Twenty Years of Sailing and ‘Latitude 38’ for this Golden Ticket Winner
We’re back with another sailing-life story from Latitude reader and recent Golden Ticket winner Adam James. Hailing from Novato, James has been sailing the midwinter series with Sausalito Yacht Club, which he says “are really fun.” And while in town, Adam picked up his winning issue from the nearby West Marine in Marin City. “I’ve been reading this magazine for about 20 years now!!!” he tells us. “Love it!”
Twenty years is also how long Adam has been a sailor. He began with lessons at Sailing Education Adventures (SEA) when they were based in Sausalito. (SEA now operates out of San Rafael and is the winner of PCYA’s 2023 Garrett Horder Trophy.)
“It was really fun to sail their Catalina 16.5-ft boats around Richardson Bay and meet other sailors,” Adam says. He then moved on to doing some cruising in the Bay and on the Petaluma River. He then started racing more, learning the ropes by crewing on a lot of different boats, and taking on the roles of rail meat, mast, pit, and trimmer. And, guess what? Adam found these crewing opportunities on the Latitude 38 Crew List page, proving the benefits of signing up — for both captains and crew! All Adam brought with him was “a positive attitude and willingness to learn.”
“I did so many types of races (YRA, OYRA, NOODs, midwinters) out of different harbors. It was great to see so much of the Bay,” he adds. “At one point, I did the Great Vallejo Race, 10 years in a row on various sailboats. Racing on different boats with different crews was so educational, because it allowed me to pick up a broad range of perspectives and skillsets to boat handling.”
All this practice and experience led to the inevitable. Adam is now a proud and happy boat owner, having recently bought the J/100 Northern Bear that was for sale in Seattle. Without going to see the boat, Adam signed the deal, and had it trucked to Sausalito. “I like its features and that it goes pretty fast for a daysailer,” he says. “It has a Hoyt jib boom, so I don’t need much crew.” Adam usually sails Northern Bear with his wife, and together they are racing and working on their doublehanding skills.
Adam says his favorite thing about sailing is simply being out on the water. He encapsulates everything we love about sailing.
“[T]he Bay is a special place for sailors. Sometimes it’s really peaceful and beautiful, like when I’m motoring out the Sausalito channel at sunrise. Other times it’s invigorating, like when the wind picks up, the boat heels over, and I feel the acceleration. It’s also fun to gauge the wind direction and currents while racing around the marks. Additionally, I enjoy seeing the wildlife in their natural elements. It’s cool to see pelicans gliding above you, seals lounging on buoys, and dolphins swimming around your boat. There are just so many enjoyable aspects to sailing.”
And when asked about his most memorable sailing moments, Adam shares a story about a California cruising course with Orange Coast College (OCC) on a 65-ft sloop named Alaska Eagle.
“We went out the Golden Gate and turned left toward our destination of Newport Beach, stopping at various ports along the way. One night, we were on a run with full sails up under a full moon. The sound and feeling of just the boat surfing down these big ocean swells in the middle of the night was totally amazing. On the way to Newport Beach, we anchored at San Miguel Island and took a dinghy to shore the next day. It was a really unique experience because it felt like we had this entire Channel Island to ourselves. Well, just us and a bunch of elephant seals!”
We love Adam’s story and can feel his joy of sailing in every word. By the way, you don’t have to wait to be a Golden Ticket winner to send us your sailing story. If you want to share, drop us a line at [email protected].