Latitude 38 April 2023

Young Salts Cross the Pacific

Banderas Bay Regatta

Raindancer’s Whale Collision

Piver Tri Circumnavigation

Tritiea on a Lee Shore

(3) 42' AquaLodge Houseboats 2020 - $115,000 ea. Mark Miner (415) 290-1347

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Thoughtfully designed and beautifully finished inside and out, the Aqua Lodge features fiberglass pontoons, a wood-beamed lofted ceiling, a fully appointed galley, and a full bath with residential-sized fixtures. The main salon is open and bright, while the master stateroom features a panoramic water view and a private deck. With the cost of building on the waterfront ever increasing, the Aqua Lodge is an affordable alternative. We currently have three (3) identical Floating Cottages available at $115,000. each. These are new houseboats that have never been used. With the acquisition of all three one could start a unique Air B&B type business in a nice location. NOTE: There is no propulsion included. An outboard engine could be installed on the bracket but, these boats are not equipped with any propulsion. They would need to be towed or trucked to their destination.

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RUBICON YACHTS

(3) 42' AquaLodge Houseboats 2020 - $115,000 ea. Mark Miner (415) 290-1347

Thoughtfully designed and beautifully finished inside and out, the Aqua Lodge features fiberglass pontoons, a wood-beamed lofted ceiling, a fully appointed galley, and a full bath with residential-sized fixtures. The main salon is open and bright, while the master stateroom features a panoramic water view and a private deck. With the cost of building on the waterfront ever increasing, the Aqua Lodge is an affordable alternative. We currently have three (3) identical Floating Cottages available at $115,000. each. These are new houseboats that have never been used. With the acquisition of all three one could start a unique Air B&B type business in a nice location.

NOTE: There is no propulsion included. An outboard engine could be installed on the bracket but, these boats are not equipped with any propulsion. They would need to be towed or trucked to their destination.

RUBICON YACHTS

(3) 42' AquaLodge Houseboats 2020 - $115,000 ea. Mark Miner (415) 290-1347

Thoughtfully designed and beautifully finished inside and out, the Aqua Lodge features fiberglass pontoons, a wood-beamed lofted ceiling, a fully appointed galley, and a full bath with residential-sized fixtures. The main salon is open and bright, while the master stateroom features a panoramic water view and a private deck. With the cost of building on the waterfront ever increasing, the Aqua Lodge is an affordable alternative. We currently have three (3) identical Floating Cottages available at $115,000. each. These are new houseboats that have never been used. With the acquisition of all three one could start a unique Air B&B type business in a nice location.

NOTE: There is no propulsion included. An outboard engine could be installed on the bracket but, these boats are not equipped with any propulsion. They would need to be towed or trucked to their destination.

RUBICON YACHTS

CALENDAR

Non-Race

Apr. 1 — Swap Meet, Berkeley YC, 6 a.m. Buy and sell marine gear, eat hot dogs. Info, (510) 843-9292, swapmeet@ berkeleyyc.org or www.berkeleyyc.org.

Apr. 1 — Sailing Convention for Women, Bahia Corinthian YC, Corona del Mar, 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. On-land and onwater workshops; speaker Marie Rogers. $290 includes meals. Gail, (951) 677-8121, www.sailingconventionforwomen.com

Apr. 1, Apr. 22, May 11 — Northern California Dockwalker Volunteer Training, online. Free. Register through Cal Parks, https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230 .

Apr. 1-2 — Advanced First Aid/CPR for Mariners, Call of the Sea, Sausalito, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day. $375. Info, www.maritimemedicalguides.org.

Apr. 1-29 — Small Boat Sailing, South Beach Harbor, San Francisco, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, weather permitting; RSVP in advance. Free. BAADS, www.baads.org/sailing.

Apr. 3-8 — Pram Build Week, Spaulding Marine Center, Sausalito. Info, www.spauldingcenter.org.

Apr. 5-26 — Wednesday Yachting Luncheon, via YouTube, noon. StFYC, www.stfyc.com/wyl

Apr. 6 — Full Pink Moon on a Thursday.

Apr. 6 — Newport to Ensenada Race seminar, Del Rey YC in Marina del Rey, 7 p.m. Info, www.nosa.org

Apr. 9 — Easter.

Apr. 12 — California Boating Congress, Hyatt Regency, Sacramento. Government and industry speakers, sessions with legislators. Info, www.calboatingcongress.com

Apr. 12 — Singlehanded Transpacific Race seminar, via Zoom, 7:30 p.m. Anchoring; Satellite Communications. Free. Register, https://tinyurl.com/3bcb5f8j

Apr. 13, May 11 — Single Sailors Association Mixers, Oakland YC, Alameda, 6:30-9 p.m. $15. Info, www.singlesailors.org

Apr. 15 — Singlehanded Transpacific Race Emergency Steering Trials, location TBA. Info, www.sfbaysss.org.

Apr. 15 — Southern California Dockwalker Volunteer Training, Del Rey YC, 10 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Free. Cal Parks, https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230 .

Apr. 15 — Latitude 38 Crew Party at Spring Fling, Svendsen's, Alameda, 4 p.m. Free admission, free Almanac Brewing suds. Info, www.latitude38.com

Apr. 15-16 — Spring Fling, Svendsen's, Alameda, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission. Info, www.springflingboatshow.com.

Apr. 20 — Speaker Series, Corinthian YC, Tiburon, 7 p.m. Scott Bonder on Crossing an Ocean With Friends: Cape Town to Grenada, on a Catamaran. Free. RSVP, speakers@cyc.org.

Apr. 22 — Earth Day.

Apr. 22 — Earth Day Cleanup and Berkeley Bay Festival, Shorebird Nature Center, Berkeley Marina. Cleanup, 9 a.m.; Festival, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Earth Day celebration, live music, performers, food, hands-on educational activities, free boat rides. Info, (510) 981-6720 or https://tinyurl.com/yc5ysah7

Apr. 22-23 — Advanced First Aid/CPR for Mariners, Southwestern YC, San Diego, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day. $375. Info, www.maritimemedicalguides.org

Apr. 27 — Southern California Dockwalker Volunteer Refresher Training, online, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Register through Cal Parks, https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230

Apr. 29 — Tall Ship Celebration, Bay Model, Sausalito, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tours of Matthew Turner and Seaward, marine science exhibits, knot tying, sea chanteys, live music, food & drinks for sale. Free. Call of the Sea, www.callofthesea.org.

Apr. 29 — Northern California Dockwalker Volunteer Training, Oakland YC, Alameda, 10 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Free. Cal Parks, https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230

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CALENDAR

Apr. 29 — Opening Day on the Lake, Lake Washington, West Sacramento. LWSC, www.lwsailing.org

Apr. 30 — Opening Day on San Francisco Bay. Parade theme: Broadway on the Bay. PICYA, www.picya.org

May 4-7 — CYBA Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show, Westpoint Harbor, Redwood City. Latitude 38 will have a booth. $15. Info, www.pacificboatshow.com

May 6 — Night at the Museum, S.F. Maritime Museum, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Maritime Ball and Extravaganza. Darlene, (415) 710-7332 or dplumtree@maritime.org.

May 7 — Open House, Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina, 1-3 p.m. Introductory sails. Info, www.cal-sailing.org

May 10 — Singlehanded Transpacific Race seminar, via Zoom, 7:30 p.m. Weather considerations; race strategy. Free. Register, https://tinyurl.com/3bcb5f8j

May 11 — Northern California Dockwalker Volunteer Refresher Training, online, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Cal Parks, https:// dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230 .

May 14 — Mother's Day.

May 15 — Opening Day on the Bay awards ceremony, Oyster Point YC, South S.F. PICYA, www.picya.org.

Racing

Mar. 30-Apr. 1 — Baldwin Cup. NHYC, www.baldwincup.com.

Apr. 1 — America's Schooner Cup Charity Regatta in San Diego. Silver Gate YC, www.americasschoonercup.com.

Apr. 1 — Don Wan Regatta. TYC, www.tyc.org

Apr. 1 — Andy Byrd Memorial Race. CPYC, www.cpyc.com

Apr. 1 — Spring Regatta. SeqYC, www.sequoiayc.org.

Apr. 1 — Tiny Robbins Midwinter Series concludes. VYC, www.vyc.org or www.jibeset.net

Apr. 1, 15 — Spring Series on Folsom Lake. FLYC, www. flyc.org

Apr. 1, 15, 29 — Spring Series. SSC, www.stocktonsc.org.

Apr. 1, May 6 — Mercury NorCal Series #2 & #3. EYC, www.encinal.org

Apr. 1-2 — Big Dinghy. RYC, www.richmondyc.org.

Apr. 1-2 — Opti Harken #2. SFYC, www.sfyc.org

Apr. 1-2 — California Dreamin'. LBYC, www.lbyc.org

Apr. 2 — Estuary Cup. EYC, www.encinal.org.

Apr. 2 — Estuary Sunday Brunch Race Series concludes. OYC, www.oaklandyachtclub.net or www.jibeset.net.

Apr. 2 — Lefler Race. MPYC, www.mpyc.org

Apr. 2 — Koll Family Spring Dinghy Regatta. Lido Isle YC, https://liyc.net/regattas.

Apr. 5, 12 — J/22 Spring Series. StFYC, www.stfyc.com

Apr. 8 — Bunny Bash Match Race. StFYC, www.stfyc.com.

Apr. 8 — North Bay Series #1. VYC, www.vyc.org.

Apr. 8 — Commodore's Cup. BVBC, www.bvbc.org

Apr. 8 — Commodore's Regatta. SCYC, www.scyc.org.

Apr. 8, 22, May 13 — Spring Series. CYC, www.cyc.org

Apr. 8, May 13 — South Bay Bridge Series. Info, www. jibeset.net.

Apr. 14-16 — Spring Wingding/Pacific Coast Wingfoil Championship. StFYC, www.stfyc.com.

Apr. 14-16 — Ulimate 20 PCCs. MPYC, www.mpyc.org

Apr. 14-16 — Ficker Cup, a Congressional Cup qualifier. LBYC, www.lbyc.org.

Apr. 15 — El Toro Bullship Race from Sausalito to San Francisco. RYC, www.richmondyc.org

Apr. 15 — San Francisco Bay Challenge for hydrofoil kites and windsurfers. StFYC, www.stfyc.com

Apr. 15 — Doublehanded Lightship. IYC, www.iyc.org.

Apr. 15 — Anne McCormack Women's Invitational Cup. SFYC, www.sfyc.org

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CALENDAR

Beer Can Series

BAY VIEW BOAT CLUB — Spring Monday Night Madness: 4/17, 5/1, 5/15, 5/29, 6/12. Nick, (510) 459-1337 or www. bvbc.org

BENICIA YC — Thursday nights: 4/6-9/28. Dan, (707) 319-5706 or race@mail.beniciayachtclub.org

BERKELEY YC — Every Friday night: 4/7-9/29. Mark, (214) 801-7387 or www.berkeleyyc.org.

CAL SAILING CLUB — Year-round Sunday morning dinghy races, intraclub only. Info, www.cal-sailing.org

CORINTHIAN YC — Every Friday night: 4/7-9/1. Marcus, (415) 435-4771, racing@cyc.org or www.cyc.org

COYOTE POINT YC — Sunset Sail, every Wednesday: 4/5-10/18. Mark, (408) 718-1742 or www.cpyc.com

ENCINAL YC — Friday nights, Spring Twilight Series: 4/7, 4/21, 5/5, 5/19, 6/2. Chris, (650) 224-3677, www.encinal.org.

FOLSOM LAKE YC — Every Wednesday: 5/3-8/30. Info, www.flyc.org

GOLDEN GATE YC — Friday nights: 5/5, 5/19, 6/2, 6/16, 6/30, 7/14, 7/28, 8/11, 8/25. Info, www.ggyc.org

ISLAND YC — Fridays, Spring Island Nights: 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/26, 6/9, 6/23. Ed, (775) 336-7398 or www.iyc.org

KONOCTI BAY SC — OSIRs (Old Salts in Retirement) every Wednesday, year round. Info, www.kbsail.org.

LAKE WASHINGTON SC — Every Thursday night: 5/49/28. Mark, owing78@yahoo.com or www.lwsailing.org

LAKE YOSEMITE SA — Every Thursday Night: May-Sept. Dennis, (209) 722-1947 or www.lakeyosemitesailing.org.

MONTEREY PENINSULA YC — Sunset Series, every Wednesday through 10/11. Justin, (831) 747-4597 or www. mpyc.org

OAKLAND YC — Sweet 16 Series, every Wednesday: 5/109/30. Debby, (510) 390-1620 or www.oaklandyachtclub.net.

RICHMOND YC — Every Wednesday: 4/5-9/27. R/C Racing every Thursday: 4/6-9/28. Info, www.richmondyc.org.

ST. FRANCIS YC — Wednesday Evening Series for Knarrs, Folkboats & IODs: 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/23. Thursday Night Kites: 4/20, 5/18, 6/1, 7/13, 7/27, 8/10, 9/7. Friday Night Wing/Windsurf Slalom, 5/5,

8/25, 9/8. Friday Night Foil Series: 5/12, 6/9, 6/30, 7/21, 8/11. Info, (415) 563-6363 or www.stfyc.com.

SANTA CRUZ YC — Every Tuesday night through 10/31. Every Wednesday night through 11/1. Info, www.scyc.org

SAUSALITO YC — Tuesday night Spring Sunset Series: 5/2, 5/16, 5/30, 6/13. Info, www.sausalitoyachtclub.org

SEQUOIA YC — Sunset Series, every Wednesday: 4/1210/4. Andrew, (408) 858-8385 or www.sequoiayc.org.

SIERRA POINT YC — Every Tuesday night: 5/2-8/1. Dylan, racing@sierrapointyc.org.

SOUTH BEACH YC — Every Friday night: 4/21-8/25. Suni, (415) 495-2295 or www.southbeachyachtclub.org

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE WINDJAMMERS YC — Every Wednesday night: 6/7-9/20. Sam, (530) 318-3068 or www. sltwyc.org

STOCKTON SC — Every Wednesday night: 6/7-8/30. Andy, (209) 483-3677 or www.stocktonsc.org

TAHOE YC — Monday night Lasers, Spring Series: 5/297/10. Dick Ferris Summer Beer Can Series, every Wednesday: 5/31-8/30. Dan, (530) 583-9111 or www.tahoeyc.com

TIBURON YC — Every Thursday night: 5/11-8/31. Mariellen, (415) 606-2675 or www.tyc.org.

VALLEJO YC — Every Wednesday night: 4/5-9/27. Mark, (916) 835-2613 or www.vyc.org.

We do the work, you have the fun.

South Beach Harbor is a great way to experience San Francisco. Boats of all sizes are welcome in our protected harbor. Bring your boat to South Beach and enjoy all the attractions of the city, including the new Chase Center.

CALENDAR

In the Tropics

Apr. 28-30 — 75th Newport to Ensenada Race. Optional 90-mile Newport-San Diego course. NOSA, www.nosa.org

May 17-20 — Tahiti Pearl Regatta, îles Sous-le-Vent, French Polynesia. Info, www.tahitipearlregatta.com

June 25 — Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race to Hanalei starts from San Francisco. SSS, www.sfbaysss.org

June 27, 29, July 1 — Transpac Race to Honolulu starts from L.A. TPYC, www.transpacyc.com.

July 21-24 — Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendez-vous. Latitude 38 is a sponsor. Info, www.tahiti-moorea-sailing-rdv.com

Please send your calendar items by the 10th of the month to calendar@latitude38.com. Please, no phone-ins! Calendar listings are for marine-related events that are free or don't cost much to attend. The Calendar is not meant to support commercial enterprises.

April

April

Source: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov

SAILGP SEASON 3 GRAND FINAL | SAN FRANCISCO

SAILGP SEASON 3 GRAND FINAL | SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco will again host the SailGP Season 3 Grand Final on May 6-7.

SailGP’s spectacular hydrofoiling F50 catamarans are ready to hit the water on iconic San Francisco Bay for two days of the best on-water racing in the world. Nine national teams - including Team USA led by Jimmy Spithillwill first compete over five races in the SailGP Season 3 Grand Final before the top three teams from the overall Season 3 standings race for $1million in a final 15 minute all-or-nothing showdown.

The teams have competed in ten events across four continents in a season which started back in May 2022 in Bermuda, before visiting Chicago, Great Britain, Denmark, France, Spain, Dubai, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The Australia team, led by Olympic gold medalist Tom

Slingsby, is the defending champion and tops the leaderboard as SailGP reaches its season finale. New Zealand, France and Emirates Team GBR follow closely behind, each vying for a place in the Grand Final alongside Australia. As part of SailGP’s commitment to Race For the Future, the winners of SailGP’s Impact League will also be crowned. A worldfirst in sport, the Impact League tracks the positive actions SailGP’s teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing.

After a season of capsizes, collisions, thrilling overtaking maneuvers and highway-speed racing –the action ends right here in one of world sport’s most iconic locations, San Francisco for what will be an unforgettable weekend of racing.

SAILGP SEASON 3 GRAND FINAL | SAN FRANCISCO NATION VS NATION

Nine national teams have contested the third season of SailGP, and as the boats are identical and constantly upgraded with the same set-up, it is the skill of the world-class athletes on board and the decisions they make that decide races, not the technology. The boats are powered by gigantic,

vertical wing sails that can be configured in three different heights, with the common setting being the 24-meter wingsail.

The biggest wing size (29 meter) helps produce extra power in light airs, while a smaller configuration (18 meter) allows for flat-out racing in stronger winds, ensuring racing can take

place across a much wider spectrum of wind conditions. In lighter winds, weight also becomes a telling factor.

The addition of two new teams this season, Canada and Switzerland has meant the water is crowded and even the slightest mistake is punished.

01

GET UP CLOSE TO THE ACTION

ON-WATER PREMIUM WATERFRONT RESERVED

Official SailGP spectator boats (in partnership with Red & White Fleet) offer the closest vantage point to the racing. Selection of canapés served onboard, hosted Premium Bar, live onboard commentary & large view screens on the indoor decks.

BRING YOUR OWN BOAT

Access to the perfect position to watch the high-speed racing on the water – less than 50m away from the action – on the racecourse perimeter. If you are planning to watch the racing from your own boat, you will need to secure a flag to ensure you get the best vantage spot in the front row.

02

Located directly on the waterfront within the SailGP Race Village at Marina Green, tiered grandstand seating that includes food and beverages available for purchase as well as live commentary & broadcast viewing.

TEAM BASE TOURS

Go behind the scenes at the SailGP Team Bases and enjoy an exclusive tour of the ‘pit lane garages’ where athletes and shore teams prepare the hightech F50 race boats. A rare chance to see SailGP’s elite athletes and the cutting-edge, wing-sailed boats up close.

FOR TICKETS, SCAN THE CODE OR VISIT: sailgp.com/ sanfrancisco

LETTERS

⇑⇓ PUTTING THE FLEET IN ORDER FROM CHAOS

Randy Norman and I spent a couple of hours with the Benicia Yacht Club fleet in the Benicia Marina boatyard yesterday. We finished draining the boats and propped each up. We also put working wheels on each boat cart so we can begin to rearrange each vessel and begin to get some order from the chaos.

Along with the Benicia Yacht Club, a group of volunteers has formed the Nautica group, which is looking to expand its current operations to include a high school sailing club. Volunteers unearthed several neglected but otherwise quality dinghies ready for community service. "We have about a dozen 12-15-ft boats in pretty good shape, and about a dozen Optis," said Stephen Dale, one of Nautica's organizers.

Despite the disorder, these boats are a treasure with the potential of inspiring a new crop of mariners. I can't wait to see youth and their families, and the occasional senior like myself, taking these babies out in the Strait for hours of fun and adventure.

We are hoping to have at least one of these boats at the Nautica Meeting at the Benicia Yacht Club March 18 at 9:30.

Stephen Walter Dale

Stephen was commenting on the February 27 'Lectronic Latitude: Benicia Yacht Club Launches Community Outreach Group.

⇑⇓ WHY? WHY AM I DEAD F@#%ING LAST?

Why am I DFL? I have been sailing and racing 20-plus years on the Bay and many other places in this world. I have recently purchased an older, smaller boat. I am going backward, so older and smaller is better for me.

But why am I DFL? I think I have figured out what many may already know: PHRF ratings are supposed to make things more fair.

But they do not take into account the tides. If I am racing my five-knot boat against a six-knot boat while sailing against a four-knot current, the five-knot boat will go one knot against the current, and the six-knot boat will go two knots — twice as fast. Is this fair ?

Steve Hocking Impulse, a Smaller, Older Boat Bay Area

⇑⇓ DON'T COMPLAIN, VOLUNTEER

I was on the PHRF SoCal Board for eight years, and I just love hearing people complain about their PHRF ratings.

And the ratings of their competitors.

And PHRF in general.

And IOR and IRC and ORR and every handicap rating

STEPHEN DALE

LETTERS

system ever devised.

For what it's worth, the PHRF Boards around the country are made up of very hard-working volunteers who do the best they can at a thankless job. Instead of complaining, people should step up and volunteer.

Dave Weil Long Beach

⇑⇓ PAUL CAYARD RESIGNS FROM US SAILING

Having had the good fortune to sail with Paul in a few projects, I found him to be a superb organizer, and extraordinarily talented onboard. I can only imagine this as a loss for US Sailing, and US sailors.

Don Kohlmann

Don was commenting on the February 27 'LL with the same name as this letter. Check out the center columns of Sightings for more on the kerfuffle at US Sailing.

⇑⇓ KUDOS

My appreciation and deepest respect to Paul. Changing a structure as rigid and out of touch as US Sailing must have been very frustrating. Kudos for standing up for your beliefs!

Ken Brinkley

As we said in last month's Letters, Paul Cayard has one of the most impressive résumés of any sailor on the Seven. His resignation from US Sailing in late February came as a shock. "Unfortunately, over the past couple of months, the US Sailing Association and I had a complete breakdown on several levels. Ultimately, the relationship with US Sailing proved to be one that I could not cope with. Know that we made signifcant progress in the movement to get the USA back to the top of the podium. I remain interested in our mission and supporting athletes. Maybe this will take a different form in time."

⇑⇓ GREAT SAILORS/PLAYERS DON'T NECESSARILY MAKE GREAT COACHES

According to the Lewiston Tribune, Dubby Holt coached a championship swimming team, but if you had pushed him into the pool, he might have drowned because Dubby never learned to swim.

He never boxed either, but his boxing teams at Idaho State University won two national titles. And he was the coach of the US boxing team at the 1956 Olympics.

My point is that being really good at something doesn't necessarily mean you can be a great coach at something. I don't know the details of the US Sailing inside story — and I doubt most of us commenting here do. I know Paul Cayard is a great sailor, well respected and admired. But I also know many of those on the US Sailing board; also great sailors,

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LETTERS

Upcoming Events

Spaulding Fleet Party • April 22

Wednesday Night Speaker Series • April 26

Youth Summer Sea Camps

9:00 am - 3:00 pm • Ages: 8-15

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Please see our website for more details and registration

Beginner Sessions:

June 12-16, June 19-23, June 26-30, July 10-14

Advanced Sessions:

July 17-24, July 24-28

Applications will open in April, and selections will be made by late June.

APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.

well respected and admired. And I also know it's been years since the US team has medaled. (Emphasis on team).

Perhaps it's best to keep opinions to ourselves while continuing to respect all involved, and trust and support those that have the most to lose or gain as our US Olympic team works to get back on the podium.

Ed Huntsman

⇑⇓ MY EXPERIENCE WITH US SAILING AND THE US OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

I probably should not say this, but long ago, I worked for the US Olympic Committee's nascent (at the time) website called Team USA. I was tasked with covering three sports during the 2008 Summer Olympics on a stringer basis, and from the comfort of my couch, I reported on sailing, badminton and the US women's softball team. I also once wrote for [the] US Sailing newsletter for a short time.

I was so shaken by the treatment I received from the governing board, or whoever manages the PR for, say, badminton, softball and even sailing. I concluded long ago that something was rotten with the USOC in general, and it trickles down to all of our sports. I definitely felt that the badminton Olympians were prevented from talking to the press. At that time, they got rid of women's softball, which was an amazing opportunity for women.

As this thread gets political and explores the dark underbelly of politics in sports, let us take a moment to appreciate the accomplishments of Anna Tunnicliffe, who won a gold medal in Laser Radials at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Tunnicliffe has gone on to be a CrossFit competitor.

Serving the Bay Area over 70 years

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Office: 1-415-332-3179

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That year, Anna Tunnicliffe won gold in Lasers, and Zach Railey won silver in the Finn class!

What I felt then (as I do now) about what may be wrong with US Sailing may also be wrong with the USOC, the governing body of our sport. I think it needs a drastic revamping. I don't know where to begin, but it is actually a rather vile place based on my brief time working for them.

Laurie

Laurie — Sadly, male-dominated organizations, especially in sports, tend to be sexist and misogynist! It's long overdue for a cleaning of their house! Thanks for your input.

Ken Brinkley

⇑⇓ WHAT HAPPENED, BETWEEN THE SHEETS?

I was pleased to read the letter by my friend and crewmate Jeffery Matzdorff in [the February issue of] Latitude 38, where he referenced the sailboat Between the Sheets — a Jeanneau 50 — and the spinnakers we used racing her. I have great and important memories of that vessel and of working with Ross Perlman, her proud owner at the time, to make his beautiful all-out cruising boat into a competitive ocean racer.

Since about 1957 — until I retired about 13 years ago — I was rigging sailboats of all types and sizes for cruising and racing, mostly in Marina del Rey. I had done rigging

ANNA TUNNICLIFFE / FACEBOOK

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Boatworks 101 : Marine Tech Apprenticeships

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LETTERS

work on Ross's previous boat, a C&C 45. I think it was in 2001 that Ross contacted me, saying that he now owned a new Jeanneau 50 cruising sloop, and that he was thinking of racing it in the Newport to Ensenada Race. He asked me if I would help him rig his new boat for the race, including doing the spinnaker. Could I refuse? Hardly!

Ross had traveled to the Jeanneau factory in France to oversee the inclusion of numerous custom features he wanted in his new boat. BTS was a beauty in every way — and it was loaded. Ross, more than any owner I've ever known, was familiar and versed in every single piece of electronics and machinery in his boat.

But he'd never raced a sailboat and he requested my expertise with rigging to get BTS into racing trim.

BTS was an all out cruiser. A large, inflatable dinghy was mounted upright on (removable) cradles on the foredeck. BTS had no spinnaker gear or hardware of any sort. I began by taking care of the basic needs: I procured a carbon spin pole, installed long mast track for vertical stowage of the spin pole, spinnaker sheets, guys, etc. BTS was hauled out in MDR, and I observed that the bottom paint was a rolled-on job with a stucco-like surface. I convinced Ross of the importance of a super-smooth bottom. We had removable covers fashioned to cover and fair the two large bowthruster ports under the waterline.

BTS's first race was the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Race in about 2002, cruiser class. We were delighted to discover that BTS really did sail quite well and was especially fast downwind. I think we placed second in the race.

We found that when tight spinnaker reaching in a breeze, BTS would round up uncontrollably, and that the steering wheel became increasingly stiff to turn, resulting in almost total loss of feel in the helm. I delivered the boat home to MDR and we again hauled her out to look things over. The Southern California boat builder Dennis Choate happened to be in the boatyard, and when I told him of our terrible steering situation, he took the rudder to his plant in Long Beach and worked it over, making it slightly deeper, adding additional counterbalance, and making the leading edge fatter, rounder and less sharp. Choate's changes to the rudder fixed the round-up problem — mostly.

BTS has two steering wheels, which are, unfortunately, rather small, and which require a number of steering cable pulleys under the cockpit. We removed all the pulleys and had the bearings replaced with ball bearings. The result was a huge improvement in steering!

Two big things we did were to have Seatek in Wilmington [California] build a beautiful new mast (same length), with rod rigging; we also installed a Schaefer in-the-boom roller

The Jeanneau 50 'Between the Sheets' went from comfy cruiser to masterful racer with the help of an enthusiastic rigger.

JEFFRY MATZDORFF

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LETTERS

furling mainsail rig — a wonderful, magical thing — and a new UK full-length batten mainsail. To make the boat safer and more comfortable for ocean sailing, we installed bunk boards on all bunks and a cook's harness.

Sailing in the 2003 T ranspac, we found that the boat sailed best with the ASO chute. That's all we used from then onward, always with the spinnaker pole.

Ross got great pleasure from preparing his boat and creating his sailing team of nice, compatible folks, who, as race results showed, were also darn good sailors. Although he loved ocean sailing, curiously, he didn't have high interest in the actual sailing of his boat; he seldom steered — which I loved to do — and he left activities like sail trimming to his happy crew. During the long races, he loved the boat routine, messing with his electronic navigation gadgets, and sailing across the ocean on his beautiful yacht. Ross was a joy to work with and a very pleasant shipmate.

BTS raced in three, maybe four, Transpacs, at least one PacCup, and in a few selected local races. The boat almost always raced in the cruiser-class divisions; she placed first in most of the races she entered. I was aboard BTS for most

oject of creating an effective ocean racer from a total cruising sailboat was one of the most challenging and satisfying of all the dozens of rigging jobs I undertook in my long career as a sailboat rigger. Sadly, I understand that Ross has passed away since those days when we raced the dickens out of his beautiful boat.

Fred Huffman

La Diana, Contessa 35 Sausalito

CAN YOU HELP S MYSNG ART? indward

(when she was ketch rigged and had a bowsprit) off Diamond Head, setting a new elapsed time record and winning the Barn Door Trophy in Transpac on July 13, 1971, in the time of 9 days, 9 hours, and 6 minutes. Passage also won the race overall.

The artist is William C. Gilpin (1917-1988) of Newport Beach, California. Gilpin worked primarily in charcoal and is most known for his portraits of Hollywood stars.

Tom Patterson

Tom was commenting on the March 6 'Lectronic with the same name as this letter.

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LETTERS

rendering of Windward Passage winning the Barn Door in '71 is from a photo by Dick Cleveland of Santa Barbara, whose business "Fotoboat" specialized in Transpac finish photos. The reason the mainsail panels are narrow is we'd just taken delivery of a Hood main, whose sail cloth was woven on looms intended to weave cloth for pillow cases. If you look closely at the '73 Transpac Handbook photo, I'm the kid in red shorts up by the mast.

Skip Allan Capitola

⇑⇓ HAVE YOU EVER LOST YOUR DINGHY?

After the 2006 Baja Ha-Ha, we were anchored in La Cruz, almost due north of Yelapa. We had taken our dinghy ashore to go to some local food markets and then catch some music at Philo's. We left our dinghy on the beach in the care of local kids, whom we tipped with a few pesos. This was back when the marina breakwater was under construction. Late at night, in the dark, we returned to our dinghy on the beach and it was clear the kids had been playing all over it (lots of sand). The painter was sprawled out from the boat across the sand.

That was to be expected; we were just glad everything was there. We went back to our boat and I secured the painter to the bow cleat so our dink wouldn't bump against our aft cabin. I got up in the night to check the anchor and such — I was shocked to see our painter hanging straight down into the dark water, and no dinghy. I'm sure my heart rate, BP, and sweat glands all went hyperactive.

I walked back to our center cockpit, but saw something out of the corner of my eye at the stern. I went back to the poop deck and there was our dinghy, tied to our stern pulpit with the plastic covered wire (with loops and a lock) that we used when we wanted to lock our boat to a dock. We surmised that fishermen — who regularly went out of La Cruz in the wee hours of the morning in their pangas — had come across our drifting dinghy and grabbed it. They must have looked for the only boat in the anchorage that didn't have a dinghy, which was us, and returned our dink.

Amazing!

We also figured that the kids had untied my bowline on the painter to play with the line and then probably retied it with a granny knot that we failed to check. Our dinghy was new just before our trip, as was the 8hp Yamaha outboard. It was worth many thousands of dollars and yet it was returned by the kind and ethical locals. A great testament to

Out of all the cruising boats in the world, what's the percentage of dinghies that have been lost, stolen, borrowed, shanghaied, etc.?

RICHARD SPINDLER

LETTERS

our host villagers. My heart recovered.

Roger Briggs San Luis Obispo

Roger is commenting on the March 3 'LL with the same name as this letter.

⇑⇓ SWIM STEP FAIL, DINGHY… GONE

We lost one north of Cedros bashing north on a motoryacht with a hydraulic swim step. Swim step failed. Had a brand new Yamaha 40 — boss was not pleased. But probably made some fishermen happy.

Murphy Sackett SoCal

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It was 1988, and we were slowly making our way up the Tonga Archipelago after surviving Cyclone Dovi. My wife, two daughters and I were aboard the Bristol Channel Cutter #12 Nutra, and we were buddy-boating with friends aboard the 50-ft equal-mast schooner Saudade, as well as Ron and Jackie Zanefeld and their two boys aboard their 33-ft sloop Saga. The Ha'apai Group, with its barrier reef to the east, afforded fabulous sailing on flat seas, but there weren't many places to anchor.

One night, we all convened aboard Saudade for a party while anchored just east of Tonga's "prison island," which was clearly marked "No Entry" on our New Zealand charts. It was a strenuous row for Ron and I as we returned upwind to our vessels after the party, and alcohol and fatigue probably affected my own knot-tying skills. I awaked near dawn to find our Fatty Knees 8 totally absent from her usual transom tie, and I envisioned the dink on its way to Fiji.

Before giving in completely to panic, I fetched the binoculars and spotted the dinghy on the beach of the prison island, about a half mile to windward.

What to do?

Knowing that Tongan prisons are pretty casual affairs, I decided to take a chance and swim to the beach and retrieve it. Just as the sun peeked above the horizon, I double-tied the dinghy painter and sighed with relief.

Paul Mathews

⇑⇓ MAKING THE ROUNDS WITH NO LUCK

In 2012, our Achilles LSI88, with her pink painter, was stolen off the beach in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. We filed a police report, walked the neighborhoods and monitored Craigslist, but never saw her again.

Steve Latitude Nation

Langley, Washington

There goes the Matthews family's Bristol Channel Cutter 'Nutra'. You can just spot their Fatty Knees dinghy on the cabin top.

PAUL MATTHEWS

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⇑⇓ TIED UP BY A CREW MEMBER WHO SHALL NOT BE IDENTIFIED

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Many years ago, a couple of friends and I delivered a Pearson 365 from Oakland to Suva, Fiji. We were anchored in Suva Harbor, and typically used either the dinghy or a sailboard to commute to and from the Royal Suva Yacht Club. On the morning that two of us were scheduled fly home via a puddle-jumper flight across Viti Levu to the airport at Nadi, we discovered that the dinghy was gone. Ferrying ourselves and our duffels to shore on the sailboard was a nonstarter.

Fortunately, a friendly local person located the dinghy where it had drifted following an inept tie-up by a crew member who won't be identified: much preferable to having the boat misappropriated. To our great relief, we were able to shuttle ourselves and our impedimenta to shore in time to connect up with our transportation.

Jean Ouellette Latitude Staff

⇑⇓ DOES RENEWABLE DIESEL WORK?

I have a Mercedes diesel, and they say to never use biodiesel. I am going to check with the dealer and see what they say about renewable diesel and hopefully I can use it. For all my boat engines I have been advised to never use biodiesel.

Peter Bennett

Destiny, Swan 46

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up because I had inadvertently sailed into Navy practice waters. They hailed me and I was required to answer back with the alarmingly shaming response, "Roger, this is Daddy's Girl Go ahead." Needless to say, I figured it was Poseidon come calling because I had the very idea to change the name without paying proper respect to the depths. I sanded off the name that very week.

I also appropriately decided I would keep whatever name my next yacht came with!

Andy Graham Serenity, Beneteau 41.1 SoCal

Andy was commenting on the February 15 'Lectronic Latitude with the same (non-parenthetical) name as this letter

⇑⇓ BREAK OUT ALL OF YOUR THOUSANDS

Sometimes the boat name's origin comes from the source of funding. My first sailboat, a Montgomery 12 that I bought while I was in college, was named G.I. Bill

This started a life pattern where I spent half my money on sailboats, and the rest I just wasted!

Daniel J Irwin Fresno Yacht Club

⇑⇓ SHANTAY, YOU SASHAY AWAY

My first boat was named Renaissance. I spent a five month sabbatical on her, and the experience was indeed a renaissance of spirit, for me.

My current boat is named Sashay.

Kelvin D.

was not thrilled by the name, but once outside the Golden Gate — and seeing how she danced/glided over the waves — I was happy to keep the name.

Meeks Latitude Nation

It was at this point that the owner of 'Rocky Seas' wished that they'd named the boat 'Straight Up, Not on the Rocks'.

DWAYNE NEWTON

We assume that Jimmy Buffett's Surfari 50 'Drifter' is always under power or sail, but her captain certainly embodies the spirit of beach bumming around the globe while strumming the six string — and looking for a shaker of salt that will never be found.

Hogin Sails

LETTERS

⇑⇓ LOOK, WE'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR YEARS

Early last summer, a boat came to the same anchorage in San Diego where my family likes to spend our weekends. We've been going there for about four years now. Husband always checks tides before dropping our anchor. In this particular anchorage, low daytime tides expose a good chunk of sand that stretches for 10-30 feet.

A sailboat anchored very close to this particular section. I was passing them on my paddle board and told them they were way too close to the beach. The younger of the two guys told me he's been coming here for over 20 years and knows what he's doing. The next time — four or so months later — we saw their boat, same location, but it was on its side because the keel was sitting in the sand. They had to wait until the next day to get it out of the shallows.

The boat's name was Keelin' It.

Tasha

⇑⇓ BIG MOTOR YACHT RUNS AGROUND AT FAMED SURF SPOT ON MAUI

So he was incorrectly hooked up to a mooring, where he did not know the rules. Overstayed the time limit by days. Did not have an anchor alarm set, or any warning that they had broken free from the mooring. When they realized the yacht was adrift, they quickly ran to the helm and put her in forward instead of reverse. Apparently no attempt was made to run out the anchor and kedge off the reef. No weight redistribution was attempted. No mayday was issued? How is this not gross negligence?

Mark Wieber

Mark was commenting on the February 24 'Lectronic Latitude with the same name as this letter. In the wake of accidents, we normally try to temper comments secondguessing or speculating about someone else's decision making. In the case of the 94-ft Sunseeker motor yacht Nakoa, airing a little righteous indignation might be cathartic.

Two weeks after Nakoa went aground in Maui's Honolua Bay in late February, a salvage ship and a tugboat from Honolulu freed the 120-ton yacht from the shore, but she sank while under tow. "The yacht was listing to one side and riding bow high and it's unknown at this time whether it was successfully pulled all the way to Honolulu or had to be scuttled in 1,000-foot-deep water offshore," the Department of Land and Natural Resources told Big Island News.

⇑⇓ A WORD FROM A MARINE SALVAGER

Having personally assessed the scene on the first day, it pained me to know I needed to avoid becoming involved

There are no good places to run aground, but surely Honolua Bay, on the northwestern tip of Maui, is among the most pristine and revered pieces of shoreline in the world.

LETTERS LETTERS

in a large part due to having delayed purchasing 300-gallon flexible fuel tanks, fuel transfer pump and oil-absorbent boom which I have planned to purchase if/when my team is ever paid for [past environmental salvage work] over a year ago. Quite literally, instead of being able to invest in additional salvage equipment, I have been forced to spend money on litigation to get my insurance to simply open a claim. There is a lot of talk about uninsured vessels, but what is the point of having insurance when insurance companies refuse to begin the claims process in a timely way when salvage and wreck removal responsibilities of their insured have been clearly established?

In addition, a tremendous amount of respect is owed to all those that chose to stick their neck out rendering assistance to the Nakoa yacht. I have seen how, all too often, marine salvage ends up being a thankless job in which one has to drop everything else at a moment's notice while taking on massive liabilities doing work that is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting.

There are ways to skillfully minimize the high risk of personal injury, death, or substantial environmental harm while conducting a marine salvage operation, but as things currently are, all the substantial time and money, along with wear and tear on gear, oftentimes end up being put out in good faith only to have an owner and/or their insurance company refusing to appreciate, let alone pay for, services rendered in a timely manner.

I genuinely hope all relevant facts can come out without the need for multiple years of litigation.

Having not been involved in either the Honolua Bay grounding or the subsequent salvage operations, I do not personally know all the critical facts to have a firm opinion specific to that incident, and I respectfully urge all the talkers and gawkers to read the following article before jumping to conclusions on any marine incident or salvage operation: www.thehumandiver.com/blog/joining-dots-is-easy-if-youknow-the-outcome.

Lawyers can literally litigate for years over a single comma; there should be precision in the wording of any legal changes that may result from this incident. This tragedy was not the fault of any entire group, and I respectfully hope all stakeholders can work together to refine both current laws, enforcement, and other options to find genuine solutions with a minimum of unintended consequences.

I find it untenable that some vessel owners and their insurance companies choose to squander the most critical time during a marine incident attempting to negotiate down their liabilities instead of working toward what is truly

LETTERS

everyone's best interest.

David Demarest, Manager Giraffe Maui Marine Salvage & Supply, LLC

⇑⇓ CLEARLY A BAD LOOK

The first question is: How did a 'Scumseeker' make it to Maui? Lol. Clearly a bad look and no anchor alarms set.

I had this happen to me in New Zealand. Shit happens; no one wants to destroy a nice boat. The part about being on the buoy too long is irrelevant. It's an expensive learning experience.

John Sweeney Point Buckler

John — It got shipped out in November/December from the PNW, if I'm not mistaken.

The part about being on the buoy too long is not irrelevant to the situation. Those are day-use moorings for locally permitted day-charter boats, so an off-island boat coming to Maui and tying up overnight there is not cool. Also, they were built for 65-ft cats that probably weigh ~1/2 as much as the yacht in question. This is a bummer all the way around. The guys that run that boat are good people, and Honolua is a super-special place. This is an incredibly awful scenario for everyone involved.

Ronnie Simpson Latitude Contributor

⇑⇓ DAMN! WE NEED AN AMPHIBIOUS TRAVELIFT

Being a lifelong boatnik and Maui resident for 20-plus years, I've been following this obsessively. Dude owns a 94ft, 120-ton pleasure yacht and has LLC charter company. He was operating/having a family trip with four adults and four kids aboard. They moored to the buoy meant for two-hour day use in a beloved Marine Conservation bay that is normally used for 50-ft catamarans taking tourists snorkeling; it's also where world-class surfing happens.

He spent two nights illegally tied to the buoy and awoke at 5:45 a.m. to find they were aground on the shoreline. (The sound of running water is his insurance company washing their hands of this hot mess.) Dude says he was in the engine room getting ready to return to Lahaina.

I call BS! No one climbs out of their bunk and goes straight to the engine room. It's coffee then topsides to check the conditions, mooring etc. I'm certain Dude was sleeping one off and didn't even notice anything about the movement of the boat until he heard the sound of crunching coral reef and rocks against the aluminum hull. He also said that his line to the mooring buoy snapped. More BS! No one ties a luxury yacht with a dinghy painter. Dude! Time to bust out the Chapman's and learn some seamanship, like how to

'Nakoa' sank, or was scuttled, not long after she was pulled off the rocks in Honolua Bay in early March.

LETTERS LETTERS

properly belay a line to a cleat or tie a bowline or conduct anchor watch. Now he says he has no insurance for his yacht that he charters.

The salvage operation was challenging; I kept thinking about it. (Damn, we need an amphibious T ravelift!) The first thing the Coast Guard did was remove all hazardous fuels and batteries, air lifting them with a helicopter, so there was no power onboard to run a pump once they pulled her free. I'm sure the salvage crew had a generator and pump at the ready, and maybe a couple of stuffing-box-sized bungs, too.

It's amazing the sur f had been small for Honolua Bay this time of the year. The tides here don't fluctuate that much. When the first tug tried to pull the boat off the reef, the sound (on the video taken from ashore) of the hull grinding against the reef was sickening! They managed to move her 90 degrees and got the bow pointing seaward, but something in the tow line failed. Meanwhile, morning dawned and revealed that the swell had pushed the hull back to a side tie position against the shoreline.

Shelly Stevens

⇑⇓ AS CLIPPER COVE REMAINS OPEN TO BOATERS, THE TREASURE ISLAND TOLL MOVES FULL STEAM AHEAD

What a mess. The comment about the development enhancing public access is hard to swallow given that there is zero planning around the north end of the island where folks currently do wind-sports, fish and recreate.

T rickle-sideway economics?

All the new infrastructure is being paid for by the developer passing that to the buyer of the new apartments, except for the ferry and bus service. Why not add this to the cost of living in this wonderful new neighborhood? Utilities like water, sewer, and power are not paid for by a toll, so why transportation? Don't tell me it's to lessen the traffic on the Bay Bridge. Oh, please!

Tom Gandesbery

Tom was commenting on the March 3 'Lectronic Latitude with the same name as this letter. A spokesperson for the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) told Latitude: "The construction of the 290 acres of public open space [on Treasure Island] and their future maintenance are possible through the development of new homes on the island. However, that development is only possible with robust public transportation programs and other measures. Rather than reducing access to the public spaces on Treasure Island, the tolling program is an essential component of a larger plan."

⇑⇓ CLUE US IN!

Ouch. Without a vote, an imposed toll is going to hurt. SF has become such a playground for the rich, it's disgusting. Sounds like a sneaky development plan to pass the buck to me. At first I heard they were looking to get $10. What about Marina tenants? People with boats are paying to use the island already. "The tolling program is an essential component of a larger plan." When will we be clued in on the larger plan?

Ebbe Roe Yovino-Smith

Ebbe — As it's proposed now, the toll to get on and off Treasure Island would be $5 each way during peak hours. So parents picking up their kids at the Treasure Island Sailing Center could potentially pay $10, as well as the $7 Bay Bridge toll if they're coming from the East Bay, for a grand total of $17! Does this mean that if you drop your kids off at 8 a.m. and pick them up at 4 p.m., you'd have to pay $34 total?

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LETTERS

⇑⇓ WILL THE PROPOSED OAKLAND A'S BALLPARK IMPEDE A FUTURE PORT OF OAKLAND ESTUARY TURNING BASIN?

Seriously, the concept of a waterfront ballpark adjacent to the second-busiest shipping port on the West Coast, which already has storage woes and an industrial metal reclamation site with terrible access … well, that wasn't very well thought out for the fans. (And the pedestrian bridge [tune in to next month's Letters for a discussion of the proposed "bike bridge.")

Besides, the A's are headed to Vegas — So there!

Erik Simonson

www.pressure-drop.us

Erik was commenting on the March 8 'LL with the same name as this letter.

⇑⇓ REGULATE, THEN BANK THEIR MONEY

Who's zooming whom? I'd make darn sure there are no conflicts of interest! But as we have often seen, officials in charge of regulating industries retire with hefty pensions and are immediately hired by the very groups they were charged with regulating!

Ken Brinkley

⇑⇓ EIGHT BELLS FOR BOBBI TOSSE

Bobbi Tosse — aka Barbara Ann Tosse — was the most important person in my life. I loved her very much. We were married for 26 and a half years and had a wonderful life together. Bobbi and I both contracted a very nasty obscure respiratory virus during our recent trip to Stockholm. I recovered from it after a week on oxygen. Unfortunately, she didn't. She died on February 2, after a long hospitalization.

Bobbi went to Cal Berkeley and got her bachelor's degree in accounting in 1965, where she met Lloyd Tosse at the Cal-Stanford game rooting squad (Go Bears). They married and had two sons, David and Michael Tosse. After Bobbi and Lloyd divorced in 1973, she set up a business-in-home doing tax preparation. Four of her major clients, whom she did for free, were Berkeley Yacht Club, Berkeley Yacht Club race committee, Pacific Cup Yacht Club, and the Yacht Racing Association of SF Bay.

Bobbi and Lloyd joined Berkeley Yacht Club in 1971; she learned how to sail with Lloyd on their Columbia 26, Altair. Lloyd eventually became BYC commodore for both 1977 and 1978. Bobbi became BYC commodore in 1993.

Bobbi took over being the BYC race chair, and held that position until she died. She was very good at it. She also revolutionized women's racing on the Bay. Among her many accomplishments, she converted BYC's patronizing Powder Puff race into BYC's Women's Skipper series, and added

It's already a tight squeeze for ships in the Oakland Estuary. Ten acres at Howard Terminal — the proposed site for a new, 35,000-seat Oakland A's ballpark — are seen as critical in expanding the inner-harbor Turning Basin, which the Port of Oakland and Army Corps of Engineers are expected to recommend this year.

LETTERS LETTERS

other women's sailing events.

I went with her to Nawiliwili, Kauai, to help Bobbi run the 1980 Pacific Cup finish, where she was founding Principal Race Officer. She maintained a position on the Pacific Cup YC board of directors until she died.

In the early '70s, her closest friend and neighbor was Sally Green. After her divorce from Lloyd in 1973, Bobbi and Sally together bought the Coronado 25, Naressia, which they cruised and raced together for many years.

How did I fit into this picture? My first wife, Maralee, and I joined BYC a few months after Bobbi and Lloyd joined. We had a 1939 wood 43-ft Rhodes sloop named Sinergy that I raced. It was a beautiful boat that looked and sailed like a 12-meter. It also leaked like a sieve, especially when it was loaded up by the rig. We pumped a lot when we raced!

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Bobbi crewed for me one fateful night on a Midnight Moonlight Marathon Madness race, with Maralee, and Peggy and Toby Hickman. Late that night after the race, we all went home tired, with the bilge still full of water. Unfortunately, the automatic bilge pump failed during the night, and the boat sank in her slip. Peggy and Toby, Bobbi, and Sally and their extended family all came to the Marina to help. Over a period of about three or four days, we raised her, and Sinergy was racing again in about a month. This is at the same time I was a postdoc at UC Berkeley doing my experiments testing quantum mechanics.

In 1978, Maralee and I divorced. Several years later, Bobbi and I started dating. I first got together with her as part of her race committee. Bobbi and I started cruising and racing together — she mostly cruised, I mostly raced. We made a "pact." She would "teach" me how to cruise, and I would "teach" her how to race.

When Bobbi and I were cruising together on Naressia, I would continuously tweak the sails. She queried me why I was doing this, since we were only cruising. I responded that I found that my viewing a sail that was out of trim was offensive to the senses. It was sort of like listening to a guitar that was out of tune. I asked her, "Do you have a racing guitar that you keep tuned, and a cruising guitar that is out of tune?" She actually understood and bought into my

The late Bobbi Tosse celebrates after one of a lifetime of races on the Bay.

JOHN CLAUSEN

For sailors looking for a no-nonsense yacht capable of sailing home waters or circling the globe, Oliver III is the complete package. With a robust aluminum hull, efcient design, and modern interior, the Bestevaer 45ST appeals to a wide range of sailors. Constructed by KM Yachtbuilders, who specialize in sail-anywhere expedition yachts, she features a carbon rig, retractable bowsprit, and a performance-based yet simple sail plan that is intended to be singlehanded. The aluminum doghouse protects the forward cockpit – and at the same time her tiller steering provides the ultimate feel at the helm. Her two-cabin, single-head layout (with separate shower stall) includes a large U-shaped galley, proper nav station, and spacious salon that balances space for entertaining and living aboard.

LETTERS

weird analogy. I eventually won out on our so-called "pact." Bobbi pretty much gave up cruising and devoted almost all of her sailing (mostly with me) to racing. In 1985, Naressia became Coronado 25 YRA class champion, and second in the Coronado 25 Nationals. (First place in the Nationals was a North Sails sailmaker here from Southern California.)

In 1985, I did a T ranspac on a boat in SoCal. I told Bobbi how much fun it was. Bobbi was already principal race officer on the Pacific Cup race committee; she became inspired, and decided that she wanted to do the 1986 Pacific Cup race herself. Moreover, she wanted to be the skipper, and to make a statement for women's racing and for women skippers. I agreed to support her in this effort, and to be her navigator. GPS did not yet exist, and the Hawaiian Loran chain was totally useless for an approach from California. Full-on celestial navigation was the only available method to find the finish line on Kauai. Fortunately, I possessed the skills to do it, and she hired me on as her navigator.

For the race, we (mostly she) chartered the Farr 36 Sweet Okole. Amazo! We were first in class (IOR) and first overall! Beginner's luck? Nah, we were hot!

We became addicted to doing Pacific Cup races. I did the 1990 and 1992 races on Petard as navigator for owner Keith Buck. Not to be left out, Bobbi did the 1992 race on La Caval. But then, together on my Farr 40 one-ton Bodacious, we did '94, '96, '98, 2000, '02 and '04 Pac Cups.

There were a lot of BYC members aboard for those races. With the advent of GPS, Bobbi did more navigation. We got a few more trophies along the way: second place in '98 and 2000. In odd years, we did Coastal Cup races to Catalina, Santa Barbara, and Ventura, as well as OYRA local races to Santa Cruz and Monterey. (All of this on top of a heavy race schedule on the Bay.) Bobbi frequently skippered Bodacious in women skipper's races, and almost always won.

Along the way, we got married in 1996, after living together for many years. When I asked her to marry me, she said, 'OK, but first I need to check the tax consequences." At our wedding, our crew got together and bought us a new #3 jib for Bodacious as a wedding present and an inducement to do the Big Boat Series. The whole wedding party signed the sail's sausage bag.

We even got some trophies in the BBS, two years in a row, thus starting a new addiction. That's what happens with beginner's luck, especially when you try to compete with the big boys. We eventually gave up racing the Pacific Cup after 2004, and the BBS became our major effort. Doing both, and also maintaining a heavy local race schedule, was too much. We continued racing Rolex Big Boat Series when we traded in Bodacious for our newer Reichel/Pugh One Design 48, Bodacious+.

Throughout, Bobbi and I had a great life together. I loved her dearly. I will sorely miss her — so, I'm sure, will the rest of you. Goodbye, Bobbi.

SwiftsureYachts

boat's name, and its model and hailing port, or just tell us where you're from.

Nobel Laureate John Clauser at Bobbi's Wake at BYC Bodacious+, Reichel/Pugh 48 Berkeley

– MOLLY HOWE , SWIFTSURE YACHTS

LOOSE LIPS

Whatfun responses we received to our March Caption Contest(!) The seals really did make their mark on our readers. "Seal racing committee mark-rounding inspections." — @fulvnrg. And, "Another 'crowded mark' rounding." @johnwalsh4646. "The foul was obvious. Protests were filed, and all three seals were disqualified for not re-rounding the windward mark." — Bill Andrew. And what seal episode would be complete without, "Pardon me… do you have any Grey Poopon [Poupon]?" — Susan Ingram. Though one reader saw a completely different picture: "Photo evidence that, with the right sails and crew, and enough time, you can pass a stationary object with a Cal 20." — Shaz Botnanu. Winner and top ten comments below.

"If you [think] it's hard to get tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, try being a seal angling for front-row seating at the turning mark!" — David Cohan.

"Racers anxiously round Buoy 11 for the coveted seal of approval." — Peter Bellak.

"What happened to Sammy, our fourth lookout? He let these interlopers get too close!" — David N Henry.

"Animal lovers stop to feed the sea lions." — Glenn Schmudde.

"The crash was inevitable. 'Buoy! S*T*A*R*B*O*A*R*D!!!' yelled the crew, but too late, as the skipper was red-green color blind. His fate was sealed." — Eben L Kermit.

"First that giant ship damaged our buoy, now this. What a week we're having!" — John Callahan.

"The first two boats rounding the mark have an emergency meeting with the protest committee!" — Pat McIntosh.

"Who ordered from Slooper Eats?" — Jay Sorensen.

"We could never get a real lighthouse keeper for 10 pounds of cod a week." — Rob Falconer.

"See, I told you this would be a great place to watch the racing!" — Scott Henry.

VOLKER CORELL EMERYVILLE SAN PABLO

PLAY RICHMOND ALAMEDA

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RICHMOND

BERKELEY & SAN LEANDRO OAKLAND EMERYVILLE

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Home of the Trail Guide!

heather richard's tall (ship) ambitions

Leaf through history books and you will likely be hard-pressed to find mention of a female as captain of a tall ship. According to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, "Seagoing careers were closed to women during the sailing ship era. A woman might disguise herself as a man and assume a fictitious name; but if she was discovered, her career would be over. The only way for most women to take part in running a merchant vessel before 1900, when sailing ships reigned supreme, was through marriage or by being the captain's daughter." For San Francisco Bay sailors and fans of tall ships, we have three ladies in training to helm the Bay's only resident working tall ship — one has called Sausalito her home for more than 23 years.

Heather Richard will soon be the newest female to helm the Matthew Turner, a Call of the Sea (COTS) tall ship.

"Adrian McCullough, former captain and director ships operations, set the stage early for women to serve in leadership roles on the ship," Richard notes. McCullough's efforts also attracted female captains Rebecca Johnson (a native of Texas) and Cassie Sleeper (native of Long Beach, California). Whereas these two ladies came up the ranks via linear formal training, Heather shaped a path to the helm by tapping years of extensive insight gained by sailing many types of vessels, acquiring a wide scope of skills, and having ample San Francisco Bay smarts. "I am very familiar with water and sailing conditions for the Bay and outside the Gate. I know the timing, tides and traffic." She also brings umpteen years of experience working with customers and crew. And, perhaps most importantly, she has developed a safety skills set and foresight that can help avoid or anticipate a vessel's mechanical or maintenance failure.

The traditional pathway for leadership on a tall ship generally takes one of two routes: 1) completing a maritime academy education, followed by industry training, or 2) following an on board apprentice track, which includes gaining skills and knowledge while working up the ranks from deckhand to captain. "Neither of those pathways were available to me," Richard says. "Things have changed over the years, and opportunities are opening up for females. Progressive organizations such as Call of the Sea keep a level playing field for males and females; talent is recognized. My perception is that young women who come on board [COTS's] vessels — whether for social sailing or educational programs — take note that females are at the helm, calling the deck, or going aloft. Seeing ladies in leadership roles on a tall ship does matter! When I was coming up the ranks, I did not have a female role model. It's not only empowering, but helps attract talent to an industry long dominated by men."

In recent weeks, Richard has greatly increased her scope of responsibility toward that firm footing squarely at the helm of Matthew Turner. Whereas she has been helming Call of the Sea's other vessel, the schooner Seaward, for several years, there is plenty to learn on Matthew Turner; for example, correct vernacular and commands. "Case in point, the proper lingo required to turn a square-rigged ship while sailing downwind is not 'call for a jibe'. I need to say, 'Prepare to wear ship', she notes. MT has a far more complex sail plan with square sails, plus a mainmast with a height of 100-ft. On top of this, the vessel has an incredibly complicated electronic propulsion system. Matthew Turner extends 132-ft and counts a 25-ft beam; she weighs in at 175 tons. (Seaward is 82-ft.) In April, Richard will learn how to run the larger vessel's deck and call commands. When not on the ship, she is familiarizing herself with tall ship terminology, learning about "clewing up," how to "cast your brails," and more.

"One of the things about being on a tall ship is that you have to overcome any fear of heights," smiles Richard, who loves climbing to gain added perspective. She casually points out that while she was growing up, neighbors often felt compelled to telephone her parents and let them know she was far up a tree — again. As captain, Richard will eventually oversee a crew of between six and 12, plus passengers. For the 2023 season, COTS will welcome guests for camp days, youth and adult overnight sailing adventures, charters, and education and immersion programs. Richard helped

olympic sailing stumbles

The departure of Paul Cayard from the role of executive director of the US Olympic Sailing Team has created confusion and frustration among the elite ranks of competitive US sailors, athletes, supporters and donors — as well as the 2024 Olympic aspirants. In the world of competitive sailing, there's probably no higher achievement than medaling in the Olympics. The United States once dominated sailing in the summer games, holding the honor of the country with the most Olympic sailing medals; Great Britain now holds the title with 64 medals to the US's 61.

There were high hopes when, in March 2021, US Sailing announced that Bay Area National Sailing Hall of Fame sailor Paul Cayard would be executive director of US

Heather Richard (center photos, and furling the main on the bottom right) will be the newest captain of the Bay Area's own 'Matthew Turner', one of the newest tall ships in the world.

BENSON LEE

with paul cayard's exit

Olympic Sailing. But after barely two years — and in the midst of a restructuring by US Sailing — Cayard announced his resignation in February, leaving US Olympic hopes in jeopardy.

Many commentators have pointed to a fundamental flaw in the structure of the US Olympic Sailing Team, which operates under the auspices of US Sailing as the national governing body of the entire sport of competitive sailing. Internal tensions created by many competing missions have been recognized for years but, to date, appear unresolved.

Cayard released a statement saying, "Unfortunately, over the past couple of months, the US Sailing Association and I

heather richard — continued

launch Girls Aloft in 2020, a half-day session catering specifically to young women and girls ages 12-24, offering hands-on ship handling, navigation, and more. "This program is near and dear to my heart. It's just the sort of thing that I would've loved to attend when I was a girl."

Alan Olson, project director and founder of Call of the Sea, solicited Heather's input during the design phase for Matthew Turner in 2010. She has been sailing on the vessel since 2020. "I live in Galilee Harbor, a member-run cooperative which is filled with maritime tradespersons. This location lies immediately over the wreck of the Galilee, a brigantine built in 1891 and designed by Matthew Turner" that delivered parcels between San Francisco and Tahiti. "Being in this spot inspires me and reminds me of the good fortune I have to be a part of the Matthew Turner crew."

On the water since age 4, Richard reveals that her life has always been close to boats. "One of my earliest memories was of a lovely little wooden Sunfish with a rainbow sail." Richard's youth was spent on the Great Lakes with scows; a later move to Boston drew her to Community Boating on the Charles River. In the early '90s, she started her high school's first

BENSON

heather richard — continued

sailing team, followed by training beside the MIT team. Despite her East Coast roots, and living on a boat adjacent the USS Constitution, Heather decided to head west, coaching summer sailing at the St. Francis Yacht Club. "I became hooked by conditions on the Bay. The energy is hard to resist, whether I am coaching or just spending time on the water. Wing foiling, which has become my current watersport passion."

During the 2013 America's Cup, Richard served as a captain for charter companies such as Schooner Gas Light, and also joined with Brad Webb's USA 76 charter crew. Richard serves on the board of directors for Spaulding Wooden Boat Center, and operates her 10-year-old charter business, Fine Day for Sailing. Heather is also a mom preserving home balance for her three children, each of whom has secured water-based jobs; the oldest girl is a local diver. As her kids grow into the maritime industry, Heather's own career is about to expand to the newest tall ship on San Francisco Bay. Look for Heather Richard at the helm of Matthew Turner this summer!

— martha blanchfield

Clockwise from top left: The Cal 29 '=Librium' inadvertently stayed at the Coast Guard dock in Vallejo recently, much to the chagrin of a sheriff's deputy; '=Librium' navigates a bit of fog; the Cal 29 'Bluejacket', seen here sailing out of Berkeley, is the main photo on the Cal 29 Wikipedia page. Inset: Jay Lundquist and a friend.

us sailing

had a complete breakdown on several levels. The process of resolution was not good and ultimately unsuccessful. Despite my passion for our mission and my perseverance, I can no longer work with US Sailing. In 2020, I was told that trying to build a successful Olympic Team, within US Sailing, would be very challenging. Changing the processes, culture and support for the Team is an extremely difficult task. We are just starting to make gains. Raising two or three times the amount of money ever raised in the USA, to support that goal, is also a difficult task. Starting and building an endowment, so that future leaders will have something to rely on financially, is

another tall order.

"Ultimately, the relationship with US Sailing proved to be one that I could not cope with. It pains me to admit that as I did sail around the world twice, and generally feel pretty capable of dealing with adversity. I want to emphasize my gratitude for your support, trust and confidence in me. Know that we made significant progress in the movement to get the USA back to the top of the podium. I remain interested in our mission and supporting athletes. Maybe this will take a different form in time.

"It has been my honor and privilege to work with my staff and for all the great

I learned to sail with my father, Brigham Lundquist, on San Francisco Bay in 1970. It has turned out to be the greatest gift he ever gave me, excluding life itself. At 17, I made the choice of mountains over the sea. I have stayed in the mountains for many years.

At 55, I bought a Santana 22 for use on Lake Almanor in Northeastern California. After a few years, I began to miss the sea; I really like ocean swells. So I hatched a plan to return.

Plan A: Take a Santana 22 to Bodega Bay during the winter.

As I prepared for my winters in Bodega Bay, the vehicle to pull the boat died. After due consideration, I decided, "Hell, Santana 22s are pretty cheap. I'll just buy another boat in the Bay and sail it up. One of my very intelligent daughters said, "So, Dad, you have no car and you're going to buy a boat?"

I'm not sure what lured me from Craigslist to Latitude 38. There was a boat for sale at $999 — it was a Cal 29; I learned to sail on a Cal 25. My emotions took over. If my knife didn't go through the bulkhead near the chainplates, it was a done deal. The facilitator of the sale, Gordon, didn't see me stabbing the boat, but stopped the tour to ask, "Should I continue?" with a tone that suggested I may not want to buy the boat.

I said yes. The boat is old, but so am I, and I'm not dead yet.

Gordon was very helpful. It was a difficult sale with the DMV; I wanted new stickers on the boat to dress it up a bit. The 47-year-old boat looked like the kind that people abandon at marinas — or elsewhere. Gordon worked very hard to get the Atomic 4 going again. I appreciated that man.

Gordon was helping to get the boat sold for a widow who had been dutifully paying slip fees at Treasure Island for eight years after losing her husband. I wanted to know more about this boat's past; I heard it was once used to take kids in Oakland sailing — a worthwhile thing to do.

Plan B: Take the =Librium as far up the Sacramento River as possible to create short drive times from Plumas County to work on the boat.

As I putted through San Pablo Bay with a jury-rigged outboard in the dark of night, I changed my mind. There is the Napa River, too. I tried frantically to call my other daughter about someone she knew with a boat on the Napa River. She must have been on a date.

So, at Vallejo, I turned north and set my mind to getting some gas. It was at midnight or 1 a.m. that I entered the Vallejo Marina to hunt down their gas dock. A sign had led me to the second entrance. I headed toward the most lit-up spot there was. The dock was lit up like a stadium.

I tied up and walked around the dock, opening little sheds looking for some pumps. They were empty, and the dock had these funny-looking ramps to allow you to drive a (power) boat onto the dock. My dad and I did that once in the Cal 25 at our slip in Alameda.

At this point, I was feeling like I could sleep, so I did.

The dock was on the starboard side of the boat, which I had never seen, so after my morning coffee, I set out with brush and bucket to shine up my new boat. Someone coming into their slip asked, "Did you know you are on the Coast Guard dock?" I said no, and continued to scrub the boat. I guess I was a little embarrassed by the appearance of the boat, and figured there was no sense in trying to outrun the Coast Guard, so I hung around. Finally, when I was ready to go and was laying out some line to help leave the dock, it was blowing really good. The jury-rigged outboard wasn't going to cut it.

Two sheriff's deputies and two Coast Guard officers unlocked the gate and entered the dock. One of the deputies began to ream me out like I was white trash trying to abandon my boat. The reaming seemed to take a lot of time and was rather unpleasant. But I did learn some things. When the deputy finished the reaming, he turned to the Coast Guard and asked, "Is there anything you would like to add to that?" They declined.

I think they felt sorry for me because of the behavior of the sheriff's deputy. I hope he's retired now. I like the Coast Guard. All the ones I've ever talked to acted like they were Customer Service for Homeland Security and wanted to do something nice for me. And I love buying boats.

— jay lundquist

the =librium, a therapeutic drug

The bad news, at least as perceived as such by some, is that so many Americans and Canadians are now cruising Mexico and that between November and April, it's sometimes, if not often, impossible to get a slip. During the Christmas and New Year's holidays, for example, there were a couple of slips available in Mazatlan, but nowhere else on the entire Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Nada. Zip. Nothing.

Even in early March, the 356-berth Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz had a waiting list of 30 boats. Not that any other marina had more than a couple of open berths, if any. Marina de La Paz had a couple of slips that were open for a day or two.

The lack of slips has some future Mexico cruisers freaking out. There are two reasons they shouldn't:

The first is that you don't need a slip to be able to cruise. Take the example of cruising the Caribbean. In more than 35 years of my having various boats from 30- to 71-ft in the Caribbean, I've only had a berth for a total of about 30 nights. And I don't believe I've used one in the past 15 years. It's not that we couldn't get a berth; we didn't want one.

Or take the example of the Med, where we once read that during the summer, there are one-third more boats in the water than there are slips. When my Ocean 71 Big O did a summer in the Med 30 years ago, she was only in a slip for a handful of days — mostly in Monaco, because it was so cool, and it was only $56 a night back then. Not having a slip wasn't a problem. These days, a slip in the Med or Adriatic will cost you a fortune.

The beauty of Mexico is that there are an incredible number of great places to anchor out, from the Pacific coast of Baja to the Sea of Cortez, to mainland Mexico. And there are countless great places you can anchor not even listed in the cruising guides.

While Marina de La Paz may be packed, there is room to anchor just off it. Or perhaps, better still, at the fabulous nearby islands.

There are also many fine anchorages next to marinas or just off cities. Think Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, San Carlos, La Cruz, Barra, Zihua, and Acapulco. It's an embarrassment of berthing riches. And in the case of Tenacatita Bay, there are major cruiser anchor-out communities in what some consider the middle of nowhere.

The second bit of good news is that it's much easier to live on the hook these days than it's ever been.

Boats are bigger. You rarely see modern-day Pardeys cruising the world on 24-footers, or the average-size cruising boat being a cramped 32-ft. The average boat in recent Baja Ha-Ha's has been 44-ft. Then there are the catamarans, which are almost like having your own country.

And today's more efficient boat systems provide far more comfort and independence. Thanks to solar panels, few don't have enough electricity these days, particularly if backed up by the double redundancy of a diesel engine and a Honda portable generator. And lithium batteries are proving to be a game-changer for those who can afford them.

It's a rare boat today that doesn't have a good refrigeration/freezer system. And few things tickle me more than the fact that I make my beloved ice cubes using the power of the sun. Many boats now have watermakers, and an increasing number are decadent enough to have air conditioning.

For many, the welcome elephant in the anchored-out world is Starlink. For less than $100 a month in Mexico, you can be completely connected to the world. It connects you to your family for practically nothing and offers all the entertainment options of being back in San Jose or wherever you are from. We know cruising kids who have weekly Zoom meetings with fellow students at their schools back home.

Work from the boat while in Mexico? Many people are doing it, as they can make big-time US wages while living in a pleasant but low-budget Mexico.

Arbitrage, anyone?

We've heard a couple of people say, "We're going to put off cruising in Mexico for a couple of years, until it gets less crowded." With all due continued on outside column of next sightings page

us sailing

athletes of the USA who have so much potential. I wish them all the best!"

In an email to the Associted Press, Bay Area sailor and current US Sailing board president Richard Jepsen said that Cayard was "offered the ability to continue to support the team by, among other things, providing valuable input into its direction and leading the important fundraising efforts. He declined, and we respect his decision."

Following Cayard's departure, team leadership and coaching talent was further eroded by the resignations of high-performance coaches James Lyne, Leandro Spi-

good and bad news about cruising mexico

— concluded

na, Luther Carpenter, and Charlie McKee, as well as resignations from the US Sailing Foundation.

We know that well-intentioned people can have differing opinions, but the mass resignations have left US Olympic sailors caught in the middle. US Sailing remains committed to getting American athletes back to the podium while offering conflicting visions. With the Paris Olympics just a year and a half away, everyone continues to support the sailors and their ultimate goal of medaling in the Olympic Games.

— latitude / john

cruising mexico — continued

respect, we think they are misreading the tea leaves.

With living and/or working on a boat in Mexico being so much easier and better than ever before, and with the cost of living so much less expensive than in the States, what's not to like? Did we mention a less stressful life and low-cost medical and dental care?

So no matter if the US economy is getting better or worse, we think the cruising boat population in Mexico is going to continue to increase, and certainly not decrease.

But it's also true that many cruisers need a berth at some time. This is particularly true during the holidays, when many cruisers want to fly home to be with family. The solution? Make your reservations early. Today is not too early. As for 'commuter cruisers', it's doubly important that you make your plans and reservations early.

— richard spindler

No slips in Mexico? ¡No problemo! The greatest anchorages in the world await you around every corner. Clockwise from left: 'Balam', a Fountaine Pajot Saba 50, cruises past Espiritu Santo; anchored-out somewhere on the Sea of Cortez, not far from La Paz; Marina de La Paz is often packed, but there's plenty of room to anchor off the docks, or perhaps better still, at the fabulous nearby islands; Kirk Wagner's Beneteau 393 'Freedom' and another boat anchored somewhere in Baja California.

LATITUDE / ARCHIVES

RICHARD SPINDLER KIRK WAGNER

perspective: the oakland estuary bridge

If all of the people and interests who can say "no" are appeased, there will be a pedestrian/bike bridge with a 30-ish-foot deck-to-water clearance height between Alameda's Posey Tube area and the west side of Jack London Square. Little, if any, maritime community involvement in the design, placement and operation of the bridge was apparent in the presentation, save US Coast Guard input, which planners say was given from the beginning (as far back as 2002), because the Coast Guard has ships stationed near the end of the Estuary; any bridge design has to be dynamic, or a drawbridge, to accommodate the Coast Guard ships.

People were polite, which helps a lot. There is a body of work available at www.estuarybridge.org, but it took a hard question at the end to get this out in the conversation. There seems to be an air of good intentions, though perhaps too much shorthand and assumed "a priori" knowledge by those who have been working this daily for some time. The absence of continued on outside column of next sightings page

city of oakland passes

In early March, the City of Oakland unanimously passed a "nuisance vessel ordinance" to address the growing number of illegal anchor-outs in the Oakland Estuary.

"I'm told that this is the first ordinance of its kind dealing with illegally anchored inhabited vessels anywhere in the nation," said Brock de Lappe, a former harbormaster for Almar Marinas in the Oakland Estuary. De Lappe was instrumental in a $7 million Estuary cleanup in 2013, and has been advocating for action since the proliferation of anchor-outs over the past several years. The majority of vessels are clustered in the southeast corner of the Estuary, between

Left: The relatively small sliver of water that is the Oakland Estuary has been all over the news lately. There's talk of a new ballpark development, expansion of the inner-harbor turning basin at the Port of Oakland, the passage of a nuisance vessel ordinance, and discussion about a pedestrian bridge. Right: Get ready to see a lot of concept drawings of a bridge spanning the Estuary. Inset: Some of the carnage on the Oakland Estuary from the March 21 storm.

BROCK DE LAPPE

nuisance vessel law

Union Point Marina and Coast Guard Island. (The Coast Guard recently submitted a proposal for a "security zone extending 50 yards into the navigable waters of the Oakland Estuary.")

The ordinance could not be more timely. On March 21, as the nuisance vessel ordinance was approved for final passage by the City of Oakland, yet another bomb cyclone tore through the Bay Area, with gusts over 70 knots wreaking havoc. Several illegally docked or anchored vessels washed up on shore, with at least one boat sinking in shallow water.

— latitude

estuary pedestrian bridge — continued

3D views in the presentation describing impacts to marinas, existing land users and maritime operations was striking. The Alameda City representative was clear that "doing nothing was not an option" toward enabling free and unimpeded pedestrian/cyclist crossing of "the barrier the Estuary presents." The fact that the Estuary is referenced as "a barrier" says much about the inherent bias away from maritime interests that exists in the current project plan. The Estuary is also a highway for some and a revenue source for many, including the adjacent cities. Solving one community of interest's issue at the expense of another community of interest further divides the entire population — and is simply poor governance.

The 30-ft deck height came up a couple of times as Andrew Thomas (the head of the Planning, Building and Transportation department for the city of Alameda) is very concerned about bridge-landing ramps and tight public lands availability constraints. Several times he commented that a 30-ft-high bridge deck requires 600-ft ramps, while a 60-ft-high bridge deck requires 1,200-ft ramps. A cyclist pointed out that one of the three potential Oakland ramp landings ends up on a railroad track; this seemed like a surprise to the Alameda City rep. I hope the project planners are spending enough time walking the ground potentially impacted — and, by extension, plying the waters potentially impacted.

Much concer n was given to the pedestrian/cyclist experience of using the dark, narrow, underground route in the Posey Tube, as well as how tall an X-story building would need to be climbed if the bridge deck accommodated 70-ft air draft sailboats. The bridge opening was seen as something that could be done on a schedule; stated example: "For 10 minutes at the top of the hour." No consideration for tidal currents, places to land boats while waiting for the bridge, or any of the other Estuary uses such as racing was evident. If a dynamic bridge is to be the only solution sought, then the burden on all of the impacted communities of interest must be equally distributed beyond "10 minutes at the top of the hour".

Sailing and boating have long had image problems — some people see us as privileged rich people. This skewed image could potentially be manipulated into the potential loss or substantive restriction of a major element of the shrinking maritime community on San Francisco Bay.

Several well-spoken comments were made by maritime community members. Few answers were offered, but all questions were acknowledged:

— Options for water taxi/transport systems, as is in other places

— Cable cars/gondolas that move cyclists and pedestrians over the Estuary; could be an attraction, as is in other places

— Challenging the "fact" of a 5-mile detour required by cyclists/pedestrians using either the Posey Tube or the Park Street Bridge

— Reminding the planners that boats are only getting bigger, so the height constraints being used will grow by the time the bridge is built

— Questions were asked regarding security, managing the unhoused already resident in the area, and the like

The Alameda City rep was clear that this project required both state and federal funding; both entities would be responsible for operations and maintenance. I sense and assume this funding constraint is why all nonbridge options were always stated as being "too expensive." No cost/trade study results supporting these cost claims were offered in the presentation. This leads to my further assumption that a non-bridge option would be paid for by local funds and not federal government funds. I would like to know more about how the funding source sways the mode of an Estuarycrossing-solution decision.

The next meeting will focus upon the bridge deck height and other vertical design issues associated with the ramp landings. If the Alameda leaders and their consultants take to heart the voiced concerns of the maritime community, the meeting will also review non-bridge options with their respective pros and cons. We'll see. I hope to be invited to participate.

— marty thamm

Marty is a recreational sailboat owner from Alameda who attended a public Zoom meeting in March to discuss a proposed a pedestrian bridge that would span the Oakland Estuary.

YOUNG SALTS ACROSS THE PACIFIC —

Throughoutmy six-month journey through the South Pacific, there was only one thing that remained constant: With each new person aboard the boat came some unpredictable and unique qualities that made the sailing experience that much more special. Often, the most interesting of plans came from the minds of the younger crew; the kids who had never sailed, lived on a boat, or in some cases had not spent much time on the ocean at all.

In mid-June, we were heading over to the south pass of Fakarava to an anchorage adored by many sailors looking to dive with sharks and head southwest to the Society Islands. It was a beautifully clear sunset evening, and our crew of nine at the time sat around for "sundowners," cocktails at sunset at the stern of SV Nogal. The sky was bright, blood-orange and pink, and the water rested calmly around us despite the busy depths below brimming with life.

It had been a few weeks now into my life aboard the boat, and I began to adopt boat mentality — always alert to sounds, surroundings, and most importantly, squalls. That night, I noticed there was this Finnish monohull off our starboard side that seemed just a tad closer to us than I remembered. The wind started to shift directions, and we began to rotate, entering the realm of anything possible. A classic conundrum and one that would surface time and time again.

I had checked the anchor earlier that day, after setting up the threebuoy rigging system where we attached three buoys to the chain about four to five meters from each other to keep

the chain from snagging on coral. The buoys became a routine procedure, given the field of coral landmines that we encountered at many anchorages.

Even with the buoys, I knew something was up, so I decided to grab a snorkel and dive down the length of the chain. I found that our chain had wrapped around two separate rocks, creating a chain triangle; a straight line of chain extended from the boat to the first coral head, a right angle was made from the chain that stretched to the second coral head, and the hypotenuse was created by the chain that went from the second rock back to the boat.

Acouple of weeks later, some other kid got to experience that same feeling.

It was a hot, "busy," and exciting scene at la station-service, the community's gas station/convenience store that operates as one of two grocery stores on the entire island of Fakarava. In remote paradise there isn't really any other context that exists that could be used to understand how we had made such a massive mistake that day: contaminating the water tank with diesel fuel. In our defense, the silver screwable plates where both diesel and water go look identical, other than, of course, the big writing that says "WATER" and "DIESEL." Duh. (For the record, this wasn't the kids' fault…)

Swimming below the net at the bow, I alerted the crew, and soon my two brothers jumped in to help. One brother steered the getaway car, the dinghy, to ensure I could move quickly out of the way once directing the boat where to move. I instructed the crew aboard Nogal to move according to how my other brother was doing with unraveling the chain some five meters below us.

It wasn't the cleanest process, and a few friendly reef sharks swam curiously to assess our work, but we managed to free ourselves and resecure the anchor.

Once back on the boat, the three of us stood dripping wet, high-fiving each other in the cabin among everyone curious to understand what we'd seen while we attempted to paint an accurate image. There was the daunting nature of ensuring I signaled correctly to give my brother the right slack, so he didn't lose a hand, while racing against the fading light. You could feel it in the three of our explanations — the experience was a thrill.

Thankfully, only a small amount of diesel entered the water tank, allowing us to safely dispose of the water-fuel liquid before cleaning out the rest of the tank. But the smell remained. I remembered feeling worried that this might end the trip early or change our itinerary, given that we planned to make the passage to Tahiti in the next couple of days. Looking back now, I only laugh at the fact that I was so worried. I had no idea what was to come.

"I know you just got here but is there any way I can convince you to help me with this?" I asked my 24-year-old cousin from North Dakota with a smile and a bribe. Even though his first encounter with the ocean wasn't until he was 15, and he had never set foot on a sailboat, my cousin had committed to spending a month with us aboard the Nogal

So, there we were on his first day with us, neck deep in the starboard fiberglass water tank with a mask on. We used soap, vinegar and finally vodka (putting the flavored Smirnoff to a better use) to ensure no smell remained, which seemed to do the trick. It ended up being three days of cleaning and testing the water's acidity and salinity to ensure it was safe for drinking.

All in all, our spirits were high (and maybe we were too) and we laughed all the while.

From Fakarava to Tahiti to Moorea, only the kids were subject to seasickness. Yet, once we arrived in Teahupo'o, they were the hungriest for adventure. My cousin, one of my brother's friends and I spent the day attempting to find a hiking route hidden in the steep, lushly green volcanic mountains behind a private residential area where a Frenchman kindly offered us directions.

Hey, anchor.

"Perhaps best of all was watching the adults resort to their childlike ways…"

ALL PHOTOS SV NOGAL

Unknown to us at the time, the town was flooding. That day happened to be one of Teahupo'o's biggest swells of the decade. By the time we returned to town, water was lapping in the streets, carrying toys and sofas from living rooms into the sea, and burying shores where surf-watchers once stood watching famous surfers tackle beastly waves. Children hooted and hollered as their kitchens became pools to play in.

No one was allowed to swim or boat and tie up near land, mostly because there wasn't anything to tie up to above water. Only two hours before, we had walked along that very same dock. Now, all you could see were boats magically maintaining their same position, secured by lines that disappeared ominously into the depths below.

Thankfully the mayor of Teahupo'o instructed la gendarmerie to drive us to a spot where our dinghy could come close enough to shore to bring us back to the boat. Yet ultimately, they didn't bring us close enough, so we decided to

hitchhike to a spot where we could see Nogal from the shore in hopes of being able to access the water and somehow make our way back to the boat.

"Bonjour! Pouvons-nous aller à l'eau là-bas pour faire un tour jusqu'à notre bateau?" ("Could we go to the water over there just to get a ride to our boat?")

I asked the woman whose backyard faced our boat, about 80 meters out from the water's edge. She looked out to the ocean to where I was pointing and looked back at me discerningly. Her face read, "What are you doing!?" yet she agreed to let us pass.

The three of us scurried down to the water's edge, holding our stuff firmly with sore legs and muddy feet. We balanced on slimy rocks we could only feel beneath our toes and waved our arms in the air ferociously yelling out to our boat — the only boat crazy enough to anchor around the corner from this world-renowned surf spot firing historic waves.

We were swimming distance to the boat, but the water in front of us was dark and murky; we (sadly) knew waste was swirling around from the flood, and we had only one dry bag for our valuables. Finally, we got my brother's attention. He motored over, pulled us into the boat while avoiding waves crashing against the concrete behind us, and navigated the shallow coral below to get us back to the boat.

The Society Islands had started off with a bang, and this was just Teahupo'o.

Moorea

was a whole other world of boat fun, particularly on one spirited evening when we didn't have the leisure of land, daylight, the Teahupo'o mayor (the first female mayor and a sweet old lady), and police helping us.

It was one of those calm, full-moon, war m, beautiful evenings in the Opunohu Bay anchorage, a picturesque bay where flat and glossy water stretched

heck out this kid ira, her cousin homas ellington, and her brother's friend an urph ing off the boat in Papeete, ahiti

some 60 meters behind us to the shore. Not even a slight rustle of the sails or ripple in the water could be heard around us.

We were anchored in roughly 3-4 meters of water with about 10-15 meters of chain out. Earlier in the day we had some wind, which picked up at random moments and just ever so slightly through the night.

At around 3-4 a.m., I woke up and stepped upstairs out of my cabin to observe our position, finding that we were some 30 meters off from our anchor spot. Guess the wind was more fickle than anticipated that evening. It was a miracle we hadn't hit another boat, given that roughly 20 boats, mostly catamarans, dotted the waters around us.

I got the whole team up and before I knew it my cousin and I were both

underwater, guided by the blue lights that allowed us to see to the sandy bottom where the anchor sat loose on top of the sand, wrapped in its own chain.

Without consistent wind, the anchor chain had spooled on the ocean floor and managed to get wrapped around the anchor so that when any wind stirred, it could create enough lift to drag the anchor, allowing us to drift. We took turns diving down and wrestling with the chain until it was freed. Luckily the water helped with the weight of the otherwise 100-lb anchor, but it was no small task.

While underwater, eyes wide, I tapped my cousin and pointed above as a huge ray passed through. Not an eagle ray but your usual stingray, with its long-pointed tail, just gliding through the water, its wings flapping slowly and gracefully. It took no interest in us, our mouths full of air and eyes wide trying to steadily move away without interfering with the ray's plans. We were quite a sight.

Moments later, we gasped for air

water, signaling to my brother to start pulling up the anchor and swimming to the stern of the boat so we could re-anchor.

above

Kira's friends, Joey Besgen and Gigi Nibblelink, joshing around while anchored in Nalauwaki Bay, Waya Island, Fiji.

Kira and her friend Gigi Nibblelink; sisters on a road to nowhere. Yalobi, Waya Island.

Up to something on our way to anchor the dinghy near a random beach in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Kira and her friends Gigi, Sierra and Joey.

"That ray!" I yelled to my cousin as I toweled off. He climbed up the ladder off the stern of the boat, smiling at me. "Yeah, that was scary for a second there!"

We congratulated each other on the heavy lifting and attempted to fall asleep again. Some poor sucker got stuck with anchor watch. But with wet hair and adrenaline from the excitement of it all, we ended up staying up and rehashing how ridiculous we'd both looked underwater, and laughing about how there really isn't anything like battling an anchor underwater moments after waking up in the dead of night. It wasn't long until exhaustion wiped us out.

Whetherit was my cousin, my brothers, or my friends who joined along the way, it was the young people keen on diving the anchor, swabbing the decks to insane music of all genres, climbing the mast to check the rigging, avoiding passing ships in the night, and reefing the sails. It was also we who did most of the laughing, joking, dancing and game-playing.

I hear stories from older sailors, "old salts," but much less of the trials and tribulations of young crew lucky

enough to be aboard boats, lacking all experience and sailing terminology but possessing the energy and boldness to act at a moment's notice, get dirty, and laugh when something inevitably goes wrong.

For 147 days, I lear ned more than I could have ever imagined. But the most memorable parts were watching my friends at the wheel on a seven-day passage smiling into the wind and learning to struggle steering according to AWA. It was dancing like a madwoman for silent disco in our berths, wearing noise-canceling headphones (the essential passage-making item) or preparing a hot meal for five while being tossed around by waves, upwind sailing from Fiji to New Zealand.

It was the time when my friend and I attempted to stay afloat holding a line we'd rigged to a mooring ball that was three meters below the water in Taveuni, or when our beached dinghy on the island of Navadra in the Yasawas became a bathtub and was almost swept away during high tide

(we managed to save the dinghy and steal the wine from the adults). There were the days when we dropped in volleyball games with Fijians, hitchhiked with a family of Tahitians, or shared stories at a sailing women-only potluck. Of course, the comedic value was always appreciated, particularly when an 11-year-old kid insisted on stocking up

My brother Kaden and Thomas, always laughing — at me.

A moment of rest for 'Nogal' in the lagoon of Bora Bora.

An Old Salt aka m dad, ob takes ight off Cloud 9 in Fiji.

YOUNG SALTS ACROSS THE PACIFIC

on "emotional support baguettes" for our passage from Bora Bora to American Samoa.

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Perhaps best of all was watching the adults resort to their childlike ways, dancing on the stern to '90s hip-hop, cowabunga-ing off the bow in 30,000+ ft of deep blue out in the middle of nowhere, or confessing a story they've

never shared before.

The young and bold, the best crew you could ever ask for.

— kira kessel

Editor's Note: Nogal, the Chris White Atlantic 57, returned to the Bay and was passed on to the Kessel family a

few years after Frank Middleton and family finished their circumnavigation in 2017. This last June to November, the Kessels sailed from Sausalito, CA, to Opua, New Zealand, along with a wide cast of family and friends who joined at different segments of the trip. Author Kira Kessel can be reached at kkess1129@gmail.com.

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BANDERAS BAY REGATTA XXX —

All are welcome at the Regata Internacional Bahía de Banderas. What started out as a regatta for cruisers to race their homes has embraced all types of sailboats, from a beach cat to a cruising cat with a cast of 25 or more, from one-design J/80s and Capri 37s to racer/cruisers with the emphasis on serious racing. And, yes, liveaboards and long-distance voyagers still race in the Cruising divisions.

The "bay of flags" got the flags waving in westerly wind from the mid-teens to low 20s on March 15-18. This 30th edition of the regatta kicked off with a skippers' meeting and fiesta on March 14 at the hosting Vallarta Yacht Club, adjacent to the Paradise Village Marina in Riviera Nayarit, just north of Puerto Vallarta. A mariachi band, the best we've seen, entertained the sailors.

The first day of sailing wasn't a counter. Instead, the club ran starting practices and a final beer-can race of the season. The blue waters of the bay were lively with whitecaps, dolphins and humpback whales. The smallest boat in the fleet, a Hobie 16, dismasted in the stiff breeze. Fortunately, her skipper, Bart Goodell, director of the club's junior

program, kept her rig up for the races that counted — one race on each of three days.

The first race, on Thursday the 16th, was a pursuit. Three of the multihulls, with the Hobie leading the way, were the first of the 34 boats to finish. Second was the other cat in the race, Parlay Revival, Colin MacRae's Lagoon 450. The courses for all three races had a lot of reaching legs, with a windward

TODOS SON BIENVENIDOS

The J/133 'Lost Dragon', the SC52 'Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler' and the Hanse Varianta 44 'Olas Lindas' compete in the Banderas Bay Regatta.

— Photo by John Pounder / www.JLDigitalMedia.net

BANDERAS BAY REGATTA XXX —

mark (an 8-ft-tall orange tetrahedron named in honor of late club member Dorr Anderson), a jibe mark set to keep boats off a new reef formed when development changed the course of the Ameca River, and a large government mark off Puerto Vallarta.

On Friday, a huge wind hole formed in the northeastern section of the bay, below La Cruz. So the course stayed south

of that. Friday's and Saturday's races started in the seven divisions, with rolling starts five minutes apart. With such a diverse group of boats, the all-volunteer race committee used two different courses, with a finish line on either side of the

signal boat, Al Garnier's 1974 Formosa Garden 51 ketch named Chez Nous. The Santa Cruz 52 Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler got confused about which finish line to cross and was scored DNF. When Agave Azul crossed the finish line, they heard a trumpet playing the Star Trek theme. An airhorn had failed, and Jay

Clockwise from top left: Wayne Zittel (pointing) and J/World's students and instructors raced three J/80s; Corinthian YC members Patty and Mark Thompson (in the salmon shirts) sailed their Catalina 470 'Agave Azul' "like they sold it" to win the Jib and Main Div.; John DeMeyer's C&C 43 'Carmanah' won ruiser iv odne Pimentel's ncinal agged al 'A ure' won ruiser iv

Left to right: Seen with the Capri 37 'Dreadnought' in the background, the Hobie 16 'Copiar' was the smallest boat in the regatta; Zac Singer sailed the Sail M.S. Andrews 56 'Encore' in Racer/Cruiser 1.

Chattaway, an Emmy award-winning composer for Star Trek, was serving as a race committee volunteer.

Saturday's course was "what we call the 'traditional' BBR course, the course we sailed 10+ years ago," explained Andy Barrow, Vallarta YC Afloat Director. "It's a triangle with a 2.5-mile weather leg and a reach mark a similar distance out and a mile or so south. Division 1 and 2

boats will do the triangle and then down to a leeward mark and back to weather for another windward-leeward loop." It reminded us of the old Olympic Circle courses.

After four fiestas with live music at

Vallarta YC, Saturday's shindig, hosted by Paradise Village Resort, moved to the beach. We stuffed ourselves at a fabulous Mexican buffet, and awards were handed out on a large, well-lit stage. No blue blazers there on the sand, but the party had a touch of elegance, and some sported matching crew shirts.

Clockwise from top left: Having raced a Hobie 16, Bart Goodell accepts the Multihull Division award from "Vannas" Yoshie Butts and Liz Barrow; John Matejczyk's Jeanneau 54 'Edwina' won Racer/ Cruiser 2; Patsy Verhoeven accepts a new award in memory of founder Terry O'Rourke from Commodore Randy Hough; Linda Sweet's Varianta 44 'Olas Lindas' won Racer/Cruiser 1.

Left to right: The SC52 'Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler' sailed across the wrong finish line (there were two) on Friday the 17th; Andy and Matt adjust the loaded-up genoa car for the #2 sail on 'Lost Dragon'.

BANDERAS BAY REGATTA XXX

Has the Banderas Bay Regatta been on your bucket list? The event is exciting, fun, friendly and inclusive, so mark your calendar for March 2024. It's a worthwhile addition to your yacht racing — er, cruising — calendar. — latitude/chris

VALLARTA YC BANDERAS BAY REGATTA, 3/14-18

RACER/CRUISER 1 — 1) Olas Lindas, Varianta 44, Linda Sweet, 4 points;

2) Lost Dragon, J/133, Mike Seth, 9; 3) Encore, Andrews 56, Zachary Singer, 10. (5 boats)

RACER/CRUISER 2 — 1) Edwina, Jeanneau 54, John Matejczyk, 5 points

2) Wings, Serendipity 43, Fred & Judy Roswold, 5; 3) Dreadnought, Capri 37, Karla Moreno, 9. (7 boats)

CRUISER 4 — 1) Carmanah, C&C 43, John DeMeyer, 4 points; 2) Beep Beep, J/37C, Gregory Reaume, 8; 3) Swan Fun, Swan 55, Joe Heinzmann, 9. (6 boats)

CRUISER 5 — 1) Azure, Cal 40, Rodney Pimentel, 5 points; 2) Talion, Gulfstar 50, Patsy Verhoeven, 7; 3) Viva!, Jeanneau 349, Lee Pryor, 7.

(5 boats)

JIB & MAIN — 1) Agave Azul, Catalina 470, Mark Thompson, 3 points; 2) Vela, Beneteau First 38, Tom & Linda Rann, 7; 3) Poco Loco Dos, Catalina 38, Keith Sangster, 11. (5 boats)

J/80 — 1) J/World 1, 7 points; 2) J/World 3, 8;

3) J/World 2, 9. (3 boats)

MULTIHULL — 1) Copiar, Hobie 16 cat, Bart Goodell, 3 points; 2) Koa'e Kea, Pinta 52 tri, Cam McCannel, 9; 3) Parlay, Lagoon 450 cat, Colin MacRae, 9. (4 boats)

Full results at www.banderasbayregatta.com

A special thank-you to the multinational crew of the J/133 'Lost Dragon' for including our reporter aboard. Left to right: Andy, Kaci, Mark, Zdenka, Pedro, Inti (celebrating his 15th birthday), Yak, owner Mike, Matt, Bow Boss Ginjer, Chris and Jodee. A big thanks to harbormaster Dick Markie too.

On March 15, we ran a 'Lectronic Latitude about Raindancer, a sailboat that had sunk in the Pacific Ocean after apparently hitting a whale. We have since reached out to Rick Rodriguez, Raindancer's captain and owner, and Tommy Joyce, who was on his own boat in the vicinity of Raindancer, and coordinated a swift rescue. What follows is a combination of our conversations with them, as well as statements made by both men.

OnMarch 14, the Kelly Peterson 44 Raindancer was cruising along with good winds and sunny skies at a comfortable 6 knots across the Pacific, bound for the Marquesas, French Polynesia, from the Galápagos Islands on a 3,100 nm passage. Captain and owner Rick Rodriguez, his girlfriend Alana Litz, and friends Bianca Brateanu and Simon Fischer were about 1,700 nm miles into the voyage, or 13 days into an estimated three-week crossing.

The crew was enjoying some homemade pizza when a sudden impact threw everything into chaos.

"The second pizza had just come out of the oven and I was dipping a slice into some ranch dressing when it felt like we ran into a concrete wall," Rick wrote. "I heard a loud crashing noise simultaneous with a metal clanking. I heard Alana yell, 'We hit a whale.' Then I looked to port and saw a huge whale and blood gushing out of the side of it as it began

swimming down."

Rick sprang into action, commanding the crew to check the bilges as he moved to check for damage and water. The high water bilge alarm went off within seconds, and he could see water rushing in from the stern.

"At that point, I knew the damage was very significant and that most likely we were going to lose the boat. At that point, the crew began gathering safety equipment, supplies, emergency gear, electronics, etc., and they did an extremely good job of it." Meanwhile, Rick tried to find the ingress.

Less than a minute had elapsed, but the water was already above the floor, making it difficult to find the water's entry point. "I was nearly certain the boat was going down at a rapid rate. I made a last attempt to plug up water intrusion from the outside.

On my way out, I helped bring out the life raft and grabbed and set off one of our EPIRBs, and made a VHF radio mayday call. I deployed the life raft and it inflated, as advertised."

To ease pressure on the life raft's painter, Rick and Bianca doused the sails. At the same time, Simon

and Alana began launching the 10.5-ft Apex dinghy that was inflated and lashed to the deck. Once the dinghy was in the water, Rick donned mask and fins and jumped overboard with a tarp to try to stem the flow of water from the outside.

"I saw the damage instantly," he wrote. "There were multiple holes, or cracks. The biggest one was around the prop shaft. It seems that part of the whale must have hit the shaft with force and busted open the fiberglass around the shaft. It was a very awkward hole to try and plug with rags and a tarp. [There was a] stainless-steel shaft in the middle, and the holes around it were more like caves with broken pieces of fiberglass all around and inside it.

"In addition to this, I also noticed two to thr ee full-length cracks maybe an inch in diameter along the base of the skeg where it meets the hull, and about halfway down the skeg. I made attempts to shove a tarp in the hole(s), but it kept coming out. I tried to wrap the tarp around the damaged area consisting of the rudder, skeg, and prop shaft and tie it around itself, but the swell made that difficult. With a boat that was already 2/3 full of water at that point, I decided to forgo my efforts and focus on the safety and survival of the crew."

The four sailors loaded the dinghy with as many supplies and as much emergency gear as they could manage. The toe rail was now inches from sea level, and inside, the water was above the sink, meaning they couldn't fill any

Rick Rodriguez and Alana Litz were adrift in their dinghy — with Simon Fischer and Bianca Brateanu in the life raft behind them — for just under 10 hours before being rescued by other cruisers.

The lovely 1976 Kelly Peterson 'Raindancer' was lost in the Pacifc in mid arch

more water jugs. Bianca and Alana were by now in the dinghy waiting for their crewmates to join them. Rick allowed himself just a moment's pause to take in the reality of the situation, and take one last look at his boat, before he and Simon stepped into the water from the now submerged toe rail. Rick swam to the life raft and heaved himself aboard.

"When I got in it, I looked back and could see the last 10 feet of the mast sinking down at an unbelievable speed. The boat and all our belongings were gone, out of sight, sinking to the bottom of one of the most remote parts of the ocean, 10,000-ft down," Rick wrote. He said that it took Raindancer just 15 minutes to sink.

After taking a moment to breathe, the crew took inventory and organized the items they'd managed to salvage. The EPIRB was still sending alerts, along with the Globalstar SPOT Tracker. Rick turned on the Iridium GO! and began sending messages to his brother Roger, and to his friend Tommy Joyce aboard S/V Southern Cross, a Moody 47.

"I knew if I could alert Tommy, and the World ARC fleet of boats that were coincidentally behind us, we would be rescued soon," Rick continued.

He then tur ned off the device to save power. Two hours later, he checked the Iridium to find several responses from both Roger and Tommy.

Tommy and his partner Katelyn had

met Rick and Alana a year earlier. The couples had been buddy boating since leaving Red Frog Beach at Boca del Toro, Panama. Southern Cross was around 160 nm behind Raindancer. After coming off watch at about 4 p.m., Tommy received two calls from the same unknown number. He thought it might have been a telemarketer, but it was actually Rick's brother, Roger. Thinking he might have some fun with the salesperson calling him, Tommy dialed the unknown number.

"After the first ring, I heard 'Tommy! You're friends with my brother, Rick, from Raindancer. This is not a joke. Raindancer just sank. They hit a whale and the boat sank. Rick says you know what to do.'" Tommy was instantly shocked into action.

Roger passed on the coordinates, as well as the time when he'd heard from Rick. This told Tommy that the boat had probably sunk within the past 30 minutes. Tommy assured Roger that the Raindancer crew would be rescued, then got to work. Southern Cross became a command center from which Tommy coordinated communications among the sailing community. One of his first calls was to S/V Isabel, with whom he might share the alert with the World

ARC rally fleet.

When he was unable to reach Isabel, Tommy posted a message on Facebook, thinking this would "rile up the the Starlink community," referring to the satellite internet service. The hope was to reach as many boats around Raindancer as possible. It worked. The Facebook post circulated across multiple sailing pages and reached cruisers on sea and shore.

T ommy then turned on his own Iridium and found a message from Rick: "Tommy this is no joke … We hit a whale and the ship went down. We are in the life raft." Rick had added that to conserve power, he would check his messages in three hours. Tommy responded, "We got you bud." He then asked about the crew's status and raft color, along with issuing instructions to launch a flare at 0700, the estimated time at which the closest vessel would be within sight of the airborne signal. From his command center position, Tommy was also in contact with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, a global network of coast guards and rescue professionals.

Meanwhile, the crew of Raindancer were preparing for a long night ahead. "The sun began to set and soon it was pitch dark. And we were floating right smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a dinghy and a life raft, hopeful that we would be rescued soon," Rick wrote.

Rick Rodriguez and Simon Fischer sit in the life raft attached to 'Raindancer's dinghy — and were photographed from there by Alana it on arch

Rick Rodriguez, who worked as a professional yacht captain, mate and engineer for 10 years, bought 'Raindancer' in 2021.

COURTESY R AINDAN C ER

"[It was] a crazy moment — floating in the ocean looking up at the stars."

But the reality of the "crazy moment" was harsh. Rick and Alana were in the dinghy, secured to the raft, where Simon and Bianca were, by three lines. The night was spent in increasing winds, on constant lookout for ships, watching flying fish jump into the dinghy, and making a mayday call every hour from their handheld radio.

At around 0500, Simon spotted the first lights. Soon after, they had radio contact from Rolling Stones. The Leopard 45 catamaran was within reach of the tired crew.

"We all screamed in relief when we heard the voices of Geoff [captain of Rolling Stones] over the radio," Rick wrote. "We were damn near rescued …" He activated a parachute flare and his personal AIS beacon to confirm their location. As Rolling Stones approached, Simon and Bianca moved into the dinghy and came alongside the catamaran, which deployed two lines. Getting aboard was hampered by the waves, but with timing, each sailor, in turn, was able to dive from the dinghy onto the catamaran's sugar scoop transom.

Approximately 10 hours had elapsed between Raindancer's first emergency call and the crew's rescue. Rick, Alana, Bianca and Simon were safe, and continued to French Polynesia with the crew of Rolling Stones

Addressing the sailing community, Rick expressed his gratitude to his crew, who he said made his job easier. "I'm so proud of everyone for staying calm, gathering emergency equipment, and

the way everything was handled."

Rick thanked his brother Roger, his mother, and his friends Tommy, and Vinny Mattiola, all of whom were instrumental in communicating the stricken crew's situation and position throughout the night. "They were in contact with rescue boats giving them accurate information and advice. Without them, the rescue would not have gone so swiftly and smooth."

Rick also thanked the entire sailing community that came together to assist. "The one thing I've always loved about sailing is the people. We are truly a special group of people. I'm thankful to be a part of such a supportive community." And of course, Rick expressed his gratitude to the crew of Rolling Stones, who went out of their way to rescue the distressed mariners and open their home and hearts to the four strangers they plucked from the ocean.

Stories quickly circulated about the circumstances of the collision and the effectiveness of Raindancer's communication devices. There was a misconception that the whale had hit the boat, when in fact it seems the boat hit the whale. We titled our 'Lectronic Latitude: Sailboat Sinks After Being Rammed by Whale in South Pacific; a reader pointed out that the word "rammed" implied malicious intent by the whale.

There were more than a few Moby Dick references, including one by us. "It wasn't lost on Rodriguez that the story that inspired Herman Melville happened in the same region," the Washington Post wrote. "The ship Essex was also heading west from the Galápagos when it was

rammed by a sperm whale in 1820."

Several readers expressed concern for the whale and curiosity about its fate, which is unknown. The Post said there have been 1,200 reports of whales and boats colliding since a worldwide database was launched in 2007. Some estimates say that most whales never surface after being struck, and as many as 20,000 cetaceans are killed by vessels each year.

The US Coast Guard said collisions with whales that cause significant damage are rare, according to the Post, "noting the last rescue attributed to damage from a whale was the sinking of a 40-ft J-Boat in 2009 off Baja California, with that crew rescued by Coast Guard helicopter." That was the 2009 Baja Ha-Ha; Eugenie Russell was the captain of a J/120, along with Barry Demak as crew.

There was also discussion about the effectiveness of Raindancer's communication devices. Tommy received a message from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu reporting that they had not received any alerts regarding Raindancer, and there were rumors that the EPIRB had failed. However, it was later confirmed by Douglas Samp, a Coast Guard search and rescue program manager, that the EPIRB did in fact work. "MRCC Peru was receiving the alerts as the distress location was within their SAR Rescue Region," Samp wrote in an email to Latitude 38 . Rick Rodriguez also confirmed Raindancer's EPIRB and all her emergency equipment had worked as it should.

All for ms of communications played a key role in the timely rescue of Raindancer's crew. Starlink helped facilitate a communications network, while the EPIRB, Iridium GO! and handheld devices helped with alerts and positioning. Everyone from Rick's brother Roger to his mother, who manned the phones and fielded USCG and emergency calls, to Tommy and the cruisers who shared information throughout the night, were instrumental in pulling off a successful, expedited rescue.

The professionals were networking as well. As the USCG's Samp wrote, "RCC Alameda assisted MRCC Peru with a satellite broadcast to GMDSS equipped vessels and diverting an AMVER Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue M/V Dong A Maia, to assist, but the Rolling Stones got there first. BZ to your sailing community for rescuing your own."

— latitude / monica

he crews of ' aindancer' and ' olling Stones' sat down for a feast on arch , the da of the former's rescue ack row, from left Ale Stone, ark oriart , Simon ischer, and eoff Stone ottom row, from left: Corey Bergendahl, Alana Litz, Rick Rodriguez, and Bianca Brateanu.

Stephen Wolf called our office a while back and described a sailing adventure in the '70s. The more he told us, the more we wanted to hear. It was a 10year, 40,000-mile circumnavigation on a 24-foot trimaran with a crew of two that started in Gashouse Cove. He sent some classic photos and a vignette of one leg of his and wife Margo's amazing voyage.

Our boat, No Name, was a Piverdesigned Nugget trimaran sloop built by Cox Marine in England and imported to the US in the mid-'60s. At 24-ft by 24-ft with a draft of 18 inches, it was a trailerable boat with fold-down floats. A nicely built and finished boat, built as a daysailer with a small, open dog house. The interior had a 5-foot settee and a ball head. Gasketed plexiglass windows provided great visibility. It weighed 1,000 lbs. and could carry an additional 1,000 lbs. A motor was left ashore in Hawaii when my future wife Margo came aboard. We carried 12 sails ranging in size from a 25-squarefoot spanker to a 300-square-foot drifter. Self-steering was fitted but there were no electrical devices other than flashlights. A sextant was used for position finding. A Sea Swing single-burner gimbaled stove, originally using Sterno, was used for cooking. Fitted with a popup aluminum rudder and a large daggerboard, it was a fast and stable boat,

ALL PHOTOS STEPHEN WOLF

and comfortable in most conditions. Through our trip it was greatly modified. No Name proved to be an excellent and seaworthy craft, accomplishing some remarkable passages. It was also a very forgiving boat. Through the '70s, No Name carried us on an improbable journey, logging some 40,000 miles.

We had spent several years in the tropical Pacific and made our way west. Decided to give New Guinea a try, then Indonesia, Cocos Keeling and the Seychelles, where we would have to decide how to get to the Atlantic. The Red Sea or the Cape of Good Hope? We were leaning toward the Cape of Good Hope, as the Red Sea passage is very difficult for a sailing vessel. That is until the skipper of the barkantine Black Pearl offered us a tow up the Red Sea if we could get to Djibouti on our own. The offer of a tow was one we could not refuse.

We cut short our time in the Seychelles and met the Pearl in time to secure a tow. We set off in tow for a carefree trip to the Med. It was not to be. The Pearl was unable to make headway against the 8-foot waves. The prop would break through the surface and would spin as the swell passed underneath the hull. They turned around and beat a hasty and lovely retreat under full canvas, returning to Djibouti. We

continued on but could not make any significant progress and soon followed the Pearl. It was a magnificent sail.

The Pearl was broken down and required major work. The skipper left and a skeleton crew remained, awaiting money and a new command. A month later we tried again on our own but without success. A new skipper and crew found the Pearl heading north without No Name astern. We were stuck in North Africa, believing it was not practical to head south around the Cape, yet the Red Sea was perhaps too much for us. We lived and worked in Djibouti, gaining local knowledge from the dhow captains and nautical books, charts and logs. In December there is often a short window when the wind blows southerly up the Red Sea as far as Jedda. We decided to give it a try. We waited, and in early December the wind swung around. We waited two days for it to set in and away we went.

On December 8, we set sail for that much-anticipated and dreaded passage up the Red Sea. The north wind had gradually shifted and started to blow strongly from the south. It seemed that the magic weather window had opened and we had to take advantage of it. Quick goodbyes, fresh produce, and away we went. However, it was as if Djibouti did not want to let us go. The Indian Ocean was pushing in waves 8-10 feet with a force-five wind. We had a difficult time leaving the Gulf of Tadjoura, but once having rounded the point, we were able to lay a better course. With strong winds, we were down to a double-reefed main and a storm jib.

Probably the most difficult and dangerous segment of this passage was what came next. The pinch point occurs where Africa almost touches Asia, where the Gulf of Aden transitions into the Red Sea. The narrows are dotted with numerous small, low-lying islands

The tall ship 'Black Pearl', which offered a tow through the Red Sea.

Was that a deck-mounted machine gun pointing at us?

that are awash in phosphorescent waves. Visibility is often reduced by wind-borne dust and sand. This area is known locally as Bab-el-Mandeb, (Gates of Hell), often cited as the world's most dangerous strait.

We were making great progress as the wind increased, dodging ships and islands as necessary. We found a leak that needed repair if we wanted to have dry feet when sleeping. Local knowledge told of a secure anchorage in Eritrea. It proved to be an open roadstead, so not suitable in this season. The Seven Brothers Islands offered no solace. We reduced sails to a 25-square-foot storm jib, and with 25 knots of wind we were moving along nicely. At 1530 we were

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

the calmer inner harbor, indicated for us to drop our anchor, and with a tip of the hat (turban) they bade us farewell.

Onthe 11th, with the leak fixed, we took off like a shot. The law of the sea applies to all sailors. Allahu Akbar. Rested and with dry feet, we raced along nicely. With the southerly wind, the self-steering worked to perfection. Traffic was heavy but easy to avoid. The phosphorescence at night was very bright and left three parallel trails following our sterns. Islands could readily be spotted in the distance by the glow produced when waves hit the beach, thus easily avoided. In five days we passed the latitude of Port Sudan and we were pleased with our progress. We had decided that with all the potential trouble on either side of the Sea, we would continue on until we could not take it. There are no yacht-friendly ports on either coast, islands and reefs are the greatest danger, and we feared trouble from local "fishermen." The best choice was to stay in the middle and dodge large, well-lighted ships.

We sailed north with the helpful south wind, making excellent progress. About halfway to Suez, things changed. In less than half a day, the wind swung to the north. This happened just about where the pilot book predicted. From then on it was going to be tough. When sailing against the wind, our boat reacted most favorably to the proper amount of sail aloft. As the wind increased, we reduced sail; as the wind decreased, we added sail.

able to identify some buildings on the Yemen coast, the town of Mokha. We found an adequate anchorage in the outer harbor and dropped our anchor in 20 feet with a sand bottom. Repairs were immediately undertaken. We hoped to slip in and out without notice. To our chagrin, we were approached by a 35-ft motor dhow, manned by the toughest group of sailors we had ever encountered. They wore turbans, suit coats, lava lavas tucked into their waists due to the strong wind, and daggers stuck into their belts. Very scary guys, they motioned to us to haul our anchor and pass them a line. They would brook no dissent. It looked like our trip would be cut short. Margo and I expected the worst. With stern and unreadable faces, they towed No Name into

That is the basics of reefing. The correct amount of sail is paramount if a seamanlike passage is to be achieved. With the wind north, we had to tack back and forth across the shipping lanes and turn again before running into the coast. Back and forth, changing sails frequently to match the wind speed. We had to work for our miles, but each tack took us closer to our destination. Sticking close to the Saudi coast gave a small assist from a slight north-setting current.

We were actually doing very well, making 60-70 and even 100 miles a day to the north if our sights were to be trusted. We vowed to sail until we couldn't take it. I think the stories of the difficulty other boats had in the Red Sea ports put fear in our souls. On an eastward tack in moderate weather, we hit a reef with our centerboard. Out of sight of land, we decided to cut our tacks shorter. Just off the coast, we experienced a

Margo at the helm of 'No Name'.

waterspout 6 feet in diameter, reaching a mile into the sky. The old sailing remedy for waterspouts is to fire a blunderbuss into the spout. Our blunderbuss was not in working order, but after a few minutes, the spout subsided.

Wewere running out of the Red Sea and entering the Gulf of Suez, through the Strait of Gubal. This was a dangerous area in which to sail, with a very narrow gulf between the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt. It was full of oil wells, drilling rigs and gas flares, with a shipping lane down the middle. Winds remained light, allowing for easy progress as we continued to tack among the

obstacles. Waves were small, and all was going smoothly until Christmas Eve. It was very dark, even misty, and the weather conditions were cold, but the wind was favorable. We kept hearing something behind us that almost sounded like a motor. Even when making frequent short tacks, the sound followed us.

Out came the trusty three-cell flashlight, the only electric device aboard. Pointing it in the direction of the sound and blinking, we were blinded by a very intense spotlight. The boat with the super-bright spotlight motored around us, all the while blinding us. Who was it? Pirates, navy, police? Was that a deck-mounted machine gun pointing at us? After a couple of passes, they turned off the spot and dropped back,

following us in silence for 15 minutes. They returned and inquired as to who we were and where we were coming from. Djibouti? You have no lights? Yes. You have no registration? Correct. What is the name of your vessel? No Name What is your port of call? San Francisco. With these answers, they turned off the spot, dropped back and thought about it. On went their deck lights, over the side went the fenders, and in a calm sea they came alongside.

They asked if we needed anything. Food? Water? We had been stopped by a genuine Israeli patrol boat. Their task was to watch the coast of the Sinai, which had been in the control of Israel since the '73 war. They relayed to us that immediately on seeing us we were recognized as not being Egyptian troops and not a threat. After chatting us up for a while, they gave us some bread, water, fruit and vegetables, and wished us a Merry Christmas and disappeared into the night. We were later to meet some of the crew in the harbor in Tel Aviv.

Continuing north with light wind, we were entering a field of dozens of oil rigs. The area was bathed in orange and yellow light given off by the large natural gas flares. A flare was a steel tube, rising 60 feet from the ocean surface, used to collect and burn off the natural gas that is vented from the oil wells. The flame from these pipes would shoot 70 feet into the sky with a loud roar, deafening when close. We were tacking through the oil field, which at least was well lit. We then hit the strongest wind yet encountered. The flickering

Below, left: The new trimaran, 'No Name', in Gashouse Cove before cruising to Mexico and a circumnavigation. Right: 'No Name' getting towed up the Red Sea by 'Nolani', a ferro-cement sloop registered in New Guinea.

The cabin that was home for 10 years.

light gave a surreal aura that actually highlighted the beauty of Margo. The updraft created by the heat from flares altered the wind direction when we got close; however, the strong wind allowed us to avoid any problems. The warmth from the flame was welcome and, for a short while, we were warm.

Christmas was celebrated with a fresh salad dinner, fresh fruit and the best present; the end of the Red Sea. On the 26th, we broke a shroud, making it necessary to go aloft and replace it. Dropping all sails and setting the sea anchor, we tied a bosun's chair to the halyard, and Margo hoisted me aloft. In 4-foot waves, the mast scribed large arcs in the sky while I was 30 feet off the water. I took a beating, but we got it done and continued on our way.

The fairway in the Gulf of Suez is only 10 miles wide, and at any one time, you can see both sides of the Gulf. The ship traffic was constant as we tacked across the shipping lanes. We established watches and learned to judge

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

when we could safely cross the lanes to avoid getting run over. The ships pass in convoys in the order that they transited the canal. Often we short-tacked to avoid crossing tightly packed shipping lanes. The wind remained from the north, with only a couple of squalls. We tacked and tacked and tacked, making progress to the port of Suez.

Eventually, an offshore wind allowed us to make good progress outside the shipping lanes. We hugged the east side of the gulf to take advantage of the wind. The anchor was dropped in Suez Bay at 0400 on December 27, 19 days after leaving Djibouti. Very respectable. We went during the best time of the year, during a small weather window.

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Above, left: Author Stephen Wolf cooling off. Right: Ten years later back home in Gashouse Cove with daughter Malima.

We were lucky and worked hard. There were two trimarans and Dick's catamaran. Dick was waiting for a new passport, since his present one had a stamp from Israel, which might have prevented him from entering the canal. For us, it was off to meet the local authorities. But we faced a problem — yachts are not allowed to transit under sail alone.

— stephen wolf

Editor's Note: As Stephen explained, it was never meant to be a circumnavigation. After sailing No Name to Mexico with college buddies and then to Hawaii singlehanded, he ran into Margo. They decided to head south and west. They found going downwind was easier and one thing led to another. Ten years of that turned into an improbable circumnavigation with only a flashlight and without an engine. They returned to Gashouse Cove in San Francisco.

PLACES VISITED ON NO NAME

These visits took place over a 10-year span — and a few may be left out — and included is a singlehander from Cabo to Hawaii, which is a story in itself.

Baja

Banks Islands

Barbados

Cabo San Lucas

Canary Islands

Ceuta

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Cyprus

Djibouti

Egypt

Fiji

Greece

Grenada

Hawaii

Indonesia

Israel

Kupang

Malta

Morocco

New Guinea

New Hebrides

Panama

Rhodes

Samoa

San Blas

San Francisco

Seychelles Islands

Solomon Islands

Spain

Torres Strait Islands

Turkey

Venezuela

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Sailing in Djibouti.

ON A LEE SHORE OF A VOLCANIC CRATER —

Thesun's morning light was slowly making its way into the anchorage of McGregor Landing on the island of Maui as I stood in the cockpit of my 1965 Pearson Alberg 30 sloop, Triteia. I could see small whitecaps already starting their day on the ever-windy Maalaea Bay. Inside the small, protected cove the wind was gusty but only blowing about 12 knots. On board for this part of my cruise of the Hawaiian Islands was my friend Kimberly Wood, a professional drone pilot, an established field researcher and a professional tender captain for National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions on their ship, Sea Lion, based in Alaska.

We had motorsailed the day before from Mala Wharf near Lahaina with 6 knots of wind at best until we approached Papawai Point, just past Coral Gardens anchorage, where we were met with 20+ knots of wind gusting to 27 knots as we grew closer to Maalaea Bay. I quickly ran forward to drop the main while Kimberly used all her strength to try to get the boat into the wind. We found refuge in the small cove anchorage of McGregor Landing and got the hook set in 7 meters of water on a sand bottom and paid out five-to-one scope; the strong winds blowing into the anchorage set the hook so hard and fast, it swiftly straightened Triteia as the chain went taut. I noticed several windmills standing tall and climbing higher and higher up the hillside above the anchorage, and thought they were well placed.

The winds fluctuated throughout the night but never got above 20 knots. With the morning's coffee properly dispatched, we readied the boat for departure. We were bound due south to the famous Molokini Crater to snorkel at this worldclass dive site. The partly submerged volcano crater allows boaters to sail inside its remaining rim and pick up one of the 26 sunken moorings, a type of mooring I have only ever seen in Hawaii, where you The well-rigged Alberg 30 'Triteia' leaving McGregor Landing.

must dive down 10+ feet underwater to attach your dock line to the submerged mooring ball. The mooring balls are said to be for "day use" only, but many cruisers around Hawaii told me that they had spent the night on the moorings there and that all the tour boats are gone by early afternoon. Ralf and Wiebke of the Germanflagged SY Flora had told me that there were now two surface buoys that could be picked up, and showed me a photograph of the location of the one they'd stayed on during their visit to Molokini.

are funneled between Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains, making their way across the isthmus of Maui. According to Carolyn and Bob Mehaffy's Cruising Guide to the Hawaiian Islands, when the trades are blowing strong the winds in Maalaea Bay often exceed 50 knots. We were blessed with a day of somewhat slack trade winds and clipped off the miles in comfort and peace.

I hauled the anchor up by hand as Kimberly slowly motored toward my hand gestures, and as soon as the hook was up and secured, we pointed out of the anchorage and into the small wind waves of the bay, killing the engine and unfurling the headsail. The silence, there is really nothing like it. The silence seems loud at first, as the diesel engine rumbles to a stop, and then it is accented with the sound of the boat moving through the water — the swish of the sea, the lapping of the wind waves and the occasional sound of bubbles.

We were on a broad reach in 15 knots of apparent wind with Triteia making a steady 5-6 knots. The sky was a brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds that looked as if they had been pulled from an oil painting. The water was that cobalt blue that is usually reserved for the deep ocean. With only 9 miles to our destination with perfect sailing conditions, I knew this would be one of those short passages you wished could last all day.

Maalaea Bay, and its small-boat harbor of the same name, are said to be the windiest spots in all of the islands, as the trade winds

Kimberly has spent years on highspeed RIBs all around the Hawaiian Islands as a researcher with Cascadia Research Collective. Their research team studies and tracks the various species of marine mammals that call the Hawaiian Islands home or visit for breeding and birthing. Kimberly knows these offshore waters very well and is well acquainted with how serious the channels are and how glassy the seas can be in the lee of the islands. She pointed out how sloppy the seas seemed to be and noted how comfortable it was sailing, having limited sailing experience, and said that this sea state would be miserable on a RIB. We both agreed how strange it was to feel the boat sailing so gently with the wind waves marching along beside us.

Years before, off the coast of Southern California on countless daysails, I had demonstrated to lubbers who had come out for a day on the water how different the wind and boat felt on various points of sail. I would always start with us running with the warm air of summer, quietly sailing along, and I would slowly come up into the wind, sheeting in the headsail as we came about until we were closehauled and beating hard into the wind and seas with wide-eyed landsman whiteknuckled, clenching their drinks with one hand and the ship with the other until I fell off onto a reach and everyone relaxed.

Kimberly and James during smooth sailing off the coast of Hawaii aboard 'Triteia'.

ALL PHOTOS TRITEIA

"It will be some time before I merrily sail into a lee shore again while ignoring the signs of the sea."

Aswe got within a few miles of Molokini Crater we sailed wing and wing on a dead run. It was glorious, perfect sailing. When we were within a mile of the crater, I started the engine and furled the headsail. We could see the last of the tour boats leaving the mooring field as we made our approach.

Kimberly went to the bow to try to get a visual on the surface mooring ball the crew of SY Flora had mentioned to me. In the sky above the crater some 15 iwa birds (great frigate birds) soared high in circles, with a few doing battle in the air. Dozens more could be seen nesting on the hillsides of the extinct volcano. As we

A CAUTIONARY TALE

made our way into the narrow entrance of this crescent-shaped crater, the water shallowed considerably and became very lumpy. Kimberly easily spotted the surface buoy, and as we made a pass, I decided I did not like the conditions inside the anchorage, so we drove by and came about.

As soon as we started to make the turn, I realized we had just casually sailed into a very sketchy situation. The winds were now blowing 17 knots on the nose; the wind-chop waves that had been working their way across the bay were now a front-line assault against our exit. I pushed the throttle lever down to the

cockpit floor and my 2GM20F Yanmar engine gave it all she had. I looked astern; we were about 500 feet from the cliffs of the crater's interior wall (a distance confirmed on our track after all was said and done).

I watched the iPad that was displaying Navionics, and it showed us making less than half a knot of speed. I took visual bearings on each side of the crater's outermost cliffs: We were essentially standing still. I pointed to port hoping to take the waves at a favorable angle and we made some progress, and then we both saw the water turn from cobalt to a very light turquoise as we came very near the reefs that lay atop the submerged portion of the crater's westernmost end. Coming hard to starboard, I could see we needed to get just a little farther out before I unfurled the headsail. We clawed our way forward against the waves and the wind. Finally, I called for the headsail to be brought out to 90% and sheeted flat. I controlled the furling line and the tiller as Kimberly ground the winch and got the headsail as flat as she could, and we pointed up. Our speed increased to 3 knots and we sailed

Below, left to right: Deborah on the foredeck heading to the Molokini Crater; James watching the iPad and the chart book for reefs.

The voyage started as anchor was hoisted at McGregor Landing.

hard into the wind, trying to make headway against the crater's eastern rim. Once out of harm's way, we pointed due east to possibly anchor at Oneloa Beach. As we sailed, I recalled how many times I had shown passengers the difference between the wind when one is running and closehauled. I was enjoying the sailing so much I did not heed the sea state as a warning, even after Kimberly mentioned and we spoke about the comfort of the ship.

Approaching Oneloa Beach, the sea state in the anchorage told us everything we needed to know, so we fell off the wind and pointed for La Perouse Bay, some 4 miles south. As we rounded Nakalele Point, the winds died down to less than 2 knots, and we motorsailed into the well-protected anchorage of La Perouse. Finding a good spot in sand in 10 meters'

depth, we let loose the anchor. Once it was set, I stood on the foredeck and marveled at the stunning basalt cliffs that give this anchorage its protection. It will be some time before I merrily sail into a lee shore again while ignoring the signs of the sea. Molokini Crater was a lesson I shall not soon forget.

— james frederick www.youtube.com/sailorjames www.instagram.com/james.the.sailor.man

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Above, left to right: 'Triteia' sailing out of Molokini Crater; Finally at rest in protected waters in La Perouse Bay.

Large, fenced, secure dry storage area

"Thisone's in surprisingly good shape," I thought to myself as I pulled the tarp off an old dinghy that had once been used in my yacht club's long-defunct Junior Sailing Program.

The parts were all there: mast, rudder, centerboard, a very moldy bag containing a soiled but still crinkly Dacron jib, and an equally serviceable mainsail wrapped around the boom. There were some serious stains on the hull, but with a little scrubbing, I imagined the boat could be brought back to life in fine form.

I was not alone in the boneyard behind the club parking lot. The yacht club manager suddenly appeared, along with a younger new club member whom I thought I recognized. And Lee Helm, of all people, was in the group. They were engaged in a very animated conversation, as if having some sort of a debate.

"We can't hover over the kids every minute," Lee was arguing as they approached to see what I was up to. "They need to get in and out of trouble all by themselves."

"Liability," the club manager responded. "The Board will never go for it."

"How much for this old derelict?" I asked when they were within hailing range. "I'm looking for something I can sail around the harbor on warm summer afternoons. It will just fit alongside my big boat, if I use smaller fenders."

"Not so fast!" the manager cautioned. "Those boats are not for sale."

"But they've been sitting here for decades," I said. "I heard that the club wanted to get rid of them."

"Like, I think you heard wrong," Lee cut in.

"We're going to revive the summer sailing camp," explained the younger club member, who, it turned out, had been offered the head sailing instructor position.

"That's great!" I said, acknowledging that this was far more important than me getting a good deal on an old dinghy covered with air barnacles. "Why did the program shut down?"

"The kids just didn't stay with it," answered the manager. "Ten-year-olds were enthusiastic, but as soon as they hit 13 or 14, they all seemed to lose interest. But this time around we're going to make the boats more exciting: rig for spinnakers, go out into stronger wind, add a little more challenge. If the club will allocate some resources, we're going to try to get high-performance plan-

"Wrong on so many levels," insisted Lee. "And the type of boat, or the lack of a good race program, was not why the old sailing camp fizzled."

"What do you think went wrong with our program?" I asked.

Lee practically shouted back, with a variation of an old campaign slogan: "It's the hor mones, stupid!"

"What, you don't think sailing is romantic enough?" I asked.

"Not the way they teach it now," she answered. "Way too much supervision. And like, do I really have to point out that the kids don't give a flying fig about the Olympics? Neither do I. Sailing should never have been made an Olympic sport in the first place — it just means that the top level of the sport is controlled by Olympic television money. I agree that sailing in the US needs help, but the medal count has zero to do with it."

"What are you proposing?" asked the instructor.

"It's the hor mones, stupid!" Lee repeated.

"I'm sure that's true," I said. "But how do you channel all that chemical energy into sailing?"

ing dinghies the kids can graduate to as soon as they have the basics. We're going to put more emphasis on racing, and keep some of that teenage adrenaline flowing."

"Sailing in this country is in trouble," added the young instructor-to-be. "Have you seen the latest newsletter from US Sailing? Only one bronze at the Olympics last year, our worst showing ever. I think we have the facilities and the talent here at this club to do our part to fix that, with a first-rate training program for sailors on an Olympic track."

"If the kids can't use a sailboat as, like, a dating aid, they'll move on to something with more opportunities, like fast cars or a garage band."

"Me, I took up the violin," the club manager reminisced. "I was the only boy in the string section. But I had a crush on the oboe player…"

"See what we're competing against?" said Lee. "The kids need to have boats that they can sail unsupervised, so they can invite a friend out to watch the sunset. The boats don't have to be fast or 'exciting.' They will mostly be sailing in light air anyway, and even a really 'hot' boat will not be very thrilling in 7 knots of wind. Much more important for the boats to be safe enough for those unsupervised moonlight sails."

"Lee, that's a tough order these days," I said, shaking my head. "Although, now that you mention it, my first date was a sail on a Sunfish. This was back East, and a really nasty thunderstorm caught us out on the Sound. Wind must have been 35 knots, but to us it seemed like 60. That's the thing about a Sunfish. You just cast off the halyard and the lateen spars come crashing down on the deck, and then you can ride out anything. If we were sailing a Laser we probably would have died…"

Left: The original cockpit layout of the 19-ft Lightning was very comfortable. Right: The Herreshoff 12-1/2, a 15-ft boat designed by Nat himself in 1914, has one of the most inviting small-boat cockpits ever built. And a self-tacking jib, too. But everything else could be updated.

The Pelican checks some of the boxes, but it's kind of an ugly duckling to take on a date.

"Makes my point," said Lee. "It's the design of the program and the design of the boat."

"So then, how do we re-create that ability for kids to sail without supervision?" asked the manager. "Or at least, give them a much longer leash, without terrifying the parents?"

"The boats have to be safe and stable and self-sufficient," Lee explained, "easy to self-rescue with no crash boat. And they have to be comfy, so the kids want to invite a non-sailing friend. Start by having a deep cockpit with high bulwarks, and nice ergonomic park benchstyle seating for two."

"You're going to design the boat around a love seat?" I asked.

"Two love seats, actually," Lee added. "Port and starboard. And like, it doesn't have to be self-bailing — better with a deep cockpit and high protective bulwarks — but it does need floorboards to keep feet out of the bilge."

"Like my old Lightning," said the manager. "That was a sweet boat to sail, and we never capsized."

"Doesn't need to be that big," suggested Lee. "Maybe 13 to 16 feet. But the cockpit has to have lots of leg room, so no centerboard trunk. It could be a daggerboard forward of the seating, or even better, twin bilge boards. That

would also make the boat really easy to right after a capsize, because that lower leeboard would be an easy climb. A lightweight kid, even one that's not particularly athletic, needs to be able to get this boat upright after a capsize."

"Not so easy if the boat turtles," warned the sailing instructor. "Then you need the crash boat."

"That drives more design features," Lee added. "It has to have wide rails outboard of the seats for hiking, but we have to keep the buoyancy volume low out at the extreme beam, so the boat floats closer to a 90-degree angle after a capsize, instead of trying to poke the mast underwater. And like, the daggerboard or leeboards should have weighted tips for two reasons: That way they don't need tackle to hold them down when sailing, and the small amount of ballast helps resist the turtle, especially if the freeboard is a little higher than usual, so that with the boat on its side the center of buoyancy is farther away from the ballast, or from the kid on the daggerboard, to provide a little more righting leverage. Add to the mix a sealed and buoyant mast, maybe a circular cross section to keep the cost down."

"Then how do you connect the sail to a circular-section mast?" I asked. "Mast hoops?"

"For sure," answered Lee. "When a squall hits, striking the mainsail needs to be just as much a quick and sure thing as it was in your old Sunfish."

"But the hoops can't go past the hounds," noted the sailing instructor. "I like mast hoops too; we had them on that old schooner I spent a summer on. But how do you keep the luff from sagging between the forestay and the masthead?"

"Vertical leading-edge batten," Lee suggested. She seemed to have an answer for everything.

"Would this dream boat of yours have an open transom?" I asked.

"That would be good for easy climbing back aboard," she said, "Especially with twin rudders. But contraindicated if the boat isn't self-bailing. And I like a decked-over stern, to keep the helmsperson sitting forward of the end of the tiller."

"Right, that's a common beginner syndrome," confirmed the instructor. "The newbies want to sit too far back, and they get in their own way when they put the tiller hard over."

"OK, this is beginning to take shape," I said as I imagined the hypothetical boat. "Comfy seating amidships for two, unobstructed cockpit, decked-over stern and bow, buoyant mast with mast hoops…"

SUMMER SAILSTICE

Replacing Sunfish with Lasers has set youth sailing back by generations: It's not safe to let kids sail Lasers unsupervised in squall or thunderstorm territory.

"And very important," added Lee. "Self-tacking jib."

"Why self-tacking?" questioned the manager. "Isn't tacking the jib sheets a basic part of learning to be a good crew?"

"For sure," Lee agreed. "But it's not a basic part of a good date. Even the coolest, most mellow, helpful skipper can start to sound, like, a little short with their crew when the jib isn't handled just right during the tacks. Take that element away."

The club manager tried to summarize. "You've outlined a very safe boat, and a boat that could be the best teen sex aid ever, but I still don't think we could send kids out alone, out of sight of the crash boat. We'd get sued when the first kid came back with mild hypothermia."

"Maybe, sometimes, a level of supervision is still necessary, depending on the venue," Lee admitted. "But you can track them all electronically, through the miracle of AIS. Put the antenna in the transom so it works with the boat at any capsize angle. We'll need a little solar panel and a small lithium-ion battery in a sealed compartment. And let's add built-in running lights, as long as we have a maintenance-free battery that still works upside-down, and a solar trickle charger."

"So the instructor," I surmised, "sits

in the club bar and monitors all the AIS hits?"

"Not for every class," Lee explained. "But yes, make it pretty safe. We could schedule 'Take a Friend for a Moonlight Sail' nights, even out on the Bay. Schedule at least one a month, like, on the full moon."

"Well I'm still not ready to give up on a racing program," complained the young sailing instructor. "Where's the structure? Where's the competition? Where's the skill that only comes with rigorous training and athletic discipline?"

"They can go out for soccer or football if they want that," said the manager, who seemed to be catching on to what Lee was advocating. "Sailing for kids, more than anything else, is about adventure."

"But how do they ever get good at it without competition?" the instructor insisted. "A good program should be producing new racers we can send to the interclub and regional youth regattas, and also prepare them for a college sailing team."

"You are forgetting the First Law of the Sea," I responded. "Which is?"

"It reads: 'Whenever two boats, sailing in vaguely the same direction, are in sight of each other, they are racing.' The kids will discover racing on their own even if there are only two boats on the

water. The ones who get excited about it are the ones you want in the racing program. For everyone else, as you say, it's sailing for adventure, for socialization and a hot date."

"Forget about asking the yacht club Board to buy fancy high-performance boats," Lee recommended. "Let's have a design contest. Open to everyone. I'm calling it the Moonlight 15. Because it's a boat designed from the keel up for moonlight social sails."

"We might as well just cut to the chase," said the club manager, "and call it the 'Third Base 15.' And not because those kids will be thinking about baseball…"

— max ebb

ANNOUNCING THE MOONLIGHT 15 DESIGN COMPETITION

of the primary seating area.

self-bailing.

Avoid buoyant volume at wide beam extremes; Light and buoyant sealed mast, possibly circular untapered section; Twin bilge boards for easy righting maneuver after capsize; Weighted foil tips to keep foils from floating up under sail, and to aid capsize recovery; Masthead float might still be needed for a shallow water, high-wind venue.

the forestay. Possible square-top main for power. boom or a curved track.

suppress flogging and extend useful life.

if not self-bailing.

necessary. Antenna in transom for operation at all heel angles, including capsize. Alter natively, battery, panel and all electronics in floating, tethered safety communications module.

The Sunfish was and still is one of the safest small boats on the water. The sail and upper spar can be struck quickly if caught in a squall.

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THE RACING

Midwinter reports sprinkled throughout this section include Corinthian, YRA Doublehanded Series, Seaweed Soup, Jack Frost, Island Days, Optis, and Berkeley YCs (tune back in for South Beach next month). We also cover the Mercury NorCal Series, Big Daddy in Richmond, and the Santa Monica Bay Race. Box Scores and Race Notes make a spring comeback.

Midwinters in a Real Winter

For the past five years the sunny side (literally) of the drought has been mild winters allowing for great sailing with few midwinter races canceled due to weather concerns (COVID concerns were a whole other story).

Now Califor nia's Great Drought has broken, and midwinter series were similarly broken up, with many races canceled due to daunting forecasts. Among the bigger midwinter series, Corinthian Yacht Club drew the winning dates, with sunshine for all four days of their regatta. The downside: Their two weekends also coincided with king tides, with massive

tion' in the sense of 62.1(a), but was an 'impolite action.' He was able to apologize in person to some boats most impacted by that, but would like to offer a general apology to all those caught off guard."

The waited-for wind filled in after the starts. Boats rounded the new Yellow Bluff mark, named after the late Hank Easom. Some crews brought flowers and tossed those overboard at the mark in memory of Hank.

Racers returned to the club and a party, this time not in the ballroom but out on the deck, with dinner in the dining room. Fortunately, CYC has some really effective patio heaters, and dancing to the tunes of the Stick Shifts further warmed up the revelers.

Sunday had the best conditions of the series, with moderate breeze in the mid-teens. During the starting sequence, the current and wind shifted the RC boat from facing west with a square line to facing east with the boat end favored. But the wind was such that helmspeople had good control and (this time) none of the starters tangled with the rode.

Seaweed Soup midwinter race on March 4, but, with a last look at the forecast, the race committee pulled the plug at 8 a.m. that day. "It looks like it would be more prudent to cancel today's race than to hold it," read the message to skippers. The club nevertheless held their buffet lunch and awards ceremony. Winning the perpetual trophy for overall best performance this year was the top Folkboat, Polperro, sailed by Peter Jeal and Susan Parker, a married couple. They were the only crew with all bullets.

"We generally do the midwinters with just the two of us," commented Susan. "During the regular racing season, we have a third person aboard." She wasn't available for Race 1, so Mason Smith subbed. "I was the only crew for the remaining races.

"Fr om experience, we think of the midwinter series as a low speed/high tactical event, the ultimate last-ditch tool being the at-ready anchor!

"The final race was epic. At the start, the ebb was already huge, and it got progressively stronger. The wind died. There were two choices: (1) Go north, which might move you closer to the mark; or (2) go south, well beyond Pier 39, pick your moment to tack, and round Blossom Rock in the massive ebb. We hung in and continued north. Fortunately, the wind picked up and we were able to round Blossom, get catapulted on a reach toward 16, and then it was a short, upwind reach to the finish.

ebbs

leading to minus tides.

Like January's weekend, February's races on the 18th and 19th had light air on Saturday and wind on Sunday. On Saturday, the race committee postponed the first warning until 2:15 p.m., when the wind became steady enough for competitors to clear the start line. "The wind that was expected to fill in was taking its time to arrive, but the 4:45 cutoff time was coming ever closer," explained one of the race committee volunteers. "The PRO ended the postponement rapidly, announcing over the radio that the AP was coming down less than a minute before it did, then started the sequence a minute after that. Which, after he did it, he realized was not an 'improper ac-

The final YRA Doublehanded Midwinters on February 28 expected winds of 18 knots gusting to 28. We might expect those conditions during the summer, but they're atypical for shorthanded midwinter racing.

The race committee at Golden Gate YC gave the racers short courses to get them finished before the worst of the wind and rain hit. All classes went to Blackaller first and Fort Mason last, with Harding Rock in the middle for the faster boats. The first finisher completed the course in just under half an hour, the last finisher in just under one hour. "We expect many were still soaked and caught in the gusty breeze on their delivery back to their slips," commented a race committee volunteer.

All systems were go for the final GGYC

"I forgot to bring the sandwiches. All we had aboard were two heavily-bruised bananas and two beers. 'Twas exhilarating!"

On the same day, Encinal YC proceeded with their final Jack Frost tworace day, actually a make-up for races canceled earlier in the season. Out on the open waters of the East Bay, one of the racers reported seeing multiple gusts over 40, with one of 46 knots, when a squall line blew through ahead of the start.

For final results of the above midwinter series and more, see Box Scores on pages 94-95.

— latitude / chris

Meanwhile, on the Estuary

Also canceled due to the forecast on March 4 was Island YC's Linda Newland women skippers race on the OaklandAlameda Estuary. This is the regatta

Susan Parker and Peter Jeal won Golden Gate YC's 2022-2023 Seaweed Soup midwinter series overall with their Folkboat 'Polperro'. Here they are with the perpetual trophy on March 4, a day when racing was again canceled but the awards ceremony proceeded as scheduled.

BRETT DAVIS

formerly known as the Sadie Hawkins Race. The club hopes to find another date for the event that will be more pleasant, particularly for new skippers.

Meanwhile, four hardy Mercury duos took to the same Estuary to kick off the NorCal Series sailed out of Encinal YC. "Following a short 30-minute delay, the race committee set a windward/leeward course for a steady southwesterly breeze," reports Jim Bradley. "With the exception of one five-minute downpour, the day was perfect for sailing. By the end of the third race, the sun was out and it was time for sunscreen. The wind direction held pretty steady for the five double-sausage races, so playing the puffs was the secret to winning the races. Randy Smith with crew Dennis Mulligan, fresh off a win at the L.A. Midwinters, made it clear that time out on the race course is what leads to success. Randy won most of the starts and had good boat speed both upwind and down to take the day and the lead for the series."

April 1's NorCals will count for the Carmiggelt Trophy.

— latitude / chris

For more racing news, subscribe to 'Lectronic Latitude online at www.latitude38.com

March's racing stories included: anderas a e atta ort of os n eles ar or C p St Fran is n itational ort Semis

Windward Passage in t e Transpa

Felix Weidlin to ead StF C a in C n erted Start a e

T e ean a e ore Ca o a e re ie s of pril a es, and more

SSS Corinthian Race Strays

Feral race needs home. The Singlehanded Sailing Society's Corinthian Race used to start and finish off Corinthian YC in Marin. Since COVID-19 hit in 2020, it's been hiding out at Golden Gate YC in San Francisco. In previous years it actually had to hunker down on the rocks in front of the GGYC clubhouse.

This year's race on Saturday, February 25, was reimagined as a shorter, lighter-air affair after a successful Three Bridge Fiasco in January.

Richard Reitmeyer is the SSS race co-chair along with Carliane Johnson. "Several weather models predicted the racing would have 1-2 knots of wind until 4 p.m.," reports Richard. "As it turned out, the actual weather cooperated enough to get everyone started smoothly."

The course was shortened to 13 miles compared to the old days of 18 miles, with one of the reasons being it's hard to mimic the original CYC course from GGYC and make it interesting and tactical. In the old days the course from Corinthian went on a Bay tour to the back side of Angel Island at Southampton. From there you had a choice of heading back through Raccoon Strait or past Point Blunt to the Little Harding buoy, then to the finish in Tiburon. The distance from Southampton to Little Harding works out to be exactly the same either way. Now the course is usually more of a drag race with few passing lanes.

"In an effort to boost safety, there were two courses this year. Classes using the Corinthian for their class season and doublehanded boats had course 2, which was the same as last year's course," explained Richard. "Course 2 took boats

from the start off GGYC race deck to Blackaller, then to Angel Island, rounding it in either direction. Then to Little Harding, then Blossom Rock, and back to finish at GGYC." Although the choice of rounding Angel any way you choose sounds alluring, the actual shortest route would be anticlockwise. "New this year was Course 1 for the singlehanders, to give them separation in space from the doublehanders. Course 1 went from a start at GGYC up a very short windward leg to the St. Francis YC A mark, then to F on the Olympic Circle, then Angel, then Little Harding, and back to finish at GGYC."

The weather predictions were right, and light wind combined with a mixedup, confused flood current fighting winter storm runoff gave the boats more of a test than advertised. "Currents and wind holes proved challenging, and many boats retired. Results for the 113 boats show 29 were DNC, 32 were DNF, and 52 finished."

Larry Baskin, who took the photos on page 92 and sailed his Express 37 Bullet with Nick Grebe, called it, "One of the most beautiful sailing days that I remember." He posted this video: https:// vimeo.com/804440863

SSS CORINTHIAN, 2/25

SINGLEHANDED MONOHULL — 1) Slainte, Cal 20, Paul Sutchek; 2) Uno, Wyliecat 30, Brendan Meyer; 3) Rubicon III, Contessa 33, Rod Percival; 4) Eight Ball, J/100, Scott Easom; 5) Kincsem, J/105, Joerg Esdorn. (22 boats)

DOUBLEHANDED MONOHULL — 1) Mooretecian, Moore 24, Peter Schoen/Roe Patterson; 2) Snafu, Moore 24, Karl Robrock/Steve Bourdow; 3) Gruntled, Moore 24, Nick Diel/ Steve McCarthy; 5) Bluebird, Moore 24, Ryan

Ron Epstein's J/133 'Bacchanal', comin' atcha in the Corinthian Midwinters on February 18.

THE RACING

Georgianna/Ludwig Ward; 6) Wet Spot, Moore

24, Mike O'Callaghan/Denis Mulligan; 7) Peaches, xpress 7, o n i lin o n earne

Outsider, Azzura 310, Greg Nelsen/Todd Olsen;

9) Flight Risk, T650, Ben Landon/Blake Davis;

10), Leading Lady, 1D35, Andrew Lindstrom/ eoff o e 5 oats

DOUBLEHANDED MULTIHULL — 1) Bottle Rocket, SeaCart 30, David Schumann/Trevor Baylis; 2) Ma's Rover, F-31, John Donovan/Cam Tuttle; 3) Greyhound, F-22, Evan McDonald/ Sarah Rahimi. (4 boats)

Full results at www.jibeset.net

Big Daddy Mild and Wild

A lack of wind for buoy racing on Saturday and a lot of wind for Sunday's pursuit kept Richmond YC's Big Daddy racers on their toes on March 11-12.

Jasper Van Vliet, William Pochereva, Ellie Tubman, Bri Biller and Brian Rosensteel on the J/24 Evil Octopus won the monohull division of the pursuit race.

"There was certainly a lot of fortune involved," observed Jasper. "There always is in this race. William was using the Saildrone app, and it was showing a potential strong and late ebb right along Angel Island. We got to the course early and went to Angel Island to verify the current was there. So we decided to go clockwise.

"Our nor mal average boat speed on a J/24 is 5.4 knots or so. This time we never dropped below 6.4 knots the whole way around the course.

"The ebb pulled us all the way to the cone of Alcatraz — we only did three tacks in the Slot. When we came around to the west side of Alcatraz, the flood kicked in, and the kite reach to Raccoon Strait was manageable. In fact, we got her planing, briefly hitting 10 knots. J/24s don't plane, so that was pretty exciting."

— latitude / chris

RYC BIG DADDY, 3/11 (3r, 0t)

PHRF A — 1) 'io, Antrim 27, Buzz Blackett; 2) Swift Ness, J/111, Nesrin Basoz/Reuben Rocci; 3) Destin, Landmark 43, Romeo Uriarte. (4 boats)

PHRF B — 1) WYSIWYG, Olson 30, Henrik Bruhns/Guillaume Canivet; 2) Reverie, J/109, John Arens; 3) Joy Ride, xpress 34, Cindans. (4 boats)

PHRF D — 1) Son of a Son, J/70, David Fried; 2) Heart of Gold, Olson 911S, John Byrne; 3) Ahi, Santana 35, Andy Newell. (5 boats)

PHRF E — 1) Junta, Mark Allen, Ultimate 20, 5 5 points Impulse, Ranger 26, Dean Hocking, 9; 3) Breakaway, ltimate 0, o n Wolfe, 5 boats)

ALERION 28 — 1) Zenaida, Fred axton, 4 points Dream, Ernest Galvan/Kirk Smith, 7; 3)

Allegro Non Tropo, Jim Titus/Bill Claussen, 8. (5 boats)

EXPRESS 27 — 1) Motorcycle Irene, Julia axton Under the Radar, Greg Felton/Sammy Shea; 3) Bombora, Rebecca Hinden. (7 boats)

J/24 — 1) Hotwater, Anthony Jacuzzi, 6 points Evil Octopus, asper an liet, 7 3 Flight, Rosanne Scholl, 8. (4 boats) 4 o finis ers 5 oats

W W T 1 Just a Hare, Marcos McGee/Drake Jensen; 2) Kwazy, Colin Moore; 3) Mr. McGregor, Kim Desenberg/John Groen. (6 boats)

RYC BIG DADDY SUNDAY PURSUIT RACE, 3/12

MONOHULL — 1) Evil Octopus; 2) The Flying Tiger, oore 4, a n Seifers 3 Kwazy; 4) Bluebird, Moore 24, Ryan Georgianna; 5) Bombora, xpress 7, e e a inden Abigail Morgan, xpress 7, on ell 7 Impulse; 8) Ahi; 9) Under the Radar, xpress 7, re Felton/Sammy Shea; 10) Sweet De, Alerion 28, Christian & Denise Kramer. (60 boats)

MULTIHULL — 1) Bottle Rocket, SeaCart 30, David Schumann; 2) Flux, SeaCart 30, Jeremy Boyette; 3) 'Round Midnight, xplorer 44, i Waltonsmith. (5 boats)

Full results at www.richmondyc.org

Berkeley YC Midwinters

Finally, weather a man can race in. Women too. The final weekend of the (regular) Berkeley Midwinters Series on February 11-12 turned out sunny and not completely without wind. Saturday's

Top row: BYC Champions Race. Left: Overall series winner 'Swift Ness', a J/111. Right: The Express 27 'Motorcycle Irene'. Bottom row: Converging on Blackaller in the SSS Corinthian Race, with a less critical mass than the Three Bridge Fiasco, but still plenty of competition.

race started out with a fickle wind starting from the northeast. Once we dropped the windward mark and the markset boat was good and far away, it shifted to nearly due east. So, we moved the windward mark (but not all the way) to the new wind. We anticipated that it might shift back, and we were right — it did. In the meantime the wind was ENE at about 12 knots, so an 8-mile twice-around windward-leeward course sounded just about right. After a short postponement, the racers were on their way to the bright green tetrahedron a mile from XOC.

Twenty-five boats competed for the Big #1 as the wind shifted north, then died, and then came back out of the west. Nesrin Basoz swiftly skippered the J/111 Swift Ness to first place in the Absurdly Expensive Division (PHRF <85). In the No Slouch Division (87-112), Charlie Brochard's Olson 34 Baleineau crossed the line first. In the Tippy Express 27 Division, super-genius Dan Pruzan's Wile E. Coyote took first. In the Big and Comfy Division (114-156) Andy Newell's Santana 35 Ahi took first. In the Less Comfy Cruisers Division (PHRF >159), the Merit 25 Chesapeake with James Fair and Bernard Price crossed the line in first place.

Superbowl Sunday's race started out downright glassy, which prompted yet another postponement while we waited for the wind. The good news was that we did not have to wait very long — we could see the dark water approaching from the west. When it arrived, about 10 minutes later it was good — that steady westerly that we all know and love. Races started. Boats sailed fast toward the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge in a steady 8- to 10-knot breeze. This time it was once around the course in honor of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the Isiah Pacheco Fast Division, Donald Newman's Olson 30 Yankee Air Pirate crossed the line first. In the Michael Burton Kinda Fast Division, Richard Stockdale crossed the line first on the J/24 Froglips. In the Alerion 28 Division it was, once again, Fred Paxton and Arnie Quan on Zenaida taking first place. In the Patrick Mahomes Fast for a QB Division, Larry Telford — sailing in his 59th Midwinters! — captained his team to first place aboard the Islander 30-II Antares. In the Kelce Twins Doublehanded Division, Ethan Peterson etched his name in history skippering the Wylie Wabbit Hare-O-Dynamic to first-place glory. In the Harrison Butker

Kicker Singlehanded Division, Jonathan Gutoff's Laser 28 Stink Eye placed first.

The weather has been the big star of the series, and the final Champion of Champions Race was no exception. The forecast for Sunday, February 26, was ominous, with winds predicted to hit 30 knots in the gusts. With this being the final race, there would be no abandonment short of a National Weather Service gale warning. No such warning was issued, so the committee crew bundled up and motored onto the course. Dark, ominous clouds loomed to the southwest, with winds already a-blowin'.

Seven boats showed up, heeled over and struggling in the blustery weather Seven boats crewed by men and women who left domestic comforts behind to compete in a life-and-death struggle that can only be found on the Bay of San Francisco. As the start time approached, the wind and the rain abated, but this was not mercy. It was Poseidon's call to quiet reflection before unleashing a hellish volley of wind and rain to pummel the spirits of the hardened sailors as they tirelessly tacked upwind to the barely visible green tetrahedron.

The boats r ounded the windward mark and began their downwind leg toward the confusingly also green leeward mark. As the spinnaker boats passed the committee, the faces of the sailors said it all: "My God, we are alive." While the Latitude

Top row: Big Daddy buoy racing on Saturday. The Moore 24 class was unable to finish a race; the J/24 fleet rafted up to wait out a long postponement. The wind did eventually appear. Bottom row: By contrast, spinnakers were in danger on Sunday, but the crew of 'Evil Octopus' (pictured with race chair Fred Paxton) kept it together for the win. Prizes were RYC gift cards.

THIS ROW STEPHEN BUCKINGHAM

ERIK SIMONSON / WWW.PRESSURE-DROP.US

JENNIFER MCKENNA

THE RACING

committee crew contemplated the raw emotional state of the passing sailors, we unleashed our own volley of hot apple cider and whatever.

It was once around, which turned out to be merciful, as the weather just kept building, with the worst of it occurring about an hour after the race had ended. Meanwhile, back at the clubhouse preparations were being made to distribute the series trophies and congratulate the winners and participants. Finger foods were served and favorites were identified.

For the Champion of Champions race, in the Big and Bad Red Fleet it was Swift Ness getting her name carved on the Kirt Brooks perpetual trophy. For the Blue Fleet, the winner was the Paxton cousins' Express 27 Motorcycle Irene. In the White Fleet, the winner was John Gulliford of the J/24 Phantom.

The 2023 Berkeley Midwinters was one for the record books, with more rainy, stormy weather than we have seen in many years. Two of the four Saturday races were abandoned due to weather, and the races that were run were, for the most part, done in the rain.

This year's February BYC Midwinters race was the first one in more than 30 years without Bobbi Tosse (1939-2023) managing it either on the water or behind the scenes. She is and always will be missed. Cheers to Bobbi.

— mark bird

BYC SATURDAY MIDWINTERS (2r, 1t)

PHRF <85 — 1) Swift Ness, J/111, Nesrin Baso , 1 point 'io, Antrim 27, Buzz Blackett, 2; 3) Mintaka 4, Farr 38, Gerry Brown, 3. (11 boats)

PHRF 87-112 — 1) Baleineau, Olson 34,

CYC MIDWINTERS (4r, 0t)

PHRF 1 — 1) Saoirse, Tripp 41, ssell e s le, 10 5 points Baccanal, J/133, on pstein, 1 5 3 California Condor, Antrim Class 40, Buzz Blackett, 17. (9 boats)

PHRF 2 — 1) Outsider, Azzura 310, Greg elsen, points Peregrine, J/120, David Halliwill, 10; 3) Nuckelavee, Melges 32, Mark Kennedy, 17. (8 boats)

PHRF 3 — 1) Jeannette, Frers 40, ief Wadlei o o , 7 points Reverie, J/109, John Arens, 14; 3) Basic Instinct, Elliott 1050, Memo Gidley, 17. (11 boats)

PHRF 4 — 1) Rhapsody, Sa re Spirit, aren e l ram, 5 points Pelagia, J/80, Sergey Lubarsky, 17; 3) Windsome, J/100, Anne Thomas, 20. (10 boats)

PHRF 5 — 1) Arcadia, Mod. Santana 27, Gordie as , 4 points Heart of Gold, Olson 911S, oan rne xel e nert, 17 3 Nancy, Wyliecat 30, Pat Broderick, 21. (9 boats)

EXPRESS 27 — 1) Salty Hotel, John Kearne , points Moonlight, Jim Gibbs, 14; 3) Abigail Morgan, Ron Kell, 19. (4 boats)

NON-SPINNAKER 1 — 1) Q, Schumacher 40, lenn saa son, 7 points Freedom, Worth 40, Jib Martens, 11; 3) Finistere, Sabre 38 MkII, John

C arlie ro ard, 1 point WYSIWYG, Olson 30, Henrik Bruhns, 2; 3) Yankee Air Pirate, Olson 30, Donald Newman, 2. (5 boats)

EXPRESS 27 — 1) Wile E Coyote, Dan Pruan, 1 point Motorcycle Irene, Will & Julia axton, 1 3 Magic Bus, Eric Deeds, 2; 4) Salty Hotel, John Kearney, 3. (16 boats)

PHRF 114-156 — 1) Ahi, Santana 35, Andy e ell, 1 point Sunshine Express, SC27, Ben Tallarigo, 1; 3) Heart of Gold, Olson 911S, oan rne xel e nert, oats

F 15 1 Chesapeake, Merit 25, Jim Fair ernard ri e, 1 point Slainte, Cal 20, Paul Sutchek, 1; 3) Phantom, J/24, John Gulliford, oats

BYC SUNDAY MIDWINTERS (4r, 1t)

PHRF <126 — 1) L'Attitude, Olson 34, Frank a elmann, 7 points Nirvana, J/105, Katie Cornetta, 8; 3) Spirit, 70, nd ippel, boats)

PHRF 129-169 — 1) Tequila Mockingbird, xpress 7, andall asi ot, 4 points Wildthing, xpress 7, a Wilson Crai Wilson, 3 Froglips, J/24, Richard Stockdale, 11. (10 boats)

F 171 1 Antares, Islander 30 MkII, arr Telford, 4 points Zeehond, e port 30

BOX SCORES

Arndt, 13. (8 boats)

NON-SPINNAKER 2 — 1) Topgallant, Tartan 10, Carl Flemmin , 4 points Surprise, Catalina 34, Peter Birnbaum, 8; 3) QE3, Tartan 10, George Janson, 11. (7 boats)

Full results at www.cyc.org

EYC JACK FROST (8r, 1t)

PHRF 1 — 1) 'io, Antrim 27, Buzz Blackett, 10 points Good and Plenty, Soverel 33, Mark Wagner, 14; 3) Story Maker, Tartan 101, Mike & Sean Mahoney, 22. (8 boats)

PHRF 2 — 1) Sea Star, Cal 39, Bob Walden, 11 points Ahi, Santana 35, Andy Newell, 13; 3) Gig, Humboldt 30, Gil Sloan, 20. (4 boats)

PHRF 3 — 1) Loose Cannon, J/22, Theo o r, 10 points Maybe Baby, Hunter 34, Mark Bird, 13; 3) Grey Wulff, Beneteau Oceanis 30.1, en opple ell, 5 4 oats

EXPRESS 37 — 1) Bullet, Larry Baskin, 12; 2) Snowy Owl, Jens Jensen, 18; 3) Elan, Jack Peurach, 21. (5 boats)

OLSON 25 — 1) Sketch, David Gruver, 10 points O'Mar, David Scott, 14; 3) Synchronicity,

MkII, Donn Guay, 5; 3) Strange Magic, Islander Bahama 30, Mark Werder, 9. (6 boats)

ALERION 28 — 1) Zenaida, Fred axton rnie an, 3 points Resilience, Michael Quinn, 7; 3) Sweet De, Chris & Denise Kramer, 6. (6 boats)

DOUBLEHANDED — 1) Hare-O-Dymanic, W lie Wa it, t an etersen, 5 points Surprise!, xpress 3 1, o o nston a id errigel, 7; 3) Bad Hare Day, Wylie Wabbit, Michele S mpton ri en el, 11 10 oats

SINGLEHANDED — 1) Stink Eye, Laser 28, onat an toff, 4 points Envolée, Figaro 2, Nathalie Criou, 5; 3) Sweet Pea, Islander 30-2, Jan Hirsch, 11. (6 boats)

BYC MIDWINTERS WINNERS RACE, 2/26

RED FLEET — 1) Swift Ness; 2) Tequila Mockingbird; 3) Ahi. (3 boats)

BLUE FLEET — 1) Motorcycle Irene; 2) Envolée. (2 boats)

WHITE FLEET — 1) Phantom; 2) Strange Magic. (2 boats)

Full results at www.jibeset.net

Steve Smith, 27. (4 boats)

SANTANA 22 — 1) Anemone, Hank Lindemann, 1 5 points Alegre, Chris Klein, 20; 3) Meliki, Deb Fehr, 20. (9 boats) Full results at www.jibeset.net

GGYC MANUEL FAGUNDES SEAWEED SOUP REGATTA (3r, 0t)

PHRF 1 — 1) Lucky Duck, J/90, Dave Macen, 4 points Nuckelavee, Melges 32, Mark Kennedy, 7; 3) Zamazaan, Farr 52, Greg Mullins, 15. (9 boats)

PHRF 2 — 1) CentoMiglia, Flying Tiger 10, en a ir es in Stepanoff, points Jubilant, J/112e, Kevin Wilkinson, 9; 3) Alchera, 1 0, eff illips, 13 11 oats

PHRF 3 — 1) Serenade, Sa re Spirit 3 , an asom, 4 points Heart of Gold, Olson 911S, Joan Byrne, 8; 3) Arcadia, Mod. Santana 27, Gordie Nash, 10. (10 boats)

PHRF 4 — 1) Bottoms Up, J/22, Brett Davis, 5 points Kookaburra, ird oat, artin offel, 11; 3) La Paloma, , ames ennefer, 14 boats)

KNARR — 1) Narcissus, John Jenkins, 11 points Star Platinum, Ty Ingram, 18; 3) Benino, Mark Dahm, 18. (6 boats)

An Opti start in the SCYA Midwinters in Marina del Rey.

Light Air in Opti Midwinters

February 18-19 saw the 46th annual SCYA Midwinters. Del Rey YC once again hosted the little folks in the Optimists and combined the Mids with their own Stephen M. Pitts Memorial Regatta. Stephen was an outstanding junior sailor and mentor who unfortunately passed from leukemia at age 18.

The Green fleet (with the youngest kids) races inside the marina and must dodge all manner of traffic: powerboats, sailboats of all sizes, service dinghies and SUPs.

The outside (Champ) fleet races around marks set off Venice Pier. The junior coaches and race committee generally set a course of about three quarters of a mile between the leeward and weather marks and lengthen or shorten (the latter in the case of the 2023 races) according to wind and swells, and (except for about six years ago when there were thunderstorms) the ocean has been agreeable.

The snow on the nearby mountains foretold a possibility of big winds, but none materialized outside. Saturday started out cloudy with an early northeast breeze that gradually clocked to about 240° at 4-6 knots, but wind direction and speed kept shifting, causing one race to be abandoned and several general recalls. Upon returning inside the harbor, we were met with 12-15 knots.

FOLKBOAT — 1) Polperro, Peter Jeal, 3 points Rodhaette, Laurence Chambers, 8; 3) Shanty, Allen Slichter, 12. (5 boats)

Full results at www.jibeset.net

RYC SMALL BOAT MIDWINTERS (up to 14r, 2t)

W W T 1 im esen er o n roen, 13 points Tim ssell, 1 3 ri enel i ele S mpton, 33 oats

T T 0 1 o n Wolfe, 5 points

Donna Womble, 33; 3) Mark Allen, 34. (5 boats) C 1 a id a i, points a id West, 35 3 C ris an afame, 40 3 oats

T ST 1 alerie olt , 1 points

Brian Bauman, 30; 3) Steve Oliver, 49. (4 boats)

S 1 a a is, 13 points nd e erpeter, 17 3 Tom eill, 3 4 oats

INTERNATIONAL 14 — 1) John Clark, 8 points ir T ardo s i, 17 3 ames Clarson, 19. (5 boats)

S 1 l a ol o , 10 points ichael Sealey, 26; 3) Chris Davison, 34. (3 boats)

S T 1 Se astian ar er, 13 points

2) Shea Baggeroer, 28; 3) Nolan Balocki, 38. (4 boats)

S F S 1 ssell lein, 13 points Roy Jordan, 24; 3) Robert Cronin, 39. (3 boats)

Sunday was better: The sun came out, the wind held enough for a two-lapper, and all returned to the harbor after 4 p.m. Eight races were run over the two days. See www.dryc.org for results.

— andy kopetzky

Santa Monica Bay Race

On Saturday, March 4, DRYC ran its Santa Monica Bay/Palos Verdes Race, #2 of the William Berger/William Stein Series. Fifty-five boats started, and all but one finished. Ryan Welter, sailing his 38-year-old J/29 Zulu, won overall honors and first in class.

For 40+ years, the event went rhumbline from the MDR Olympic Circle near the breakwater to the low-profile NOAA #28 Waverider Buoy about 11 miles SSW, anchored in about 1,500 feet on the Santa Monica Bay escarpment. Given the massive amount of scope, the wind, swing (more than a half mile) and swells,

BOX SCORES

S 1 millo Castelli, 11 points avid LaPier, 32; 3) Will Benedict, 33. (12 boats)

LASER RADIAL — 1) Evan Sullivan, 40 points rnest al an, 5 3 Tos i Ta a ana i, 61. (15 boats)

T 1 ene arris, 7 points C ristine Sasaridis, 8. (2 boats)

T S 1 i ael inn, 1 points

2) John Walsh, 31; 3) Gordie Nash, 34. (8 boats)

SOUTHAMPTON OPEN CLASS — 1) Kelly i e, ne, 3 points 1 oat

POTRERO/KELLER COVE OPEN CLASS

1 Ste e o r , a Sailer, 1 points T ler Backman, Montgomery 15, 44; 3) Charles Witcher, Banshee, 51. (4 boats)

Full results at www.richmondyc.org

SCYC MIDWINTERS (3r, 0t)

PHRF A — 1) Animal, Sydney 38, Craig Fren , 5 points Aboriginal, Sydney 38, Bret ripenstra , 7 oats

PHRF B — 1) Dr. Feelgood, Olson 30, Rhys C ard, points Hi jinx 2.0, xpress 34, rad Sampson, 10 3 No Name, Custom, Alan

coupled with its 1.5-ft freeboard, it was like trying to locate a yellow Roomba outfitted with a tiny antenna mid-ocean. After years of turning mark "Where's Waldo?" issues, the club changed the race completely for this year: Courses of 23 miles (Stein Series) and 25 miles (Berger Series) take the competitors toward Playa del Rey near LAX, then SSE to El Segundo, Redondo and Palos Verdes, finishing at the MDR south entrance.

Visions of blue skies and sailingcalendar panoramas of multi-colored spinnakers against a snowy mountain backdrop were dashed by low-hanging cumulus clouds, some inland fog, rolling seas, and a gray day devoid of sun. The clouds may have obscured the mountains and their record snowfall (Mt. Baldy, about 45 miles away, had received more snow than any hill in the lower 48), but the wind showed up for a change, albeit shifty.

Initial southerlies prior to the noon start clocked around to WSW. The usual windless parking lot surrounding Palos Verdes Peninsula saw winds ranging from 8 to 18 knots and building, until the last competitor crossed the finish just after 5 p.m. Most boats screamed in on a reach toward the finish line.

See results at www.dryc.org/racing. — andy kopetzky

Wirtanen, 10. (11 boats)

MOORE 24 — 1) Nobody's Girl, Mackenzie Coo S dnie oore, 7 points Pegasus Racing, ilippe a n, 3 Adios, Hilary Hill, 12. (7 boats)

JIB & MAIN — 1) Gandalf, Santana 35, Robert eWit, 3 points No Name, Islander 36, Paul Tara, 8; 3) The Perfect Thirty-Six, Catalina 36, Steve Niemann, 8. (5 boats)

Full results at www.scyc.org

SYC J/105 & J/88 SPRING INVITATIONAL, 3/1112 (5r, 0t)

J/105 — 1) Blackhawk, Ryan Simmons, 8 points Beast of Burden, Sellers/McDonald/ Turner, 19; 3) Godot 2.0, illip a , 0 4 Zuni Bear, Mike Donohue, 35. (18 boats)

J/88 — 1) Split Water, ar o e, 10 points

2) Butcher, Dave Corbin, 13; 3) Pelagia, Sergey Lubarsky, 15. (4 boats)

Full results at www.sausalitoyachtclub.org

TYC MOTT MIDWINTERS (1r)

1) Kind of Blue, J/109, Pellie Anderson; 2) Lion, Olson 25, Lon Woodrum/Steve Nimz; 3) Siento el Viento, C&C 29-1, Ian Matthew. (6 boats)

Full results at www.jibeset.net

Overall winner J/29 'Zulu' (right) races the bigger Catalina 42 MkII 'Lady L' to the finish of the Santa Monica Bay Race on March 4.

THE RACING SHEET

Island YC's Island Days

Sunday, March 12, was IYC's Island Days #5, the final race of the series on the Estuary. With five races scored, each boat picked up a throwout, letting each exclude its worst race — or sit at home and exclude the final race. Thirty-four boats raced at least once in the series. Seventeen came out for the last race, in overcast and stormy-looking conditions.

The wind was fr om the southeast when the committee picked the courses and got off the first waves of starters on reversed courses R5 and R4. Partway through the race, however, the wind clocked and built slightly, so that the first finisher, the Soverel 33 Good and Plenty, spent only 38 minutes racing. Other boats finished in less than an hour. It rained intermittently throughout the race, but it was otherwise a very pleasant day.

Racers reassembled at the Boathouse Tavern, at the corner of Clement and Stanford in Alameda, to receive prizes from the club's vice commodore.

IYC racing on the Estuary will resume on Friday, April 14, with the first Island Nights race.

— richard r.

Cloud. The first two classes started on Friday, March 10, in driving rain and a 20-knot southerly. The wind was predicted to dissipate and the rain to increase. Both predictions were spot-on. Soon genoas were hoisted. The lead boats cracked sheets to get to the westerly winds about 30 miles offshore — Westerly, a modified SC52, led the way.

The first night was moist. Four outta five sailors surveyed agreed that the way to stay dry is by use of a credit card. Buy the best foulies you can afford. Hang them off-watch as close to the engine box or other source of heat as you can find.

Match-racing action on March 5, with StFYC's J/22s provided for the second stop in the 2023 California Dreamin' series. Saturday's blustery rain gave way to Sunday's beautiful, sunny, clear and breezy conditions.

sailed on February 24-26, a weekend of challenging weather. Six races were completed in no more than 8 knots, with shoreside postponements on Saturday and Sunday.

IYC ISLAND DAYS (5r, 1t)

SPINNAKER 1 — 1) Good and Plenty, Soerel 33, stis Fennell, 4 points Cassiopeia, Islander 36, Kit Wiegman, 12; 3) Tramp Boat, Farr 1020, James Dumas, 14. (8 boats)

SPINNAKER 2 — 1) Loose Cannon, J/22, ens ensen, points Faster, Faster!, Merit 25, David Ross, 7; 3) Dream Catcher, J/24, Steven Bayles, 10. (5 boats)

COLUMBIA 5.5 — 1) Carina, Scott McCoy, 5 points Maverick, Ken Bodiley, 7; 3) Rogue, Ryan Nelson, 16. (4 boats)

SANTANA 22 — 1) Anemone, Hank Lindemann, 5 points Fun, Chris Nicholas, 6; 3) Three Fisted Rat Boy, iseppe a elle, 13 5 boats)

NON-SPINNAKER or PHRF 200-300 — 1) Puff Mommy, ar or 0, isa o r, 5 points 2) Alpha, iper ne esi n, lan e ert, 1 3 Loco2, Mercury, Paul Mueller, 14. (8 boats)

Full results at www.jibeset.net

Cabo in a River

Every two years, Newport Harbor YC of fers sailors an excuse to sort out their Transpac plans by hosting a race to Cabo San Lucas on the tip of Baja. This year, the sun-kissed downwind slide along the coast was a li'l different. Enter the Atmospheric River — what used to be called a Pineapple Express.

Putting their bows on the line were 31 vessels, from Rio100 to the Farr 39 White

Fog rolled in on Day 2, and discussions with commercial traffic and AIS were key to safe pilotage. The wind for the lead Day 1 starters clocked from 305° to 330° true. Most vessels jibed back and forth, tempted to test for compression along the shore, knowing there was more velocity out west, while trying to minimize miles sailed.

The rain came in squalls now. Sunfish, whales, porpoises, seals and turtles welcomed us to the fun side of President Trump's Wall.

After a full day of drifting and chasing zephyrs, the Day 2 starters began their charge to the front. Most of these vessels can equal the wind speed with boat speed to about 10 knots. The two MOD70s go more like three times wind speed.

Life aboard turns into watch on and watch off after about three days. The modern navigation computers keep the driver struggling to stick to 90% VMG. The winches keep spinning to catch waves, and finally the sou'westers were traded for sunglasses.

The virtual finish line is well of fshore where two marks on land align. Usually it's best not to be there in the morning when the winds are light, but you don't necessarily get to choose. Rio100 did not take the lead until the final 10 miles — the 24-year-old Westerly kept the leadbottomed money-guzzlers at bay for more than 800 miles. Find full results at www. nhyc.org

— andy schwenk

Race Notes

The Etchells Midwinters Championships on Biscayne Bay in Florida were

With stiff competition, the most consistent team of the season, who had been a bridesmaid on the podium all year, earned the overall series trophy for the second year in a row: Bay Area sailor Jim Cunningham's Lifted. His SFYC/ NYYC team included Steve Hunt, Erik Shampain and Serena Vilage.

The Lifted team followed that up with one better when 46 Etchells took to Biscayne Bay for the Coral Reef Cup, which served as the class's North Americans, on March 17-19. Cunningham climbed to the top of the results to became the 2023 North American champion.

Melissa Litwicki, Jasper and Robin Van Vliet, William Pochevera and Anthony Jacuzzi — all active members of the San Francisco J/24 fleet — went to Melbourne, Florida, to race in the 2023 J/24 Midwinters, hosted by Eau Gallie YC on February 24-26. "We placed 10th overall (out of 28) and fourth in the Corinthian class," reports Melissa. "The conditions were light in the morning but filled in nicely as the day went on, and it was a real treat to be spending the end of February in flip-flops weather while the Bay Area was getting battered with winter storms."

Nicole Breault and her Vela Racing crew of Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer, Karen Loutzenheiser and Maggie Bacon topped seven other teams on March 4-5 to claim the second California Dreamin' match racing stop in San Francisco. The circuit will conclude at Long Beach YC on April 1-2, sailing in Catalina 37s.

The Pacific Cup has announced a new Bobbi Tosse Trophy, to be awarded to a boat racing under PHRF.

— latitude / chris

WHATEVER IT TAKES.

SAN DIEGO

2832 Cañon St, San Diego 619.226.2422

sandiego@quantumsails.com

SAN FRANCISCO

1230 Brickyard Cove Rd, #200, Pt. Richmond 510.234.4334

pacific@quantumsails.com

LONG BEACH

5122 Bolsa Ave #110, Huntington Beach 562.799.7444

nwheatley@quantumsails.com

BEACON MARINE 3695 Harbor Blvd, Ste 305, Ventura 805.232.1513

splomteaux@quantumsails.com

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Art by Carol Alban Graphics by Pirates Lair

This month we hear from Art Hartinger, of Pied-a-Mer in Jack London Square, on chartering a 41-ft Beneteau Oceanis from Barefoot Yacht Charters, and exploring St. Vincent, Mustique, Tobago Cays and Bequia

A Brief Charter in the Windwards

Before spending a week in Bequia (on land), my wife, Yumi Wilson, and I decided to sail for five days. Along with our very dear friends from Minnesota, Charlie and Susan Oltman, we chose a 41-ft Beneteau Oceanis, Lady Di, from Barefoot Yacht Charters in St. Vincent.

Our taxi driver met us at the airport with a sign with my name on it, and after a curvy up-and-down 20-minute ride, we landed at Barefoot Charters' base. Lady Di was on a ball, and I ferried over the luggage while the crew hung out with rum punches. Uh oh, this boat was old and a bit stinky. The cabinets and doors did not close. No wheel lock. The provisioning was on board with cardboard boxes. (Yo! Never have cardboard on your boat in the Caribbean, unless you really like cockroaches.) More later on the boat… Oh well, we would make the best of it.

The staf f at Barefoot are all very nice and fun. After a good dinner at the base restaurant, we headed back to the boat to settle in for the evening. This was the first of rolly anchorages everywhere we went, thanks to a northern swell that persisted throughout the voyage.

The checkout procedure at Barefoot was somewhat time-consuming. The boat checkout with Chalkie was very good and brief. Chalkie was somewhat

apologetic about the condition of the boat. The chart briefing, however, was interminable — I think the longest chart briefing I have ever had on any of my many charters. Twenty minutes into the briefing, Philip was still talking about the SVG buoyage system, tides, currents and sail tactics. I don't think he cared that I had sailed these islands more than a dozen times. An hour and a half later, we were released.

We managed to shove off by noon. Barefoot does not let you take the boat out from the ball — instead, they put a couple of guys on the boat who piloted us through a shallow area, put the main up, and said "goodbye" as they climbed into a dinghy and motored away.

The sail to Mustique is only 15 miles, but the seas were lumpy, with 20 knots of wind on a new (to us) boat. We left Bequia to starboard and set a course to Britannia Bay. Uh oh, no nav data except depth. What, no Autohelm? This was the first charter I think I've ever had with no Autohelm.

We met Slick, who runs the mooring field in Mustique, and he put us on a three-night-minimum ball for $220 EC (approximately US$81). This anchorage was still rolly, but much better than the one in Calliaqua Bay, St. Vincent. There were very few boats, and we organized

ALL PHOTOS ART HARTINGER EXCEPT WHERE NOTED

ourselves and went swimming before heading onshore to Basil's Bar.

I have been negative about Mustique in the past, as it is often on "lockdown" for the private celebrity islanders, with strangely entitled 20-somethings at Basil's. But the island was great this time, and we ended up spending two nights. I really recommend The View restaurant, walkable from Basil's (15 minutes to the village). And of course, you must have a cocktail at Basil's. (Basil sold his place a few years ago to the Mustique Company, which manages the island.)

We took a fun taxi tour around the island, and our driver pointed out celebrity homes and various landmarks. Back on the boat, the snorkeling just off Lady Di's stern was solid. We ended up eating dinner at The View two nights in a row, and it was great to see Lisa — the owner who cooked a wedding lunch for us back in January 2020.

The sail to Tobago Cays was in lumpy seas and DDW, 20 miles in 20 knots of wind. Did I mention no Authohelm? Also, no Windex, and a bimini with no window, making it impossible to see the main while at the helm. And no flying fish either. I think this was the first time I have not seen one flying fish on a charter down here. We made it to the Cays, and Carlos put us on a ball and

Below, left: The crew of Yumi Wilson, Art Hartinger, and Susan and Charlie Oltman went barefoot in the Grenadines. Right: Art getting the boat settled in the anchorage at Mustique.

YUMI WILSON

talked us into a fish dinner on shore. We moored up and on the outside at Baradal Island, and it was not crowded. We soon saw many turtles swimming around us, as well as a ray, in this beautiful corner of the world.

Carlos came in his boat to pick us up for dinner onshore. I do think these

dinners are worth it, and a number of locals rely on this income. A fish dinner, with rice, veggies and salad is about $90 EC ($33 US). (You can also get lobster or chicken.) They have a cooking camp on the beach with a dozen or so picnic tables, with each area run by a different family. Crews from all over the place on

different boats at the Cays were having dinner.

The next day, we motored over to Salt Whistle Bay, where we again took a ball. (Given the number of broken and dysfunctional stuff on the boat, we were more than happy to avoid our ground tackle and windlass.) Salt Whistle is a

Below, left: It was a picture-perfect anchorage in Mustique. Right: Yumi at the helm for the crossing to Mustique.

Art (pictured) and crew took the hike to the top of Ma Peggy, overlooking Admiralty Bay in Bequia.

WORLD OF CHARTERING

beautiful little bay with some bar shacks. We wandered into one showing the final of the World Cup. The bar was filled with French, and I asked one guy wearing a hat with a salvage logo, "Hey, any luck salvaging anything?" He answered, "I am French." I wish I had a good comeback for that. I think the locals were all rooting for Argentina, and so was I. (And yes, Argentina won!)

We arranged for a taxi to go up the hill and visit Robert Righteous (Robert Righteous & De Youths Seafood

Restaurant & Bar). He was there and treated us to his secret "special" rum drink and some drumming in his new penthouse deck that he is building and constantly improving. It is always good to see this man.

We departed the next day for Bequia at 0645, and enjoyed our best sail of the trip. It was 20+ knots, so I doublereefed, and we settled in for a singletack, close-hauled, to Admiralty Bay. I love this place, and it was good to be back. Dede on Blessing came out and

put us on a ball close to the Gingerbread Hotel, where we planned to stay for over a week. Chalkie was there at the Frangipani waiting to take the boat back, and we said goodbye over a rum punch.

Bequia offered up its usual fun. Hiking with the Bushman (Brent Gooding) up Ma Peggy; eating lobster salad at De Reef in Lower Bay; hanging at Princess Margaret's Beach, at Fay's; enjoying lobster pizza at Mac's. We love Bequia and will return.

— art hartinger

Above, left to right Susan and harlie loved the fsh in the obago a s ushman rent ooding was the guide for the hike up a Pegg on e uia Serving three meals a da , a 's each ar is a favorite on Princess argaret each in e uia

YUMI WILSON

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CHANGES

With reports this month on Silver Lining's clever methodology for identifying and fixing problems; Azimuth's passage through Panama and baptism into Caribbean cruising; OutRun's ideas for how to integrate working remotely into the cruising lifestyle; Magnum's return to cruising after a long hiatus; a few more updates from 2022 contributors in our annual Where Are They Now? feature — and a forepeak full of Cruise Notes

Silver Linings — Jeanneau 45.2 Mark LaFevers

The Big Three

Oxnard

Silver Linings returned to Channel Islands Harbor in late December, after her third Baja-Ha-Ha-and-beyond adventure. We were very happy once again with the experience, and happier still to have no big mechanical issues to contend with. We attribute this at least in part to paying attention during radio communications with other boats having mechanical issues, some of which had also tripped us up in the past. Here's a quick review of the "big three" — fuel, electrical and night sailing — and the fixes we used to prevent trouble this time around.

Fuel

For our first Ha-Ha in 2019, just months after purchasing our 18-year-old boat, we managed to slam just enough repairs and upgrades together to feel confident enough to go, knowing issues would develop underway. The big one on that trip was fuel related. We were fine until deep following seas kicked up by Tropical Storm Raymond got us hobby horsing hard enough to dislodge blobs of algae that had been stuck to the bottom of the tank. As we quickly learned, any debris in the fuel tank larger than the intake tube

will eventually get sucked into it, blocking the flow and causing the engine to stall. If the debris makes it through the intake, enough of it will eventually clog the fuel filter, with the same result.

That was the bad news. The worse news was that we didn't have access ports in the top of the tank, so there was no way to remove the culprit(s), and they were too big to get to the filter where cleanout would be easy. One skipper on the '22 Rally solved this same problem by using a jerry can as his fuel tank — a better option than risking sudden shutdown at the most inopportune time. Our issue in 2019 happened as we were leaving Cabo for the bash back. We just lived with intermittent engine shutdowns until returning to home port. Once there, our long-term fix involved:

1. Installing inspection ports in the top of the aluminum tank, which allows easy access to mop the tank clean. SeaBuilt makes ports with gaskets that anyone with reasonable skills can install. (Note that fuel polishing can pick up floating debris, but may miss debris stuck to the tank walls and bottom.)

2 . Installing a second Racor filter, plumbed to a second pickup tube already installed in the tank, and valving them to be able to isolate and change filters on the fly. It's possible to pick up a load of dirty fuel anywhere; this eliminates that worry because I can switch to the second filter if the first one loads up and the engine starts starving for fuel.

3. Installing a remote filter vacuum gauge in a location where it can be easily monitored underway. This lets me keep an eye on any restriction developing at the fuel filter, warning of an approaching "no run" situation. It also lets me run filters longer, until they actually need changing, not just timed out on a preventive maintenance schedule.

4. Installing an on board fuel-polishing system lets me remove debris from the tank without opening the access ports. Using the two top access ports to add 1-inch suction and return lines, fuel is drawn through a clear Goldenrod filter body by a 13-gpm diesel transfer pump. Running it for a few minutes occasionally

lets me visually check that no debris is being caught by the screen, and if there is, it can easily be removed by cleaning the filter bowl during a cruise, not left for another project upon returning to port.

Electrical

Electrical issues are the second big concern we had. One Rally boat suffered the extreme end of that spectrum as their alternator caught fire when it overloaded trying to catch up to an overnight battery drain.

Cruising loads on the electrical system, particularly if you have batteries that will tolerate a very high rate of charge, make demands that an OEM (original equipment) alternator will not be happy trying to meet. Most OEM alternators are really designed to charge a single starting battery

ALL PHOTOS SILVER LININGS EXCEPT AS NOTED SILVER LININGS

Mark learned from other HaHa boats how to identify potential problems on 'Silver Linings'.

Mark and several of his crew are avid divers. One of the coolest dives they did was on this shallowwater wreck off Isla Carmen.

SILVER LININGS

with brief loads. The smell of hot varnish should not be your first indication of an imbalance.

We addressed this issue by:

1. Upgrading to a Balmar alternator matched to our electical needs, and a Balmar Smart Voltage Regulator. The alternator is a marine-grade unit designed to carry extended heavy loads. The regulator, which is programmable, has a temperature sensor that tells the alternator to dial back the output when it gets hot. However, it does not display the alternator temperature where it can be monitored. My training as a heavy-equipment operator makes me twitch when I don't

IN LATITUDES

the chances of smacking into something unseen were small — but not zero. Needing to get into an anchorage in low visibility, past all the trap buoys and kelp mats you can see during the day, but can't at night, is another thrill I can live without.

We helped ease our minds in both scenarios by installing a FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) camera that displays a black-and-white image on the chartplotter. This technology allows us to see what's in front of us even on pitch-black, moonless nights. Used in conjunction with radar, depth and chart displays — and old-fashioned paying attention — it has helped ease us into anchorages where not all boats were lit. Even in open stretches of water, glancing at the screen and seeing only uniform waves is reassuring, dispelling imaginary shipping containers bobbing just out of sight in your mind's eye.

I opted to mount it on the bow so that it wasn't obstructed by sails. (Mounting it high on the mast might have dif ferent benefits.) As installed, it sees boats on the horizon at 600 yards. Buoys show up as bright white. On the bash back home, motoring along an open stretch of water 10 miles off Mag Bay at 4 a.m. on a moonless night, I was awakened by the engine being throttled back to idle. I came up on deck to see why. "Whales!" our attentive helmswoman said. "Two spouts and a third whale right in front of us!" Not a chance we would have seen them without the FLIR, even with very attentive crew.

have enough information displayed to control loads safely, so…

2 . Blue Sea Systems makes a mini OLED temperature gauge and sender that's handy for a lot of things. Mounting the sensor on the alternator body and the gauge at the nav station lets me monitor how hard the alternator is working by its displayed temperature, for both better understanding and control.

3. Installing a Balmar serpentine belt conversion kit. This ensures that the heavier loads their alternator can carry won't be drawing more horsepower from the engine than a V-belt can transfer.

Night Cruising

Cruising at night in a big, open ocean can be nerve-racking. Like all sailors, I would constantly reassure myself that

We still carry spotlights, but the FLIR offers a higher constant level of awareness of what's directly ahead on the surface at night. We had occasion on this trip to travel at night in the rain, and the camera can't image in those conditions, but I'm happy to have its help in the environments it can see in. It helps make planning cruises that include night sailing seem less daunting. I expect this item may come into wider use in the cruising community because we all love our sleep.

— Mark 2/24/23

Readers — Mark has no connection or financial arrangements with any of the items or companies noted in this article.

Azimuth

— Pearson 365

Ashley and Scott Racette Writing Plans in the Sand

Oakland/Richmond (VA)

We last chimed into Changes from Bocas del Toro, Panama, in August 2022. My crew — cat Cypress and husband Scott — had spent the previous year sailing south from California to Panama with stops in

Above: 'Silver Linings' underway. Left: The FLIR readout (lower right corner of screen) can "see" at night. Upper left: The FLIR mount on 'Silver Linings'. Top: Sailing into a "rave" of dolphins.

WILLIAM PRYOR

CHANGES

Baja, mainland Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica. After transiting the Canal, we spent hurricane season volunteering and

Today, Portobelo is a small town with restaurants, a neat cafe, and immigration offices. Our guidebook said there is never a westerly wind, but we experienced some pretty choppy conditions from that only unprotected direction. The book also said this is one of the rainiest ports in the world and that many cruisers sail here intentionally to fill their water tanks. We had pickled our watermaker months back because the 140+ inches of annual rainfall was more than enough. Of course, while we were there, it never rained. I had to paddle to shore for a few bottles to top us up.

expanding our maintenance skills at an off-grid eco-retreat called CocoVivo. This pause allowed us to take in the incredible jungle surroundings, practice Spanish, and exhale a bit after crushing some serious miles the previous season. The bioluminessence, poison dart frogs, howler monkeys, and tropical fruits were all rewards for taking the leap on a big trip like this.

History has loomed large for much of our travels, and was getting larger as we got into the more well-documented waters of the Caribbean.

From Bocas, we sailed to the notorious Portobelo anchorage, just outside Colon and the Caribbean approach to the Canal. Christopher Columbus anchored there in 1502, and the majority of the gold taken from the Americas passed through this port. Sir Francis Drake met his end there (from dysentery) and has long been rumored to be buried at sea somewhere in the nearby waters.

Yes, there are still uncrowded anchorages out there. That little white dot is 'Azimuth' in a hurricane hole in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Then we headed to the most char ming marina on our route, Turtle Cay. We docked for $10/day for several weeks to catch up on deferred maintenance and freelance work, while charting our next course. We had planned to cross the Caribbean in November, but started to second-guess getting to the US during northerly winds and colder temperatures. After

more time with guidebooks and talking with seasoned cruisers at Turtle Cay, we decided to delay our crossing until the next switch in seasons. This would give us time to enjoy the San Blas Islands and add some easting to the schedule by sailing to Cartagena, Colombia.

One of the remarkable things about ocean voyaging is how some plans just drop into place. As soon as the idea surfaced, it felt like a weight off our shoulders. We invited a few friends to join us in exploring the San Blas and spent two months island-hopping. The waters are as beautiful as everyone says, and there's much to be learned from the way the Guna Yala Indigenous people have maintained their environment and sovereignty over the ages. When the Christmas trade winds started to threaten, we got in touch

with famed weather router Chris Parker and his team. We had less-than-optimal windows to choose from and finally took the lesser of the evils to bash to Cartagena. The waves were steep and short, very different from the slow roll of the Pacific. We tend to have strong stomachs, but both were feeling mareado (dizzy), as they say in Spanish.

I woke up tired for the changing of the watch, but was jarred to instant attention when I saw what every sailor fears: water over the floorboards! Our bilge float switch had broken, and there was a large volume of seawater entering the boat. We took turns holding the bilge pump switch, looking for the leak, and tossing our crackers over the rail until one of us grabbed the duct tape to hold the switch. We were relieved to see the pump overtaking the leak.

It took a while, but we finally found

AZIMUTH

AZIMUTH

Scott and Ashley's cruise is a one-way trip (with lots of stops) from Sausalito to the Chesapeake.

the source. Like a number of other boats, our deck drains run through the hull — via a short length of hose — before exiting at the waterline. Our starboard side thru-hull is located behind cabinetry and under the pilot berth, which made it the most difficult to install during our DIY haulout at Spaulding Marine in 2021. Of course, that's the one that was leaking. One of the double-clamped hose ends had jiggled off after 7,000 miles of ocean sailing and was adding water whenever it dipped below the waterline. We hove to 40 miles offshore, and after much fussing with the hose, pounded two teak bungs in place. I had to get my torso into the cabinet and used a conveniently located rolling pin to assist in setting the bungs. With that behind us, the rest of the 300-mile

crossing was an endurance event. We were relieved to see the city skyline after a day of rest at a nearby island.

Our time in Cartagena, a city of 1.2 million people, has been good practice for living back in civilization after eight months of remote jungles and islands.

I dare to share our next moves, even if they are written in sand. We cast off to the Yucatan in mid-March and aim to arrive in the Chesapeake well before the next hurricanes begin rolling in.

— Ashley 3/1/23

cloudsformoverland.substack.com

Readers — Ashley and Scott's final destination is Chesapeake Bay, which will become Azimuth's new homeport. The couple will settle on land in Richmond, Virginia. "We've loved living aboard for nearly seven

years, but look forward to spreading out a bit and living closer to many loved ones," says Ashley.

OutRun — Ericson 36C

Shane Engelman and Karina Durand Working Remotely

Berkeley

Not so long ago, most cruisers didn't have to work to enjoy the lifestyle. Many were retirees who had saved or invested enough to get along just fine on yearslong cruises. Others were lucky or savvy enough that they could afford to take long sabbaticals away from their respective careers.

The world has changed quickly since then. Thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, working remotely has gone from a niche idea to the forefront of how business gets done these days. The trend has extended to cruising. It's now easier than ever for younger cruisers to earn a living away from land. Like me, most are

Above: Cypress the cat on anchor watch in Portobelo. Left: 'Azimuth' underway. Center left: San Blas locals enjoying the breeze. Top: One of 360 islands in the San Blas group. Top right: The sightseeing below the surface was often more spectacular than above.

ALL PHOTOS AZIMUTH

Karina and Shane traded in sail power for horsepower at El Tecolote Beach in Baja.

happy to trade some time to live the cruising lifestyle.

Here's a look at how I did it. Maybe you can take something from my experience and apply it to your situation. I should point out right off the bat that I do have college degrees, but none of them have anything to do with software, and neither do my past lives. (Among other career moves, I used to be a cop.) I firmly believe almost anyone can make the transition with the right motivation and catalyst.

While going to school in Florida, I found a "hackerspace" — a place where people in the tech industry meet to work and share information — where they were willing to teach people various coding languages, with the only "payment" being that I would teach others once I had the skills. All I had to do was ask, and mentors relentlessly helped me meet my goals, which involved learning code.

After spending only three months absorbing all of the information these "hackers" (in this sense, good guys who taught others how to do stuff on the computer) had to share, I had learned enough of the Python programming language to almost know what I was doing. Two days after I graduated with a master's degree in game design in 2015, I flew west and moved onto my friend's air mattress in an old building in the Tenderloin. With my limited experience and completely irrelevant resume, at 27, I landed a six-figure job after only a few days of looking.

I bought OutRun after working in San Francisco for about a year, with the dream of eventually taking my skills out to sea. It wouldn't be until 2019 that I was able to transition from my office job to fully remote on the boat.

Once you find that level of independence from the office, the next step is networking — getting more or less regular access to the internet wherever you are in the world.

At the moment, Starlink is by far the best way to stay connected when you're anywhere "near" land. Even with the degraded performance in busy places like California or Florida, it just works, with a price that's comparable to any standard home network plan.

The 'C' in Ericson 36C stands for "cruising." Though sometimes confused with a "regular" ricson , the clipper bows, semi ush deck and stern-hung rudders of the 36Cs resulted in a unique look that can't be confused with any other boat. Ericson built 66 of them in the mid-'70s, and they still make great cruising boats.

Cellular plans are also good, but have their limits. They often have data caps and intermittent performance, so should only be considered a backup method for conducting work.

If you're starting from the US and plan to be there for a majority of your time, Google Fi can be an excellent option. The rates are extremely favorable, there are no contracts, and it can connect to more than just one provider's cell towers. However, after about five months of continuous time out of the country, they will cut off your data (but your phone calls and SMS will still work just fine).

Sometimes, the main challenge is just finding a place with reliable Wi-Fi. Then, when you finally find the only coffee shop that has it, while you're sipping your latte (assuming you drink coffee; I don't), trying to communicate with your team over a video call — prepare to be interrupted by roosters, dogs, goats, motorcycles, people "singing" in the streets, and other unspeakable sounds that you'll only discover whenever it's time for you to hit "unmute" during your keynote presentation.

Maybe it's not just you gallivanting about the globe. If you have a travel partner of any sort and you've both got work schedules, that's when some of the real complication sets in. Unless you have a large yacht (I don't), options are limited if you have calls at the same time. OutRun has two cabins, a main salon, and a cockpit, and so far, that's worked out OK for me and my partner, Karina, who also works remotely. Thankfully, technology has advanced to the point you can diffuse background noise at the click of a button.

Once you have the skills and that sweet, sweet inter net connection, the main key to making remote work work is time management. Back in my old nine-to-five life, I had to show up at the office and stay until my conscience was overwritten by my desire to escape. Thankfully, in the tech sector, you're often not measured strictly by hours spent in a chair. But on a boat, this also means compromises must be made. Maybe you're not going to be able to see that cool island as you hoped, because there's a workshop at headquarters and you must "be" there. You might have to let a favorable weather window close because you have to stay where you are until business is done. Or, you might have to take a crummy weather window to get to the next safe harbor in time to make sure the boss stays happy.

It's all about whether you can deliver. On the other side of the coin, if you can

Shane and Karina are working — and sailing — for a living.

get your expected workload completed earlier than it's due, don't feel bad — take advantage!

And of course, writing code is not the only path to working remotely. Creative occupations like writing, graphic design, and even customer support are all fair game. (YouTube channels count, too.)

The good news — the best news — of all this is that you can head out and enjoy the many benefits of cruising well before "retirement age." And if you're already retired, there are plenty of ways for you to earn a few extra bucks, too.

So, those are the basics. There's a lot I haven't touched on, such as power requirements, transport to land, and precise costs of services used. For anyone interested, I have more on those details at my blog, blog.runninginthenight.com.

Join us on the water! You can do it, I promise!

— Shane 3/1/23

Magnum — Peterson 44

Anne Crowley and Uwe Dobers

There and Back Again

Emeryville

After all these years, we still have Magnum and are still having adventures. This time last year, I singlehanded Magnum back home to San Francisco from the Pacific Northwest, having spent summer 2021 cruising the San Juan Islands and a bit of Canada.

The plan was to sail south to Mexico and possibly west and beyond, in a pattern much the same as we did in our original circumnavigation in 2006 with our then 4-year-old daughter, Kara. (Kara is now 20 and in college and Anne is still working, albeit in a job that offers her some flexibility to commute back and forth.) But since it was already too late in the year to sail south, we decided to remain in the Bay Area.

As spring 2022 approached, I sailed solo under the Gate but didn't get very far, as I noticed brown liquid in the bilge and a very hot propeller shaft — a re-entry to the woes of the cruising life. I was towed back against the current. The leak turned out to be a leaking reserve tank, not engine oil as I had thought, since there was no diesel smell. The shaft issue was the wrong size gland packing.

The next weather window was short, with a destination of Monterey. After that, a break in Anne's work schedule allowed her to jump on and sail with me to Santa Barbara. Her addition brought better luck, as the conditions were smooth as far as Point Conception, but after rounding we had 30 knots, eventually arriving in darkness in Santa Barbara.

We always enjoy spending time in this environment, especially with our brandnew fold-up bikes on board — thanks to more storage, since Kara is no longer on board fulltime. We then continued on to Oxnard, where we watched a sailboat limp in after shredding the mainsail the night before in the Channel Islands. Anne hopped off at Marina del Rey and I continued to San Diego; the weather by now was the typical June gloom that hovers over Southern California in the spring.

San Diego has some public slips, which means it's open to all members of the public. This situation attracts the homeless, with the result that showers were closed due to continued destruction and abuse. There was even a shootout in front of the marina that closed the road for a while. By this time, I encountered boats that had bashed up from Baja, and again it seemed too late to continue farther south. When you are retired, time takes on a whole different meaning.

previous year, we opted to drop anchor in Coches Prietos at Santa Cruz Island in calm conditions.

Anne flew out again from Marina del Rey and I dropped Magnum at Long Beach and returned for Thanksgiving.

In mid-December, I attempted to solo-sail the boat down to Mazatlán before Christmas, but the weather didn't cooperate and I made it only to Ensenada and flew back for Christmas. One storm after another closed weather windows to sail farther south until, finally, in late January,

I tur ned north and had the pleasure of both Anne and Kara (in between a priority visit to her boyfriend) joining me for a few days. These days were nice, easy sails, back to days of old when it was just the three of us, relaxing with good food and cold beer.

From Santa Barbara, it was mostly motoring until Half Moon Bay and finally back to our homeport of Emeryville to our old slip. The rest of the summer was filled with a European visit by plane. September and October consisted of boat repairs and improvements.

In early November, during Anne's next chunk of free time, we set off south again nonstop to Santa Barbara. In the clear water of the marina, the prop was plainly visible — as was the fact that the zinc that had been replaced only five days before was now completely gone, though the bolt remained, in perfect condition. Oddly enough, another boat in the marina reported the same strangeness.

After missing the Channel Islands the

Anne and I took off from Ensenada and sailed nonstop to Bahia Asuncion, then to Mag Bay, and on to Mazatlán. We hung out there for 10 days, took a plane trip to Mexico City, and then continued south. We took our time, spending some nice days at anchor in Chacala, finally arriving in La Cruz Marina, where we are now.

Things are quite different from 11 years ago. One of the good changes is that we now have the Iridium phone with PredictWind weather program. (We couldn't help noting that so many boats now have Starlink.) We ended up hiring someone to deal with our expired TIP that we never canceled when we left Mexico back in 2007 — $1,000 later, we were good to go!

Anne has now returned to work, and I'm getting prepared to cross the Pacific, solo, in April. But first I must replace the failing transmission. It's unavailable here at La Cruz, so next on the list is a quick flight back home to buy a new one and bring it back.

— Uwe 11/30/22

Anne, Kara, Uwe and 'Magnum' (below) — still sailing after all these years.

MAGNUM

CHANGES

Where Are They Now?

Over the past few months, we've been checking in with 2022 contributors to see what they're up to — lo, these many months later. Here are our final catchups with some well-traveled folks.

Carodon crew is back in Sausalito for now with high hopes for cruising again in 2023," writes Heather Richard of the old 43-ft IOR sloop that she, sons Sawyer and Julius, and two crew sailed south to Ensenada last winter — with an extended stop at the Channel Islands.

"My crew for that trip, Catie Barr, is starting grad school, and Jack McDonnell is back to his diving business and playing occasional gigs with his surf-rock band. All the kids are fully engaged in landbased education for the year, so cruising plans seem to hinge upon school breaks for the near future. A summer passage to Hawaii might be the next big move!

"My oldest, Ava (who joined the boat at the end of winter), is taking classes at College of Marin; giving skateboard lessons; diving local jobs around our harbor; and volunteering her culinary skills cooking weekly meals for the growing homeless

population around People's Park in Berkeley. Her path ahead in life is still undecided, but she is talented at whatever she puts her effort into, so I will call it a win for having been mostly boatschooled.

"My middle son is sailing with his high school team, chose an e-bike over a car upon tur ning 16, and spent the summer teaching youth sailing and boatbuilding

at the Spaulding Center. He saved all his summer earnings to purchase a really sweet little Flicka 20, Whisper, from our friends Garrett and Ruth in order to do his own cruising in the near future. Next time we sail to the Channel Islands, we may be buddy boating our way south!

"His little bro can't wait to get back to the Islands and Mexico, and is working on both his Spanish and his sailing skills so he will be ready to take over as my first mate if the big siblings decide to sail on their own next year.

"I am definitely itching to get back out there traveling full time again, but staying close to home for the kids' education is allowing me to put a lot of work into Carodon and put some time into local nonprofits that I care about, like the Spaulding Center (as a board member), and Call of the Sea (as a captain and educator).

"And after learning in the Islands, I got

Above: Heather's interests have taken wing. Right: Julius with his new-to-him Flicka 20.

PHOTOS CARODON

bit really hard by that wing-foiling bug, so nearly every spare moment has been spent learning to fly over the water. Future cruising plans will definitely include a huge allowance of space on Carodon to carry winging gear from now on. I heard the winging is epic in Maui…"

their kids on the SoCal-based Aleutian 51 ketch Tulum V — whom regular readers may remember best as "the boat with the Great Dane" — the summer of '22 meant transiting the Panama Canal and starting the next phase of their long cruise in a whole new sea. On the way there, "The beautiful anchorages did not disappoint," says Chad. "From isolated islands such as Gamez and Canal de Afuera to the protected bays of Boca Chica and Bahia Honda, this run offered incredible diversity in landscapes and experiences. Traveling late in the season definitely amplified the feeling of the 'road less traveled' and gave us a glimpse of wild, untouched Panama."

When transit day finally arrived, they were underway by 0400 to pick up their advisor and raft up with fellow cruisers Kyrie and Soulmate to enter the

Miraflores locks. "Fifteen hours later, the final gate on the Gatun lock opened and the might of the Caribbean winds and rain came barreling through, on our nose, as if to cordially welcome us to the other side," says Chad. "Once the weather settled, we were truly amazed at the difference in tidal shift and lack of surge after seven years of sailing in the Pacific!

"I'd hoped to finish this off with more sailing adventures in the Caribbean, but

alas, the only ones sailing are the girls in their small-boat sailing class! We've been undergoing some extensive boat projects here in Shelter Bay Marina and have traded our adventures on the sea for those here on land. From a lush tropical forest filled with wildlife, to old military batteries completely engulfed by the jungle, to remnants of 17th century forts built to protect the trade routes of the Spanish empire, we have plenty to explore on shore in beautiful Panama!"

www.LiveFree2SailFast.com

Cruise Notes

dreaming of cruising in our retirement," writes Rob Simonds of the Richmondbased Catalina 34 Salt Whistle. "'That couple is doing it, why not us?', we'd ask ourselves. As retirement approached, our question became, 'If not now, when?'" So in May last year, Rob and Dawn Wilson signed up for the Baja Ha-Ha and busily began preparations for their adventure.

Preparations weren't trivial, he says: Salt Whistle is a veteran Bay sailer, but had rarely ventured out beyond the Gate.

The Top TEN Reasons For Doing The 29th Annual Baja Ha-Ha!

More than 3,000 boats and 10,000 sailors have done the 750-mile cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Here are some of the main reasons. 1) It’s really, really fun. 2) Superb safety record. 3) You get a Ha-Ha backpack filled with swag at the Halloween costume kick-off party. 4) To a great extent there is safety and shared knowledge in numbers. 5) Daily roll call, professional weather forecast, and net.

6) Six social events in which to make lifelong cruising friends. 7) You’ll be featured in the Ha-Ha bio book.

8) Experienced leadership. Collectively, the three event leaders have transited the Baja coast more than 80 times.

9) Ha-Ha discounts can easily exceed the entry fee.

10) It gives you compelling deadline to leave the dock. And Bonus Reason #11, most cited by past participants, all the new cruising friends you’ll make.

THE HA-HA

RUNS

FROM OCTOBER 30 TO NOVEMBER 11 REGISTER AT WWW.BAJA-HAHA.COM STARTING AT NOON ON MAY 9.

'Tulum V's Chad, Kellyn, Teagan and Michelle French at Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal.

TULUM

CHANGES

With preparations nearly complete — "Are boat projects ever truly done?" — the couple left the Bay on October 13 for the run down the coast to San Diego. "And magical it was — whales, dolphins, sea otters, dreamy overnight sails. . . ."

"Participating in the 28th Ha-Ha was a great way to break into the cruising life. Surrounded by experienced cruisers, the fleet offers support of all kinds. And we're especially grateful for the lifelong friends we've met." Since leaving Cabo in early November, Salt Whistle has been buddy boating with dear friends Tim and Gretchen on the San Diego-based Catalina 42 Felicita

"We write this from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, a charming town on Banderas Bay offering a lively music scene. Our journey here has taken us from Cabo to La Paz, where we briefly explored Islas Partida and Espiritu Santo. Sailing across the Sea of Cortez for 26 hours on a sporty beam reach landed us in Mazatlán for 10 days. Then south to Chacala, a quaint beach village offering great jungle hikes and a picture-postcard anchorage."

From La Cruz, Salt Whistle will make its way south to Barra de Navidad before turning north to fully explore the Sea of Cortez as the waters warm and northers fade in late spring.

"Joining the Ha-Ha put a stake in the ground for us to make the journey sooner than we might have, a decision we haven't once questioned. The Mexican people are welcoming and helpful; the food fresh, delicious, and plentiful; provisioning easy and reasonably priced. Joining the Ha-Ha and cruising these waters has been the ideal way to make our retirement dream a reality."

up for the 25th edition of the Pacific Puddle Jump rally, which takes off from

pretty much any port on the west coast of the Americas, and ends, for most boats, three to four weeks later in French Polynesia. There is no set start date — participants take off anytime between January and July, with most departing from Panama or Banderas Bay. As of mid-March, just three boats had departed and only two had made landfall: Sam Whitmore's Los Angeles-based Transpac 49 Havili, which departed from Ventura on February 4 (luckily just before the state got pounded by a series of storms); and Marc and Andy Johnson's Rhode Island-based St. Francis 50 Side Two, which left Ecuador on January 15. The majority of the fleet should be underway, or close to it, by the time this issue hits the streets. (www. pacificpuddlejump.com)

bered in California for record rain, flooding and snowfall. But thanks to hundreds of cruisers on dozens of cruising boats, down Mexico way, February is long anticipated and celebrated in two communities for the sun, fun — and fundraising — that helps local kids and schools.

After years of reading about other folks doing it, Rob and awn fnall took the plunge and headed to Mexico.

SALT WHISTLE

Both the Zihuatanejo SailFest, now in its 21st year, and Cruise-In Week at Barra de Navidad, celebrating its sixth anniversary, feature a week or more of fun activities for cruisers and local communities, with proceeds going to help local schools. Here's a quick look at how it went at each event this year.

— Zihuatanejo SailFest is the abuelo ("grandaddy") of the two events, dating back to 2002 when Latitude 38 founder Richard Spindler urged a few boats to get together to raise some money "for a woman who taught Indian kids Spanish under a tree in town." The event has since taken on a life of its own. Run since 2005 by the nonprofit Por Los Ninos, this year's SailFest ran from February 12-26 and was once again a rousing success, a ton of fun, and a banner year of fundraising for local schools and schoolchildren.

While several events take place ashore (including a chili cook-off, auctions, concerts and a 5K walk/run), the "sail" part of the program includes the Parade of Sail, the Rally Round the Rock, and ongoing rides throughout the festival where

cruising boats take local folks out for day cruises, sunset cruises and even special music cruises with performing musicians aboard. This year, 29 boats took part in the Parade and Rally, giving rides to more than 750 mostly local folks. Special mention was given to the 50-ft cat Ziva, Glen Howell's Atlantic 55 Rocketeer and Kirk and Char Wagner's Sausalito-based Beneteau 393 Freedom Kirkland, for sailing with the most guests and bringing in the most money for that portion of the event.

When all was said and done, the 2023 event raised 3.7 million pesos — around $207,000.

According to Por Los Ninos, the millions of pesos raised over the lifetime of the event have been put to good use. "Since 2005, we have built 14 new schools; added hundreds of classrooms, bathrooms and kitchens to existing schools; bought textbooks and other supplies; and founded a nutrition program that feeds more than 100 kids from low-income families." They also note that about 100 students from the early years are proudly attending

FEEL THE FREEDOM

university, and many are returning to the community to give back. (www.porlosninos.com)

— The first year that Cruise-In Week at Barra de Navidad happened in 2018, only a few boats showed up. This year, from February 4-12, 32 took part in onthe-water events. Those included taking guests out on day or sunset cruises (192 folks on 21 different boats); and the Flamingo Regatta — the marks are inflatable flamingo pool toys — a fun race that this year featured Charity Palmatier of Vallarta YC leading for the first five legs — sailing a Laser! The Washington-based C&C 43 Carmanah finally passed her on the last leg to take the win.

All told, the weeklong event raised more than 550,000 pesos — almost $30,000 — which will be equally divided among six schools in Barra de Navidad. The money will be used to repair hurricane-damaged roofs, bathrooms and electricity connections; freshen weather-worn paint; and purchase capital equipment and educational materials. (For more on Cruise-In Week, check the event's site on Facebook.)

CASTING CALL CASTING CALL

Photo @joshmunoz

“I

CLASSIFIEDS CL ASSIFIEDS

Latitude

One boat per broker, per issue. Logo or Graphic $30 Additional Biz ads do not appear on website.

DINGHIES, LIFERAFTS & ROWBOATS

Fiberglass build, great boat! Trailer, sail and row kit included. $15,000 value new. $6,000. Antioch peterdragula66@gmail.com (925) 6838529

O’Day Day

Sailer. Multiple sets of sails. All the racing upgrades. Water Rat rudder. Dry-sailed in freshwater mostly at Huntington Lake, CA. $3,500 OBO. Fresno, CA ken@tkcencal.com (559) 647-4451

Brand-

n ew. Epoxy/wood construction. Arch Davis design. Includes trailer, sail, cover & oars. $10,000 OBO. Carpinteria carpdory@gmail.com (720) 250-8060

24 FEET & UNDER SAILBOATS

Your ad is live online immediately upon completion of payment. Ads automatically renew every 30 days, you can cancel anytime.

THE PRINT DEADLINE IS ALWAYS THE 15TH AT 5 P.M.

The 18-ft 10-in ‘Helen Mae’ is handmade with eight kinds of wood, fiberglass, epoxy, lots of varnish. Four-oz. tanbark sails, oars, outboard motor mount (motor not included) and custom trailer. $10,000. Sebastopol, CA jerrykermode@gmail.com (707) 824-9893 www.tinyurl.com/3vkdcfh2

With trailer, 5hp Tohatsu outboard, 3 sets of sails including spinnaker, spinnaker pole, whisker pole, anchor, and more. Standing rigging replaced last year. This boat sails regularly and is actively raced in the Bay. $1,500 OBO. Point Richmond redsmoothwater@hotmail.com (415) 271-3853

Clean daysailer. New 6hp motor. Three-year-old sails. Complete with trailer and lifting bridle. $3,000. Bodega Bay lritchey49@aol.com (408) 781-0253

Plywood Melody #8 built by Ashcroft. Paint and varnish 8/22. Ready to Sail! Call Harriet. $1,500 415-319-4445

Hess design, seaworthy rare sloop. LOA 23-ft, LWL 21-ft 10-in, beam 8-ft, draft 2-ft 8-in. Lapstrake hull, dualaxle trailer, 8hp outboard recently overhauled. Lots of sails. Good headroom. Various improvements. Downsized to smaller boat. $6,000. Phoenix, AZ (602) 938-0711

Rare West Coast Typhoon Weekender. Classic lines, great singlehander, ready to sail. Structurally solid, intact trim. New main, good jib-genoa, anchors, 250 ft chain/rode, low hrs Lehr 2.5hp short shaft, working trailer, plus gear. $6,900 OBO. Bodega Bay, CA johnjmack1@gmail.com (216) 501-3529

Hull #1109. Excellent shape. 2017 Triad trailer with spare tire. 2.3 Honda. (3) suits of North Sails. Crosssheeting cam cleats. New companion cover. Harken boat cover. J/70 spinnaker launch bag. Welded aluminum mast bunk. J/70 Third Hands with Keepers. Fresh water boat. $37,000. Sandpoint, ID rimar@turbonet.com (208) 290-6544

38’s Classy Classifieds is the place to buy or sell boats, marine gear, trailers, liferafts, boat partnerships, trades and more!

Gaff-rigged sloop, strip plank Atlantic white cedar and steam bent oak frames. Bronze fastened. Built by internationally recognized violin builder, Scott Hershey. $15,000. San Diego scarpy47@gmail.com (619) 694-7696

25 – 28 FEET SAILBOATS

A longtime PHRF racer (formerly as ‘Infidel’ and ‘Wild Irish’) of the Bay now living a more retired lifestyle. Newish sails and rebuilt 1GM with low hrs. $4,500. Treasure Island Marina krzeminski.joe@gmail.com (630) 4408287 www.tinyurl.com/2wupa8zw

Dominated its one-design fleet in Estuary the last four years. Raced successfully in South Bay. Nine sails; excellent North main and genoa, three spinnakers. New battery NS charger. Speedo, lights, tactical compasses, good canvas. Slip available to OYC member. Good title. No motor. No trailer. $2,900. Alameda keeches@gmail.com (510) 206-1760

Two mains — Doyle Dacron, one never used. Foil track headstay. #1 Pineapple carbon, #3 Pineapple carbon. Symmetrical spinnaker in great condition, and other sails. Six-hp Tohatsu recently serviced. Bottom job Micron 2019. New sail cover. Clean interior. Recently varnished deck teak and tiller. Garmin GPS, VHF/ stereo. CA registration up to date. Must sell. $10,000 OBO. San Francisco, CA tlarocca@gmail.com (347) 406-4238

November

2020 bottom and survey. 2013 new electrical system/control panel. 2000 installed Yanmar 2GM20F diesel motor. Two self-tailing winches. Was in Pittsburg till this past spring. Needs haulout again in November 2023. $12,500 OBO. Marina Village, Alameda f.j.marshall@sbcglobal.net (925) 2606429

Built in Denmark, imported 2007. Turnkey, ready to race or cruise. The perfect familyfriendly S.F. Bay boat. $24,000. SF Marina ericjkaiser@yahoo.com (415) 290-5870

PHRF racer and comfortable cruiser. Interior and exterior maintained in excellent condition by meticulous owner. Yanmar 1gm10 diesel with very low hrs. Garmin chartplotter, Raymarine VHF radio, emergency beacon and many other items. $10,000. Alameda Jnovie@aol.com (415) 271-3441

29 – 31 FEET SAILBOATS

Standard rig with wing keel, pop top and dodger. Has double lifelines, 4 Lewmar winches, with 2 that are self-tailing, and lazy jacks. 2013 Tohatsu 9.9 outboard with power start. Deck pumpout for permanently installed Thetford Porta-Potti. Interior has 2 new batteries, VHF radio, alcohol stove, Ritchie compass. and depth gauge. Hull has no blisters and is kept in fresh water. Price includes EZ Loader tandem-axle trailer. $14,500. Rio Vista, CA royarnoldcameron@yahoo.com (209) 988-0148

‘Fastlane’ sailed mostly at Huntington Lake, CA. Multiple High Sierra regatta champion. New Ullman Dacron main, used twice. Doyle spinnaker and genoa. Multiple other sails. Boat in good condition with trailer. $12,000. Fresno, CA ken@tkcencal.com

This is a very steady, solid boat for the S.F. Bay. It’s rigged for singlehanded sailing. It has a 16 hp Yanmar diesel inboard in great condition. The last survey was completed in December 2020. Please call or email with questions. Thanks, John. $6,600. Alameda jwiddess@comcast.net (209) 262-8026

#120, built locally from fiberglass at Svendsen’s in 2004. It’s race-ready with two sets of sails, dated 2018 and 2022. See more at website and join the best fleet on the Bay! $24,500 OBO. San Francisco Marina cjlars@gmail.com (207) 317-0252 www. tinyurl.com/3ujv5dx9

WATERCRAFT MOBILE MARINE PROS

Specializing in: Stem to Stern Mechanical and Electrical Repair and Installation for Most Marine Watercraft (510) 367-8537 Watercraftmobile@gmail.com

VESSEL MOVING

No ocean too big, no trip too small, no ship too large, no mast too tall. Sail or power, we move them all! When you are ready give us a call.

Professional Service • cappytom@aol.com • (206) 390-1596

One owner.

Furling jib, StackPack main, self-tailing winches, wheel steering, Yanmar diesel. Sleeps five. Head w/shower, galley sink, gas stove. Solar panel, autopilot, GPS, VHF. Six opening ports. Dinghy davits, inflatable dinghy, Honda outboard. Danforth anchor 200 ft rode, mooring line, docking lines, fenders, life jackets, full winter cover. Dishes, flatware, sheets, towels, tools, spares. Right price for someone who would love her. Email for details. $19,000. Lake Tahoe bksalesrep@gmail.com (443) 838-5370

Aldendesigned #22. Many recent updates, including major restoration 2001 and 2022. Call for recent survey, details and pics. $14,500. Sausalito pjpillsbury@icloud.com (415) 444-6180

‘En-

core’ is a beauty. Recent out-of-water survey. Check out Wooden Boat issue 12 for more build info. I would prefer that both boats go to the same buyer, but they have been apart before. By far the fastest boat I have ever sailed. Mylar main and jib, spare Mylar jib and a #3 Dacron jib. 2 spinnakers. $20,000. Treasure Island, CA sawinery2004@yahoo.com (925) 2192279

‘Legacy’ is a beauiful racing boat, and so is ‘Encore’. Want to own a pair of dueling pistols? Check out Wooden Boat issue 12 for all the details. Recent survey out of water. Send an email and I will forward it to you. $20,000. Treasure Island, CA sha32015@outlook.com (925) 219-2279

USA #1091

‘Dinner Roll’. Speed shopped hull, spare spinnaker pole, tiller and rudder. Factory recessed traveler, spinnaker and deck hardware. Four Brolga turmbuckles, Proctor mast, Burtek single-axle trailer, new bearings, tires and spare. Three mains, five jibs, 10 spinnakers. Many more extras. Call Bill. $16,900 OBO. Stockton, CA wccanepa@comcast.net (209) 570-0501 www.wccanepa@comcast.net

See the link to get info and pics. $35,000. San Rafael nomanski@gmail.com (360) 395-5120 www.tinyurl.com/mrx8whzw

Yanmar

15hp inboard (repowered), two mainsails, two jibs, roller furling, two spinnakers, two anchors, anchor locker, dinghy, swim ladder, VHF, EPIRB, depth/speed gauge, battery charger, solar panel, separate starter/house batteries, AC outlets, head, holding tank. Mexico veteran, ready to sail! $14,000. San Francisco gallagher415@gmail.com

SAILBOATS

Great

condition with recent upgrades. More photos in the online Latitude 38 classifieds. Call for details. $30,000. Delta paulasunn@gmail.com (530) 514-1584

Lightly used, always fresh water, wing keel, very clean. Low engine hours. New full batten Ullman mainsail with Dutchman, bottom job and house batteries in 2021. Whisker pole, bimini and dodger. Full winter cover. $65,000. Obexer’s, West Shore Lake Tahoe jaykniep@cs.com (530) 906-0300

One of only 3 JPKs in North America, two-yr waitlist for a new one. If you know JPKs then you know! Exceptional build & design quality. JPKs routinely place at the top of every major regatta in Europe. One of the best “do everything” boats ever. Planing hull, offshore or inshore, long-distance racing or family weekend cruising: the 1080 comes with few compromises. www.jpk.fr/en/gamme/jpk-1080/ $235,000. Sausalito jng7000@gmail.com (916) 7195225 www.tinyurl.com/4a823ebk

Well maintained 2003 Catalina 34 Mk II for sale. This boat is perfect for someone who loves to daysail on S.F. Bay, participate in club racing, or cruise down the coast of California. Main and genoa are approx 4 years old. The previous owner had installed a self-tacking jib system. The system was removed, but all hardware and 90% jib were saved and will be included. Additional spare parts $85,000 OBO. Corinthian Yacht Club kevin.roesler@gmail.com (650) 452-3846

‘Tooloco’ previously ‘Ripple’ sistership to ‘Terramoto’ is available. ‘Tooloco’ is a 35-ft ultralight water- ballasted planing machine designed by Paul Bieker, with a 40:1 sail area to displacement ratio. In the last 24 months she has been completely refit to include new: running and standing rigging, complete rewire with B&G 5000, new Quantum wardrobe, main, genoa, code 0 w/furler, J3, A1.5, A2, North main, A1,.J1, A2. New keel with cutter, rudder bearings, Awlgrip in/out+ nonskid, all deck hardware, clutches, turning blocks, lifelines, Yanmar 20GM rebuilt. Complete list available. Turnkey program. I have purchased interest in a RP 51 to campaign this year, so selling the 35. $150,000. San Diego, CA larry.andrews@unitvestinc.com (760) 805-2883

‘Anna Salen’, with a traditional galley/dinette, 2-cabin, single-head layout and a separate V-berth and aft cabin, is perfect for families and friends, with some privacy. ‘Anna Salen’s sail plan provides good performance in most wind conditions. The Ericson 34-2 is designed by Bruce King, as a racer/cruiser, with a traditional look and interior design. They have healthy sail area:displacement:ballast ratios, a moderate fin keel, and a semi-balanced shallow spade rudder; combined, they make ‘Anna Salen’ comfortable and fast With a fiberglass hull-to-deck joint, keel-stepped mast, and lead ballast keel, ‘Anna Salen’ will address your needs for performance cruising in a classic sailboat design. $34,900. Alameda, CA t.reigelman@gmail.com (925) 683-0425

‘Querida’ is a unique A35. She is an oldschool cruiser with some professional and tasteful improvements. Included are: a custom light dinghy/dodger, New Found Metals opening stainless portlights, Monitor windvane, narrowboat heater, composting head, sitz tub-style shower, stainless bowsprit/anchor roller, propane stovetop, and more. Sails include a fullbatten main, 120 genoa, asymmetrical with sock, spinnaker, drifter, storm tri and storm jib. Westerbeke diesel with low hrs and more. $33,000. L.A. Harbor bvbolton@gmail.com (541) 912-0211

Great coastal cruiser. New gelcoat – decks & inside. Yanmar diesel. Danforth anchor. Roller furling. VHF, AM/FM/CD stereo with Bose speakers. EZ Jacks. Onboard head. Adjustable backstay. $25,600. San Francisco South Beach Harbor cameronkane@gmail.com (415) 307-5805

A Westsail-like boat, 11-ft beam, 5.3-ft draft, 41.3-ft LOA, 20,000+lb dis, Volvo MD3B frozen — needs replacing, sails

old, dodger newer, very stout boat, polyester resin/fiberglass hull, wood deck 1.5-in thick. $7,000 OBO ghenry1102@yahoo.com (510) 501-4927

Beautiful, strong cruising cutter Herreshoff designed, bowsprit and boomkin, cedar cold-molded hull, full lead keel, spruce spars, sails in great condition (mainsail with 3 reefs; stays’l, jib; 120% Dacron; 120% 1.5 oz. nylon; storm sail; trys’l); Aries wind vane self-steering; 10-ft fiberglass dinghy; sails beautifully; no engine; sail into and out of upwind Berkeley berth or use 16 ft oar; 4 anchors (45# 35# 25# CQR, fisherman); windlass. $39,500. Berkeley kennoble40@gmail.com (925) 786-7878

36 – 39 FEET SAILBOATS

Original owner built it and sailed to New Zealand and back. Volvo MD2 engine economical diesel. Pilot house. Been used as a liveaboard. Needs work. Partnership considered. I am 62. $20,000. Vallejo Marina vincentchang26@gmail.com (415) 524-9413

Solid cruis-

ing boat with lots of great features. Photos show her in good condition, but she is a project boat to some degree. Needs work on motor and some electrical as she is an older vessel. Batteries in good shape, all new thru hull fittings. She is a proven cruising boat with a full keel, plenty of head room and storage. New standing rigging of this past year and new electrical wiring and LED lights, VHF antenna, new hot water tank. Brought overland from the East Coast so life lines, stations and bow sprit were removed and will need to be reinstalled (all are included). Stainless frames for both dodger and Bimini but no canvas. Sails and covers are in fair condition. Interior cushions are in good condition. Nice interior layout. Well suited for someone with time and a little experience to complete the projects mentioned. Priced to reflect engine and other work to be completed. $25,000 neg. Sausalito jaygrant11383@gmail.com (415) 4136707

Great family and Bay boat. Replaced main and roller jib eight yrs ago. The stainless standing rigging was inspected five yrs ago. Fitted with autopilot and radar. Great start boat to get out on the Bay and sail. $15,000 OBO. Berkeley Marina kh.weisenberger@gmail.com

Dick

Carter-designed Olympic sloop. Westerbeke 50hp diesel, dual steering, 12.75ft beam. Lines run below deck. Full standing headroom. Lewmar winches. Fast cruiser. $12,000. Oakland cattail1956@yahoo.com (510) 537-9689

‘Nimbus’ is an excellent racing and cruising family sailboat for San Francisco Bay. Fiberglass hull and deck, varnished mahogany interior with teak and holly sole. Accommodations: Large “V” berth forward with head to port. Hanging lockers to starboard. Main salon: two settee berths, center table stows out of the way. Double quarter berth to port aft of the navigation station. Galley: Stainless steel sink, icebox, stove/oven. Mast and boom aluminum with stainless steel rigging. Manual jib furling system. Mainsail with two reefs. Jib and spinnaker. Engine: Westerbeke 38. Nimbus sits in a 40-ft slip in the West Basin of the San Francisco Marina. Slip rights available, additional cost. $20,000. West Basin, San Francisco Marina daphnej@pacbell.net (415) 385-4157

The Blackwatch 37 is a predecessor of the Tartan 37 and is ready to be out on the water. She used to be a racing boat and was recently outfitted to go cruising. New in last 2 years: Autopilot, watermaker, electric toilet, windlass, anchor & rode, solar. $25,000. Tiburon ilchianti@gmail.com (916) 995-7853

40 – 50 FEET SAILBOATS

With Walker Bay 10 Dinghy and 5hp motor. Boat can go, and has been, to Hawaii and Mexico. As is. $15,000. Marina Bay, Richmond wiresolu@aol.com

Custom-built 38-ft cutter-rigged sailboat. Sturdy, fully equipped and ready for your next adventure. Cruise- / liveaboard-ready, internet equipped. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind beauty. Sunsets, dolphins, and picturesque anchorages are at your doorstep. $55,000 Sale. La Paz, BCS, MX john@ingeniumbooks.com (647) 8462611

‘Honu’ is for sale. Proven cruising boat with a full keel and wooden spar, plenty of headroom and storage. Worm wheel steering/seat, Perkins 4.108 50hp. A lot of new things on it since 2018: solar panels, electrical panel, batteries, inverter/charger, standing and running rigging, mainsail, EPIRB, B&G electronics, etc. A lot of spare parts and products. Teak removed in 2021, new nonskid. ‘Honu’ is on dry storage in the Cabrales Boatyard. The mast is down, and a few hardware items need to be reinstalled on the deck. SSB needs tune-up, fridge lost its coolant. Finish installing the watermaker. ‘Honu’ will bring satisfaction to its new owner. $70,000. Puerto Penasco, Sonora, MX bbhonu@yahoo.com (510) 213-9739

Great cruiser. Outfitted for offshore. Totally self-sufficient with solar-operated watermaker and Frigoboat. Custom interior. Too much to list — get in touch for details. See YouTube at link below.

$49,900 OBO. San Carlos, Sonora, MX alindyrosen@cybermesa.COM (360) 7587452 www.tinyurl.com/56t6webp

Condition: 9.5 of 10. Totally equipped for cruising Mexico- watermaker, solar. Super electronics, new canvas, solid sails, rocna anchor, all chain. Really clean Catalina. Marina slip included! $68,000. Marina Palmira, La Paz, MX davidjvidmar@gmail.com (541) 727-1409

Frersdesigned ketch owned by the same family since 2000. Kids are grown and grandkids are busy so time for us to move to the dark side. Nearly everything above deck and down below has been replaced or upgraded. Great boat, easy to sail with in-boom furling on the main, all lines led aft to electric winches, nice cruising interior, at a great price. ‘Daring’ will take you anywhere in comfort and safety. Details of upgrades and photos at website. Serious inquiries only, please. $129,000 OBO, Broker Inquiries OK, Possible Trade, Transferable San Pedro Slip in front of CBYC. San Pedro, CA craig@novamar.net (714) 356-9816 www. dawn48.com

Custom racer built in Long Beach. Hull: Dencho Marine, Inc., built by Robert Vaughn. Best offer or will trade for classic vehicle of equal value. $79,000 OBO or Trade. Sausalito, CA libertyshipmarina@comcast.net (415) 613-3665

Lovely ocean-sailing vessel. Needs TLC. Excellent deal as a fixer project. Now in Emeryville, CA. Three cabins, two baths. Complete details and photos on website. All serious offers considered. $49,000 OBO make offer. Emeryville, CA gmeader@gmail.com (415) 987-3948 www.maxfx.biz

Proven cruiser available in PV, MX, with optional assist to first port for buyer; get to know your boat! Owner aboard. Dependable boat needs cosmetics, hull painting, refurbishing interior, make it to your standards. Has reliable Perkins 4-108. Sails are excellent. VHF, Garmin plotter, fishfinder, excellent power windlass, 4 anchors (Fortress FX45#, French Plow 35#, 30# Danforth), 92gal water, 72gal diesel, 30gal holding, plus Avon with 5HP Mercury outboard and more. Was hauled in Puerto Vallarta area, Feb 2023, fiberglass spots repaired, new zincs. Bottom painted with new Petitt Trinidad antifouling paint. Clear title. Call Owner USA 541-361-0239. Possible assist to first port of call included with purchase. ASK. $39,000. Puerto Vallarta, MX boatstuffster@gmail.com (541) 361-0239

Type of vessel: ketch. Estimated speed: 10 kt power, 6-8 kt sail. Built Netherlands 1980. Time of lay-up: fall 2012. Hull: length 48-ft, beam 15-ft, draft 7-ft. Frames: varied dimensional steel. Topsides single skin steel plate, 1/4 thick estimated; bottom single skin steel plate, 1/4 thick estimated; deck and bulkheads steel plate. Hull layout: V-berth, forward head, forward triple berth, settee/berth, chart station, galley, captain’s berth, engine/machinery/ maintenance room, after master bath, after head, straight inboard diesel engine auxiliary powered. New bow thruster (2010), electronics, autopilot, forward underwater sonar. Six-cyl Leyland diesel, midline, 350 gal water, 250 gal fuel. Pictures at website. $54,900. Cleveland, OH maudeij@yahoo.com.au (954) 235-2527

www.guapasailboat.com

Cutter rig, New Zealand Yachts, center cockpit, aft cabin, cold molded kauri pine, Dynel cloth, Epiglass design: Jim Young N.A. Re-rigged 2018, New standing and running rigging, North main and jib, lazy jacks, Harken mechanical backstay tensioner, B&G wind and depth instrumentation, Simrad radar, Yanmar 4HJ, 50hp, ZF Trans, Fireboy auto fire extinguisher system, slipstream Aust. Feathering prop, toerails, handrails, caprail, companionway hatches, forward cabin top hatch varnished. Steering: mechanical, hydraulic. Natural gas stove/oven. New 300-ft 5/16 high-test chain, stainless plow anchor, Engel refrigeration, Lavac manual heads. $100,000 Reduced. Long Beach, CA jimwaide@gmail.com (949) 838-5880

51 & OVER SAILBOATS

F25C. Extensive refurbishing of beautiful, classic, carbon-fiber, Farrier design has just been completed by Spectrum Marine. This rare gem is now offered for $32,000. Call for an appointment to view. (310) 3104914, $32,000 OBO. Los Angeles, CA (310) 310-4914

Light, fast cat built at Delta Marine in Seattle. Roomy, 2 full staterooms, galley up, Spectra watermaker, large spillover freezer, 10 Lewmar hatches, solar, SSB, spinnaker, Rocnas. Cruised Zihua to Peñasco last 6 seasons. $100,000 OBO. Puerto Peñasco, MX svepiccat@gmail.com

CLASSIC BOATS

Escape winter! Taiwan trawler. Fiberglass hull, teak interior. Large fwd cabin. Fullsize pull-out in saloon, large galley. 125hp Ford Lehman. Autopilot, 400W solar. Well maintained by Navy veteran, USCG 500 Ton Master. Located in tax-free US Virgin Islands! $79,000. St Thomas, USVI kirktek@gmail.com (540) 353-6245

‘Endeavor’ is a strong, sea-kindly vessel, designed by Henk Tingen and built in Holland in 1958. Purchased 1987 and brought back from near-extinction. We had 13 years cruising about the world; maybe now it’s your turn. Fall in love with your dream boat. Lots of good kit included, can be ready to sail to Norway in 2023! Contact C. Masters for complete list. $100,000. Ipswich, Suffolk, UK svendeavor1958@gmail.com (206) 9603793

Extensive refit in 2000 — Lefiell mast, standing rigging, Yanmar 50hp, custom hard dodger, new fuel tanks, LP water heater, BBQ, windlass, roller furling main and jib, MPS, etc. Winner best maintained at SGYC 4 years. New house and start batteries, dinghy. See pictures info at website. Strong cruising boat and great liveaboard. Call Ron. $119,000. San Diego ron@griffinformation.com (619) 226-6071

High-performance sailboat. Yanmar 110hp turbo diesel. All new electronics, motor 2021; receipts available. Complete solar panel, 8000W inverter. Fast boat: Cruises at 8.7 knots, capable of 25 knots. Trades considered. $39,999 OBO. Puerto Peñasco, MX cabralesboatyard@gmail.com +52 (638) 112-0204 www.tinyurl.com/6jkb7e6m

Low hrs Yanmar diesel. NEW: worm drive steering, SS fuel tanks, solar panels, air head, Simrad plotter and more. Completed extensive boatyard overhaul. Master Mariner race winner, Transpac vet. $11,000. Owl Harbor sagieber@gmail.com (206) 384-1175

10k

PRICE

DROP! PPJ veteran, ‘Mandolin’, our seaworthy home 14+ yrs. Cruising equipped, stable at sea, custom Hasse sails, meticulously maintained. Galley renovated, rebuilt shower, refinished floors, many upgrades. See boattrader link for specs & photos. $117,900. San Diego, CA. loriserocki@yahoo.com www.tinyurl.com/2p8pu38k

PRICE REDUCED:

‘HIgh Five’: Cookson-built Farr 40 / Kevlar hull. Volvo Penta 40 hp; 250 hrs on engine and saildrive. Includes multiple sails. Extremely well maintained. Call to get more details. $43,000. Morro Bay, CA goldconcept@sbcglobal.net (805) 5501118

Fully loaded in mint condition — This boat was truly loved on! She is ready to take you anywhere in the world with safety, class and style. Please call for extensive inventory list. Must see her! $425,000. Alameda, CA lrtravioli@hotmail.com (559) 269-7669

MULTIHULLS

Sim-

ple, fast and fun to sail!! Newer rollerfurling jib and Code 0 spinnaker. 2 brand-new engines and all the cruising equipment you need for your safety and comfort. $92,000. Sea of Cortez fkline211@gmail.com (831) 295-3219

Designed by the renowned William Atkin for doublehanded exploration of the North Atlantic in 1928, this boat has sailed from Hong Kong to Cape Horn, Germany, France, the East Coast, Panama Canal, and West Coast. She is ready for more, with the right stewards. Her old-growth Burma teak construction on Philippine ironwood framing makes her as tough as her forebears: the Colin Archer rescue vessels of Norway. Recent haulouts have kept her bottom in good shape, and her low-hours Beta 28 diesel sips fuel and moves her right along. Her displacement, hull shape, and rig make her comfortable when other boats are not. $28,000 Must sell, make an offer. Westpoint Harbor, Redwood City robert.schulke53@gmail.com (650) 2450226

POWER & HOUSEBOATS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Due

to a family move out of the area we are reluctantly selling our well-established industrial sewing business. Bullseye Canvas has been operating out of the Santa Cruz harbor since 2006. Our market is mostly in the custom manufacturing of marine covers, dodgers, biminis, enclosures and upholstery. In addition to the marine market, we also manufacture architectural covers and shade structures. 420sq.ft. harborside shop. Loyal customer base. The market demand is high and this business could easily grow by 4X to support that demand. Enjoy growing this thriving business in Santa Cruz while having the flexibility to make your own schedule. Training or apprenticeship available. $50,000. Santa Cruz paul@bullseyecanvas.com (831) 2953330 www.bullseyecanvas.com

Enjoy breathtaking sunsets from this lovely 3BR, 1BA home perched above the gentle shore of Beal’s Cove, perfect for kayaking adventures, watching wildlife, and relaxing by the sea as the afternoon light floods the windows. You’ll love exploring all the islands have to offer during the day and retreating to the cottage in the evenings to catch the gorgeous pink, purple and orange hues of a Harpswell sunset. marcia@homesandharbors.com 866-8350500 www.tinyurl.com/43475rkj

NANCE We are looking for a motivated individual who can join our team and assist on maintaining our beautiful marina and buildings. Hours are flexible and it can be full- or permanent part-time work. This could be ideal for a retired military person. We prefer that the individual has skills/ experience with construction, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting, mechanical equipment and machinery, welding, diving, etc. These are not requirements, but a willingness to learn and a strong work ethic are essential. We offer training with most of these skills. Liveaboard moorage is available in our marina at a discounted rate. If you have interest please email your résumé. Sausalito, CA mikerainey331@gmail.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Modern

mini-houseboat. Includes transport to your slip in the Bay Area. See Airbnb review — link below. $1,500,000. Steinberger Marina e.stancil53@gmail.com www.tinyurl.com/ d7dzbbvm

BERTHS & SLIPS

Galilee Harbor is a low-income cooperative community in a marine service harbor. Applicant must own the vessel and meet requirements for membership. Please see our website for information and to get an application. Sausalito, CA applyGHCA@gmail.com (415) 332-8554 www.tinyurl.com/2fc24m3y

I no longer need my 36-ft slip (#B28) at Pier 39. The slip has about 10 years left. Pay XFER fee ($1,200) and it’s yours. No text, just call or email. $1,200. Pier 39 S.F., CA rwnicho@hotmail.com (415) 648-7960

Slips 30 -75 at great rates! Amenities: parking, bathrooms, laundry, pumpout, free wi-fi, keyless entry. Guest berths also available. Call for availability. 451 Seaport Court, Redwood City, CA 94063 crevay@redwoodcityport.com (650) 3064150 www.redwoodcityport.com/marina

Love

to sail? Make a great living in the Pacific Northwest running a fantastic charter business! After 34 years it is time to sell our dream job. We have already done the hard work for you. Dedicated client base, beautiful website, five-star reviews. Outstanding modern 55-ft sloop with moorage. USCG Coastwise trade endorsement. Great income if you are ready to take the helm of the best job in the world! San Juan Islands, WA islandsailor600@gmail.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE OR RENT

Last available buildable lot in the Sanderling Island! Build your dream home and enjoy the views from this large waterfront lot with existing pilings facing an immaculate and unobstructed view of S.F. Bay! Perfectly located in quaint Point Richmond. Adjacent to Richmond Yacht Club and a short distance to local shops, fine dining, and regional parks. Easy commute to San Francisco and Marin. Protected by breakwaters; bring your powerboat/sailboat! Make it your own! $699,000. Point Richmond, Ca amparo@feagleyrealtors.com (510) 6845312 www.tinyurl.com/bdhshfwx

Dramatic waterfront Alameda 3BR/2.5 BA townhome with a private 44-ft deep-water slip attached to the property. An impressive 2,054 sq ft with multiple living spaces all designed to overlook the glistening Ballena Bay. $1,249,000 leah@leahtounger.com (510) 701-6497 www.tinyurl.com/3wdmepyu

CREW

I have some ocean experience, some racing experience and some Spanish. I can help with expenses, sail changes, driving, and cooking. Thanks, Michael. S.F. Bay michael.s.121@att.net (707) 354-4326

Join us for an ocean passage in 2023 andy@sailingbiz.com (707) 953-0434 www.sailingbiz.com

PARTNERSHIPS

Dehler 34, 1986, tiller, Yanmar. An established non-equity sailing partnership: $275/ month includes fuel, insurance, two pre-assigned weekend days, four weekdays per month. No charge for vacant days. Maintenance fee $1000/year. For details call/text. South Beach Harbor valtaft@gmail.com (650) 670-5300

Looking for partnership on 30-50-ft sailboat, preferably East Bay. Equity and non-equity considered. Have 20+ years of experience sailing on the Bay and chartering internationally. I have partnered successfully on a 31-ft Beneteau for five years. Now I have a small sailing dog that I want to sail with me and the others are allergic. Looking for a clean boat in good condition that is sailed regularly, and responsible, nice sail partners. Berkeley ddodgesf@gmail.com

Club Nautique is hiring a seasonal, fulltime(40 hrs/week) fleet service associate in Sausalito for up to a six month contract. Responsibilities include cleaning interior and exterior of sail and powerboats, fueling and pumping out boats, working with standing and running rigging, inspecting boats to ensure everything is in good working order before charters. Come join the team and work on the best maintained fleet in the Bay! $17-$20/hr DOE. Sausalito stephanie@clubnautique.net www.clubnautique.net

Club Nautique is hiring a Sausalito Club/Base Manager and an Alameda Membership Sales Representative. Come join the fun and share your love of boating with others. We offer competitive compensation ($70,000 – $90,000+) and full benefits. Apply today! stephanie@clubnautique.net www.clubnautique.net

Golden Gate Yacht Club is seeking a motivated, energetic and dedicated head coach to lead our high school sailing programs. The Head Coach is responsible for scheduling, designing, organizing and executing activities, practices and regattas, and is expected to be active on and off the water. This is a part-time position. If you or someone you know is interested in this position, please email the GGYC Waterfront Director. Golden Gate Yacht Club, San Francisco waterfront@ggyc.com

Seeking an experienced Lead Sailboat Rigger to join established team in Port Townsend. Responsible for overseeing the complete mast and standing rigging overhaul, splicing, electrical wiring, unstepping and stepping masts, working with clients planning offshore passages. Port Townsend, WA info@porttownsendrigging.com (360) 531-1175 www.tinyurl.com/43xxh7s7

To operate 28-ft passenger vessel ‘Bay Voyager’ at Pier 39. Four hr minimum. Second language, former USCG, a plus but not required. Paid training. Six pack, 50-/100-ton lic. OK. Full-/ part-time available. Pier 39, San Francisco charles@bayvoyager.com (510) 612-1251 www.bayvoyager.com/

Like to work on sailboats? Inspire Sailing School is hiring a fleet service technician. Full-time, five days a week job including a weekend day each week. Prior experience working on sailboats required. Responsibilities include checking in (cleaning) and preparing boats between charters or classes; assisting instructors, students and members with troubleshooting; reporting, tracking, repairing broken items; completing preventive maintenance. Once onboard for 90 days, benefits include healthcare, free sailing lessons and discounts on sailboat charters. mark@inspiresailing.com Berkeley, CA www.inspiresailing.com

Custom canvas business ISO sewers! More sewing/making experience the better and willing to train for the right can-do attitude! Quickly growing company looking for another great fit in our team. Great benefits and culture. PT/FT. Point Richmond david@compass-canvas.com (415) 299-3415 www.compass-canvas.com

SLO Sail and Canvas is hiring for multiple positions in our busy sail loft in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. We specialize in building boat covers, trampolines, and sails for sailing dinghies, one-designs, and beach catamarans. The following job opportunities are open for immediate fulfillment: Sailmaking Department Manager, Manufacturing Assistant — Industrial Department, Production Sewing & Prep — Trampoline or Boat Cover Department, and Office Assistant. To learn more about each job opening, visit website. erik@slosailandcanvas.com (805) 479-6122 ext.9 www.tinyurl.com/fpdkrmt

Wanted:

Licensed Captain with towing endorsement for TowBoatUS./Vessel Assist on the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Preferred if you live by SF waterfront, Alameda or Bethel Island areas. towboatus.bay.delta@gmail.com (925) 3824422 www.towboatusdelta.com

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Positions available for 2023 season! Two Harbors Harbor Department, on the west end of Catalina Island. Looking for experienced boat operators for seasonal harbor patrol positions (March–October). Harbor patrol assigns and facilitates the use of 700+ moorings on the west end of Catalina Island and assists with transporting passengers to and from shore. USCG license required for passenger transport, seasonal mooring included for patrol personnel with liveaboard vessels. Rates from $18-$21/hr. Two Harbors, Catalina Jrconner@scico.com (310) 510-4201

Inspire Sailing is hiring a Fleet Service Crew Chief (CC). The CC oversees the fleet service team, assigns job tickets, monitors work quality, troubleshoots problems, and implements our preventive maintenance program. The CC advises team members how to execute projects, assists team members with projects, manages outside vendors, and manages the repair tracking process for our fleet of ~20 sailboats. Experience with sailboat repair, spreadsheets, and team management required. Berkeley Marina mark@inspiresailing.com www.inspiresailing. com

Like working with sailboats? Join our team! We are hiring a Senior Customer Service Representative (CSR) to provide excellent customer service to our existing members, sailing school students, and prospective members. The workday is focused on helping clients choose their path to sailing adventures. You will also help open and close the office, completing a checklist of activities, and maintaining an attractive office environment. Full-time five days a week, including one weekend day. Berkeley, CA mark@inspiresailing.com www.inspiresailing.com

Inspire

Sailing Berkeley is looking for sailing instructors to join our growing team! USCG OUPV License is required, though if you are interested in getting your captain’s license we can help out there too. We have opportunities to teach aboard both tiller- and wheel-steered sportboats as well as larger cruising boats. We focus on the education of adults in a fun, welcoming and safety-oriented environment. Located in the heart of SF Bay, we are just minutes from the best sailing grounds, not miles! Do you enjoy racing? Our performance program is going strong and we need racing- and spinnaker-experienced captains as well. US Sailing and ASA Instructors welcome! Competitive pay! Free boat use! Fun! Berkeley, CA careers@inspiresailing.com (510) 831-1800 www.tinyurl.com/bdhdzn6c

Spinnaker Sailing in Redwood City is looking for someone to assist in the maintenance and repair of our fleet of 30 sailboats. Should be familiar with sailboat rigging, ship’s systems, outboard motors, light electrical, plumbing and diesel engine service. Consider either part time or full time. Pay rate commensurate to experience. Call or email Rich. Redwood City, CA rich@spinnakersailing.com (650) 363-1390 www.Spinnakersailing.com

Join the captains at Club Nautique and start teaching US Sailing’s most comprehensive curriculum of sail and power courses, both offshore and inshore, in the nation. We have openings now for USCG-licensed captains who exhibit exceptional communication and boating skills, and the willingness to train and work in a professional environment. All instructors are classified as employees, not independent contractors. Full-time and part-time positions available. $28-$35 depending on experience. schooldirector@clubnautique.net (510) 8654700 x313 www.clubnautique.net

At the gorgeous Cielo Y Mar condos. Located in Punta Mita, 35 minutes from Puerto Vallarta, available to rent from private owner. On the beach, 10 feet from the water, they offer spectacular views of ocean and mountains, the biggest infinity pool in the area, an endless beach, great surf breaks, great fishing, tremendous views of whales, bird life and the islands. To reserve, call or email Dona de Mallorca. puntamitabeachfrontcondos@gmail.com (415) 269-5165

MISCELLANEOUS

Designed and built by Paul Boehmke. Early SSS. Bronze boat on bronze H2O. L 14 in. B 8 in. H 22 in. Bronze sails. S/S rig. One of three: one for SSS Transpacific trophy, one for me, one for sale. Call Paul. $29,000. suttercityautobody@yahoo.com Sutter, CA. (530) 701-8784

Volunteer docents wanted to staff educational science exhibitions. Volunteer or contract graphic designer wanted. Photographers and photography wanted. Ask about other volunteer positions. info@sailingscience.org (510) 390-5727 www. sailingscience.org/

Rubicon Yachts is seeking a professional yacht broker/salesperson for its new Alameda, CA office. Yacht sales experience required, must be a self-starter, membership in CYBA is a plus. Contact owner/broker Mark Miner. Alameda, CA mark@rubiconyachts.com www.rubiconyachts.com

Spinnaker Sailing in Redwood City is looking for ASA-certified sailing instructors to teach out of our Redwood City Marina location. Part-time, flexible schedules, midweek and/ or weekends. Please contact Rich or Bob by phone or email. Redwood City Marina office@spinnakersailing.com (650) 363-1390 www.spinnakersailing.com

RescYou™ Offshore. Purchased 2020. Service due 12/2023. $950. Mill Valley, CA tim.sowerby2@pm.me (415) 613-5432

TRYING TO LOCATE

ISO owner of a Lake Union Dreamboat bought at auction from Oyster Point Marina after she sank. I have fittings that I want to return. Peninsula Sheilaholmes@mac.com

Who Are These Guys?

42’ FORMOSA 42 ’82 $59,900 Zephyrus. Long range cruising boat with beautiful teak below and plenty of storage Two staterooms, quarter berth and convertible salon

38’ ERICSON 381 ’83 $40,000 Allure. Well maintained with roomy interior. 2022 upgrades include new lifelines, BBQ, 32” TV. Quantum mainsail and Genoa new in 2020

31’ HUNTER 31 ’84 $34,500 Justine. Perfect entry level daysailer/coastal cruiser that is easy to sail. Spacious, big boat feel interior with plenty of headroom.

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR BOAT?

LET US HELP!

Power or Sail, we have buyers waiting. Call us at 619.224.2349 or email: info@yachtfinders.biz

72’ DEERFOOT 72 KETCH ’85 $575,000 Locura. A true, independent offshore cruiser, easily handled by two. Comfortable in all climates with reverse cycle heating and air.

42’ CATALINA 42 MK II ‘’99 $129,000 Encore II. Rare blend of luxurious cruising accommodations with high performance push-button sailing Electric winches. Retractable bowsprit

70’ SANTA CRUZ 70 ’85 $598,000 Turnkey Subchapter T vessel ready for charter business. Great opportunity to obtain a swift sailing passengers-for-hire boat

38’ CUSTOM BLOCK ISLAND ’60 $29,500 Scrimshaw. This wide beamed double-ender with great handling qualities is a natural for short-handed sailing. Impeccably maintained.

23’ JBOATS J/70 ’16 $31,500

Just Us. Fun, fast sailing in a stable boat that everyone can enjoy. All carbon mast and boom provides spirited performance.