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Sailors Rescued
No one would have expected one of the Southern Hemisphere’s best-known and most-traveled yachts to be lost at sea en route to the start, but that’s exactly what happened to Brian Petersen’s Auckland, New Zealand-based Elliott 50 Ran Tan II.
California Offshore Race Week
They're off. And they're almost there (or already finished, by the time you read this). Three 70-ft trimarans made a brief appearance on San Francisco Bay as they tuned up and got ready to blast down the coast in the inaugural California 500 race from San Francisco to San Diego.
Buy or Sell Marine Gear
Buy, sell, trade your used or new marine equipment, supplies, rigging, boating gear and anything & everything marine.
Hot Off the Presses
Happy June, Latitude Nation. We are celebrating the more-or-less start of summer with nothing less than a brand-new issue of Latitude 38.
Conditions for Tomorrow
Weather Routing Inc. predicts a "good day" for tomorrow's Delta Ditch Run from Richmond to Stockton.
California Offshore Race Week
The MOD70s 'Powerplay' and 'Argo' and the Multi 70 'Maserati', have been tuning up on the Bay getting ready for tomorrow's 12:55 start in California Offshore Race Week's CA 500 — a new 500-mile 'sprint' from San Francisco to San Diego.
Cruiser's Rally
It’s all up to you. The SoCal Ta-Ta (aka ‘Reggae Pon Da Ocean’) is a week-long ‘lite’ version of the Baja Ha-Ha that we’ve run four times before with anywhere from 20 to 40 boats.
Regatta Calendar
Today is the deadline to enter the Delta Ditch Run, as much fun as you can pack into one day (and sometimes night) of sailing on inland waters.
Fundraiser Fete
Call of the Sea will hold their annual fundraising gala on Saturday, June 8. The event benefits Call of the Sea's on-the-water education programs and the completion of the new educational tall ship Matthew Turner.
Spectator-Friendly Racing
St. Francis Yacht Club has announced that they will offer a Classics Class in this September's Rolex Big Boat Series. The class is open to any boat built before 1955 and measuring longer than 48 feet on deck.
A Sailing Science Moment
The 'Question of the Day' in yesterday's Old Farmer's Almanac newsletter was, "What does 'neaped' mean in reference to a ship?"
Shootin' the Breeze
Latitude Nation — Here are a few nuggets from around the West Coast sailing world: The 'Matthew Turner' is currently hauled out at Bayside Boatworks, and has some access to those hoping to catch a look. "It is quite a sight!" said Sylvia Stompe from Call of the Sea.
Cruiser's Rally
It’s been just under two weeks since entries were first accepted for the 2019 Baja Ha-Ha, and the Grand Poobah is pleased to report that the number of paid entries has reached 93.
Buy or Sell Marine Gear
Buy, sell, trade your used or new marine equipment, supplies, rigging, boating gear and anything & everything marine.
Inland Cruising Rally
Dean started sailing in high school. He got to do three trips sailing from Coos Bay, Oregon, to Baja California aboard a Farallon Clipper — the start of a lifelong pursuit of sailing. Or so he thought.
Three Sheets to the Wind
As California is in the midst of being swallowed by late-season rain, a coalition of  state lawmakers and interest groups — their drought concerns satiated, but their fears of swelling vegetation and exploding pollen counts on the rise — have decided to take legal action against the aberrant weather.
Repair and Maintenance
After finding that there was a crack in her keel (please see part 1 on Monday), singlehanded cruiser Elana Connor had her 1985 Sabre 34 MkI Windfola hauled out — and was told that the crack was “just cosmetic” — before departing for San Diego for a more thorough investigation.  
Weather Politics
In late 2017, President Trump nominated Barry Myers to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, a choice that was seen as controversial, even for an administration that was voted in on being unconventional.
National Safe Boating Week
The US Coast Guard recorded 4,291 accidents that involved 658 deaths and 2,629 injuries in 2017, the most recent year for which such statistics are available.
Delta Cruising Seminar
Delta Cruising Seminar & Kickoff Party, May 18, 6-9:30 p.m., at Richmond Yacht Club
The World Famous L38
Here’s this month’s Caption Contest(!). Good luck! You can comment below, or email us here.
Waterfront Politics
“The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission has neglected its responsibility to protect the San Francisco Bay and the Suisun Marsh,” read the first paragraph of the recently released Auditor of the State of California’s report on the BCDC.
Inland Cruising Rally
The 11th annual Delta Doo Dah cruising rally will kick off this Saturday with a Delta cruising seminar at Richmond Yacht Club from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Breakout sessions will cover anchoring, destinations and the return trip to the Bay.
Getting Rid of Flares
Recreational boaters who live or berth their boats in Alameda County will have the opportunity to properly dispose of their expired or unwanted flares on Sunday, May 26.
Coastal Cruising Rally
Every year the Grand Poobah of the Baja Ha-Ha expects there to be a big drop-off in the number of entries. "With more than 3,000 boats having done it in 25 years," he says, "it would seem that at some point we'll run out of sailors who haven't done it or who have continued on to the South Pacific and never come back."
small boat sailing
We posted a few pictures of Bay Area launch ramps, omitting the location of one of them. We asked our readers if they could identify the location. It comes as no surprise to us that several of our clever readers quickly replied with the correct answer. The mystery ramp? It's the…
Waterfront Politics
In August 2018, the State of California began the process of auditing the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, after a group of bipartisan lawmakers formally requested an independent investigation into the BCDC’s enforcement activities.
Buy or Sell Marine Gear
Buy, sell, trade your used or new marine equipment, supplies, rigging, boating gear and anything & everything marine.
Hurricane Season
East Pacific Offshore Zone forecasts of winds/waves/warnings are now official and freely available 24 hours a day/365 days a year.
Coastal Cruising Rally
The 26th Baja Ha-Ha Cruising Rally is now open for business and accepting entries. The 2019 rally has been scheduled, a bit later than usual, to run November 3-16.
Wednesday Night Races
While we counted down the last few minutes to our start, an emergency situation suddenly appeared. During a tack away from the line, we lost a hat overboard.
Cruising Tragedy in Panama
On May 2, New Zealand cruiser Alan Culverwell was killed by robbers aboard his anchored boat at Morodub Island in Panama’s San Blas archipelago.
Sailing