Posts by Andy Turpin
Training Ship Used to Smuggle Drugs
Here on the West Coast, a great variety of high-volume smuggling attempts have been discovered — including open panga-style fishing boats with bales of pot piled higher than their gunwales and semi-submersible submarines carrying tons of cocaine. More »
Investigation in Megayacht Mishap
The bigger the boat, the bigger the ground tackle, and the bigger the ground tackle the bigger the potential for environmental damage. At least that seems to have been the case on January 14 when billionaire Paul Allen’s 303-ft yacht Tatoosh reportedly destroyed 14,000 square feet of "protected" coral reef in the Cayman Islands — an area a third the size of a football field. More »
‘Pirate’ Attack in Western Carib
Isolated incident or new trouble spot? Colombia’s Isla Providencia lies 120 miles off the Nicaraguan coast. In the interest of keeping plenty of sea room off the lee shore of Nicaragua’s east coast, many mariners on north-south transits pass near Providencia and its sister island San Andreas. More »
15th Zihua SailFest Revs Up
These young scholars from hillside communities took their first boat ride ever during SailFest.
latitude/Andy
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC One of the most admirable aspects of the Mexico cruising community is that its members often combine fun-filled sailing events with heartfelt philanthropy. More »
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC One of the most admirable aspects of the Mexico cruising community is that its members often combine fun-filled sailing events with heartfelt philanthropy. More »
We’ll See You in Seattle
As every Pacific Northwest sailor undoubtedly knows, the massive Seattle Boat Show begins this week and runs through February 6 at CenturyLink Field (plus in-the-water boat viewing at South Lake Union). More »
Scientists Discover Long-Lost Whalers
If you’re always looking for ‘silver linings’, you’ll be interested in recent discoveries made by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists thanks to diminishing sea ice in the Arctic.
Although artfully drawn, this artist’s rendering of the abandonment scene can’t begin to convey the grim prospect of surviving outside in such conditions, even for a brief period. More »
Key West Wrap-Up
The Melges 24 Shaka shakes off her rig on Friday at Key West Race Week, in breeze building past 20 knots and monstrous seas.
© 2016 Max Ranchi
The 2016 Quantum Key West Race Week ended just the way it started, with nuking breeze, driving rain and lightning all around. More »
Stellar Sailors Acknowledged
Canadian cruisers George Juri and Grit Chiu had been battling strong winds and high seas for days when they chanced upon Thai barge worker Thar Hlaing, who’d been alone in the water for four days. More »
Svendsen Resigns from Alameda Marina
In November, the introduction of preliminary plans to dramatically redevelop the Alameda Marina drew widespread concern and condemnation by many within the Oakland-Alameda sailing community. Early this month, developer Bill Poland, who has been part owner of the long-established, 43-acre waterfront property since 2006, attempted to clarify his position via op-ed pieces in two East Bay newspapers: "Mixed-use redevelopment of Alameda Marina… has been a public policy objective of city and regional planning agencies for years," he wrote. More »
The Super 12s Are Coming
About a year ago, when ex-America’s Cup employee Tom Ehman introduced his pipe dream of staging a 12-Meter racing renaissance on San Francisco Bay — in reaction to the astronomical costs of foiling-era A-Cup campaigning — the idea drew a mixed reaction. More »
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