Posts by John Riise
Merlin’s Homecoming
The 68-ft Merlin hangs a left on Lake Ave. to enter Santa Cruz Harbor.
© 2015 Skip Allan
At 9:30 on Wednesday morning, with police escort lights flashing, Driver Mike with Merlin in tow made the last turn, gently bottomed out on the boatyard hill, and Merlin was back home in Santa Cruz. More »
Dee Smith’s Road to Rio
In big boats, Dee Smith’s skillset is often head and shoulders above the competition. In 2.4mRs, his head and shoulders are pretty much at the same level as everyone else’s.
© 2015
In his 63 years, pro sailor Dee Smith has amassed one of the most enviable resumés in sailing: three America’s Cups, two Volvo round-the-world races, nine Admiral’s Cups, six World Championships, six Transpacs, five Sydney Hobarts — the list goes on and on. More »
Old Ironsides, New Ironsides
Smoke on the water: In this painting by Michel Felice Corne (1752-1845), USS Constitution (left) and HMS Guerriere pound each other in the opening days of the War of 1812. Constitution’s victory was the first major defeat of a British warship by an American one. More »
If You Come, They Will Build It
The Matthew Turner in frames and deck beams. Next comes the deck.
© 2015 John Skoriak
Ratty, the resident boat expert in Wind in the Willows, said it best: “There is absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.” More »
Duos Round the Horn
Jean Le Cam and Bernard Stamm have rounded Cape Horn in the Barcelona World Race. Cape Horn holds memories for these two, not all of them good. Le Cam had a dramatic capsize and was rescued during the Vendée Globe just west of Cape Horn in 2009, and Stamm’s last Vendée Globe ended at Cape Horn when he took on diesel fuel. More »
Latest from the AC Rumor Mill
Is the sailing empire that was once Emirates Team New Zealand beginning to crumble? The principals are remaining tight-lipped, but the circumstantial evidence and rampant speculation — all you ever need for juicy America’s Cup controversy — make for some pretty interesting reading of late. More »
Unidentified Floating Objects
So it turns out King Neptune has a super lotto of his own. Who knew?
We’re talking about the guy who found a handbag-size lump of ambergris on a British beach last month, for which he’s been offered $68,000. More »
Latitude 38 eBooks
Advertise in ‘Lectronic Latitude
The reason this space has been filled for most of the year is that it works. A ‘Lectronic Latitude ad has the power to reach 5,000 people — a day! Advertisers tell us that their web traffic increases dramatically when they place ads in ‘Lectronic. More »
A Different Kind of ‘Milk Run’
Many sailors have seen the elusive green flash, but we wonder how many have seen an (apparently) even rarer event: the so-called “milk sea” or “milky sea” that emits an intense glow at night. More »
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