‘Tis the Season — ‘Latitude’ Hats Find New Homes
We’d like introduce you to Ken Agustin. Ken is a sailor from Pleasanton who recently scored himself a new Latitude 38 hat. Ken joins Ferris Wills from Berkeley who also won a Latitude 38 hat recently. Ken’s hat, by way of a Golden Ticket, was nestled in the pages of the January issue that Ken had picked up from Club Nautique in Sausalito.
Ken describes himself as an avid sailor, and holds his US Sailing CPM (Coastal Passage Making) rating. He doesn’t own a boat right now, but charters boats out of Club Nautique, where he’s been a member for 20 years. “I’ve skippered hundreds of times in the S.F. Bay and offshore as well,” he tells us.
Ken’s sailing life began when he was stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in summer 1990. Over four consecutive weekends he learned to sail on 14-ft FJs, Sunfish, and Lasers.
“After finishing the classes, I chartered 24-ft Catalinas at Fort Monroe and sailed often around Hampton Roads, Norfolk, and parts of the Chesapeake Bay.” He enjoyed himself so much that he bought a 26-ft Chrysler sloop, Windancer, which he raced and cruised.
“I owned Windancer for about three years. Unfortunately, I had to sell it as I was due to be stationed in Albuquerque, NM.”
One of the things Ken loves most about sailing is being out in nature, “especially out on the water.
“I love meeting new sailors and learning and gaining new knowledge about all aspects of sailing:
weather predictions, navigation, etc.,” he continues. “I enjoy the tranquility of being out on the water. All my troubles go away, and I’m at peace -— even just for that moment.”
Ken tells us his most memorable sailing experience was when he first skippered a five-day voyage from Sausalito to Half Moon Bay and to Monterey and back. “I just passed my Coastal Passage Making certification. We chartered a 41-ft Jeanneau. I had a crew of four people who were good sailors but [had] never been offshore. It was a great challenge, as I was responsible for the safety of the crew and the boat. I think I passed as a skipper with flying colors, as we had lots of fun, and we made it back safely.”
If you want a chance to win yourself a new Latitude hat, as Ken did, make sure you pick up a Latitude 38 magazine at any of our distributors. Or, better still, ensure you get every issue by subscribing and having the magazine delivered to your mailbox each month. And if you can’t wait to win a Latitude hat, get one now from our swag store.