Barth Memorial Regatta 2025: From Calm to Chaos and Home Again
The Barth Memorial Regatta began in the quiet waters off Sequoia Yacht Club (SeqYC) and finished off Coyote Point. It was a voyage from one home port to another, across waters that seemed to change their moods with every mile.
A heartfelt thank-you to Sandy Lazzari, Gary Edwards, and Maroula Castella for standing the watch aboard Koala III as our race committee boat. Despite 150 feet of chain in just 15 feet of water, the RC boat refused to stay put, dragging her anchor like a restless spirit. Add to that another boat drifting by without a motor, a heaving chop, and a touch of seasickness. Despite all of this, they held fast and recorded every finish time so racers could learn their fate once handicaps were tallied. Heroes all.
Representing team Coyote Point Yacht Club (CPYC) were the Ericson 36 Sweet Grapes and Ranger 23 Surprise! — the latter a gallant visitor from Brisbane, deputized as an honorary member for the day. SeqYC brought a fine fleet of five: Daredevil (Melges 24), Fortitude (Catalina 42 MkI), Frequent Flier (Farr 30), Love Handles (Catalina 38), and Rascal (Wilderness 30).
The course traced Sequoia’s B mark (channel marker 11) to starboard, then mark six to port and eight to port, finishing at Z: an elegant loop across a Bay that felt like two different worlds. South of the bridge it was summer again — warm, glassy, forgiving. North of it, the wind roared to life and autumn took the helm. It was, as one sailor said, “like sailing through a calendar.”
The start was quiet -— just a whisper of wind and stubborn flood current. Most boats hugged the east side of the channel while Love Handles took a gamble to the west. Daredevil and Frequent Flier surged ahead. Sweet Grapes kept pace with Love Handles, Fortitude, and Rascal in the South Bay’s soft light. But fortune favored the west. Love Handles caught a breath of wind and leapt forward, while Rascal unfurled her asymmetrical spinnaker and danced ahead.
At the bridge, the wind began to whisper secrets. Sweet Grapes stumbled in a bad tack under the shadow of steel and current, losing ground before finding her rhythm again and crossing through the next span, defiant.
Beyond the bridge came the Bay we all know: winds in the mid- to upper teens, whitecaps flashing like camera bulbs. Sweet Grapes reefed early on the beat to mark six, wise as ever, and hugged the east side while others charged west. The gamble paid. She clawed back distance, though the westbound boats, sailing the shorter line, rounded first.
Downwind to mark eight was pure exhilaration. Every boat flew. Sweet Grapes kept her spinnaker ready, but never needed it; the wind was more than enough.
When all the numbers settled, Daredevil won the race, followed by Frequent Flier in second and Surprise! in third.
Another day of shifting tidal currents, patient seamanship, and small miracles — a reminder that even when the wind changes its mind, the race still finds its way home.
You can find the full results from the 2025 Barth Memorial Regatta here.
Coast Guard Search and Rescue Specialist To Join Baja Ha-Ha Kick-Off Party
US Coast Guard Search and Rescue specialist (SAR) Douglas Samp will join the 2025 Ha-Ha Kick-Off Costume Party and BBQ in San Diego, co-hosted by West Marine. Samp has had considerable experience with the Ha-Ha, having given presentations at the Ha-Ha pre-events for the past three years. He was also the duty officer in 2009 when a Ha-Ha boat was hit by a whale (See EricSF’s comment below this story) and sunk about 180 miles south of San Diego. Samp oversaw what was later declared a “textbook rescue” at the extreme range of San Diego-based helicopters. The rescue was possible because of the boat’s preparation and the leadership of her captain, Eugenie Russell.
This year, USCG SAR is setting up a booth at the Kick-Off party in the West Marine parking lot, on November 2 (presuming the government shutdown has been resolved in time). Samp will share his knowledge and experience with this year’s fleet to help crews understand their own safety preparation and what to expect should they ever require rescue.
At the time of the 2022 Ha-Ha presentation pictured above, Samp was in charge of Coast Guard Search and Rescue for the entire Pacific Ocean. The Ha-Ha gets the best from the Coast Guard.
Samp, a very friendly and personable guy, has 26 years of Coast Guard and 15 years of Command Center experience as a command duty officer, search mission coordinator (SMC), and Command Center supervisor overseeing Coast Guard and interagency operations at district, area, and sector command centers. Instead of heading up SAR in the Pacific, Samp now travels around the world helping less-developed countries improve their SAR capabilities, although currently he is back in his old seat while District Southwest SAR manager Lauren Cefali is out on maternity leave until March.
We look forward to seeing Samp and the Ha-Ha fleet in San Diego next month. If you’re not sailing with us, come wave us off as we parade our way out of the harbor and south to Mexico.
Catch the Winter Special at San Francisco Boatworks
Mercury Class Takes on the 2025 Joe Logan Regatta
The Mercury Joe Logan Trophy was up for grabs Sunday, October 19, at St. Francis Yacht Club. Joe was a longtime Mercury owner and competitor, and this trophy is in honor of him.
The competition was held off the Race Deck at StFYC. Initially the weather was overcast with five to seven knots of wind and minimal seas: great sailing weather. John Ravizza and son Mike showed their typical speed and good tactics, winning the first race. The course was a quick sausage, with the wind and current being minimal influences on the outcome. After a general recall, the second race proved very similar, with John Hansen taking first place.
A general recall in the third race delayed the start; all the while the weather was building up to about 15 knots of wind with three- to four-foot seas. John Ravizza and Chris Davis were U-flagged, and unfortunately for both, they didn’t realize it until partway up the course. This took John out of the mix to win the regatta.
Halfway up the first leg, Scott Jenson and new crew Pete Peterson heard a crack, and down came the mast! A tough break for Scott, as he was in third at the time. Chris Lanzafame and crew Robert Lanzafame prevailed in the tough conditions.
Considering that one boat retired voluntarily and one was dismasted because of the seas and wind, the race committee wisely concluded the regatta with just three races instead of the planned five.
Congratulations to John Hansen and crew Ken Bodily for very consistent sailing, taking second, first, and second in the three races. A big thank-you to the St. Francis, regatta chair Brendan Bradley, race director Felix Weidling, and course race officer Tony Chargin.
Help Wanted
We love perusing the boats for sale in Latitude 38. Between the brokerage ads and the Latitude 38 Classifieds, there’s a ton of great boats to consider.
However, this month a couple of marine trade opportunities caught our eye. There’s a harbormaster position open at the Richmond Yacht Club, and Rendezvous Charters, working out of South Beach Marina, is for sale. They sound like two great opportunities to us.
The Richmond Yacht Club ad states, “We are looking to hire a full-time Harbormaster. This job requires management of our wet and dry slips, light maintenance and repair of our harbor, lockers, 2 hoists, parking areas, and most importantly, customer service skills for our member-owned private club.” There’s more to it than that. You can see the rest here.
To the south of Richmond, there’s a charter business for sale. It’s a prime location, with the legendary Santa Cruz 50 Yukon Jack ready to sail. We can’t help noticing that South Beach Marina, home to South Beach Yacht Club, looks as if it’s 90% sailboats. Just the way life should be.
There are other career opportunities, plus almost 100 boats for sale in the Classy Classifieds. Page through the rest of the October issue and you’ll find dozens and dozens of new and used boats available from Latitude 38 yacht-broker advertisers.
The weekend weather reminds us of a local Olson 25, a little Sketch. Might be a good weekend to look at boats and business opportunities in the pages of Latitude 38.
Give the Gift of Latitude this Holiday Season
