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Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, the modern sailing family . . . latitude/JR
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC Roughly 600 sailors gathered in San Diego for the annual Baja Ha-Ha Costume Kickoff Party which, by any measure, was a smash hit.
Four crew aboard the Chicago-based J/35 Jason were on their way to the boatyard on last Wednesday to haul out for the winter when crewmember 38-year-old Alexander Childers fell overboard.
Even though the winds were less than thrilling this weekend, racers in the Great Pumpkin report a fantastic time.
From the Grand Poobah himself, here is some important info relating to the Ha-Ha: 1) Offshore flow is returning to SoCal and the air quality is much better.
Brian Thompson’s Pindar 60 was dismasted in mild conditions last night on its way to La Havre, France, for the start of the doublehanded Transat Jacques Vabré.
If you’re heading south to the sunny latitudes of Mexico and are new to the cruising life you may not be aware of the cruiser nets that keep sailors updated on weather, local events and other topical news.
"We left San Diego on October 21 for points south and La Paz," writes David Addleman and Heather Corsaro, who are doublehanding their Monterey-based Cal 36 Eupsychia.
Yes, it seems that hell has frozen over, because the State of Hawaii, after all these decades, is actually taking a baby step to improve things in one part of the woefully rundown 747-berth Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu.
Every year about this time, we get a letter or two from people in Mexico, almost always in La Paz, with some ominious-sounding news for cruisers about to head down.
If you were out on the Bay this weekend, you might have noticed two BMW Oracle Swedish Match Racing Boats out sailing, looking as if they were practicing match racing starts.
"Great news for boat owners," writes Capt. Mahalo of Upper Malele Heights on Oahu, "as the legislators have finally seen the light and have not only undertaken full scale repair of the entire Ala Wai Yacht Harbor but, as you can see from the accompanying photo, are adding an additional basin near the Hilton Hawaiian Village to meet the tremendous demand for slips."
There are only two ways to get an official Baja Ha-Ha tattoo: Participate in the event, or fly down to Cabo with a bunch of Latitudes – thus becoming an instant Ha-Ha hero!
One of the great annual sailing spectacles on San Francisco Bay is the Master Mariners Regatta, held every Memorial Day weekend.
You can call Sjoukje Bredenkamp fast but don’t call her easy. The 19-year-old South African kiteboarder has worked hard to become the fastest female speed sailor in the world, a feat she accomplished on Tuesday in Luederitz, Namibia.
And they’re off! Leg 1, from France to Portugal, is 1,100 miles while Leg 2, from Portugal to Brazil is 3,100 miles.
The folks at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, dedicated to teaching sailing and seamanship skills, as well as keeping maritime traditions alive, are offering free rides on Pelicans at Aquatic Park tomorrow from 10 a.m.
For those of you surfers who’ve had enough of the crowds in the line-ups at Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, County Line, Malibu, Huntington Beach, Newport, Trestles – heck, just about anywhere in California – there is an alternative.
Black ties and rubber boots are strictly optional at tomorrow’s Tall Ship Education Academy’s annual benefit reception.
Southbound cruisers take note: Be sure to check out ‘Lectronic on Friday (10/19), as we plan to run a detailed overview on the status of marinas in Mexico.
John Jennings and crew sailed Natural Blonde (173) on Sunday. The boats were donated by the local J/105 fleet and sailed with either an owner or owner’s rep aboard.
When the famed 72-ft gaff tops’l schooner Lord Jim hit a rock off the coast of Brazil last spring and sank, many assumed that she would never sail again.
Based on data culled from the Ha-Ha entry forms, Honcho Lauren Spindler reports that although the number of paid entries is down from 183 last year to just 178 this year, the number of people expected to participate will be up by more than 10% – 680 versus 601.
Smiles abound onboard J/120 Desdemona, who took second in their division, during the most successful Leukemia Cup to date.
This Saturday marks the 85th year Bird Boats have been sailing on the bay, making it the oldest fleet on the West Coast to be raced continuously.
The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) has announced that the 2008 Tall Ships Challenge, slated for the North American West Coast, will add San Francisco as a port of call from July 23 – 28, 2008.
Pirates were warned that no misbehavior would be permitted. latitude/Richard
©2007 Latitude 38 Media, LLC It was a Bucaneer’s Day Weekend unlike any other at Catalina last Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Jennifer Deleon was sentenced on Friday to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for her part in the murder of cruisers Tom and Jackie Hawks.
Garth Wilcox and Wendy Hinman of the Port Ludlow, WA-based Wylie 31 Velella completed a cold 49-day passage from Yokohama to Vancouver Island in early September.
Sailing