SIGHTINGS putting the baja ha-ha
alpha — a labor of love What do you say when someone invites you to sail San Francisco Bay on a beautifully maintained 48-ft classic sloop? "Yes." A few weeks ago we joined Nick Raggio for a spectacular sail on one of the Bay's gems, his S&S 48 Alpha, out of Sausalito's Schoonmaker Point Marina. It was a cool, breezy day and just right for the solidly built Alpha, Nick, and the crew of Roger Howard, Chris Lustic and Mario Schuhmann. Following the sail, we caught up with Nick to find out more about both Alpha and Nick himself. Alpha is 47 feet, 6 inches long and was built at Stephens Marine in Stockton, California. Like many custodians of a classic, Nick has been gathering the history of Alpha in a scrapbook along with notes on Stephens Marine. Stephens operated from 1902 to 1987 and was famous for high-quality powerboats and sailboats, as well as for having a military contract for the Navy in WWII. With a price tag of $100,000, Alpha was the first aluminum sailboat they built, in 1967. Nick figures he's the fifth owner. The original owner was Theo Stephens of Stephens Marine. Nick says he was fortunate to find Alpha through fellow club member and former St. Francis YC commodore Rick Pfaff. Pfaff owned her for 25 years and was a great custodian of the yacht. The boat continued on outside column of next sightings page
Registration will open at noon on May 6 for Ha-Ha XXVII, the world-famous 750mile cruiser's rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. The earlier you sign up for the event, the higher up you will be on the list for the chance of getting a slip in Cabo. Ha-Ha XXVII will start on November 1 with a parade out of San Diego Bay. Local and Mexican officials, as well as a mariachi band, will be aboard the Dolphin to fire the America's Cup cannon and launch the rally. Fireboats will be on hand for the traditional artificial rain send-off. Although it's not yet confirmed, the Grand Poobah is confident there will be the traditional Ha-Ha Kickoff Halloween Costume Party at West Marine the day before, with representatives on hand from many marine-related businesses from Mexico.
ALL PHOTOS LATITUDE / JOHN
Spread: Regular crew, left to right, Roger Howard, Chris Lustic and Mario Schuhmann, with Nick Raggio at the helm. Top left: Nick Raggio. Bottom: Nick and Roger put her to bed after a day sailing the Bay.
Page 48 •
Latitude 38
• May, 2021
