Classified: A Friendship Sloop, a Sailing School, and Jobs
Have you look in Latitude 38’s Classy Classifieds lately?
The Classys continue to hold an incredible variety of treasures to inspire a vast sea of dreams. Just because they’re classified doesn’t mean they’re top secret. This is classified information you are allowed to take home with you.
What are the options? You could consider a career change and buy a successful sailing school on the San Francisco waterfront. Or buy a classic San Francisco Bay Area-built Friendship sloop or find a job as a dockmaster or Harbor Patrol.
The September issue of Latitude 38 tells the story of Allen Gross’s Folly, starting with the comment, “In 1976, it was time to buy a boat. Having been taught to sail by Cass Gidley in 1967, I had sailed once on the Tia Mia, a Friendship-style sloop that Cass sold to David Coy in order to buy the Yo Ho Ho (a 54-ft Alden cutter). That sail changed my life. I knew then that I wanted a wooden boat. The hunt began.” Allen went on to buy the sloop Folly, built in 1889, which he still owns today.”
Now Tia Mia is for sale in Latitude’s Classifieds. David has owned the boat since he took Allen sailing in 1976, and now it’s time to pass Tia Mia on.
David’s partner, Ana Webb, wrote in to say David has owned Tia Mia for about 55 years and worked for Myron Spaulding — whom he described as the best employer he ever had — off and on for many years. Ana went on to say that Tia Mia is slipped in San Rafael Yacht Harbor. David just completed bottom painting and repairs in preparation for selling the boat. Both Tia Mia and David turned 80 this year!
The Webbs hope to find someone who would love and care for Tia Mia as much as David has. (Ana called David a capable boatwright who is 85% finished with a total rebuild.) David’s long sailing history includes captain of the Cornell Sailing Team and building a Polynesian voyaging canoe. He then went on to earn a living salmon fishing in Tia Mia. She’s an extremely seaworthy sailboat that has cruised extensively from Mexico to Oregon with an extremely capable captain in her longtime owner, David Coy. The story of Tia Mia is a 55-year love affair that only rarely becomes available.
She’s now in Latitude 38’s Classifieds.
Ready for a career change? Drew Harper has run Spinnaker Sailing San Francisco out of South Beach Harbor for over 40 years, and he too is ready for a change. The business is now for sale. “This is a turnkey business with a dedicated staff who’s staying on, and I am willing to stay on as long as needed (and consult afterward as needed) to help with a smooth transfer,” Drew said.
Beyond buying a vintage sailboat or sailing business, you can find jobs on the waterfront here. Jobs currently listed include Harbor Patrol positions on Catalina Island, harbor- and dockmasters, instructor for Modern Sailing, or membership sales for Club Nautique.
Of course, there are dozens of sailboats for sale, like the recently posted Schumacher-designed Capo 30 for $19,500. If you haven’t looked lately, we know it’s because you’re just resisting temptation, but it’s always good to have dreams and consider the options.
Plus, it’s always a great day to buy a sailboat.
Team USA’s Hans Henken Injured in Drama-Filled SailGP Weekend in Italy
What appeared to be a routine SailGP F50 catamaran nosedive for Jimmy Spithill’s Team USA in the third race of Season 4 in Taranto, Italy, turned dangerously serious as flight controller Hans Henken from Coronado was seriously injured and rushed to a local hospital after being knocked unconscious.
The seriousness of the incident became immediately apparent as Spithill Team USA’s SailGP Team driver and CEO radioed for SailGP medical assistance on the racecourse.
Henken was injured when the US SailGP Team’s F50 catamaran crashed off the foils and submerged the leeward hull, where Henken was positioned, knocking him unconscious for a short time. Spithill went to see his crew at the hospital after the incident, and reported back to the team that Hans was in good spirits. Henken stayed in the hospital one night for observation, and was released yesterday.
“He has a recovery road ahead of him,” said a US SailGP team representative.
“Clearly we were racing with a lot of purpose today,” said Spithill. “Without a doubt, this was the toughest event we’ve ever had as a team, given what happened with Hans yesterday. He sent us a message this morning to get out there and ‘crush it,’ and yeah, we did. I’m really thankful to the team for really focusing on the day and getting some good results.”
“I think this may have been the first time in my career that every single person was cheering for us,” said Spithill, referring to the solidarity shown by fans and competitors alike in support of Henken. “You always want to win, but I feel like we had the extra motivation and definitely the extra energy today.”
Unfortunately, during the final race today the wind evaporated, leaving the powerful F50s parked. The 16-minute time limit elapsed, and despite the US leading, the race was terminated.
By some scoring miracle, Team USA made the podium finale and was leading when the race was abandoned due to lack of wind (sound familiar?) and the event win was awarded to Emirates Team GBR.
Third place was set to go to France, but when Canada pipped Quentin Delapierre’s team at the finish line in fleet Race 5, USA secured the third spot instead.
This weekend’s scoring sees New Zealand maintain its position on the overall season leaderboard. The Kiwis were granted an automatic fifth-place finish, and six compensatory points, after they were rendered unable to compete in the fourth event of the season late last week following the full structural failure of the team’s wingsail at the last event in Saint-Tropez. It was determined the league could not feasibly transport and fit out a replacement wingsail for the team in time for this weekend’s event. SailGP has now amended its rules so that up to six points can be awarded by the class authority for each of the events missed if a team sustains an equipment breakdown and it is not able to supply the necessary replacement parts to get the team back on the water.
New Zealand driver and co-CEO Peter Burling said he was disappointed that the decision was based on average points across the fleet, rather than the team’s performance so far this season.
“It’s frustrating that in this instance, organizers haven’t considered our performance in Chicago, Los Angeles and on day one in Saint-Tropez,” said Burling. “It means that on top of a bad result in Saint-Tropez because we weren’t able to compete on day two, we’re also now carrying a fifth heading into Cádiz and the rest of the season.
“At the same time, we’re ready to accept it and move on,” said Burling. “This is what’s been decided and it’s good to get something and have provisions in place if this were to happen again.”
Alongside race management, all team CEOs were consulted on the decision.
Asked his views on whether the Kiwis should receive compensatory points for this weekend’s event, Australian driver and team CEO Tom Slingsby said he felt divided. “It’s a hard one to answer. Competitive Tom is saying ‘no and bad luck and move on,’ but realistic Tom is saying ‘I understand that they didn’t really make any mistake there.’”
Taylor Canfield will potentially fill in for Henken as flight controller in SailGP’s next event in Andalusia-Cádiz, Spain, on October 14 and 15.
We are all sincerely grateful and relieved that Henken will be OK. As in all forms of high-speed racing, it is exhilarating to watch, but sometimes it is incredibly dangerous to be a part of!
Hear Hans talk about his recovery and his 2024 Paris Olympics preparation in Good Jibes Episode #135.
Who’s Heading South in the Baja Ha-Ha? Part 2
We now bring you Part 2 of a sneak peek into some Baja Ha-Ha profiles. Click here for Part 1.
Counting Stars — Whitby 42
Denis Heinrichs and Rosario Passos
Port Moody, British Columbia
Denis, 55, is a computer programmer, while spouse Rosario is an instructional designer.
Their crew will be Jennifer Handley and Campbell Good, 67 — a very experienced wife-and-husband team. Jennifer and Campbell sailed their boat Camdeboo to the South Pacific in 2006 with their two daughters, a niece, a nephew, and Jennifer’s brother. By the time Camdeboo returned to Victoria in 2011 she had visited 14 countries, had 25,000 miles under her keel, and had welcomed 27 people aboard as crew.
“My wife Rosario and I have been sailing for about 15 years,” reports Denis. “Our first boat was a Catalina 27. Our Whitby 42 ketch is a slow but solid and comfortable Brewer design from 1980. These days, she’s a bit unusual because she has two masts. Two are better than one, right?
“We’ve done quite a refit on Counting Stars over the last eight years; we re-wired and re-plumbed her. This spring we redid the standing rigging, installed mast pulpits, built and installed a watermaker, and added a Hydrovane self-steering system. We did all the work ourselves, although we did get advice from experts.
“Six years ago, we crewed on a friend’s boat from La Paz to the Galápagos. Even though it took 21 days, we are still friends.
“We’ve had our offshore dream for most of our 15 years of sailing. Our crew for the Ha-Ha have been our inspiration for sailing offshore, as they have sailed the South Pacific with their family. They are our sailing heroes. This will be our first Ha-Ha, and we’re really excited. When it’s over, we plan to enjoy the Sea of Cortez for several years.
“Our favorite quote is: ‘Live your dreams, don’t dream your life.'”
Empty Space — Seawind 1160 Lite Cat
Hank Boland
Salt Lake City, UT
Hank, 69, is a retired tech consultant. His core crew will be his son, also named Hank, 39, who is an engineer, and Hank the second’s son, Hank, 4, a student of life and a construction equipment expert. “We call the young one Henry,” says Hank the elder, “because it gets confusing when everybody has the same name. I will be looking for additional crew, but they can’t be named Hank.
“I backed into sailing,” says Hank the elder. “At age 22 I needed just a half credit to graduate and get my first degree, so I took a sailing class. I’ll never forget the first time I pulled in the mainsheet on that little Sabot. OMG! I’ve never looked back. The Caribbean, Greece, Belize, Mexico, San Francisco, the Channel Islands and San Diego, I’ve sailed at all of them. But my favorite thus far is the remote and beautiful Great Salt Lake. There’s lots of one-design and PHRF racing on the lake, too!”
To show you how imaginative tech consultants can be, Hank the elder has owned five boats, the last three of them all named Empty Space. Never say never. “I swore I would never buy a new boat,” reports Hank the elder, “but that’s exactly what I did. A brand-new Seawind 1160 Lite cat. She’s so cute and a real sweetheart.
“My son Hank has sailed most of the destinations listed above and loves PHRF and one-design racing as well. This will be our first Ha-Ha. My longest passage so far has been Seattle to San Francisco. After the Ha-Ha, I plan to cruise the Sea of Cortez and mainland Mexico.
“My favorite quote is ‘Eat dessert first.’ My favorite dessert is chocolate.”
Endless Summer — Catalina 42 MkII
Dave and Michelle Opheim
Alameda (1999)
Dave, 57, a vet of the 1999 Ha-Ha on the Lagoon 37 cat Aida, is a retired Network Engineer; Michelle is retired from the Dentistry Field. Their crew includes Manny Rubio, 61, Max Perez, 58, and Jim Schulz, 56, as well as Bosun, their 5-year-old black cat.
Dave’s dad taught him how to sail when he was 8, so let’s just say it’s been a long time. Michelle’s parents introduced her to boat life at age 1, and she has been sailing with Dave since 2006. That was the year they met at a yacht club in Marin County. They then moved across the SF Bay and have been Oakland Yacht Club members for ~7 years.
They’ve owned their Catalina 42 MKII Endless Summer for “13 Wonderful Years,” and it is the last boat they’ll ever need. They love her!!! Previously, Dave owned a Catalina 27 and an O’Day 27 that he raced in the Bay.
“Our plans are to cruise the mainland and southern Mexico in the winter, then head back north into the Sea of Cortez in the spring. The boat will spend the summer on the hard in the extreme northern Sea at Puerto Peñasco until we return the following fall. We intend to cruise the Sea of Cortez for a number of years or until it’s no longer fun, as we’ve been dreaming about it for a long time. But like most sailors’ plans, ours are written in sand at low tide.
“When it comes to desserts, it’s hard to pass up a good bread pudding à la mode, especially with raisins.” When it comes to ice cream, Dave says “There’s no reason to ruin a perfectly smooth vanilla ice cream by adding nuts etc…”
Dave is such a common name that he goes by “Dave O,” so Michelle naturally goes by “Michelle O.”
Advantage — Catalina 320
Glen and Sandra Doersam
San Diego
Glen, 63, is a retired city employee, while Sandra Lee-Doersam is a senior project manager. The two will doublehand. Wait, this just in! They’ll be joined by daughter Joanna, 21, a student on semester break.
“My wife and I come from totally different backgrounds,” Glen reports. “Originally from New York City, Sandra is a techie project manager now stationed in San Diego after a 25-year detour to Silicon Valley. Her latest project is Advantage and the Baja Ha-Ha. She is tenacious when it comes to a project and does not rest until it is complete. She is my first and best mate.
“I was born into the Navy at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. I boarded my first ship at age 4, where my dad was a Senior Chief Gunner’s Mate. Right out of high school, I went back to the sea. I spent seven years in the Navy sailing all over the Western Pacific, with a small stint in the Caribbean. I am not a know-it-all as I’m still learning the sailing ropes. But I do know how to stand watches, work long hours, and get planes off the pointy end of an aircraft carrier.
“When I left the Navy, I didn’t leave the sea too far behind. I met my Sandra in San Diego, and we moved up to the Bay Area. I worked for the City of Oakland for 22 years, where I stood long watches under stressful conditions and flew jet helicopters for five years.
“Sandra and I learned to sail dodging container ships coming in and out of the Oakland Estuary. We also had to learn to deal with the tricky winds and tides while sailing through the Golden Gate. We moved back to San Diego seven years ago, and two years ago bought our first boat, Advantage, a vet of the 2018 Ha-Ha.
“My favorite quote is from another Bay Area refugee here in San Diego: ‘Bay Area sailors know how to tack; Southern California sailors know how to anchor.’
“We’ve done some overnights in our 12 years of sailing, but no long passages yet. We consider ourselves to be rookies looking forward to a good challenge. And what is life without a good, calculated challenge? We are open to possibilities after the Ha-Ha: return on the Bash, maybe a Puddle Jump, or maybe Hawaii.
“My dream is to boldly take our 320 to where no 320 has gone before — Tahiti. I love the sea, as nothing else can treat you with such kindness, then slap the crap out of you for disrespecting her.”
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A Preview of October Regattas Aplenty
Bridging the Calendar Pages
The first weekend in October actually starts in September. It will be a busy one for yacht racers in California.
- The 5O5 Worlds are under way and will wrap up on October 1 at St. Francis YC.
- Los Angeles YC will host the Mercury Pacific Coast Championship on September 29-October 1.
- BAYS Winter #1 in Santa Cruz on September 30-October 1 will also serve as a USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival. SCYC will host.
- Corinthian Yacht Club’s Fall Regatta will race on September 30, October 14 and November 4. “Keep your crews in top form ahead of the winter series races,” says CYC. “Come out and enjoy some casual racing on the Bay as the season winds down for another year. Save the dates on your calendar, get your crew together, and be reminded what casual racing is all about.”
Lots More San Francisco Bay Regattas
Most Midwinter series don’t begin until November, but a notable exception is the Berkeley Chowder Races. Run almost every Sunday October-March, these resemble BYC’s Friday Night Races — like beer cans during the day.
The Singlehanded Sailing Society’s Vallejo 1-2 will sail from the Berkeley Circle to Vallejo YC singlehanded on October 7, and then from VYC to RYC on Sunday doublehanded, with hospitality at VYC in between. Inverness YC will host the Vanguard 15 Championship on Tomales Bay the same weekend. El Toros will Stampede at Richmond YC on October 8.
The Express 37 fleet is preparing for their Nationals on October 13-15. “Each boat needs 8-10 crew, and if we get 10 boats to show, we start to see some pretty good numbers!” writes fleet captain Jens Jensen of Snowy Owl. “Our regatta is hosted by San Francisco YC this year in conjunction with the Express 27 Nationals at the same time.”
Looking forward to the ILCA Masters Nationals at Alameda Community Sailing Center on October 13-15? Save $20 if you register by October 1.
RYC will host a Fall One Design Invitational on October 13-15. The event will include the Olson 25 Nationals. “This three-day regatta will have a distance race on Friday and a planned total of seven buoy races Saturday and Sunday,” writes David Scott of the Berkeley-based O’Mar. The regatta will also serve as the Wylie Wabbit Nationals and the J/24 District Championship.
On October 14, the new Classics Season Championship will conclude with the Jessica Cup, hosted by StFYC. The regatta is open to all Classic boats of traditional design and construction with a minimum of 30 feet on deck, the Bird class, and boats in the Spirit of Tradition class. StFYC’s Fall Invitational invites Knarr, Folkboat, J/24 and Alerion 28 classes to race on October 14-15, then it will be the dinghies’ turn the following weekend (5O5, I14, 29er, C420, I420, Laser, FJ, RS Tera, RS Feva and Opti classes).
SFYC will host the Mercury Nationals on October 20-21 (yes, that’s a Friday-Saturday).
The Yacht Racing Association is introducing “a new, short, fun, race with a big, fun, raft-up!” on October 21. “We’ll race from north of Treasure Island around Alcatraz and back, then drop sails and raft up in Clipper Cove for some relaxed fun. Bring some extra snacks and drinks, come in for a couple hours and celebrate the end of the summer season–and the start of the Midwinters. Or… stay overnight! Bring some dinner and breakfast and be part of the after-party. What happens in Clipper Cove… is easily seen from the Bay Bridge. But we won’t tell.”
A skippers’ meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, October 17 at 7 p.m. “We will be providing a chart to aid boats entering/leaving the raft-up area,” says the YRA. “We anticipate boats entering and/or leaving 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. will have a minimum of 9 feet of navigable depth.” Learn more and sign up on Jibeset.
Tiburon YC’s Joan Storer Memorial Women’s Regatta on October 21 will be a pursuit race. A woman must be at the helm. “Join us at the clubhouse after the race for hosted bar, appetizers and live music, with special guests John Storer and family. Register for the regatta here on Jibeset.” On that same Saturday, El Toros will sail their Corkscrew Slough Regatta in Redwood City, courtesy of Sequoia YC. And, Oakland YC will host an Oktoberfest race and party, with a South Bay start and a down-the-Estuary finish.
TYC will host the Red Rock Regatta on October 28, the last race in their Round the Rocks Race Series.
RYC’s Great Pumpkin Regatta will race around the buoys on Saturday, October 28, and around Angel Island and Alcatraz on Sunday the 29th. Saturday night’s costume-party theme will be Monster Mash, with dancing to the tunes of Shark Sandwich.
Meanwhile, in San Diego
San Diego YC will host the International Masters Regatta on October 20-22. The club will follow that up with the San Diego Lipton Cup on October 27-29. Both regattas will use J/105s.
Not Races, but Racing-Related
Pacific Cup YC is in full-on prep mode for next July’s race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. On October’s calendar is a Pac Cup Aloha Social co-hosted by Treasure Island YC at the historic Treasure Island Administration Building 1, this Sunday, October 1, 2-4:30 p.m. The agenda will feature presentations by PC veterans, networking with ocean sailors and potential crew, and the opportunity to purchase pupus and special cocktails. See https://pacificcup.org/fall/2023. (Sadly, the Pacific Cup will be the only race from the West Coast to Hawaii next year; the 2024 Vic-Maui Race has been canceled. More on that in November’s Racing Sheet in Latitude 38.)
US Sailing will host an online Basic Race Management Seminar for Women Only. The seminar will be taught by Regional Race Officers Mary Ellen DeFrias and Cynthia Parthemos. The seminar comprises three live 2.5-hour Zoom sessions on Monday, October 16; Wednesday, October 18; and Friday, October 20. All sessions will be 3-5:30 pm Pacific Time. US Sailing course registration fee is $40.
But Wait — There’s More
Lots more. You’d think the racing schedule would thin out in October — au contraire, mon frère. Look for many more worthy events in the Calendar section of Latitude 38. The next issue will come out this Friday, September 30. Also check the 2023 Northern California Sailing Calendar and YRA Schedule. And, as always, feel free to mention regattas you’re planning or looking forward to in the Comments below.
Did Your Hat Go Where the Wind Blows?
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