Latitude 38 Crew List Party Rocks the Bay
The first spring Crew Party at the Golden Gate Yacht Club since COVID was an outstanding success. How do we measure success? By how it succeeds at the mission we’ve had since we first started holding crew parties in the early ’80s: connecting boat owners with prospective crew. Another measure: Does everyone have a good time? We have to admit, in this data-centric world, that these are difficult metrics to measure, so we measure them the old-fashioned way, by looking at how many smiles are in the room and having conversations with attendees. On both measures it was a success.
Skippers with boats wore red tags saying, “I’m looking for crew,” whereas prospective crew wore blue tags saying, “I’m looking to crew.” How simple is that? Since sailing is an in-person activity, it’s nice to meet the people you’ll sail with before you’re together in the middle of the Bay or the ocean. Like many skippers, Mark Murray (pictured above) is an active racer, but keeping a crew roster can be challenging. (Crew tip: If you want to do a job that’s a huge help to skippers, you can be the “crew organizer.”) If you look at our racing calendar, you’ll see there are about 900+ races on the Bay every year and lots of boats doing lots of sailing, meaning they need lots of crew.
We’re sorry we missed her name, but the woman above moved to S.F. from Hawaii just a month ago and is interested in getting involved in sailing the Bay. She searched online, found our Crew Party, and attended. She connected with Marcus and many others; it looks as if she now has lots of sailing opportunities ahead.
We talked with John and Lapo, above, and learned that Lapo moved here with a one-year work visa to work on AI research at Stanford. He’s a skipper in the Mediterranean and wanted to sail while living here. He tried Facebook and other ways to connect with sailing, with minimal success, until a friend told him to add his name to the Latitude 38 online Crew List. He’s had a very busy sailing schedule ever since and is on the water almost every weekend. Unfortunately, he’s got only a month left on his work visa before he heads back to Italy. He’s heard that if he stays a few days over the visa limit, the government will give him a flight home for free!
James and Suzy, pictured above, met at a Latitude 38 Crew Party in 2017 and have become full-time crewmates ever since. They sail James’ Santana 22 Pip and also his 1954, wooden 5O5 out of Sausalito.
Simone was minding his own business as an auto repair mechanic when a customer needed some repair on a marine engine. Somehow, this evolved into an opportunity to sail, which became a growing passion. He eventually left the terrestrial world of auto mechanics behind and became a marine engine mechanic at Svendsen’s Bay Marine in Richmond. He and former YRA Board Chair Don Ahrens connected at the party. I’m sure Don figures it never hurts to have crew aboard with skills as an engine mechanic.
The Golden Gate Yacht Club provided a magnificent venue and some very busy bartenders who kept the crowd happy. It was a spectacular evening on the San Francisco waterfront with a golden sunset behind the Golden Gate and a stunning moonrise above the city. If anyone has concerns about sailing, the worries would all be set aside after attending the Latitude 38 Crew Party. If you didn’t make the crew party we suggest both skippers and crew add your names to the Latitude 38 Crew List (if you’re not already on it) and you’ll find you’ll do more sailing.
There were lots of people looking for daysailing and racing crew, and even some Baja Ha-Ha participants planning ahead for their fall departure for the south.
There’s no reason not to sail more this summer. Don’t have a boat? Find a boat owner on our crew list. Don’t have crew? You know the answer.
The days are getting longer, Daylight Saving Time kicks in this weekend, and sunny summer sailing is ahead. We look forward to seeing everyone we saw at the crew party out sailing in the months ahead.
We’ll try to bring you a few more stories from the crew party on Monday. And if you go sailing this weekend, send a photo and your story to [email protected].
See you out there.
‘La Volpe’ Races in America’s Schooner Cup on Her 100th Anniversary
Continuing its longstanding tradition on San Diego Bay, Silver Gate Yacht Club will host the 38th America’s Schooner Cup Charity Regatta on April 18. The 46-ft staysail schooner La Volpe, winner of the 2022 America’s Schooner Cup, will return from her home port of Long Beach to celebrate her 100th anniversary at the 2026 America’s Schooner Cup. La Volpe was designed by Hugh Angelman in 1926 and built at Wilmington Boat Works. Owner Tim O’Brien had La Volpe restored to a very high standard over several years by Wayne Ettel of the Maritime Preservation Trust in San Pedro.
Uncharacteristically fresh breezes in the 2025 ASC Race propelled the schooner Bill of Rights to her first Schooner Cup win. She will defend her 2025 Schooner Cup win against all comers.
Another blast from the past, the 48-ton schooner Spike Africa (built 1970–1977 in Newport Beach) will compete under her new owner, Wade Hall. Bob Sloan designed and built Spike Africa as a working schooner to carry cargo and passengers. Despite this, she is a fast boat, finishing first overall in the 1981 Ancient Mariners Sailing Society’s San Diego to Maui Race. Now permanently in San Diego, the ship is set to engage in youth sail training and charter work.
The America’s Schooner Cup regatta draws schooners of all sizes and vintages from up and down the West Coast. Public viewing of the start and finish of this annual race is best found off the sandy beach south of the launch ramp on Shelter Island beginning at 11:30 a.m. Currently 15 schooners are expected to compete, ranging in size from the 30-ft Lively to the 136-ft Bill of Rights. The public is invited to watch the regatta from the decks of San Diego Maritime Museum’s topsail schooner Californian, which will be carrying charter passengers while racing.
The schooner rig is a rarity today and its roots lie in early American cargo hauling and fishing. The working schooner was chosen 150 years ago to develop speed under sail. Today they are treasured examples of “Living History” and are widely regarded as the most beautiful of all sailing ships. “More than any other type of vessel, the schooner has migrated from the pages of history and into the world of legend, art and poetry that we all claim as part of our culture,” said Dr. Raymond Ashley, president/CEO emeritus of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
This year’s regatta will again support the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, which provides financial, educational and post-combat support to members of the Naval Service, including eligible family members and survivors. The America’s Schooner Cup has raised over $160,000 for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in the last few years. For more information on this event visit sgyc.org/america’s-schooner-cup.
The public is encouraged to join us April 18 for viewing on the beach at Shelter Island, or racing aboard the Californian. Tickets will be available at: sdmaritime.org.
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Coyote Point Yacht Club Youths Get One-on-Two Sailing Instruction
Latitude Ambassador Gerry Gragg stopped in a Coyote Point Yacht Club recently and was delighted to find two young sailors getting some one-on-two sailing instruction. Gerry reports below.
At the core of every successful youth-sailing program is the connection between instructor and student. A quiet, light-air Saturday morning at the Coyote Point Yacht Club (CPYC) provided a perfect setting for this match of a college-age instructor and two boys aged 10 and 12 to begin this learning process. The instructor, Tristan Ludvig, has a US Sailing Level 1 certification, and is a student at Cañada College, while the two boys, Keenan and Brandon, are sons of CPYC members.
The class began with a whiteboard session covering the points of sail and the appropriate sail trim required for each, followed by a computer simulation that allowed the boys to test their trimming skills, much like a video game played at home.
After the 20-minute classroom session, Tristan took the boys outside to gather their life jackets, the sail/rigging combination for the club’s Opti prams, and lastly the centerboard and rudder for the prams, which are stored in racks out on the nearby docks. Teamwork was used to get the boats off the racks and onto two-wheeled carts to facilitate launching the boats.
Square knots were used to secure the sail to the mast, and then each boy stepped the mast, installed the centerboard, and secured the rudder in place before breaking for lunch.
The on-water session had Tristan coaching from a motorized inflatable, while each boy sailed his Opti on a windward/leeward course set up by Tristan using a large orange inflatable mark to windward, with the inflatable marking the starting line. It was good to see these young sailors mastering the relation between mainsheet trim and rudder position in these small boats, an essential first step to becoming an accomplished sailor in larger boats with more complex steering and trim requirements.
Where We Are Now — Beau Vrolyk on Buying ‘Mayan’
Wind in Their Sails: Death and Resurrection is a documentary is a documentary celebrating the classic yachts that have survived the ages, and the people who have dedicated their lives to maintaining them. In researching and working on the film, producer Vincent Casalaina interviewed Beau Vrolyk of the Alden schooner Mayan and Mark Sanders of the 1924 Charles Nicholson ketch Hurrica V. Both sailors shared the stories of purchasing their own piece of sailing history. Here we share Beau Vrolyk’s story about buying David Crosby’s wooden boat, Mayan.
“We had started out thinking we would buy a power boat in the Pacific Northwest. As we flew home from Seattle, I said, ‘There is no way I’m gonna be burning 30 or 40 gallons an hour just to get there a little bit sooner. If we slow down to seven knots, which is what we were ending up doing, we might as well get a sailboat!'”
“I had always wanted an Alden schooner, but I had never managed to find one, nor a wife who was willing to go along with buying one.
“We looked at 12 Alden schooners throughout Europe and the United States, and they were in various states — from great to terrible. You know, boats of that vintage have to have been rebuilt at least once or twice, or maybe three times.
“I had an offer in on a 64-ft Alden in San Diego. But during the survey, it became obvious that there were some things wrong. A good friend of mine suggested I talk to a boat builder named Wayne Ettel. I asked Wayne to come down from Los Angeles to advise me about this Alden.
“Wayne showed up in white pants and a nice collared shirt. I thought, ‘Well, he’s not going to climb around inside the boat dressed like that.’ He didn’t even go aboard. He just said, ‘I know this boat. Why don’t we go to lunch?’
“At lunch, he said, ‘You know what you’re looking for?’ I told him, ‘I’ve got four grandchildren. I want something that’ll haul kids, something that sails well enough that it’s interesting to them, but is not so exciting that it’s dangerous for little kids.’ So he said, ‘Well, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you buy David Crosby’s boat, Mayan?’ Wayne had gotten to know Mayan and therefore David because from 2003 to 2005, he had completely rebuilt the hull and deck of Mayan. So he knew the boat was rock-solid, and it still is.
“I told him, ‘I haven’t followed up on Mayan because David was asking three times what the boat was probably worth.’ Wayne said, ‘Just write David a letter with your sailing résumé attached. You might be surprised.’ He also said, ‘Send it on paper. Don’t send it electronically.’ Two days later, David called me. He said, ‘Come down to Santa Barbara and let’s talk.’
“There were a few hiccups, but the rest is history. I bought Mayan and have both cruised and raced her for many years.”
Vincent Casalaina is aiming to begin draft-editing the film in September and to complete a rough cut early next year. Until then, he will be focusing on raising the funds needed for this process to occur. To learn more about this documentary visit windintheirsailsdoc.com. To add your support to the project visit the donation page here.
Watch a video interview with Beau Vrolyk on buying Mayan here.
Join the 2026 Great Vallejo Race
