Sailors Partied Into the Night at Latitude 38’s Baja Ha-Ha Fall Crew Party
After a foggy start to the day, Thursday afternoon rolled into a comfortable, two-layer-only evening for Latitude 38‘s Baja Ha-Ha Fall Crew List Party at Spaulding Marine Center in Sausalito. More than 250 sailors, sailors-to-be, exhibitors and friends turned out for a night of fun, learning, laughter and camaraderie, forging new friendships and rekindling old. We couldn’t have magicked a better night for such a gathering, and we hope all who attended had as much fun as we did!
We have loads of photos and lots of great stories to share, but not enough time, or space, right now. But we knew you’ll all be wanting to see the pics, so here’s a little peek into last night’s event:
Stay tuned for more photos and sailors’ stories!
Daniela Moroz and US Secure Olympic Berths
US Sailing Olympic athletes recently wrapped up racing at The Hague in the Netherlands, and secured berths in four classes for the 2024 Olympics. Four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Daniela Moroz finished fifth, qualifying the US and herself to compete next year.
The US also qualified for berths in the ILCA 6 Class, with 2021 Wosser Trophy winner Charlotte Rose taking a fifth in class. Other US qualifications came in the 49er class with Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid (USST) finishing fifth, and Ian Barrows and Bay Area sailor Hans Henken (USST) finishing ninth. Tokyo Olympians Steph Roble and Maggie Shea qualified the US with a seventh place in the 49er FX.
The US has been challenged to make it to the Olympics and the podium, with the country’s last sailing Olympic medal being Californian Caleb Paine’s bronze in the 2016 Games in Brazil. The US has now qualified for next summer’s iconic event and has a shot for medals in several classes. We look forward to watching our sailors compete, and regardless of the outcome we congratulate them on making it to the 2024 Olympics.
Steering the Dream With Hydrovane
Hydrovane is your best crew member: an independent self-steering windvane and emergency rudder/steering system … ready to go!
Allen Gross Keeps the Sailing History of ‘Folly’ Alive and Well
How come you never cover xx!#@F%G/? We’re often asked this and tell people not to worry, because we’ll get to it. Sometimes we think, “Hey, we covered them ‘just the other day,'” only to discover it was five or 15 years ago.
This was the case for the cutter Folly, which we’ve had a chance to cover since 1889 when she was first launched on San Francisco Bay! Of course, first, we had to be born and then start a magazine in 1977. Then, 37 years later, we did cover Allen Gross’ relaunching of Folly after an eight-year restoration at San Francisco Boatworks. A boat with such a long and illustrious history (including beating Matthew Turner — the actual guy — in a race in 1890) deserved more coverage. So, as we’ve told so many people, we finally got around to it with a story in our current issue. Even this is not enough, but Monica Grant’s story in the September 2023 issue does cover a splinter or two of Folly’s 134-year history on the Bay.
We couldn’t include every detail or every photo of Folly’s illustrious history that Allen Gross has been collecting, and creating, over his past 47 years of ownership/stewardship. So here we bring you a few more photos that couldn’t be included in the story.
As he says in the article, Allen hauled the boat in 2006 to “address a few issues,” which turned into an eight-year hands-on restoration, culminating in her relaunching in 2014. You can keep Latitude 38’s story on her long sailing career on San Francisco Bay on your bookshelf when you pick up a copy of the current issue at any one of our distributors, including the site of her restoration, San Francisco Boatworks, next door to The Ramp in the city. Grab a copy when you head to your boat this weekend.
Folly is a shining example of the heritage sailing has on San Francisco Bay, and one can only imagine the number of people who have had the pleasure of sailing on her over almost a century and a half. It’s also a tribute to the passionate power of wooden vessels over sailors, and caretakers like Allen Gross, who is making sure Folly is here for generations to come.
We’re happy to finally include a more complete history of Folly in our pages, and if there’s another story we’ve missed, let us know — we’ll get around to it.
The Sausalito Community Boating Center’s Oyster Festival Is on Saturday
Sausalito Community Boating Center (SCBC) is hosting its second annual Oyster Festival on Saturday, from noon to 3 p.m. Just like last year, the festival will feature oysters, raw and baked, along with other food and beverages such as Caesar salad, garlic bread, mac ‘n’ cheese, wine, Fort Point beer and sodas. While festival entry is free, the afternoon is also a fundraiser for the Sausalito Community Boating Center and an opportunity for the center to share their progress.
In addition to oysters, the event will feature artists, ecologists, and dreamers. Plus, the neighboring Sausalito Cruising Club will be hosting its Cruising Club’s Kid’s Day alongside, with crafts, games and a bounce house to keep the young ones entertained. It’s a perfect pairing for a fun family afternoon at the water’s edge in Dunphy Park.
And that’s not all … In addition to great food and fun entertainment, there will also be cool things to learn about, and artists to meet.
Did you know that there’s an experimental oyster reef in the waters off Dunphy Park? This Saturday you can meet the designers who collaborated with the Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS) for the Reef Design Innovations Project and build your own mini-reef ball model! The mission of the EOS (located at S.F. State’s Romberg Tiburon Campus) is to support scientific study of the sea and develop solutions to the environmental problems confronting coastal communities.
Stan Teng, of the International Ocean Film Festival, will talk about the Expedition Amana’s reed boat and the ambitious plan to sail it to Hawaii. Sample reed boats (and maybe some cool films) will be on hand.
And for those who love oysters in any form, Shell’s Shells will be sharing her creations made using oyster and clam shells as a canvas for her gilded inspirations.
Mark your calendar for this free, fun family event.
Date: Saturday, September 9.
Where: Dunphy Park on Bridgeway at Napa Street, Sausalito.
Time: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
San Francisco International Folkboat Regatta
Join the 2023 International Folkboat Regatta September 24-29 at Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon. For schedule of events and registration visit: www.sfbayfolkboats.org/intl-regatta