Latitude 38 March Issue Out Today
The year is “marching” on and so are the seasons. March is one of our favorite months as it heralds the onset of spring and then summer, both great seasons to spend on the water. The new issue of Latitude 38 is also one of our favorite things about March — a variety of stories and photos covering local racing with a feature on this year’s Three Bridge Fiasco; a hilarious account of one sailor’s voyage south with untried crew; an Olympic campaign; and a father and his daughter’s love for Folkboats, just to name a few. Here’s a peek:
2026 Three Bridge Fiasco – Why Don’t We Do This More Often?
On the last day of January, 277 of the 303 boats that had signed up made their way out onto the Bay to race in the 2026 edition of the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s (SSS) Three Bridge Fiasco. The regatta featured 31 different classes, including 10 one-design classes. All boats were either doublehanded or singlehanded, with all of the one-design classes and 15 of the PHRF classes doublehanding, and the remaining six PHRF classes singlehanding.
And So, I Decided To Do the Ha-Ha
“Get the **** off my boat.” I truly believed that was the end. Incorrect. She calls later to inform me she has my canvas bag and is holding it for ransom in exchange for the Mexican fishing license I paid for. Even trade, apparently. Sadly, the hostage exchange occurs in a crowded restaurant instead of a dark alley of my choosing.
RYC’s Hoel Menard Campaigns for L.A. 2028
As the winter Olympic Games fade out of short-term memory, we turn our attention to those athletes preparing for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. One such athlete is 22-year-old Bay Area sailor Hoel Menard, who recently announced he will be joining Sarah Newberry Moore’s Olympic campaign in the Nacra 17 class.
And just like that, I became the proud owner of my first Folkboat! I learned a lot on that boat. Much of it was not pretty. I learned that you should really go nowhere near Seal Rocks. I learned that the water rushing under the Fort Mason piers on a big flood can make leaving the East Basin much more exciting than it ought to be.
Also in this month’s issue:
Letters: Moitessier, My Friend; Fiasco Strategy; Twenty Feet of Terror; Is the America’s Cup Being Run Illegally?; Evolution After Failure in the Golden Globe; plus many more readers’ letters.
Sightings: Under the Same Canopy; RYC Asks, “Who’s Your Big Daddy?”; Closing a Central Coast Coverage Gap; Tall Ship Award for COTS’s Alan Olson; Crew Dynamics; and more stories.
Max Ebb: “Happy Endings”
Racing Sheet: The racing season for most fleets and yacht clubs kicks off in earnest this month; some racing already kicked into high gear in February. Covered in this month’s edition of the Racing Sheet: Scott Easom gives his take on the Three Bridge Fiasco; San Diego Yacht Club hosts its first Etchells regatta of the year with the Bill Bennett Cup; the first two stops of the California Dreamin’ Series; and various midwinter regattas are sailed at RYC, CPYC, CYC, and SFYC.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Heure Bleue on a memorable Ha-Ha; an interview with incoming Poobah Chuck Skewes; Madeline Mulligan’s crazy Mexican road trip just to get to the Ha-Ha; and a locker full of Cruise Notes.
Plus, all the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale, Classy Classifieds.
Before this March issue hit the streets, we stopped by Marotta Yacht Sales and Sausalito Books by the Bay to check on the magazines. Marotta was out on the docks, but Books by the Bay manager Jeff Battis told us he was down to his last magazine and has been meaning us to ask for more magazines each month. He’s happy to regularly have Latitude 38 readers coming by his shop to pick up the magazine. It’s springtime and time to get Jeff (and you) some more magazines each month.
Drop in to your nearest distributor to pick up your copy of this month’s Latitude 38.