How To Put Yourself on the Map: Morro Bay, Fairfax, Kiel Canal

We always meet so many interesting sailors at the boat shows. One of those was Paul Irving, who told us he’s a member of the Morro Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) and owns 18 boats, including small kayaks, rowboats, and a sailboat. We asked if Latitude 38 was finding its way to the yacht club. Six hours after we met Paul at the Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show in Redwood City, he was back at MBYC and sending us some pics of the club and its reading materials.

Morro Bay Yacht Club hosted the 2022 Santa Cruz 27 Nationals, and is home to one of the most active O’Day fleets in the country. In 2022, John Krossa, MBYC member and owner of the Santa Cruz 27 Janina, sent us a couple of stories about the club’s new fleet of four Santa Cruz 27s.

While we were at Good Earth Natural Foods in Fairfax the other day, we saw a woman walk by with a T-shirt from the Sausalito Yacht Club and thought the busy organic grocer would be a good place for the magazine. We asked the customer service desk and they said, “Sure!” So if you’re a sailor in Fairfax and looking to relax with a good read along with good food, you can now pick up the magazine at the local Good Earth store.

You can also find Good Earth on our distribution map below, along with many other places in the Bay Area to find your copy of the Bay Area’s favorite monthly sailing magazine.

Here’s another interesting story: To the best of our knowledge, our distribution in Germany is a single copy that was brought over by Larry Haynie, who is currently going through the Kiel Canal aboard his 1974 Amel Euros 41 Zandra. He bought Zandra just over a year ago, saying she’s in great shape, though he’s re-powered her with a Volvo Penta D2. He’s faced a number of hurdles with insurance, paperwork and some repairs, but Larry is finally underway and pointing Zandra south toward the Med.

According to Larry, getting into the canal was pretty simple. They tied up in Holtenau and walked 100 meters to the pay station. It was 35 euros for 12-16-meter boats. They walked back to the quay, had a great lunch, and motored toward the large locks because the smaller ones are closed. It was then just a half-hour wait to get in. Larry continues, “Traffic was light. No one passed us, and we passed about a dozen ships and maybe 20 or so private yachts. The ships were mostly tankers, two container ships, smaller than the ones we would see in the Bay, and one bulk freighter. We made it to Rendsburg by 1800, and chose the Büdelsdorfer YC for mooring. This morning we took a nice hike along the north bank in the Kiel direction. There was a nice bay where a boat was anchored. It looks [as if there’s] room for lots more.”

The Kiel Canal is a 61-mile-long freshwater canal built in 1895. It saves almost 300 miles of travel so you don’t have to go over Denmark and the Jutland Peninsula.

Finding Latitude 38 in Europe is strictly a BYOM (bring your own magazine) affair, but on the USA’s West Coast you can pick up the printed copy at any of these locations. It’s a great addition to your coffee table or nightstand.