Lighted Yachts and a Winter Open House Are Coming Next Week!
While some are dreading the onslaught of the holidays, others are giddy with anticipation. Regardless of your preference, there can’t be too many people who don’t enjoy the Lighted Yacht parades, and Spaulding’s annual Winter Open House. December is just a few days away, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on these upcoming events.
Encinal and Oakland Yacht Clubs are hosting their annual Lighted Yacht Parade on December 7, with this year’s theme being “Merry Estuary.”
This 48th parade will set off at 5:30 p.m. from the Alameda side of the Estuary, by Fortman Marina, and continue up to Jack London Square and back. And it’s happening, rain or shine!
The committee has been busy coordinating activities and seeking donations and prizes in support of the parade and this year’s two charity organizations: the Alameda County Community Food Bank and Oakland Fire Department Random Acts of Kindness.
At last count, around 25 boats had signed up to join the parade, and there’s room for more!
“This event is a great way for our collective boating community to come together, not only to bring holiday cheer, but to support local charities, and it could not happen without the participation and support of our boating community. There is still time to register! The more the merrier!”
If you can’t get onto a boat, you can enjoy the parade from the shore. “Watch as boats of all shapes and sizes sail through the Oakland-Alameda Estuary, beautifully decorated in holiday lights and festive themes. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season with family and friends.”
For more information go to www. lightedyachtparade.com.
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On Thursday December 5, Spaulding Marine Center is throwing open the doors for the annual Winter Open House. Join the crew from 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. for a night of art, music, food, friends and festive cheer!
“This family friendly event will kick off the festive season with live music from the Dirt Farm Duo, a local artist market where folks can support local artists by getting a head start on the gift-giving season, face painting for the kiddos, and food and drink to keep you cozy and full. This is a great chance to invite your friends, neighbors and family to see what Spaulding has been up to this year.”
This event is FREE for all to attend, and takes place at Spaulding Marine Center, 600 Gate 5 Road, Sausalito.
Check out our monthly Calendar for more Lighted Boat parades and events around the Bay Area.
Good Jibes #167: The Grand Poobah Richard Spindler on the 30th Annual Baja Ha-Ha
In this week’s episode we spend time with the Baja Ha-Ha cruisers’ rally Grand Poobah, Richard Spindler. Richard chats with Good Jibes host Nicki Bennett to share stories of this year’s 30th Baja Ha-Ha and more.
Richard is the founder of Latitude 38 sailing magazine and the Baja Ha-Ha, which just wrapped up in Cabo San Lucas. Hear how this year compared to previous years, what makes the Baja Ha-Ha so special, highlights from the Turtle Bay Bazeball Game, why Bahía Santa Maria is the most magical place on Earth, and whether there will be a 31st Baja Ha-Ha.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- Prioritizing safety and making the right calls as a leader
- The biggest tuna caught during the rally
- Injuries, cloggings, and water tanks galore
- Watching people’s lives change over the years
- The logistics of planning the Ha-Ha route
- Coordinating with the Mexican government to host so many boats
Learn more at Baja-HaHa.com and check out the photos on Richard’s Facebook page.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
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A Gift of Latitude 38 Home Delivery Brings Monthly Cheer
This is a fun time of year to open the mail at the office. It’s when sailors who received a gift subscription from a friend are renewing their monthly sailing fix for another year. The printed magazine arrives every month, reminding the recipient of the person who gave them the gift and bringing them sailing inspiration, news and entertainment from their fellow West Coast sailors. The magazine also looks great on your coffee table or on the nightstand.
Like many people, we worry about sustainability, which is why our printer uses recycled paper and soy ink. And we saw a note from a printer the other day saying, “Please PRINT this e-mail. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable and sustainable product made from trees. Working forests are good for the environment. Working forests provide clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and carbon storage. US paper companies plant far more trees than they harvest. Today in the US there are 12 million more acres of forest than there were 20 years ago.”
We’re never sure about all the claims people make, but we know of nothing that 8 billion humans do that has no impact on the environment and the planet (including sailing), and we do our best to keep the footprint small and the enjoyment large! Since they’re restarting nuclear power plants to run AI and the web, we’re not sure how low-impact the internet is anymore either.
Some readers may not be familiar with receiving a postcard in the mail saying, “Ahoy Mates!” or mailing a piece of paper in an envelope with a stamp and a dollar amount, a date and a signature on it, but that is how many of our readers reconnect with us every year. However, it’s not necessary to send a check. You can order a gift subscription online with a credit card, and that will take care of it. We offer both first- and third-class subscriptions for $55 and $36 respectively. First class arrives a little faster in an envelope.
We appreciate every subscriber (and reader) who keeps in touch with West Coast sailing through our monthly magazine. Unlike potato chips whizzing down a production line, our magazine is produced by talented and dedicated humans who work hard to create a unique magazine every month with new pictures, stories and sailors on its pages. As always, we go where the wind blows, with an eye on the world of sailing, through the eyes of West Coast sailors (that’s you).
We give thanks to our subscribers, readers, contributors and advertisers who make it possible to connect and support the West Coast sailing world through the monthly magazine, Good Jibes podcast and our newsletters.
If you know someone who’d appreciate seeing Latitude 38 in their mailbox each month, you can order them a gift subscription here.
Note that we’ve linked to our subscription page five times in this story, so you and your friend don’t miss the opportunity to have a relaxing read of Latitude 38 magazine delivered right to your door.
Keep an eye out for the December issue which docks on Monday, December 2.
🦃 Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
A Sneak Peek at the December Racing Scene
Not in December
Richmond Yacht Club announced a change from the original schedule. “I want to make sure that everyone has gotten the update that our Small Boat Midwinters schedule has changed due to the holidays this year,” writes Robin Van Vliet. “The new schedule is: January 5, February 2, March 2 and April 6. As a result of this shift in the schedule, RYC will not hold a Big Dinghy in April. Please join us for this winter series!” RYC’s Small Boat Midwinters normally begins on the first Sunday in December, but that would be December 1 this year, the last day of the long Thanksgiving weekend.
Not in December but Apply Now
Applications are now open for match-racing skippers wishing to compete in the 2025 California Dreamin’ Series. This series features four separate events. It begins with San Diego YC in J/22s on January 25-26 and continues at Balboa YC in GovCup 22s on February 15-16, St. Francis YC in J/22s on March 8-9, and Long Beach YC in Catalina 37s on April 5-6. See the Notice of Series here.
Request invitations to individual stops by submitting the Request for Invitation. Invitation committees will review requests received by December 1 and start issuing invitations until each event is full. Skippers opting for three of the four events will receive priority. But spots are often available to those who can only make one or two. A skipper may win CDS by competing in only the first three events. The top skipper who also competes in Long Beach will earn an invitation to the 2026 Ficker Cup. That team then has a chance to qualify for the 2026 Grade 1 Congressional Cup.
“CDS has incubated scores of skippers and crew into this specialized game and sharpened everyone’s skills for regular fleet racing,” says committee member Bruce Stone of StFYC. “The event is also much sought after by race committee volunteers and umpires, as the action is non-stop. Everyone involved must be focused so we can complete a full round-robin each day. With eight teams competing, that’s 28 matches on Saturday and the same on Sunday, weather permitting. The clubs provide great vantage points for observing the racing.”
Yes in December
Speaking of match racing, Balboa YC in Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) will host a Winter Match Cup on November 30-December 1 in GovCup 22s.
Find many Midwinter Series already in progress in our Calendar, printed in Latitude 38, and online here. One series that starts in December instead of November is Lake Merritt Sailing Club’s Robinson Memorial Midwinters. LMSC invites El Toros, Sunfish and other small boats to race on this urban lake in the heart of Oakland. The series will start on December 14. LMSC doesn’t have a website, so if you’re interested, contact the commodore, Denis, at (707) 338-6955 or via email.
Vallejo YC’s Tiny Robbins Midwinters will kick off on December 7 and run on the first Saturday each month through March. Learn more and sign up on Jibeset.
Monterey Peninsula YC is planning a Boxing Day Race on Saturday, December 28. (Yes, we know, Boxing Day is December 26, but the race is on December 28.) Speaking of Boxing Day, arguably the most exciting first leg of any race is the beat out of Sydney Harbour in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, which does take place on Boxing Day. Only it’s Christmas Day on this side of the International Date Line. Got that?
Happy Thanksgiving, racing fans, and be sure to check the Calendar and racing coverage coming out in the December issue of Latitude 38, on Monday, December 2. (Like RYC, we chose to take the long weekend off.)
Grant Dalton’s Kiwi Hat Trick
Like a family reunion you wish would never end, the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup is over. Now the speculation of when, where and who for the 38th edition begins.
The past few weeks, like the blazingly fast foiling monohulls that “fly” over the course at warp speed, this event seemed to end as soon as it began. Barcelona, hosting the Cup races for the third time, outdid itself, and is certainly in the running for a fourth opportunity.
When Emirates Team New Zealand CEO and boss Grant Dalton pulled up the tent stakes and moved the event from the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland to this sprawling city on the Mediterranean, it was met with a certain amount of controversy and public outcry, as the Kiwis are passionate about their America’s Cup and there was concern that they might lose “home court advantage.”
But Dalton made his point and proved the skeptics wrong as the final score was 7-2 over Great Britain’s INEOS Britannia. Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) has now won twice and defended three times.
On the final downwind leg to the finish, the Kiwis sailed a textbook race, jibing off the right boundary and flying down the course before a final jibe on the port layline angled them to the finish line and the history books to win by 37 seconds. For Sir Ben Ainslie and the British, it might as well have been an hour. As soon as INEOS Britannia crossed the line, they were quick to round up and applaud the victorious ETNZ crew, as Taihoro was almost immediately surrounded by an armada of spectator boats and supporters.
ETNZ has completed a modern-era hat trick. As strong as this group of Challengers appeared to be, New Zealand quickly erased any doubt that they are a dynasty. With the trio of Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, and Nathan Outteridge on board, and the design wizard Dan Bernasconi inventing miracles on the fly, it may be a long time before the Auld Mug has a new master as Defender/Trustee.
“It’s a pretty surreal feeling; it’s still definitely sinking in. In the America’s Cup, you’re all ready for a long battle, but to be able to get it done in just beautiful sailing conditions, with a little bit of shift in it and just so many people cheering us on, was amazing,” said Burling. “It will be interesting to go back and review a couple parts of the race. It felt like we had the boat going really good but couldn’t buy a shift at times. We got a relatively even start, they were quite close, so we just decided to get out to the right that we really liked, but yeah, really pleased the way we just continued to improve through the week. The boat was feeling awesome today and it was a real team effort.”
INEOS Britannia, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, was a worthy opponent, as Ainslie earned more than just a participation prize — his first win marked the first time the British had won an America’s Cup race in nearly a century!
Give the Gift of Latitude this Holiday Season
