Latitude 38 November Issue Out Now
Welcome to the November issue of Latitude 38! This month’s magazine is packed with stories covering everything from world match racing to spinnaker tangles to taking the helm after 10 years as crew, even to Captain Ron and everything in between and beyond. Here’s a preview.
Kite Night — Tangling With a Spinnaker
Here we go again. This time at midnight. My spinnaker continues to play tricks on me. It has already fallen into the water twice on this passage, and both times I have had to climb the mast to rethread the halyard. Now it is tying itself into a most interesting-looking knot about the masthead and forestay. The trades are blowing 15 knots. Gusts are 20. A 6-foot swell is rolling through from the SW. About 1,300 miles from land, I have no option but to climb the mast and see if I can still save my kite.
Taking the Helm After a Decade at Sea
If you’ve read my past articles in Latitude (February 2014, June 2017, July 2017), you’ll know my partner and I spent 10 years sailing more than 20,000 miles across the South Pacific. We crossed oceans. We sailed through storms. We navigated reefs and channels. Made ports in Hawaii, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Wallis, French Polynesia and more (not in that order and often multiple times). And half the time, we did it with a baby. That sailing journey ended in 2020.
Fast-forward to 2023, when someone told me I could skipper a Capri 22. My first reaction was doubt. All my years on boats, but I’d never actually been the person in charge.
There are sailing films that make you want to cross an ocean. There are sailing films that make you check your life insurance. Then there is Captain Ron, which makes buying a neglected boat and hiring a man you would hesitate to lend your lawn mower seem like a good idea. Somewhere between the first questionable decision and the last narrow escape, the sensible objections lose their authority. The boat needs work. The captain needs investigating. The family should probably go home. Yet home begins to look suspiciously like the least interesting outcome.
In this month’s regular columns:
Letters: 50th Moore 24 Nationals; Fleet Week; Circling Back to Lifejackets; Past = Future; and many more discussions.
Sightings: A Sacramento River Cruise; A New Skipper at SEA; I’m Glad I Said Yes; Cuauhtémoc on the Bay; Looking to Latitude 38’s Future.
Max Ebb: “Under a Ladder”
Racing Sheet: The fall on San Francisco Bay is championship season, and that is reflected in this month’s Racing Sheet. We start with the Women’s Match Racing World Championship at StFYC. Then we move across the Bay for Express 27 and Olson 25 nationals at SFYC. We take a brief break from championships for a meaningful Red Bra Regatta at South Beach Yacht Club before diving right back into national titles with Wylie Wabbit Nationals on Tomales Bay, and then wrap up this month’s Racing Sheet with the 2026 Tahoe Cup.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Aldabra’s visit to the islands of Indonesia; the hard way home for Flyer; Part 2 of catching up with Marc Hightower; and a seabag full of Cruise Notes.
Find the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale in Classy Classifieds.
A big thank you to the businesses and individuals who keep the wind in our sails. Please share the love and show them your support.
Pick up your copy today at any one of our West Coast distributors.
Classic Yachts Race in the Jessica Cup
October 17 was a sunny and light-wind day on the San Francisco Cityfront, which saw 18 beautiful classic yachts racing in St. Francis Yacht Club’s (StFYC) annual Jessica Cup.
The competitors were divided into three divisions. After several hours of waiting for wind during the Indian-summer heat, a moderate westerly breeze filled in, allowing one race to be sailed in two of the fleets, and two races in the other.
The largest division was the nine-boat Classic Marconi 2, yachts under 40-ft of length. Oriole (SFYC), helmed by Lachlan MacLean, was victorious, followed by Richard and Mark Pearce’s Fjaer (SFYC) in second and Will Campbell’s Hummingbird (MMBA) in third.
The Classic Marconi 1 fleet — yachts over 40-ft — was the only one to sail multiple races. The fleet was won on tiebreaker by Michael Zolezzi’s Yucca (MMBA). Zolezzi and team beat out Neil Gibbs’ Kay of Göteborg (SYC) by winning the last race (Kay had won the first).
Ken Inouye’s Makani Kai (MMBA) won the smallest fleet, the four-boat Classic Gaff fleet, finishing ahead of second-place Terry and Lindsey Klaus’s Brigadoon (StFYC).
A Practical Guide to BVI Charter Costs
The Moorings breaks down charter costs and key considerations, helping you budget wisely and choose the right vacation for you.
- Current News
- General Sailing
- Latitude 38 Magazine
- Northern California Racing
- Racing
- West Coast Sailing
Racers, Save Your Spot in the 2027 Northern California Sailing Calendar
We can’t believe it’s already Friday. Or that it’s time to turn the clocks back again. And that the YRA, Latitude 38, yacht clubs and event organizers are working hard to plan the 2027 racing season. It’s time to get your schedule to Laura and your ad in to Latitude 38.
The annual Latitude 38 sailing calendar for Northern California will be distributed with the January issue on December 29 (so you can have a fresh copy for New Year’s weekend). That means all clubs, classes and events need to get their schedules to Laura Munoz at the YRA and connect with Latitude to reserve their ad space in the calendar as soon as possible. And if you haven’t done so already, reach out to [email protected] to reserve ad space for your organization.
San Francisco Bay is a world-famous racing venue, and we create the calendar and cover racing because we think many more boats should participate. It can be intimidating, but it’s also invigorating. If you sign up to race, you’ll find yourself sailing more often, improving your sailing skills, and making more sailing friends on the Bay. Like skiing, one of the best things about racing is “après-sail.” The post-race socials are a huge bonus beyond a day on the water. Yacht clubs run the races, but you don’t need to be a member to sign up and sail. And if you sign up to go racing you improve your chances of ending up on the cover of a sailing magazine.
Among the things we liked about this month’s cover shot were the color of the boat, the name of the boat (Color Blind) and the smiles on the faces of the crew. They finished at the back of the 75-boat fleet, but they’d signed up and sailed against Pegasus Racing, Morgan Larson, Jonathan McKee, Hogan Beatie and a star-studded fleet of amazing sailors (See the story on page 42).
Beyond the 2027 racing schedule, the annual YRA racing calendar lists Northern California youth programs. You can find them on the website here or in the publication here. If you manage a youth program and want to update the information on our site, send the updated information to [email protected].
There are still two months left in the 2026 racing season, but organizers are already hard at work planning next year. We’re also getting ready to award the 2026 Wosser trophies, so make sure you’ve read our story and submitted your entries. Importantly, if you’re a race organizer, club, class or business that wants to see racing grow, we hope you’ll support the calendar and your organization with an ad in the 2027 Racing Calendar. Contact [email protected] to get that done!
Last but not least, all Bay Area sailors should take advantage of the almost 1,000 opportunities to try racing on the Bay. Midwinters start in November, and there will be plenty more opportunities in 2027 as the schedule gets sorted over the next few weeks.
We hope to see you out racing the Bay in 2027.
Enjoy a Happy Halloween Before “Falling Back” to Standard Time
The weekend is upon us, as is Halloween and the switch from daylight saving to local standard time. So after Saturday night’s spooky activities, remember to set your clocks back by one hour. Yes, the sunset will be earlier, but you will get an extra hour’s sleep. Woo-hoo!
The above photo of Black Witch was taken during a “photo shoot” during a sunny Bay afternoon many years ago. The guy behind the lens, John “Woody” Skoriak, tells us he was aboard Call of the Sea’s Seaward, which was out on a late-afternoon and evening sail. “Knowing the light would be at its best around that time, I had Rick sail right past Seaward’s starboard side. He brought Black Witch up in perfect trim and made a beautiful pass while I clicked away, trying especially to capture the light shining through and behind her sails.”
Rick restored the boat and sailed and raced her in Master Mariners events for many years. He eventually sold her, and a few years later she ended up with Stan Schultz and his partner Sandee, who continued the Witch’s association with the Master Mariners.
And while there are no pumpkins, ghosts, ghouls or any other scary thing in the photo below, it is timely, as it was taken during Richmond Yacht Club’s Great Pumpkin pursuit race last Sunday, October 25.
“We’d been sitting in a deep lull for an hour or more,” Rik tells us, “boats getting dragged by the ebb toward the Gate (and one retirement after another coming over the VHF), when the breeze finally filled in around 1430 and off we went.”
We hope you get out for some fun sailing this weekend — racing or otherwise — and have a great day or two on the water. Send us your photos! [email protected].
Modern Sailing Now at Clipper Yacht Harbor
