Latitude Engineering

Sailors are a notoriously innovative bunch. There are few other applications where the use of duct tape and bailing wire seems to work quite as well — or last as long — as on a sailboat. But throw in an old Melamine plate and a Latitude 38, and you have a patent-worthy creation! That’s just what Wayen Pierson did when the roller furler on his and girlfriend Jillian Hilton’s Cal 2-30 Pearl decided to take a holiday. "While we wait for a replacement, Wayne’s temporary fix is actually working," claims Jillian.

In the meantime, the couple and their dog Kiva are on a Bay ‘shake down cruise’ before heading off on an extended cruise. "We moved aboard about five months ago and have been staying at different marinas every week," she says. "It’s been extremely interesting seeing the different sides to all the marinas around here, let me tell you."

The couple and their furry companion will be joining the 2013 Baja Ha-Ha, and from there plan to make their way through the Panama Canal and then "go where the wind blows us."