Are You Thinking of Cruising? Here Are a Few Stories From Sailors Afar
In each month’s issue of Latitude 38, you’re bound to find stories about sailors who are cruising. We don’t include them to make you jealous, though we often are, but we like to share the adventures of those who have left the dock and set sail for some far-off destination. In the April issue, Latitude editor JR brought us a boatload of stories from people out and about in various oceans. We have Flashgirl preparing to head to sea; a report on Zihuatanejo Sailfest; and a hilarious account of Roxxy‘s new mainsail. And that’s not all. Here’s a salty taste of what’s been happening away from our docks.
Flashgirl
Warwick “Commodore” Tompkins turned 92 at the end of February, and recently let it be known that he’s going to sea again. While age has confined many graying sailors to life ashore, its limitations and irritations are of only passing concern to this veteran sailor.
For the few who might not know, Commodore has literally spent his entire life sailing. Although he was born ashore in Boston in 1932, his home from the age of 2 weeks was the 85-ft schooner Wander Bird, a former German pilot vessel owned by his father, Warwick Sr. As the story goes, one day, at the end of a guided tour of the boat, a visitor noticed the baby sleeping in a bureau drawer in the master’s cabin and said, “Well, I’ve met the skipper, the mate, and the cook, so this must be the Commodore.” The name stuck.
Zihuatanejo Sailfest
Twenty-five cruising sailboats (and one motorboat) participated in the 23rd Annual Zihuatanejo Sailfest, which took place February 11–24. This year’s event raised in excess of three million pesos — about $234,000 — for local schools and students in the Zihua area.
Many of the attendees this year (and the biggest donation producers who took out the most guests) were Sailfest veterans, including Kirk and Charlene Wagner’s Alberta-based Beneteau 393 Freedom Kirkland. This was their 12th Sailfest, and Kirk notes, “We placed second in our division with the Rally Round the Rock, and placed first in the amount of donations raised — for the second year in a row. So it was once again a very rewarding experience for us.”
Roxxy
In mid-November, while putting the main back on after a minor repair, I put my fist through the top panel. I don’t know how old the sail was, but the boat has a lot of miles. It’s been around the world, then up to Greenland, Iceland and England. The rig and rigging were replaced after Hurricane Irma. Anyway, I needed a new sail. A good local sailmaker here in Mexico wanted $7,000; fair, but I went online to see if I could get a better price. Found a company in Hong Kong and talked to a great English guy who quoted $3,800 — duty in Mexico and shipping included! I told him I wanted it in four to five weeks, as I wanted to leave after Christmas. He said he could probably do it in three. Via PayPal, I sent him 50 percent.
We went back and forth a few times over dimensions and the color of draft stripes. I also wanted no battens. They wanted full battens, so we settled on two.
No sail by Christmas, so I flew home to Friday Harbor.
You can read these and other cruising stories in April’s Latitude 38.