Fleet Week Notice to Mariners — Effective Now
One would think that there’s no way a fleet of F/A-18s could sneak up on us, but that’s exactly what happened. Fleet Week is this weekend, and the US Navy Blue Angels will once again take to the skies to show off their flying skills and stunts in the air over San Francisco Bay.
Fleet Week runs from October 9–11, with the Air Show taking place in the sky between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. It’s typically the busiest weekend on the Bay all year, as boaters will be out on the water, vying for the best viewing spot. Will you be among them?
The US Coast Guard puts together a notice to advise mariners of the restricted areas.
Here is a summary of the USCG notice. And a big thank-you to Latitude reader Peter Detwiler for tracking this down (it wasn’t an obvious find) and for sharing it with us, reminding us that the Air Show starts today.
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The US Coast Guard has enacted regulated areas (33 CFR 100.1105) and will be advertised by Local and Broadcast Notice to Mariners via VHF-FM Channel 22A. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and law-enforcement vessels will be patrolling the regulated areas to ensure all Fleet Week events are conducted safely. Please continue to monitor VHF-FM Channel 22A for real-time updates of enforcement for specific zones.
Regulated area “Alpha,” which is depicted on “Chart 1,” will be enforced on Friday, October 9th, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. [Yes, this has already begun.] Traffic will be restricted throughout most of the Central San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge, south of Alcatraz, to just south of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This is to accommodate the Navy Parade of Ships as they pass under the Golden Gate Bridge to their assigned moorings in San Francisco. No vessel will be permitted to cross the parade line or interfere with the safe transit of the parade participants in any way. A 100-yard protective zone will also be enforced around each naval vessel the entire time they are in the port.
Regulated area “Bravo,” which is depicted on “Chart 2,” will be enforced during the dates and times as noted on “Chart 2.” The enclosure to this flyer depicts the boundaries and coordinates of the most significant regulated areas. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that these areas be clear of all vessel traffic during the specified times for scheduled air shows.
The temporary buoys installed for the Air Show Box will be removed on October 12. The buoys at the Center and Northwest corner point will be partially obstructing the [eastbound] traffic lane and the buoys at the Northeast and Southeast corner will be partially encroaching upon the precautionary area east of Alcatraz Island. The locations of the temporary buoys are listed below:
Air Show Box
SW Corner: 37°48.612 N / 122°26.786 W
NW Corner: 37°49.113 N / 122°26.868 W
NE Corner: 37°49.389 N / 122°24.354 W
SE Corner: 37°48.888 N / 122°24.272 W
Center: 37°49.008 N / 122°25.590 W
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We can see that the charts pictured above are unclear. Unfortunately that is how they appear in the notice.
Anyone seeking further information, please visit https://fleetweeksf.org/.
As always, have fun, enjoy the show, and please be mindful of other vessels.
Baja Ha-Ha 2026 Signup Deadline Is Approaching
It’s almost time for the 2026 Baja Ha-Ha registration deadline. This year’s signups close on Thursday, October 15 — the extended deadline. But there won’t be a second extension; this is it, the final date on which you can sign up to join the fleet for this year’s annual cruisers’ rally to Mexico.
As of this writing, the fleet is 79 boats, the latest entry being Glenn Damato of Marina del Rey with his Beneteau 331 Tropicale. Will you be number 80?
If you’re still on the fence, you need to get off the fence and make your decision. You have until Thursday. Last month we wrote a summary to describe the Baja Ha-Ha. Here’s the link: A Baja Ha-Ha FAQ.
We also asked the Ha-Ha Poobah about what cruisers can expect for this year’s Ha-Ha. You can read his response here. What’s Happening on the 2026 Ha-Ha?
Premier Vessel Care at Safe Harbor
Hurricanes Simon and Isaias Ready for Weekend Landings
Two hurricanes and a tropical storm will be landing on the Americas this weekend, with Hurricane Simon running up the west coast of Mexico near Banderas Bay, and Hurricane Isaias heading north out of the Gulf of Mexico with landfall near Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Tropical Storm Rachel will be landing somewhere near Ensenada and Tijuana. As predicted, the El Niño-influenced hurricane season has created more storms in the Pacific and fewer in the Atlantic. So far, all these storms have avoided major boating centers — a fortunate turn of events for boat owners, marinas and insurance companies.
Hurricane Simon is strengthening and could affect marinas and boat owners as it moves north past Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán, and then up into the Sea of Cortez. Former publisher Richard Spindler is in Punta Mita on Banderas Bay, watching the models showing the always-uncertain path. Simon might stay west and brush by Banderas Bay with minimal impact, or hit hard as a major hurricane. As Richard said, “Wish us luck.” And we have! If it goes farther west, Mazatlán, Cabo and La Paz could feel the larger impact.
As of this morning, a hurricane warning is in effect from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Simon, approaching Mexico’s west-central coast, to be a major hurricane on Saturday, with catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm surge. This will be accompanied by heavy rain, flooding and dangerous surf through the weekend.
Hurricane Isaias is predicted to hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 3, bringing wind speeds of over 100 knots and significant storm surge and flooding to the low-lying barrier island communities. Hurricane Isaias will most likely be hitting the coast this afternoon.
Hurricanes are large storms that impact a wide area, though the most severe damage to boats, marinas and shoreline communities can be somewhat limited to a narrower area near wherever the NE quadrant of the storm lands. Ideally, boats in the danger zone have roller-furling sails, canvas and other above-deck gear and equipment removed and stowed. There are just a few weeks left in the “official” hurricane season, leaving hope that this busy season will come and go without much damage. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.
Nicole Breault Reflects on the Inaugural International Women’s Championship
From September 12 through 19, an all-star team of Bay Area women sailors represented the West Coast in the New York Yacht Club’s (NYYC) inaugural Women’s International Championship. The team, named the She-Wolves, was helmed by Nicole Breault and raced under the burgee of the St. Francis Yacht Club.
The She-Wolves spent months preparing for the regatta, which featured 20 teams from 14 different countries. When the dust settled, they finished with a total of 83 points from 10 races, good for seventh overall in the event. The podium was swept by American teams, and won by Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick and her Team Vigilant (Sail Newport). With the regatta now in the rearview mirror, Breault spoke with Latitude 38 about her reflections on the event.
L38: How would you describe the experience as a whole?
Breault: “It was an epic experience. The event set out to be more than just a regatta — the New York Yacht Club assembled top women’s teams from around the world to showcase and celebrate the current level of women’s sailing in a one-design format.”
“The atmosphere and camaraderie between teams were fantastic. The IC37 platform presented a great challenge, and it was incredible to watch everyone ratchet up their learning curve alongside teams who have been sailing these boats a lot over the past two years. Our team really relished the entire experience and was proud to represent our corner of the world.”
L38: What were some highlights of the regatta, both on and off of the water?
Breault: “As skipper, delivering strong starts in such a talent-packed fleet was a huge personal focus — those intense final seconds before the gun where I was able to execute under pressure were real highlights for me. As a team, every small victory felt massive, whether it was nailing a spinnaker set or douse, or finding that extra gear to edge ahead of a boat on our hip. In a fleet this competitive where every single point mattered, holding onto a top-five finish felt like winning the race.”
“Off the water, two moments stood out. During the event presentations, the organizers called up sailors who had competed in round-the-world races, the America’s Cup and the Olympics. When the Olympians were called, nearly a third of the room stood up — there were so many elite athletes they could barely fit on stage.
“We also attended a sold-out local screening of the Mighty Mary documentary. Watching this story of the 1995 all-women’s America’s Cup team that helped pave the way to greatness was deeply moving. It reminded us that, while we still climb the proverbial mountain of gender parity in sailing, we are much further along thanks to the accomplishments of the women who came before us.”
L38: Describe the competition. There were a bunch of US teams in the top 10, and the US swept the podium. What does that say about the state of women’s sailing in the US, and the standing of American sailing — American women’s sailing in particular — in the world?
Breault: “Huge props to [the teams on the podium]. They were polished and focused, and they attacked the challenge in great fashion. Team Vigilant put on a clinic, and they ran away after a couple of days points-wise.… It’s a huge testament to American women and how they play the game.”
L38: Do you plan to sail in this regatta again? What would you like to see with this regatta in the future?
Breault: “The energy has been so positive throughout and at the culmination of the event. Given the effort that we put into preparing and coming together as a team, it’s really hard to not want to surf forward into the next chapter. There’s no question I’d love to be a part of that, but I don’t know what role I would take personally.”
“Given the support we received from key financial backers and the enthusiasm of our sailing community, I think the momentum is there to carry the She-Wolves into a promising future. The New York Yacht Club’s vision for this biennial championship is going to be a major driver for international women’s sailing, and I think it makes sense to have a team represent the San Francisco Bay there every time. And for sure there are other epic challenges out there for a team like this to undertake.”
Do You Understand Max Ebb? There Are All Kinds of Sailors
We have to admit that, despite reading Max Ebb every month for decades, we often don’t understand what the heck he’s talking about. We often understand Lee Helm even less. That doesn’t mean we’re not one of the many avid fans of this very popular, somewhat esoteric column that has run in almost every issue of Latitude 38 since 1980. The sailing community is an eclectic bunch, including poets and artists, as well as engineers and physicists. Max and Lee’s fans lean toward that scientific side.
After three days at the recent, successful Sausalito Boat Show, we were again reminded of Max’s fan base as many readers stopped by the booth to let us know, “I love Max and read it every month.” The science can be mind-boggling, the characters are always intriguing, and we’re forever surprised at the many unique ways Max suddenly finds Lee in the story helping him understand the technical aspects of sailing. In addition to Lee, there are often unexpected guests like Flo Field, who showed up in this month’s column and is a colleague of Lee Helm in the naval architecture department, and an expert in computational hydrodynamics. This month the three of them were joined by Max’s two boatbuilder buddies visiting from back East, Doug Furr and Rose Wood.
We’re not sure how many of Max and Lee’s fans actually understand what they’re talking about, but we do know that they’ve had a fan base for 46 years. And, amazingly, as smart as Lee Helm is, she still hasn’t completed grad school. Max reports that readers often ask if Lee Helm will ever finish her graduate degree. “Will Charlie Brown ever kick the football?”
While talking with readers at the boat show, we found readers who love all the sections from Letters to Classifieds and everything in between. We’re also reminded how many different kinds of sailors there are, and how many fans enjoy the sometimes-incomprehensible stories by Max Ebb.
Can you explain this month’s column to us?
For More Great Sailing Stories, Tune In to Good Jibes
