foggy friday fun

One thing we've always been complimented on here at Latitude is our willingness to tell it like it is — even when the truth isn't so rosy. So, let's get this out in the open. You know that famous wisecrack that Mark Twain supposedly made about a summer he spent in San Francisco having been the coldest winter he'd ever endured? (What a whiner!) Okay, so we'll admit that from May through mid-August it's usually not exactly 'Baywatch' weather along the Cityfront. But, hey, the City also has something that few other California coastal towns can boast: dependable breeze! (Note: Wind is an essential requirement for the sport of sailing.) Besides, we like to think that Bay Area sailors are a bit tougher than our brethren in, say, Florida or Long Island. When a thick loaf of fog envelops

If rompin' and stompin' suits your style, the Golden Gate YC's Friday night beer can series is the place to be. Races continue through September. — all photos latitude/andy

the City on a Friday night, local sailors don't run for cover and cancel their plans to go beer can racing. No way. Instead, they just throw a few more 'layers' in their gear bags, slip on watch caps and head out into the mist. As these photos confi rm, on a particularly gray Friday last month many boatloads of zipped-up sailors braved the elements to do battle during the Golden Gate and South Beach YC sudsfests. And despite the lack of evening sunshine, they all seemed to regard the experience as time well spent. After all, even getting a face full of cold sea spray on a foggy night is preferable to sitting in the Bay Area's mind-numbing Fridaygetaway traffi c. Regardless if it's sunny or dreary, when you're out on the water the stress and worry of the workaday world just seem to melt away. By the time you get back to the yacht club, your attitude will be brighter, your muscles will feel a bit tauter, and you'll feel substantially more

Around the corner, off the South Beach YC, dozens of boats competed on broad courses that stretched halfway to Alameda.

'alive' than you did a few hours earlier, when you were hunched over a computer in your soulless offi ce cubicle.

All throughout the Greater Bay Area beer can racing continues through the end of September. So we encourage you to get out and join in the fun. If you don't have your own boat, it's relatively easy to catch a ride. To do so, we suggest you show up early at a sponsoring club with a smile on your face, an upbeat attitude, and something to share like, oh, let's see. . . a six-pack of beer perhaps? By the way, we haven't had a single sailor step up to tackle Latitude's famous Beer Can Challenge this season: The idea is to sail a beer can race every night for a week, then send your story — with photographic proof — to rob@latitude38. com, and we'll reward you with a writeup in the mag and some offi cial Latitude swag. What a great excuse to have fun! — latitude/andy

ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / ANDY