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Crewing in the Caribbean

“Hello, SanDisk, this is Melissa calling on behalf of Latitude 38. I want to know why you can’t use your SDHC memory cards in both Nikon and Lumix cameras. The cards fit in both cameras and are specified for both cameras. The boss took these nice photos of photos of the Tallmans (Craig, Sean, Emma and Renee), the Troegers(Steve, Kathy, Montana, Keira, Sara Lynn) and the Montagues (Steve and Emily) all from the King Harbor YC (Redondo Beach), who are here in St. Barth on a Sunsail 45 charter cat, and your crummy memory card scrambled them. What’s the problem? Can you hear me?! Speak up! What’s wrong with this connection, darn it!

latitude/Richard
©2011 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

We like it when people prove us right.

For example, yesterday we were talking to friends in the patio area of Le Select Bar in St. Barth when Steve Troeger of the King Harbor YC — fresh off crewing on Ed McDowell’s victorious SC 70 Grand Illusion in the Cabo Race — came up and asked if we weren’t the publisher of Latitude. We confessed that we were. We soon got to meet the family-and-friends group from the King Harbor YC (Redondo Beach), who had come to the island from St. Martin on a Sunsail 45 catamaran.

We got to talking, as sailors do, and mentioned that we were part of a syndicate trying to bring an Olson 30 to the island. Troeger mentioned that a few years back, Southern Californians Doug Baker of Magnitude 80 and David Janes of the R/P 77 Akela had Pete Heck ship an Olson 30 to the Caribbean and later up to Rhode Island for a variety of races. They did well, too, for having a 30-year-old boat, taking a first in St. Thomas and second in Block Island.

Then the guys on this Caribbean family charter —  meaning Troeger, Craig Tallman and Steve Montague — got to musing how much fun it would be to sail in one of the big boats in the Voiles de St. Barth. It was the lay day in the four-race series. We were going to tell them, as we’ve told everyone else, that it’s actually easy to get on a boat, but as they were on a multi-family vacation, we let it slide.

Without more crew on the rail, Steve Schmidt of the Saratoga and Caribbean-based SC 70 Hotel California, Too, was going to have to go with a smaller headsail, something he didn’t want to do.

latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Fast forward to this morning, when we met Steve, Craig and Steve at the regatta village. They were excited because they somehow managed to hook up to crew on a Farr 65. True, they’d have to take off immediately after the race, but with the trades blowing a mellow 15 to 18, what could be better? Well, what could have been better is if we’d gotten to them a little earlier to warn them that if one isn’t careful in St. Barth, a simple breakfast for three can cost $100. It doesn’t have to, but it can.

So yeah, it’s easy to get good rides if not great boats in the Caribbean. So many rides that you’ll come close to begging for a break from all the sailing and socializing. Details to come in the May issue of Latitude.

What red-blooded sailor wouldn’t want to sail in conditions such as this, with 17 knots of breeze, 85 degree air temperature, and 80 degree water temperature.

latitude/Richard
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

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In late 2007 Harker rounded Cape Point, South Africa, thus returning to the Atlantic Ocean where he would complete his mostly solo circumnavigation.