Current News
Still Smoky in the Bay
Late tomorrow, there may be some relief from the deadly Camp Fire, and the hundreds-of-miles-long blanket of dense, smoky smog that’s been choking the Bay Area for well over a week. More »
The Coast Guard, On and Off the Water
The US Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus — Always Ready. Time and again, we’ve seen that that’s true when it comes to rescuing mariners in distress at sea. But, right now, some mariners and their yacht brokers feel in ‘distress’ because the USCG is not ready with the latest vessel documentation system upgrade. More »
News Nuggets
Westpoint and BCDC Closer to Settlement
Westpoint Harbor and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission are one step closer to reaching a settlement.
At a meeting yesterday, the BCDC’s Enforcement Committee voted to move the settlement to the full BCDC board, and recommend it for approval. More »
Misfortune, Murder or Manslaughter?
Back in September, we noted the strange case of Lewis Bennett, his wife of just three months, Isabella Hellman, and their honeymoon-gone-wrong aboard their 37-ft catamaran. The couple were on the way back to Florida on the final leg of a two-week Caribbean cruise in the spring of 2017, when, according to Bennett, he was awoken around midnight by the sound and feel of the boat hitting something. More »
Embarcadero Seawall Will Get a Facelift
A bond measure passed yesterday that will put over $400 million into repairing the Embarcadero seawall in San Francisco. The century-old wall is in severe need of repairs, but is also being buttressed in preparation for climate change. More »
Change of Course at West Marine
West Marine issued a brief statement on Tuesday saying CEO Doug Robinson has left the company after less than a year in the post. Encouragingly, Robinson was already an active sailor when he joined West Marine in January. More »
Golden Globe Leader Suffers Knockdown
Just as we were finishing up this morning’s ‘Lectronic Latitude, we received a “Stop Presses” email from the Golden Globe solo around-the-world race. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (aka VDH) was leading his seven remaining competitors by more than 2,000 miles when he suffered a knockdown today aboard Matmut. More »
Notices Being Posted on Boats in Richardson Bay
After decades of passionate debate, the fate of Marin County’s most contentious piece of water seems poised to change, at least in Sausalito waters.
On Monday, the Sausalito Police Department handed out and posted flyers on all vessels anchored in the city’s jurisdiction on Richardson Bay, or the waters west of the channel and closest to the shoreline. More »
The Future of Estuary Park
The City of Oakland is soliciting public comment for their plans to expand and renovate Estuary Park, a lobe of landfill that juts out into the Oakland-Alameda Estuary east of Jack London Square. More »
Don’t Forget About Sergio
While this year’s East Coast hurricanes have wrought horrendous damage in Florida and the Carolinas, Hurricane Sergio flew under the radar, though it already has its own Wikipedia page. According to that source, “Sergio became the eighth Category 4 hurricane in the East Pacific for 2018, breaking the old record of seven in 2015.” More »
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