the future. Nonetheless, new boats are being ordered and delivered.

Kurt Jerman
Kurt Jerman from West Coast Multihulls in San Diego was on the Excess Catamaran docks.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

Most of the world’s charter locations are also reopening. Charter companies report strong demand as health protocols at most destinations are now traveler-friendly, and charter weeks have been booking fast. Russ Goedjin of Shelter Bay Marina in Panama, pictured below, reports that Panama has changed their chartering laws so that at some point in the future there may be more chartering opportunities there.

Russ Goedjen of Shelter Bay Marina in Panama was on hand to answer questions
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

The pandemic’s silver lining for sailing was on full display in Annapolis, with current owners upgrading their now more active boats, while many new and younger sailors were looking to expand their sailing horizons with new boats. Once again, Annapolis refreshed our enthusiasm for sailing.

Get This Week’s Good Jibes with Jim Hancock

This is Good Jibes Episode #12, and this week we’re casting off with San Francisco Sailing Science Center president and founder Jim Hancock. This episode covers everything from crossing an ocean to inspiring the next generation of sailors! Listen in as Latitude 38 publisher and Good Jibes host John Arndt chats with Jim about how to turn your passion for sailing into both your favorite hobby and your career.

Jim grew up in a boating family, would build models of sailboats as a child, and in 1999 embarked on a voyage from California to Australia. Hear what goes into sailing around the world, how the San Francisco Sailing Science Center aims to inspire and where the idea came from, why the Bay Area sailing community is so special, and why sailing is one of the most fun and valuable things you can do.

Jim Hancock
Jim untied the dock lines and turned left.
© 2021 Jim Hancock

Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

  • When did Jim first go sailing?
  • What inspired him to start the Sailing Science Center?
  • Does he still sail recreationally?
  • What makes the Bay Area sailing community special?
  • How long did Jim take to get to Australia?
  • Where is he in the lifespan of the Sailing Science Center?
  • What is the biggest barrier to people going sailing?
  • Short Tacks: What is Jim’s racing-to-cruising ratio?

Check out the episode and show notes for more details.

You can listen to this and previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!

Good Jibes is brought to you by the Safe Boating Campaign, in partnership with the National Safe Boating Council and US Coast Guard. Learn more at SafeBoatingCampaign.com.

Pegasus Voyages Are Back on the Bay

This week we received good news from the Bay Area’s Pegasus Project. In an email sharing the update, Captain Bob wrote, “The good ship Pegasus is back in action with brand-new masts and shakedown sails under her belt.” The organization is now looking for volunteers to help run the programs.

“We are actively seeking volunteers (those already rated as crew for now please) to sign up for two upcoming training sails, as well as our first voyage with kids since the start of the pandemic.”

Pegasus on the Bay
Pegasus is a 51-ft Alden design built in 1972 in Maine.
© 2021 Pegasus Voyages

“We are very excited to be hosting a group of public school kids from right here in Berkeley who form a group called Heirs to Our Oceans, with a focus on marine conservation. These kids range in age from 6th to 10th grade, are all vaccinated, have won awards for their work, and have a PBS special about them coming out. We are thrilled to have them as guests and it should be a really fun sail for guests and volunteers alike.”

Pegasus Project’s mission is to enable youth to become productive members of a sustainable society through positive outdoor environmental education, and by reinforcing life skills.

Pegasus sails from Berkeley Marina in the East Bay.
© 2021 Pegasus Project

 

The training dates are Friday, October 29, and Sunday, November 7, and the kids’ voyage is Sunday, November 14. If you haven’t crewed with Pegasus Project and would like to help out, or would like to sail aboard Pegasus, please email the group here.

The Pegasus Project has taken thousands of kids sailing on the Bay aboard Pegasus while engaging them in education about the marine environment. The project is funded by charter revenues, foundation grants, in-kind contributions, and private donations.

“A strong crew is at the core of the Pegasus Project. The boat cannot leave the dock without the crew. If you can’t be on the water with kids, you can easily support Pegasus’ mission, ‘No Child Left Ashore!’ by hitting the friendly yellow donate button here.

“As always, I’ll finish by thanking our donors and volunteers for all you do … we couldn’t do it without you.” – Captain Bob.

If you have information about a youth sailing program, let us know so we can add the details to Latitude 38‘s San Francisco Bay Area Youth Sailing page.

November and Midwinter Regatta Preview

New Midwinter Series

The beer-can racing scene is wrapped up for the fall, and our thoughts turn to midwinter racing. Northern California sailors have a plethora of options from which to choose this year.

New to the midwinters calendar this year are the Yacht Racing Association’s Shorthanded Sunday Series for doublehanders, starting and finishing at Golden Gate Yacht Club on the San Francisco Cityfront, and Spinnaker Sailing of Redwood City’s Winter One Design Series. The latter will begin on November 7, and the former on November 21. Ten Merit 25s have registered for the Redwood City series in two divisions: Spinnaker and Jib and Mainsail.

The Usual Suspects

The new series above will join the usual suspects that start in November, including (in alphabetical order):

Racers in SYC’s Chili Midwinters beat to the weather mark in a race last year.
© 2021 Niki Scioli

November Is for Turkeys

Turkey-themed regattas in November include:

TYC racers sail past San Quentin
Warm, sunny weather, light wind, scenic views of Marin County — must be TYC’s Wild Turkey Race.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / Chris

More Stand-Alone Regattas

Among other regattas in November are:

The Vanguard 15 Invitational, hosted by Bay View Boat Club on November 6. Fleet 53.

Richmond YC’s Amazing Grace Cheney Cup for women skippers on November 7.

The Big Sail, Cal vs. Stanford on the Cityfront at St. Francis YC on Tuesday, November 16.

We’ll have many more listed for your sailing pleasure in Calendar in the November issue of Latitude 38, coming out on Monday, November 1.

Meet the Sailors Sailing to Mexico
More than 200 sailors have been migrating south through the Channel Islands and Southern California for the 27th Baja Ha-Ha, which departs on November 1!
Environmental Catastrophes Continue
As investigations continue regarding the recent oil spill in Southern California, a container ship in the Pacific Northwest has been battling a fire.