Latitude 38 Rides the Wind to Norway
Latitude 38 racing editor Fritz Baldauf flew to Norway this week to compete in the IKC 56 — the International Knarr Championship being held in Oslo, August 7–15. As well as sailing Knarrs, Fritz is often seen racing locally aboard the J/105 Peaches.
One of the first things Fritz noticed upon arrival at the docks: the boats themselves. “Super-cool to see that the vast majority of Knarrs here are wood — not just wooden hulls, wooden masts as well, with several original hulls that have been restored.”
Fritz, a member of St. Francis Yacht Club, is racing under sail number US 141 — one of five boats representing the USA.
Racing commences Sunday (CEST — Central European Summer Time). At the time of this writing, 12:30 p.m. Friday (PDT) it was 9:30 p.m. Friday in Oslo.
We wish Fritz and all the teams a fun and successful week of sailing. And we look forward to more news and photos from the other side of the globe!
Tales of the 2026 Pacific Cup From the Helm of ‘Green Buffalo’
As the 2026 Pacific Cup teams spent a little time relaxing in Kaneohe after their race across the ocean, we reached out to sailors to hear their stories of their experiences in the Pacific Cup Yacht Club’s “Fun Race to Hawaii.” Cameron Gibson (Pac Cup first-timer) and Elizabeth Bishop gave us a little insight into their experiences sailing aboard Jim Quanci’s Cal 40 Green Buffalo.
As a first-time Pac Cup racer, my biggest takeaway from sailing aboard Green Buffalo was that knowing how to make a boat go fast is only one piece of a successful campaign. Reading the weather, fostering a healthy crew dynamic, sharing the workload fairly, being prepared for unexpected breakdowns, and keeping a cool head while the team stays aligned and motivated are just as important.
That last lesson came into focus more than once over the course of the race. While I was on the helm, I learned how to keep the spinnaker flying in pitch-black conditions using nothing but the feel of the boat and the sailing instruments. In the final 100 miles of the race, our guy line snapped, and about 20 minutes after it had been reattached to the spinnaker, the guy popped out of the jaw of the pole. Just five minutes after that, the bail at the outboard end of the pole failed, disconnecting the foreguy. Each challenge could have unraveled into something much bigger, but everyone stayed calm, communicated clearly, and worked the problem until we were back up to speed. The off-watch crew got a little more excitement than they had bargained for, but they were on deck in an instant and made every problem that much easier to solve.
It was an honor to be invited by Jim Quanci aboard such a storied boat and to learn from my fellow crewmates. I fell in love with the Cal 40 and hope to keep coming back to race Pac Cup for many years to come. — Cameron Gibson.
One of my most memorable moments of the 2026 Pacific Cup aboard Green Buffalo came during a nighttime squall. We tried to outrun it but caught the edge of the system just as I took the helm for the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. watch. The wind built into the high 20s, the seas became steeper and more chaotic, and the Buffalo charged, regularly surfing at speeds approaching 16 knots.
Holding our course demanded focus, but unlike in my previous Pacific Cup aboard Green Buffalo, I found myself trusting both the boat and my own judgment at the helm. That confidence was built through experience and mentorship. Sharing watches with Jim, along with the encouragement and coaching of experienced crewmates like Jeff Duvall, helped me grow into a more capable offshore sailor. I’m deeply grateful for their guidance, which transformed moments that once had felt intimidating into some of the most rewarding of the race. — Elizabeth Bishop.
See more on Green Buffalo here, and check out our feature on this year’s Pacific Cup in the August issue.
Visit Antioch Marina, the Gateway to the Delta
Mercury Fleet Sails the 2026 Huntington Lake Regatta
The festivities started on Friday afternoon, July 24, with boats out practicing and tuning together. Afterward the group gathered at Baby Beach for traditional Mai Tais, normally provided by Tom Priest. However, Tom and Laura could not attend this year, and the Baldwins did a fine job with their version of a “Mai Tai,” and the Whelans provided some fine Kirkland Margaritas.
Baby Beach has a whole new generation of young ones, with Lanzafame grandkids, Hopper grandkids, two young Goodman kids and, making her first trip to Baby Beach, Katie and Kody’s new daughter Evelyn, almost 7 months old. Quite a scene.
Race one was course four: marks five, one, three and eight, finish with all marks to port. With 16 boats on the starting line some good racing was about to begin. Randy Hecht and Scott Whitney got off the line with a good start and led the fleet up the lake, with John and Michael Ravizza in pursuit. Following were Chris and Robert Lanzafame, Bill Schopp and Richard Welsh. With a close group rounding mark one, Shaum Sinawi and Brendan Bradley went toward the south shore, while others played the center. Shaum found his way into second place.
Race one top finishers were Randy Hecht 471, Shaum Sinawi 463, John Ravizza 537, Chris Lanzafame 569 and Bill Schopp 572.
Race two was the same course and similar order after the start. Randy Hecht, Shaum Sinawi and John Ravizza led the fleet around the course. Don Whelan and Jack Henry finished in fourth, and Jim and Kathy Bradley were fifth, followed by Chris Davis and Bill Worden.
Race three again used course four. Ben Bradley and Bill Schopp got across the lake toward the Boy Scout camp and led off that shore. However, Ravizza overtook them, as did Whelan, to lead the way up to mark five. Approaching mark five, Whelan was able to cross Ravizza and round the mark first. Ravizza got to the left and passed Whelan going to mark one after rounding mark three. Jim Bradley turned up the speed and passed Whelan before getting to mark eight and finished second.
Race three finish order: Ravizza, Jim Bradley, Whelan, Schopp and Ben Bradley.
Ravizza beat Hecht by one point to win the Bill Bradley Trophy. Notice how close the scores are as you go down the results. This is common in the Mercury fleet and one of the things that makes our racing so much fun.
Saturday night was a huge success, with a good dinner put on by Lakeshore, and of course entertainment by the Lanzafame Family Band.
Big thanks to Chris Krueger for the nice trophies, to Matt Jones for running our races, and to Peter and Lynn Baldwin for all their work in putting this together.
See you next year!
Calling Members of the Vertue Class
Our recent story on the Master Mariners Wooden Boat Show at the Corinthian Yacht Club on Summer Sailstice weekend inspired the following letter from a reader who is looking for boats from the Vertue class. We thought we’d pass it along to see if anyone has insights to share with Roger at his website.
Dear Editors,
I run a modest website for owners and enthusiasts of the Vertue class. As you can see, part of the website is devoted to recording the existence and location of all the Vertues worldwide, and although several US West Coast boats have appeared, we have yet to discover any based within San Francisco Bay. I recently saw a photo in your magazine online reporting on the Master Mariners Wooden Boat Show, and there in the background, although it was very small, appeared to be a Vertue.
She could have been Patience, Dawn or Phoenix, which are all based on your West Coast as far as I know. She didn’t look like Aries, which is an earlier boat, although all these were imported from Hong Kong, having been built there by the Cheoy Lee yard.
We also publish a newsletter every quarter or so, and it would be nice to be able to run something about this little story, if you were able to tell us about any Vertue yachts in your area.
With best wishes,
Roger
If you know of any Vertue boats in the Bay Area, let Roger (and us) know — vertueyachts.com.
Jim Immer’s ARC Europe Adventure Aboard ‘Queen Bee II’
Jim Immer of El Dorado Hills shares his story of sailing the ARC Europe 2026 aboard the Hallberg-Rassy 57 Queen Bee II.
The ARC Europe 2026 got underway on May 9 from the harbor outside Simpson Bay, St. Maarten. Thirty-five impressive offshore cruising yachts lined up for the start, all eager for bragging rights and the honor of being first around the offshore buoy. While none of the six ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) events are officially races, put two sailboats on the same course and competition is inevitable.
The Europe route would take us from St. Maarten north to Bermuda, then east to the Azores, nearly 950 miles west of Portugal. From there, the fleet would split, with some boats heading to Portugal, and others continuing on to northern Europe.
I joined the crew of Queen Bee II, Neil Gerrard’s London-based Hallberg-Rassy 57, a few days before departure. Rounding out the crew were Jeff Gordon and Becky Broudie. All three were experienced sailors from the UK or Australia, with Becky currently based in Barcelona. I joined the crew through Ocean Crew Link after Neil and Becky reviewed my racing/cruising sailing résumé and my 20,000 miles of offshore experience. We followed that with a detailed Zoom interview covering everything from safety equipment to crew expectations.
Our early duties were to provision the boat and prepare for a seven-week voyage, including layovers in Bermuda and the Azores. Fortunately, St. Maarten is a major Caribbean cruising hub, serving everyone from charter sailors to superyachts. We were able to purchase a mountain of provisions, and everything was delivered right to the dock.
One of our biggest jobs was installing a brand-new jib and an in-mast furling mainsail that had been air-freighted by Elvstrøm from Denmark. Wrestling 70-foot fiberglass battens vertically into the mainsail proved to be quite a challenge, made possible only through the generous assistance of the Dutch crew aboard the Outremer 60 Lana. It was a memorable workout that nearly finished me off. The well-earned dinners ashore that followed, along with ARC barbecues, briefings and cocktail parties, were much appreciated.
The ARC’s rigorous safety inspections answered many of my questions, but one thing can never be verified beforehand: crew chemistry. That’s always a gamble. Fortunately, while there were a few bumps along the way, the crew got along well overall, making for a memorable adventure.
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.