Episode #61: Jim Shaw on Adventures from Sausalito to Costa Rica

This week’s host, John Arndt, is joined by Jim Shaw to chat the best of times sailing from Sausalito to Mexico to Costa Rica and beyond. In the early 1970s, Jim and some friends pulled off a legendary cruise from Sausalito down to Mexico in a rebuilt, refashioned surplus Navy whaleboat.

Hear how they rebuilt the boat, their adventures down the coast, the characters they met along the way, eating good on the water, and the perks of cruising and living in Costa Rica.

This episode covers everything from the tumultuous 1960s to Sausalito houseboats. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Jim & crew put the boat together?
• What year was it when they went down to Mexico?
• Has Jim been in Sausalito recently?
• Does he ever wish he stayed at the bank?
• Where does he live in Costa Rica?
• How’s the cruising in Costa Rica?
• Did Jim stop sailing at some point?
• Short Tacks: What was his longest offshore voyage?

Learn more about Jim here: https://www.latitude38.com/issues/may-2022/?swcfpc=1#58 and check out his Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181611878645487/.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!

Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Jim Shaw on Adventures from Sausalito to Costa Rica
  • [0:22] Welcome to Good Jibes with Latitude 38
  • [0:28] John Arndt
  • [0:44] Subscribe to Latitude 38 at Latitude38.com
  • [0:56] Learn more about Jim here: https://www.latitude38.com/issues/may-2022/?swcfpc=1#58 and check out his Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181611878645487/
  • [2:07] What’s a story that shaped Jim as a sailor?
  • [4:01] How old was the captain?
  • [5:01] Was this a paid job?
  • [5:52] Ernest Shackleton, William Blighe
  • [6:23] Peter Bailey
  • [6:37] Pirates of the Caribbean
  • [8:48] How did Jim & crew put the boat together?
  • [11:48] How long did they stay in the Sea of Cortez?
  • [12:07] How did they cook aboard?
  • [12:39] What year was it when they went down to Mexico?
  • [16:19] Has Jim been in Sausalito recently?
  • [17:19] Google
  • [19:23] Christopher McDonald
  • [20:27] YouTube, Bloggers
  • [22:25] Does Jim ever wish he stayed at the bank?
  • [23:21] Where does he live in Costa Rica?
  • [23:32] How’s the cruising in Costa Rica?
  • [25:32] Pandemic
  • [27:15] Andy Turpin
  • [28:22] Have you ever done the Ha-Ha? The Baja Ha-Ha is a low pressure, super fun cruising rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas – a great way to kick off the season of cruising and make friends. The 2022 Baja Ha-Ha is 10/31-11/12. Find out more and sign up at Baja-HaHa.com
  • Cruising to Mexico in the 1970s
  • [29:18]] How long did it take Jim & crew to rebuild the whaleboat?
  • [33:01] Did Jim stop sailing at some point?
  • [33:52] How did they navigate down the coast?
  • [36:04] How did they track the weather?
  • [36:54] What was Cabo like in 1972?
  • [37:52] Did you know every month you can get your copy of Latitude 38 delivered directly to your mailbox? Subscribe at Latitude38.com/Subscriptions
  • Short Tacks
  • [39:02] What was Jim’s longest offshore voyage?
  • [41:14] Lewis & Clark
  • [42:00] Has Jim ever been back to the Bay Area?
  • [43:02] San Francisco Maritime and Coastal History Club, Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jack London, Sailor on Horseback by Irving Stone, Endurance by Alfred Lansing, The Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall
  • [45:07] ‘Lectronic Latitude
  • [46:03] Gone With The Tide
  • [46:52] Down by the Bay by Matthew Morse Booker
  • [48:47] Learn more about Jim here: https://www.latitude38.com/issues/may-2022/?swcfpc=1#58 and check out his Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181611878645487/
  • [49:40] Make sure to follow Good Jibes with Latitude 38 on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
  • [49:48] Got a great sailing story to submit? Do so at [email protected]
  • [49:56] Subscribe to Latitude 38 at Latitude38.com
  • [50:00] Email [email protected] to advertise on this podcast or in Latitude 38 sailing magazine
  • [50:07] Check out the October 2022 issue of Latitude 38
  • Theme Song: Pineapple Dream by SOLXIS

Thanks for listening to Jim Shaw & John Arndt on Good Jibes with Latitude 38. Subscribe here to receive Latitude 38 to your home each month.