Latitude 38 April Issue Out Now — No Joke!!!

Well, it’s that day of the year again. The day when jokes and pranks appear everywhere, sometimes obvious, sometimes not. We do have some for you today, in the journals of ‘Lectronic Latitude, but this is not it! This is a legitimate post about the April issue of Latitude 38, which just happens to be available now (it actually hit the docks yesterday). If you don’t have your copy yet, here’s a glimpse of what’s inside.

No Matter How Good Your Sailing Skills, RC Sailing Will Improve Them

What are the obstacles to really getting out on the water to race against competitors and to gain on-the-water experience? To get better? First, time. Second, money. Third, scheduling times to get a regular crew together. Here’s an answer to those challenges: competing in radio-controlled (RC) model yacht races.

Baja Ha-Ha — Crazy Ruckus or Supportive Cruising Fleet

Prior to joining, I’d thought it was mostly a party and a crazy ruckus heading down the coast, leaving a trail of turmoil in its wake among the small communities that lie on the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula. I had even heard of other people who thought the same. Some were purposely traveling on either end of the Baja Ha-Ha so they would not be caught up in it.

A (Mostly) Gentle Delivery Over a Graveyard of Ships

It is not uncommon for people to tell me what a terrific lifestyle I have: Getting paid to drive boats must be the best deal on Earth. Some days it is, many days it isn’t; there are days when you earn your wages. Here on the US West Coast, many of the days when you earn your pay fall between October and March. The question is when to pull the trigger and go. And it is not so much the time of year as the predicted wind and sea state.

And of course, we share our regular columns:

Letters: To Show Off Our Skills and Command of the Seas; We Were Wrong; White Elephant Deja-Vu in Berkeley?; Who Is Buying What From Who and Who Is Benefiting How?;  plus many more readers’ letters.
Sightings: A Cruise Through Northern Spain; Legendary Med Cruiser Up for Sail; Sign Up for Opening Day; Death and Resurrection; and other stories.
Max Ebb: “Cash or Crash?”
Racing Sheet: In April’s edition of the Racing Sheet, two statewide high school regattas are sailed, SDYC hosts a major Etchells championship, one of the country’s elite women’s regattas, and the offshore race that was *supposed* to be the warmup for the Puerto Vallarta Race. StFYC hosted the penultimate stop of California Dreamin’. Finally, RYC hosted its annual Big Daddy Regatta, honoring Bob Klein. For this edition of the Racing Sheet, we didn’t end up with enough room for all of the articles we had planned (overeager racing editor!), so we encourage you to go check out ‘Lectronic Latitude to read even more about sailing.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Makani on the effort required to become a self-sufficient sailor; Pendragon’s post-Ha-Ha adventures; a look back at both Zihuatanejo Sailfest and the Barra de Navidad Cruise-In Week and Fiesta de Veleros; and some fun and funny Cruise Notes.

Plus, all the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale, Classy Classifieds.