If you’re dreaming of heading south this fall, one of the best ways to make it a reality is by signing up for the 2017 Baja Ha-Ha. Already 126 boats have signed up, and many more will join them by the September 15 deadline. More »

The headline above may sound as if it should be really old news, but apparently it’s not. On August 4, Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association commodore Linda Blue wrote: "I would like to share the following press release from Recreational Boaters of California. More »

There is no Internet at Santa Cruz Island. If there were, we can imagine the number of boats anchored there in the summer would dramatically increase.  latitude/Richard
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC Several entries for this year’s Baja Ha-Ha — there are currently 123 — have indicated they plan on spending some of the fall at the Channel Islands. More »

The 14th District of the US Coast Guard has been commemorating the 100th anniversary of Oahu’s Diamond Head Lighthouse, "a cultural icon and landmark," this summer. Diamond Head, which is featured on the cover of Latitude 38’s August issue, has been welcoming mariners to Oahu for centuries; the light has made the welcome safer. More »

The pier at Turtle Bay, with Enrique’s fuel dock at the very end. The boats in the background are from last year’s Baja Ha-Ha.  latitude/Richard
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC "I want to give everyone doing a Baja Bash a heads-up on what Enrique has been charging for diesel at the pier in Turtle Bay," writes Leonard Lee of the San Diego-based Hunter Legend 40 Mi Casa. More »

Once upon a time, Channel Islands was the home of many empty slips. That’s no longer true.  latitude/Richard
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC Due to space limitations at Channel Islands Harbor, the SoCal Ta-Ta is going to have to cut off entries at 25. More »

The schooner Alert was wending its way through the 200+ islands of Casco Bay. latitude/John
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC While San Francisco Bay boasts steady breezes, a 12-month season and spectacular scenery, most local sailors still want to explore much of the rest of the sailing world. More »

Merlin’s delivery crew pauses to pose for a photo before departing Honolulu. They are: Larry Radcliffe, El Cerrito; Kody Reed, Monterey; Jack Everett, Chattanooga, TN; Steve Burke, Santa Cruz; Jeff Bowler, Moss Landing; Genevie Drew, Santa Cruz; and delivery captain Don Radcliffe, Santa Cruz. More »

Why didn’t I think of that?  © 2017 James Tantillo At some point in your boat owning career, it’s likely that you’ll have to tension the belt(s) on your engine. If your experience was like ours, the belt(s) were hard to get at, and you used some kind of lever to pry things apart to create the proper amount of tension. More »

This is the track of the Deerfoot 62 Moonshadow when she was headed toward a reef off Huahine. Fortunately, it was daylight and one of the crew noticed the problem. Moonshadow
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC Following our Friday ‘Lectronic report on the loss of the Ventura-based Leopard 46 catamaran Tanda Malaika on a reef off Huahine in French Polynesia, allegedly because of inaccuracies in a Navionics electronic chart, we asked South Pacific veterans for their opinions of the accuracy of Navionics charts. More »