Northern League Championship Wraps Up in Redwood City
Two days of high school sailing for the Northern League Championship wrapped up in Redwood City on Sunday, amid brisk winds that seemed to suit Alameda High just fine.
Accepting the award, Reid Sojka observed that the team has “sailed all of the Pacific Coast events this year.” That is more than most of the 20 teams competing, which perhaps retells the truism about time in the boat. Strong finishes on Sunday by Sojka and crew Charles Maxey sealed the win over the defenders from Redwood High.
Alameda High sails three days a week in FJs out of Encinal Yacht Club. Its sailors are also practicing for the Sears Cup qualifier in J/22s, on May 10 on the Cityfront, along with many of the Bay’s most ambitious young sailors. The Sears Cup is the US junior keelboat championship, set for August at StFYC.
Given that college sailing, like high school sailing, uses A and B divisions but often recognizes top boats in each of the divisions, it is worth noting that Redwood’s B skipper, freshman Beckett Kern, sailed a killer series with fellow freshmen Jack Kurtowicv and Luke Pialloux alternating as crew. Under the high school scoring system, their performance kept Redwood only five points behind Alameda, 95 to 100.
At 101, Convent and Stuart Hall were close enough to smell their sunscreen.
‘Latitude 38’ April Issue Is Out Now!
The April issue of Latitude 38 is out now! But before we get into the preview, a quick reminder: Tomorrow is the Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party at Bay View Boat Club in San Francisco. We are so excited we probably won’t sleep tonight. Here’s where you can get your tickets, and all the details. Note — there will be no ticket sales at the door, so buy your tickets before you go.
Now, here is the April issue preview:
A Soft Launch Into Cruising — California Coast to the South Pacific
Three of my college friends and I quit our jobs to sail across the Pacific on our 1989 Beneteau 50, which, at 36 years old, is the oldest member of the crew by a decade.
Nereus’s World Cruise
“Nothing is original.” That’s what Dad told the family when he shared his dream to sail around the world. Dad reminded us that Magellan was the first European to dream of a circumnavigation in the early 16th century, and even though Magellan died en route, one of his five ships completed the trip.
What a Boatyard Taught Me About Loneliness
Community is key to our survival, but in modern American life, it’s become increasingly difficult to find. This is why one of my top goals in life is to maintain my interpersonal connections with friends and family, and I work hard to nourish those relationships.
SailGP’s Back-to-Back Crash Course
Two sunny California weekends were served up for SailGP’s first back-to-back race weekends, with the Rolex Los Angeles and then the Oracle San Francisco Grand Prix delivering the thrills, spills and excitement the league was hoping for. Both events filled the grandstands, exceeding expectations on all counts.
We also share all your favorite, monthly columns:
Letters: A Few Readers Did NOT Like That Suggestion; Info, Questions and Critiques on the Local Cruising Scene; To Those Who Never Stop; Tales of Canceling a TIP South of the Border; The Golden Era Is Gone; plus a postbox full of more readers’ letters and comments.
Sightings: Josh Kali’s Mini Globe Challenge; Generations on the Bay for Opening Day; Commodore on the Move Again; Beer Can Racing Heats Up in April; The Officer of the Day Club; and more.
Max Ebb: “Nature vs. Nurture”
Racing Sheet: We transition out of midwinter season into spring this month, with reports from GGYC’s Seaweed Soup Regatta, RYC’s Big Daddy, the SSS Corinthian Race, Island Fever in South Beach, OYC’s Rites of Spring and DRYC’s Opti Midwinters. Box Scores is looking robust, with Midwinter Series getting their own box, and we wrap up this edition with Race Notes.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month on Jack Van Ommen’s latest cruising news; Salty Dancer’s arrival in Costa Rica; Willow V’s long meander through Mexico; looks at the Barra de Navidad Cruise-In Week and Zihuatanejo Sailfest; and a tasty helping of Cruise Notes.
All the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale, Classy Classifieds.
We appreciate all readers and all our supporters — you keep Latitude 38 in print! Please show your appreciation by supporting the advertisers who have made this issue possible.
See our distribution map to find out where you can pick up a magazine near you.
Learn to Race With Modern Sailing
Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party Is on Tomorrow!
Get your tickets and get yourself over to the Bay View Boat Club in San Francisco for the Latitude 38 Spring Crew List Party tomorrow night, April 3!
We expect you’ve heard people say this before, but the Crew List Parties are among the highlights of our year! Sure, we get to hang out with sailors a lot of the time (do we even know people who aren’t sailors?), but being together at a crew list party is a different thing altogether.
The Crew List Party is meant for everyone — sailors, soon-to-be sailors, people thinking-about-becoming sailors, sailors who used to be sailors but think they can’t be sailors anymore since they’ve sold the boat … the list goes on. Our point here is, this party is for you. Yes, you!
Don’t worry about not knowing anyone, or feeling awkward having to introduce yourself. That’s what the parties are for: They’re a fun and relaxed meet ‘n’ greet for the sailing community. Everyone is welcoming, and everyone is welcome!
We look forward to seeing you there. Details as follows:
Location: Bay View Boat Club, 489 Terry A Francois Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94158
Time: 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10 (Tickets must be purchased in advance. We will have no ticket sales at the entry.)
- Mingle with fellow sailors and skippers to find your next sailing opportunity.
- Drinks and chili will be available for sale from Bay View Boat Club. Please note BVBC does not accept credit cards. Please bring cash for drinks and food. There is an ATM on site.
- Meet local sailing organizations and vendors who can help get you on the water.
- Door prizes, sailing slideshows, and a lively sailing community
Whether you’re new to sailing or a seasoned pro, everyone is welcome — come as you are!
Want to get a head start? Sign up on our free online Crew List to connect with sailors before the event.
Good Jibes #185: Holden Nash and Roberto Smith on Treasure Hunting
Tune in as Holden Nash and Roberto Smith chat with Good Jibes host Ryan Foland about the fascinating and mysterious world of shipwrecks and treasure hunting. Holden and Robert are the co-founders of Boundary RSS, which is revolutionizing Earth’s subsurface data.
Hear about the most famous treasures ever discovered under the sea, how the pair’s pioneering technology works, how shipwrecks are identified, why there’s still so much to learn about the ocean floor, and the top undiscovered treasures off the West Coast.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- The surprising spot that has the most density of shipwrecks in the world
- Why the ocean is an untamable mystery
- Holden and Roberto’s favorite wrecks off the West Coast
- How Holden and Roberto connected over treasure
- Why insurance ruins the adventure of treasure hunting
Learn more about Holden and Roberto on LinkedIn, at BoundaryRSS.org, and on X @BoundaryRSS, and about Ryan at Ryan.Online.
Try Sailing on Sail a Small Boat Day at Richmond Yacht Club
Do you or someone you know have an interest in learning to sail? This coming Saturday, April 5, is Sail a Small Boat Day at the Richmond Yacht Club, and it’s one of the best opportunities for families to try sailing for free! Richmond YC’s annual event has introduced thousands of people to sailing. If you’d like to help your wannabe sailor friends discover sailing, you can help spread the word by sending them a link to this story. It’s also great if you already sail but want to check out sailing a variety of small boats.
For some people the perception that sailing is expensive keeps them from giving it a try. Yet we all know most sailors sail for free as crew, and some even get paid to sail!
As one of the most active small-boat clubs on the Bay, Richmond Yacht Club shows how sailing can be affordable and accessible. You’ll find weekends at Richmond Yacht Club are always active because they have so many small boats, which sail more often because they’re easy to rig, need very little crew, and are a ton of fun. Sail a Small Boat Day is a day to check out sailing on a wide variety of boats.
They have a long list of different boats that should all be there for you to try. They include ILCAs (Lasers), J/22s, Optis, El Toros, Bytes, 29ers, F18s, FJs, Sunfish, Mercurys, 420s, Wabbits, Snipes, RS Teras, Revas, Aeros, catamarans and more.
The club advises that you bring a dry set of clothes and life jacket and wetsuit if you have them. If you don’t have a life jacket, no worry: They’ll provide one for you.
We recently wrote that Free Sailboats are a great way to grow sailing, but helping someone go for their first sail on the Bay with Sail a Small Boat Day is also one of the best ways to introduce people to sailing the Bay. You can help further by volunteering to bring your own small boat to give rides. If you’re interested in bringing your boat, call the club at (510) 237-2821.
Trying sailing at RYC also comes with a free hot dog lunch! The program runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and right now, the weather looks very agreeable. While you’re there, pick up the recently delivered April edition of Latitude 38.
See the flyer for Sail a Small Boat Day here and forward this story to your wanna-be-a-sailor friends.
San Francisco on the Bay: “The List”
Dine, Drink, Smoke, Stay, Play and Shop. Discover San Francisco Bay and all that inspires those of us who live or visit here.