By John Arndt | December 30, 2019 | Mill Valley, CA | 0
We’re about to launch into a new year and new decade with lots of sailing ahead. Before we do we wanted to share a look back at the past year. Twelve issues brimful of California and West Coast sailing, with added miles from West Coast sailors who are somewhere on the world’s oceans.
Aaah, the cruising life. This casual shot from our January cover came from the light-air 2018 Baja Ha-Ha. In fact, we started the year with a shot from the finish of the 2018 Baja Ha-Ha and we end the year with a shot from the start of the 2019 Baja Ha-Ha. The issue also included cruising Catalina Island and a return trip from the Singlehanded Transpacific Race by the Valiant 32 Morningstar.
Sailing started about 4,000 years ago and Latitude about 42 years ago. Our February issue was number 500. We’ve enjoyed every mile we’ve all sailed together on San Francisco Bay and around the world. We’re looking forward to many more.
Galloping around Blackaller Buoy as a first ‘bridge’ in the Three Bridge Fiasco. We covered the Three Bridge, the ongoing life of Steve Fossett’s former cat Playstation, the RegattaPRO Midwinters, and much more in the March issue. The 2020 Three Bridge Fiasco is coming up on Saturday, January 25. We’ll see you out there.
Jim DeWitt painted the original watercolor, ‘Kids at Play’, in March for this cover. It’s the third year in a row that a DeWitt has graced the April issue. We also covered windships; the Mull-designed Improbable, now being restored by Bruce Schwab; and the challenges facing Bay Area boatyards.On the May cover the nearly 95-year-old Herreshoff schooner Brigadoon powers to windward in the 2011 Master Mariners Regatta. Brigadoon has been in the Klaus family for more than 45 years. The May issue featured much of the West Coast’s legendary wood boats and events, and those who love them. The tradition continues with the May 2020 Master Mariners Regatta on May 23.
We made a quick switch from wood in May to the SailGP foiling cats in June. The 50-knot cats practically boiled the water as they torched the Bay in front of crowds along the San Francisco Cityfront. We also caught up with Webb Chiles after his circumnavigation and dug into some of the challenges facing the Oakland Estuary.
July 2019 saw a new angle on trekking up the San Joaquin River in the Delta Ditch Run on June 1. For many, that was also the start of their Delta Doo Dah and summer in Northern California’s inland, freshwater cruising grounds.
The August issue showed sailing into the setting sun, as Rio 100 won the Merlin Trophy in the 50th Transpac. It’s another fabulous Sharon Green shot, though a departure from the classic aerial with Diamond Head in the background. There are always too many great photos, and only one gets to be on the cover. We also featured the South Pacific with tales from Indonesia and Tahiti. Pass under the Golden Gate Bridge and you find a lot of sailing in the Pacific. In 2020, we’ll see the Transpac Tahiti, the Pacific Cup, the Singlehanded Transpacific Race, the Shaka Challenge and the Vic-Maui. It’s a big ocean and a busy one.
In September we showed the Redwood City-based Tatoosh 50 Endeavour lying peacefully at anchor in a Moorea lagoon. Like many other passage-makers, her owners recently sailed roughly 4,000 miles to reach the South Pacific. We also featured more foiling, some profiles of 2019 Baja Ha-Ha participants, summer Bay racing recaps and more tales from the South Pacific.
The Rolex Big Boat Series got off to a slow start this year, but the action heated up as soon as the heatwave broke. In fact, the wind blew the rigs out of three boats while the rest of the fleets fought their way for a path to the winners’ podium. The October issue also recapped some Delta Doo Dah summer sailing, took a close look at Berkeley Marina, and got ready for sailing off to Mexico.
A singlehander’s work is never done. On the November cover, Randall Reeves attended to some deck work shortly before he sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on October 19, completing 40,000 miles of sailing in his unique Figure 8 Voyage. See page 58 for the full story. In November Commodore Tompkins appeared in Letters, we previewed the Transpac Tahiti, and we examined why Mexico is more than a destination.
The December cover showed the 26th Baja Ha-Ha fleet lining up on San Diego Bay for the start of the 750-mile rally to Cabo San Lucas. Inside is the wrap-up on the 2019 Baja Ha-Ha, a story reflecting on what happened to windsurfing, who the Overtons are, what happened at the Great Pumpkin Regatta and the Berkeley Midwinters, and more.
It was another spectacular year of sailing. We always wish we could have done more sailing ourselves and covered more of it in the magazine. Of course, much more was covered every week here in ‘Lectronic Latitude.
The cover of the January 2020 issue features a photo submitted by reader Andy Ix, who said, “I shot this photo on a Bay sail from Pineapple Express, a Catalina 25, on the evening of June 4, 2019. I enjoy your magazine, and this photo is a gift to share with our local sailing community.”
Think you have a photo we should consider for the cover? First, look at the 12 covers above, as they’ll give you a good idea of what we like — action, color, people, and close-in views. Send your submissions here.
Our office in Mill Valley will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Happy New Year’s to all our readers!
Just as 2019 draws to a close, so too does this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart race. Often referred to as "the great race," this 75th edition was once again proof of why.
