Mayday! Mayday! Latitude 38 May Issue on the Docks Today
Welcome to the May issue — a boat locker full of stories about circumnavigations; the pursuit of Olympic selection; cruising in the ’80s versus now; teak on boats; and other sailory pursuits. Here’s a preview of this month’s issue:
Josh Kali’s 19-ft Mini Globe Navigation
Before sailing, Josh had spent years ice climbing, mountain climbing and winter camping. Looking for a new challenge, he bought a $1,500 C&C 24 and taught himself to sail, step by step. First under mainsail alone, then with main and jib, and eventually in stronger winds and on longer passages. He’d also had some earlier time on the water offshore fishing aboard his dad’s tuna boat. Those beginnings led to a much bigger dream: building an Alma Class Globe 5.80 and taking on the Mini Globe Race.
Lauren Wilson Vies for L.A. 2028 After Two Decades Away From Elite Sailing
Campaigning for the Olympics is a full-time job for anyone, but between family and work, Wilson needed to get creative with her training schedule. Among other things, this includes a hiking bench in the family living room next to her children’s toys: Children’s TV shows are the perfect time to fit in an Olympic-campaign workout. Stealing time throughout her day and evenings with Pilates, free-weight chest presses and bicep curls, Wilson says she’s like the typical millennial mom, “just trying to squeeze it in where I can.”
Cruising Then and Now — A Retrospective
Operating a cruising boat has never been more expensive. Moorage is more difficult now as fewer marinas are being built and living aboard is increasingly frowned upon. Marina fees are prohibitively high, especially for millennials and Gen Zs, who tend to be more focused on making rent or mortgage payments. While marinas are less welcoming to liveaboards, living aboard is not only cost-effective, it also facilitates the multitude of boat projects necessary to make a yacht cruise-ready. Plus, as the size of the average cruising boat has increased, so too are the boats more expensive.
Plus your favorite regular columns:
Letters: What’s Going on at Newport Harbor?; Doubled Over With Latitude Laughter; We Thought We Might Go a Whole Issue Without Debating the America’s Cup — The Discourse Changes Direction; plus many more readers’ letters.
Sightings: Reeves and Shragge: Closing the Around the Americas Loop; Into the Storm with Parkinson’s; Eagle Through the Ages; and other stories.
Max Ebb: “Coincidence?”
Racing Sheet: In this month’s edition of the Racing Sheet, we truly emerge from winter hibernation and jump into the regular season of sailing. The J/105, Mercury and J/88 fleets kicked off their seasons; 2v2 Team Racing made its 2026 debut on the Bay; Coyote Point Yacht Club’s racing program chugged along; college sailors duked it out in keelboats in L.A.; and two of the West Coast’s historical yacht clubs did battle for cross-Bay bragging rights.
Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month from Malilia’s meanderings in the Sea of Cortez; Capricorn’s life-after-the-Ha-Ha adventures; Legacy’s Spring Break guests; Ruthie’s trials and tribulations on their first cruise south; and some fun Cruise Notes.
Plus, see all the latest in sailboats and sailboat gear for sale in Classy Classifieds.
Find your copy here, or subscribe to have it delivered each month. Then enjoy a digitally detoxed weekend of sailing, racing to Vallejo, or relaxing and reading! Or varnish?