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Whose Yacht Is That?
If you've sailed San Francisco Bay this past week or perhaps driven Hwy. 101 northbound over the Golden Gate Bridge, you couldn't help but notice a very large motor yacht anchored off Sausalito.
Prepping for the Ha-Ha
Beyond preparing your boat for ocean voyaging, tying up the loose ends of your shoreside life, finding the right weather window and showing up in San Diego on time for the start, one of the main hurdles of doing the Baja Ha-Ha seems to bureaucratic in nature: getting your Temporary Import Permit, or TIP.
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Save the date: October 4-6, for the Northern California Yacht Fest at Marina Village Yacht Harbor.
The fall storm season
While not massive in size, Hurricane Dorian could cause havoc to the Spanish Virgin Islands and the eastern end of Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
Summer's Last Hurrah
As usual, this is just a small sampling of the numerous regattas and races available in California in the coming month. Each year it seems the list of events grows longer.
The end of Summer
There is no denying that the seasons, they are a-changin’. The kids are back in school, there were Halloween costumes for sale at Costco, and Corinthian Yacht Club’s beer can series came to a conclusion under dramatic skies.
The Teen Beat
The San Francisco Sea Scouts invite all Bay Area 13- to 15-year-olds and their families to a day of sailing, rowing, free food and knot tying. They're holding an open house on August 31.
Sausalito Legend
Last May, Latitude 38’s Racing Editor Christine Weaver caught up for a chat with Sausalito sailing legend Mary Gidley and her son Memo aboard their Elliott 1050, Basic Instinct.
Pursuit Race up the Sacramento Ship Channel
Way back in 2005 over a few craft beers too many, a fellow by the name of Ken Crawford announced to his Lake Washington Sailing Club cronies, “Why don’t we run a pursuit race all the way up that b*t%# of a ditch from Rio Vista to the club?"
West Coast Circumnavigators
We are a little reluctant to say that any sailor  is in the homestretch — especially a circumnavigator who has been sailing around the world for going on a year now. 
Fun and Games Galore
A weekend jam-packed with activities wrapped up the official events of the 11th Delta Doo Dah cruising rally. Both Owl Harbor Marina and Bay View Boat Club kindly invited Delta Doo Dah sailors to join in various festivities.
The Golden Ticket
On August 10, before sailing for the afternoon, Dan Larson's crew needed to pick up a repaired sail at Pineapple Sails in Alameda. He invited Dan to come along. "We picked up the sail, and on the way out the door I saw…
Environmental Activists
Sailors are probably accustomed to seeing a boat under tow —  it happens.
Sailing Connections
In 2014, still very new to sailing, I attended the Crew List Party and felt like a fish out of water. I must have looked it too — one of the Latitude 38 staff introduced me to Natasha (now Captain) Pyle. A few months later I volunteered to fill in for a last-minute crew cancelation on a delivery…
The Marine Surge?
After a few days of 100-degree weather here in the Bay Area, some of us wondered if it would ever be cool — or windy — again.
Photos of the Day
As it hit the horizon, a huge green flash struck and shot up into the sky. I let out a loud yelp. It was my first flash on my boat.
Drowning Incident
US Sailing has released a report detailing the results of their investigation into the death of Rick Srigley. Srigley, 77, fell off his Moore 24 Morpheus during Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club's first Wednesday night race of the season on March 13.
Regatta Schedule
Labor Day Weekend offers a veritable cornucopia of racing options on the West Coast. Surely, there is something (and maybe more than one thing) for every sailor.
Bay Area Sailing Legends
In 2016, the New York Times published a series of Rarely Seen Photos by Jack London.
Photos of the Day
Inverness Yacht Club on West Marin's Tomales Bay hosted the International 110 Nationals on July 29-August 2. We received an abundance of good images to go with a report…
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Westwind Washing, Waxing, Varnishing. Serving the Bay Area for more than 25 years.
The World Famous L 38
Here’s your August Caption Contest(!) We have changed our Caption Contest(!) winning swag from a Latitude T-shirt to a hat.
2020 Race to Tahiti
Back in April, Dorade owners and St. Francis Yacht Club members Matt Brooks and Pam Levy submitted the first entry to the upcoming 2020 Tahiti Race. Since then, the entry list continues to grow, now numbering 10 boats.
US Sailing
The Chubb US Junior regatta is kind of a big deal. Lots of hardware is up for grabs, including the Smythe and Bemis trophies and the Sears Cup — accolades that even we here at Latitude remember from our junior sailing days.
Championship Regatta
Chris Kostanecki, hailing from the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, took his saltwater sailing skills to the freshwater lakes of Michigan to challenge 35 other competitors in the J/70 Corinthian National Championship.
Latitude's Nature Friday
A recent TED talk on climate change by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden thrust her into the international spotlight. She will set sail aboard 'Malizia II', an IMOCA 60, to attend the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.
That Elusive Moment
Those of us on the West Coast have also been known to gaze at the horizon in hopes of catching a green flash as the sun sets behind the Pacific Ocean.
Is Recycling a Panacea?
“When you think of recycling, you probably think of a magical process where you throw your plastic in the blue bin, and a unicorn takes it away, and nine months later you get a beautiful baby water bottle.”
SailGP and Fastnet
Dylan Fletcher’s Great Britain SailGP Team achieved what no other sail racing team in the world has done: they broke the elusive 50-knot speed barrier.
Women's Match Racing Worlds
Bruce Stone of San Francisco wrote on Tuesday to check in from Lysekil, Sweden. His wife, Nicole Breault, is competing in the Women's Match Racing Worlds.
Job Opportunity
The perfect sailor's job: 29 days off every month! This is a one-day-per-month position to deliver Latitude 38 magazines to our East Bay route.
Sailing