A Crew Change at Latitude 38 — Welcome Aboard Maddy Garcia
Two weeks ago we bade fair winds to our sales and marketing manager of six years, Nicki Bennett, and welcomed aboard our new sales and marketing manager, Maddy Garcia. While we wish Nicki all the best in her next adventures (we will still see her around the Bay), we’re excited to have Maddy join our crew and look forward to working alongside her. Maddy is no stranger to sailing; in fact, she has Viking heritage, which we imagine serves her well on the water and in many of her endeavors. We invite you to, in true Latitude Nation style, welcome Maddy aboard.
Below is an introduction, in Maddy’s own words.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I grew up loving everything aquatic — swimming, surfing, working at the beach. My sailing journey started during my senior year at UCLA. Being half Norwegian, I walked into my first practice confident some of my Viking blood would kick in. It did not. Instead I learned the hard way that sailing an FJ while barefoot and in shorts meant slipping and falling with every tack. While I ended the first practice with cuts, scrapes and a slightly bruised ego, I was completely in love with sailing. The chaos of skippers shouting, the anxiety of avoiding getting hit by the boom, and the complete confusion of all the terms being thrown around captivated me.
My skipper that day was S.F. native Madeline Kuhn, and once we stepped back on the dock I told her I wanted to go back out and try again. In 2021 I moved to S.F. to work in tech and began learning about big-boat sailing. I fell deeper in love with this sport and would be out on the water any chance I could get. To my surprise my two worlds collided when Madeline Kuhn reached out to me about a job opening at Latitude 38. I would have never guessed that my experience in tech would evolve into an opportunity to work in an industry that I am passionate about.
Over the years I have completed ASA 101–103 certifications through Modern Sailing, and am currently working toward 104. My goal is to obtain my ICC to sail the Mediterranean, with the dream of competing in the Clipper circumnavigation race one day.
Although sailing intimidated me at first, I’m glad to have taken the plunge on that first college practice. Without it I would have never met some of the most inspiring people and challenged myself beyond belief. I am excited to now be a part of the community here at Latitude 38!
At our first team meeting, Maddy confirmed her sailing status by sharing that she owns a Sam’s mug, acquired directly from Sam’s of Tiburon in her early days on the water. How many can attest to that?! All mugs aside, we’re excited to see what the future holds for Maddy, both in the office and on the water.