Latitude 38’s March Issue Docking Today at a Distributor Near You!

Welcome to the March issue of Latitude 38. We hope you enjoy this month’s stories, which include everything from Ronnie Simpson’s dismasting during the Global Solo Challenge to No Name’s “manifestly unsafe voyage,” Sue and Mike Proudfoot’s 36-year-long journey with the 38-ft Norwegian ketch Farida, and many more interesting and fun stories.

Here’s a preview of what’s inside Latitude 38’s March issue:

Three Bridge Fiasco — Escape From Yerba Buena

As in last year’s Three Bridge Fiasco, this year’s rounding of Yerba Buena/Treasure Island proved to be the biggest sticking point for hundreds of sailors. Out of a final count of 299 boats registered, 274 started and 160 were able to finish on Saturday, January 27.

No Name’s First Leg — Manifestly Unsafe Voyage

In April 2023, we published a story of Stephen Wolf, who left San Francisco Bay in the early ’70s on a folding plywood 24-ft Piver Nugget trimaran for an extended cruise of unknown destination and time. One thing led to another, and unintentionally, it turned into an eight-year circumnavigation. Stephen had already sailed the boat from San Francisco to Mexico with friends and singlehanded it to Hawaii, but taking this well-built but light, open tri without an engine or electronics around the world today would certainly be classified as a “manifestly unsafe voyage.”

Ronnie Simpson Dismasts In Atlantic

“More than three quarters of the way around the world in the Global Solo Challenge and past all three of the Great Capes, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then, the 75-foot-tall carbon fiber mast on my vintage Open 50 came crashing down. Since rounding Cape Horn on February 2 in close to 60 knots of breeze, my weather while climbing the Atlantic had been incredibly unfortunate. My weather router Jason and I watched with concern as the South American continent baked in the intense summer sunlight, then spun out a depression that would meet me head-on. Sailing upwind and then close reaching, I was getting lifted to a proper course when my race came to an abrupt end at about 11:30 p.m. on February 11. With 30-40 knots of breeze and three reefs and a storm jib, conditions were beginning to moderate, though the sea state was still deteriorating.”

Plus, take a peek at our regular monthly columns:

• Letters: Capsize at Golden Gate Midwinters; A Perfect Fiasco, But We Need To Get Better; We Ask Again: Why Not Have AIS for YRA Races in the Bay? Surveying, and Shooting, the Berkeley Pier; and many more Letters to the Editor.
• Sightings: After Years at Anchor, Iconic Vadura Destroyed; Good Fun and Good Humans at PYSF; The Proudfoots’ Project, Part 1; and more great stories.
• Max Ebb: A Pox on Both Their Houses..
• Racing Sheet: Some California Laser sailors took a break from winter to head Down Under for the ILCA Masters Worlds. Meanwhile, the Northern Hemisphere winter season rolled on; this month we visit Island, Monterey Peninsula, South Beach, Berkeley, San Diego, Golden Gate, Corinthian and Coral Reef YCs and RegattaPRO. We also publish a race committee request, and Box Scores returns.
• Changes in Latitudes: This month we cover Salty Dancer’s scary grounding at Puerto Escondido; Bear North’s long journey from build to cruising Mexico; Noctiluca’s built-for-comfort-not-for-speed journey south; and a duffel bag full of Cruise Notes.
•  Loose Lips: We share February’s Caption Contest(!) winners.
• The sailboat owners and buyers’ bible, Classy Classifieds.

If you’re a subscriber, your magazine is on its way. If you like to collect your own and have a chat with the folks in the store or marina office, here’s a map of where you can find Latitude 38 magazine.

NOTE: Just as we posted our new March issue this morning, one of our alert readers noted our PDF download link wasn’t working. Mauri Miner wrote us immediately saying, “The ‘download’ link is missing on the latest issue, March 2024. Please fix, for those of us who prefer to download and read offline.”

Thank you. Mauri, from Seattle. We’re always appreciative of readers, no matter how they read the magazine, and also for offering feedback to help us keep things running smoothly.

And for those who like to read the paper version, offline, stop in and visit Lane at Modern Sailing in Berkeley.