The view of the start of the Caribbean 600, as viewed from Block House. There were 77 entries.  latitude/Richard
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC If you’re going to watch the start of a yacht race, as opposed to being on one of the boats, there isn’t a much better place than Antigua’s Block House for the start of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Caribbean 600. More »

Clipper Race sailor Gavin Reid climbs the mast of a stranger’s boat to go to the aid of a crewman stuck at the top. Mission Performance
©Latitude 38 Media, LLC During one of the Clipper Round the World Race Australian legs last January, from Hobart, Tasmania, to the Whitsunday Islands, the Clipper 70 Mission Performance answered a distress call from an unrelated sailboat. More »

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard issued a warning to mariners about debris in the California Delta. In this photo, marine debris surrounds a navigation daymark in the Sacramento River. © 2017 Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory Mendenhall / USCG Aids to Navigation Team Given that this is one of the rainiest winters on record in the Bay Area, no one should be surprised to see abnormally large amounts of storm-generated debris in waterways and marinas throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta — debris that could easily damage or disable both powerboats and sailboats.  More »

"Now that the days are starting to become a little longer and dare I say drier soon, we’ll be hopefully enjoying some late afternoon and early evening sailing once again," writes Chuck Bullett, vice commodore of Berkeley Yacht Club. More »

Wood from the Guayacan tree is perfect for both sailors and cops. Jack van Ommen
©2017Latitude 38 Media, LLC It looks as though Latitude’s great friend Jack van Ommen of the Gig Harbor, Washington-based Naja 30 Fleetwood will not make it “around the world in 80 years” as he had hoped. More »

When you have a trimaran such as Phaedo3 that can hit 40 knots, you can quickly cover a lot of ground between race venues. But from Antigua to Newport Beach in less than three weeks?  More »

Ex-president Barack Obama was all smiles after successfully learning to kiteboard in the BVI’s Gorda Sound — for which he scores big points in our book. © 2017 Jack Brockway / Virgin.com More »

In the January 18 ‘Lectronic Latitude, we asked the following quiz question: ‘What is the official maritime rule most often broken by sailors?’ Somewhat to our surprise, almost everyone who responded — and there must have been more than 100 — got it right. More »

Svea, the longest J Class yacht ever, has been completed for a Northern California owner. She is now in Amsterdam about to undergo sea trials.  © 2017 Vitters Svea, which at 143 feet is the largest J Class yacht ever built, has been completed by Vitters of Zwartsluis, Netherlands, and has just arrived in Amsterdam, reports SuperYacht Times. More »