Some offshore sailors dread getting up at all hours of the night to stand watch. But night watches sometimes yield unexpected rewards: brilliant stars and constellations to steer by, meteor showers and, if you’re lucky, perhaps even a nighttime rainbow, or ‘moonbow’.  More »

Fledgling sailors breeze down a fairway at Loch Lomond Marina during introductory lessons. latitude/Andy
©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC Some things in life are reliably predictable. At San Rafael’s Loch Lomond Marina, for example, a new flock of ducklings is born every spring, and can be seen patrolling the fairways all summer long. More »

Dozens of boats of all types will head south from San Diego on Halloween morning. Will your boat be one of them? latitude/Andy
©2016Latitude 38 Media, LLC With just one month remaining before the September 15 entry deadline for October’s Baja Ha-Ha rally, we’re certain that many would-be cruisers are scratching their heads wondering if their boat is adequately equipped for venturing offshore and cruising Mexican waters.  More »

You’d have to look long and hard to find a more dramatic backdrop for sailing than San Francisco’s Central Bay — not to mention its consistently strong winds. But there are times when you might want to venture outside the Golden Gate for a change of pace. More »

If you’re planning to sail to the sunny latitudes of Mexico this fall, you’ll be relieved to know that Tropical Storm Javier did relatively little damage to Cabo San Lucas when it passed through yesterday. More »

A little soap, a little elbow grease. . . Is the famous Gunboat 55 #1 Rainmaker beyond resurrection? We’ll bet someone will take on the task.   © 2016 Courtesy Cooper Specialty Salvage, LLC If you’re the sort of bargain hunter who’s constantly on the lookout for the ultimate boat deal, you’ll be interested to hear that the once-gorgeous Gunboat 55 catamaran (#1) Rainmaker is up for auction this month, with bids starting at $15,000 — less than 1% of its original value. More »

As if professional maritime jobs weren’t already in short supply, this summer attendees at an international shipping conference in Amsterdam were introduced to the very real possibility that a new breed of unmanned ‘drone’ cargo ships will be operational before the end of the decade. More »

A rainbow ends on one of Anegada’s pristine, white-sand beaches — an appropriate metaphor for one man’s estimation of the island’s financial potential. © 2016 Peter Whitney According to British Virgin Islands tourism stats, visits by West Coast sailors contribute mightily to that British Overseas Territory’s annual income. More »

With the Pacific Cup, Singlehanded TransPac and Vic-Maui races all going on at the same time, the focus of ‘Lectronic has been acutely focused on offshore racing lately. Meanwhile, plenty of other notable nautical stories have been quietly taking place with little fanfare.  More »