British solo circumnavigator Jeanne Socrates was among dozens of adventurers invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at a reception at Buckingham Palace last night. "The reception was to mark the centenary of Captain Robert Scott’s final expedition to the South Pole, and to recognize the accomplishments of those involved in exploration and adventure in all its forms," says Socrates. More »

The moon doesn’t disappear during a lunar eclipse but rather turns red thanks to sunlight refracting off Earth’s atmosphere. © Muhammad Mahdi Karim Most people we know try to sleep in a bit on Saturday mornings. More »

If you were cruising the outside of Baja or the Sea of Cortez over the Thanksgiving weekend and found the last of your turkey sandwiches tasted a little grittier than normal, huge dust storms on November 27 could have been the reason. More »

On Monday we reported that Harper’s Bazaar magazine identified cruiser favorite Punta Mita as the hottest destination in the world for celebrities. Maybe there is something to it, as this morning Bloomberg News reported that Mexican authorities claim they broke up an attempt in November by al-Saadi Qaddafi, one of the sons of deposed and dead Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, to use fake documents to enter Mexico, open bank accounts and buy land at Punta Mita. More »

There are few things in life that we enjoy more than sailing. And by contrast, there are few things we dislike more than battling crowds of over-amped shoppers during the holiday season, while struggling to find meaningful gifts for the people we love. More »

Yesterday’s second race of the Banderas Bay Blast was from La Cruz to Punta Mita. Although the wind briefly got into teens, it was mostly in the single digits. There were whales, dolphins and flat water. More »

The 34-ft sloop Waltzing Matilda was lost on the rocks at Punta Camarones, Mantanchen Bay, San Blas, yesterday morning in relatively calm conditions, report several cruisers on the scene. Waltzing Matilda on the beach at Punta Camarones. More »

If it’s been awhile since you’ve checked on your boat’s mooring lines, your lunch break would be an excellent time to do it. The National Weather Service has issued high wind advisories along the central coast for this afternoon, with gusts predicted to hit upward of 40 knots or higher. More »

The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame is auctioning off the ride of a lifetime on Friday. BASHOF scored a sail for one person aboard an AC 45 with none other than Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts! More »

14 to 1! The peso dropped to 14.2 to against the dollar last Friday. Cruisers were even getting a whopping 14 to 1 at ATM machines. In July, the peso was 11.5 to the dollar. More »