Get a Head Start on the New Year With Latitude’s January Issue
Welcome to a new year of sailing adventures and fun. It’s not quite January 1, but today is a great day to celebrate as we bring you the first Latitude 38 magazine of 2024. Plus, it’s a bonus delivery day as we also deliver next year’s sailing calendar. The 2024 Northern California Sailing Calendar is hot off the press and ready for you to put together your sailing schedule for the new year. There are lots of events to choose from including offshore races, beer can races, boat shows, Opening Day, Summer Sailstice and SailGP.
Here’s a peek at Latitude 38’s January 2024 issue:
When you hang out with certain groups of people, you occasionally hear the comment, “The kids these days …” followed by the bemoaning of lost skill or bad attitude and manners — usually all accompanied with a roll of the eyes. But some beg to differ. We appreciated hearing another view from Tom Struttmann, the owner of the J/105 Arrived!. When Tom was introduced to Sausalito native AJ McKeon, it was the beginning of a great partnership between the Bay Area sailor and a young college freshman.
Ask 10 cruising sailors about anchoring and you’ll get 10 different diatribes on methodology and etiquette. How much scope should you use in a packed anchorage or how far away should you be from the next boat? What size, shape, or brand of anchor should you use? There’s also the same litany of opinions about rope versus chain, and how much of each in what kinds of bottom conditions. It seems every sailor, armchair or otherwise, has an opinion about how you should anchor your boat.
Season Champs Part 2 — the YRA
On November 18, Yacht Racing Association officials and participants gathered at Richmond Yacht Club for an end-of-the-year trophy party and prize pickup get-together. In this second part of our annual three-part Season Champs series, we turn our attention to the YRA season winners.
- Letters: I Sailed Right Past L.A.; Make Cruising Sane Again; Do You Have a California Boater Card? Our Readers Have a Lot To Say; and many more Letters to the Editor.
- Sightings: A Cautionary Tale About TIPs; From Mission Bay Around the World; The Estuary: Past, Present and Future; and other stories.
- Max Ebb: A New Spin.
- Racing Sheet: This edition, slimmed down for the time of year, takes us to SYC’s Chili Midwinters, new Umpired Team Racing on the Estuary, the Berkeley Midwinters, DRYC’s Drumstick Regatta, the Big Sail, SDYC’s Hot Rum Series, and the revival of the US Windsurfer Class. And we end with slender Box Scores and beefy Race Notes.
- Changes in Latitudes: With reports this month on Geja’s Mediterranean loop (Part 2), Ana Maria’s final landfall in New Zealand, and some of Lyrae’s twin-hulled twin-twin adventures. We also catch up with a few 2023 contributors in our annual “Where Are They Now?” feature, and start the year off with some tasty Cruise Notes.
- Loose Lips: Catch up on December’s Caption Contest(!) winners.
- The sailboat owners and buyers’ bible, Classy Classifieds.
If you’re a subscriber, your magazine is on its way. Or you can go to your own favorite or nearest outlet. Here’s a map of where to find Latitude 38 magazine.
When you pick up your January issue, remember to grab your copy of the 2024 Northern California Sailing Calendar. Much more than a schedule, it includes other useful information including Bay Area racing charts, contacts, signal flags, beer can races, midwinters and a directory of youth programs. If you want to do more sailing in 2024, stop by your local marine outlet, pick up a copy of the calendar, and start inviting your crew and friends to join you on the water. It’s never too early to plan ahead!