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A West Coast Present
Happy holidays, Latitude Nation. And for all of you on the West Coast, the current deluge of rain marks the unofficial but totally welcome end of fire and power-outage season.
Away Games
A team of young people from San Francisco and Annapolis YCs and a team from Cal Maritime Academy dominated the competition. The two were tied on points…
An Adventure Story
Here’s a dispatch from sailor-turned-ocean-rower Lia Ditton‘s human-powered trek from Washington state. She rowed more than 700 nautical miles in 24 days, down the Oregon and California coasts to the Bay Area.
Meritorious Service Award
On the evening of July 19, around 2145 hours, a resident of Coast Guard Station Rio Vista housing, along the Sacramento River, was lying in bed and heard cries for help.
Waterfront Celebrations
On the slopes, Santa arrives on skis. So it's fitting that at the shore, Santa arrives by water. Lighted boat parades proliferate in December. We keep collecting more events to add to the list.
December Issue Sneak Peek
Stacy the bow gal on the Express 37 'Bullet' wrangles the spinnaker at the very-light-air downwind start of Golden Gate Yacht Club's Seaweed Soup Midwinters. We'll cover that and much more in the December issue of Latitude 38, coming out on Monday, December 2.
The Happiest Day?
How does the saying go? “The best days of a boatowner’s life are the day you buy the boat, and the day you sell it.”
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Young Sailors Write
Are you a sailor and still in grade school or high school? Do you get back to the dock and all you can do is talk about what happened out there?
Racing Preview
Regular readers of 'Lectronic may notice that our racing preview for December is a bit shorter than other months, but we do have a few events to share.
Ocean Racing and Records
"It should take us 16 and a half days of sailing to get to Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a great pleasure for me to set off on this adventure towards places our Western racing boats rarely go."
Do It Yourself
If you pride yourself on doing much of your own boat maintenance, you probably spend more hours than you’d like to with your head and shoulders squashed into narrow lockers and bilge compartments.
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ASA 101/103 Combination Course: Basic Keelboat Sailing and Basic Coastal Cruising at Modern Sailing School & Club.
Uninvited Guests
In modern times it’s extremely rare for human travelers to stow away aboard sailboats. But over the years we’ve reported on all shorts of freeloading creatures found aboard cruising boats.
Photos of the Day
Last week, reader Vikas Kapur sent us photos from a foggy day of sailing on San Francisco Bay. Vikas titled his emailed photo essay "painted ships on painted seas." He called it "thick fog but have seen worse."
It’s amazing how fast the Baja Ha-Ha comes and goes every year. One of the largest cruisers’ rallies in the world is heading toward its inevitable and famously boisterous conclusion at the pointy end of Baja California.
Bay Area Boats
Tucked into the bitter end of the San Rafael Canal is what we can only call an unexpected vessel — a pirate-y looking tall ship that’s  a tad out of place against the back alley of the busy Montecito Plaza. 
Events This Weekend
Although it's looking like a fabulous weekend to go sailing at latitude 38° N, we've got a couple of indoors events you might like to attend.
Deadline Is Today
Last call for Classy Classifieds. To get your ad into the December issue, the deadline is today, the 15th, at 5 p.m.
The World Famous L38
Here’s your November Caption Contest(!) This photo was brought to us by Mark Bettis.
Recognition for Excellence in Sailing
Nominations for US Sailing's 2019 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards are open to the public. Fans can nominate the sailors they believe turned in the most outstanding performances this year.
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Westwind Washing, Waxing, Varnishing. Serving the Bay Area for more than 25 years.
Atlantic Racing Update
For British skipper Alex Thomson, the Transat Jacques Vabre again lived up to its reputation as a boat-breaker, though one that will allow him and his Hugo Boss team to come back stronger for the Vendée Globe.
2020 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race
Are you Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race-curious? Or just interested in sailing your boat to Hawaii?
Successful Solo Adventure
Francis Joyon has just beaten his own record, set 10 years ago. This stretch of the Route to the Indies is called the Mauritius Route. Joyon covered the course in…
What do you use?
Where do you get your weather information for coastal cruising? My partner and I recently took a two-week cruise from Berkeley to the Channel Islands and back on our Kelly Peterson 46 Esprit.
A good answer to a bad question
In this month’s Sightings, Webb Chiles attempts to answer the answerable. Don’t forget that Chiles still regularly posts on his website, which can be found here.
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