Episode #186: Jennifer Keil on Documenting Your Family Sailing History

This week’s host, Ryan Foland, is joined by Jennifer Keil to chat preserving your family sailing memories so they can be passed down from generation to generation — and also enjoyed by sailing friends. Jennifer is an archivist and the co-founder of 70 Degrees who archives, preserves, and exhibits your narrative.

Hear the history of sailing in California, how 70 Degrees’ archiving process works, tales from documenting West Coast sailing history, how to document your own family sailing history, and the value of your boat’s history when it’s time to change hands.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode: 

• Why temperature is important for archiving
• How Newport got its name
• How to start documenting and archiving your sailing histories
• Ask about the “boring” little things — like provisions!
• How to gather boat history from former owners?

Learn more about Jennifer at 70Degrees.org and Ryan at Ryan.Online.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!

Check out the episode and show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Ryan Foland and Jennifer Keil on Documenting Your Family Sailing History
  • [0:21] Welcome to Good Jibes with Latitude 38
  • [0:55] Welcome to the show Jennifer Keil!
  • [2:56] Is there a sailing story that shaped Jennifer?
  • [5:04] Why is the company called 70 degrees?
  • [7:45] How did Balboa Island come to be?
  • [11:41] How did Jennifer get into an archiving career?
  • [14:18] Add your name to our crew list at Latitude38.com 
  • Documenting Your Family Sailing History
  • [15:40] What’s the importance of oral history in sailing?
  • [21:03] How do we know the accuracy of oral stories?
  • [25:49] How do you approach documenting and archiving their stories?
  • [31:57] History hurts
  • [34:32] Ask about the “boring” little things – like provisions!
  • [36:00] What to do once you have the stories and photos digitized?
  • [38:22] How to keep people interested in history?
  • [42:29] Is the physical aspect the gateway to the memory?
  • [43:02] Get your own copy of Latitude 38 Magazine at your local marina or at Latitude38.com 
  • Boat History
  • [43:52] How to gather boat history from former owners?
  • [48:22] How offering yourself as a historian may help sell your boat
  • [50:25] How to rediscover the stories of your own boat?
  • [53:54] Contact Jennifer Keil
  • [46:45] Make sure to follow Good Jibes with Latitude 38 on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
  • Check out the April 2025 issue of Latitude 38 Sailing Magazine
  • Theme Song: “Pineapple Dream” by Solxis 

Transcript:

Please note: transcript not 100% accurate.

00:03

Be well,  sail safely,  have fun.

00:21

Ahoy everyone and welcome to another episode of Good Jibes, a podcast brought to you by Latitude 38, a magazine for West Coast sailors since 1977. And today we are going to talk not necessarily about sailing, but about documenting sailing, about the history of sailing, about the oral history, about the boat history, about the family history, and about the box of stuff, whether it be pictures or captain’s logs and artifacts from the history.

00:50

of your sailing.

00:54

Today we have a very special guest and a friend of mine, Jennifer Keil. We are connected through the almighty university at UCI and she is an entrepreneur to the core. She has founded a company called 70 Degrees in 2014, which helps to archive, preserve and exhibit the past. She’s the founding director of the Moulton Museum and the Balboa Island Museum, where she collaborates with the John Wayne Foundation and the Visit Newport Beach to expand cultural understanding of Orange County.

01:24

I also know that she likes to take all of her projects near the coastline because she, whether she believes it or not, is a sailor because I see her on a sailboat on her Instagram quite a bit. She consults with California communities like Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Dana Point. She is an arts ambassador and culture ambassador for the city of Dana Point, and she collaborates with the Bowers Museum, Chapman University, Festival of the Arts, private collectors and more.

01:51

So I’m excited to talk about some of the projects she’s got and get some advice for sailors who want to learn how to capture  all of the stories from either their aging  sailor folks  or from the folklore of their boats.  And today, let’s dive in. Welcome to the show, Jennifer. How are you today? I’m fantastic. So good to be back.

02:12

This place is amazing. It’s growing. Happy 60 years, UCI. I’m so proud of what it’s accomplished.  What an incredible heritage.  is, it is. And we are broadcasting live here at the Entrepreneur Center in UCI. So instead of just a Zoom screen, I’m looking directly into your eyes and it’s great to see you in person. Oh, it’s so good to be back. I feel energized every time I’m back here on campus life and you just feel prayer as plan, like being in the moment and it’s growing.

02:38

You’re getting a new art museum in the near future. This place is expanding. The UCI Health has shown the community how strong it is as a medical resource. So I’m so thrilled to be a part of the community. And we’ve got a good sailing team as well. Yes do. Killing it on the water. got some sailors here. You know we always like to open up the show by first learning more about our guests and we like to know about that through stories. And so is there a sailing story that has shaped you that you can think of? Because I know you’re out there on the water quite a bit.

03:06

What comes to mind? I think it has to be a birthday sale with my professor David Freeman who is a water man. Like he’s  academic  and loves just he’s from the Navy. So I think part of it is just remembering his own heritage. But I had a wonderful birthday sale that was an instant race incidentally. It out in April.  We didn’t know we were sailing out on that day.  So we’re out there leaving the harbor and we lo and behold they’re like

03:34

quite a few vessels encroaching on our sailboat and I’m just like, what’s going on? And they start yelling at us, like, you’re going the wrong way, you’re cheating. It was a lot of redirection and we were just, it’s a pleasure sail. We’re guys were not there to sail to Inzanada. photos, it’s for a birthday. It’s not competitive as it is. The water certainly provides all that, but definitely a leisure sail is more so my…

04:00

Pastime. More your speed. Yeah, more my speed. Kick back, relax, out of the harbors. We’ve got great water for that. But yeah, it was just very enlightening.  Just the spirit of the sport. You really could sense how particular when someone is engaged in said sport, how everyone will help you directionally. Make sure it’s being played in a fair manner. It really is one of those dynamic  activities that is just native to the California coastline. It’s just one of those incredible things. So I told people to get out there. Kayak.

04:29

paddleboard witness some sailing  heritage in action. It’s pretty amazing  go the festival the like Maritime festival like go see it on a tall ship get on a tall ship and get a cannon  Pointing at your vessel and see how you feel about your own history. It’s your history get out on the water It’s pretty amazing. Yeah, and it’s great that you have this appreciation for the ocean

04:55

I mean, the ocean is my potion. A lot of the people here who listen, the ocean is their potion. But the reality is we also spend a lot of time on land.  And I know that a big part of what gets me excited  is learning more about sailing  and talking with other sailors. That’s one of the reasons why I love this podcast, because I get to hear these crazy stories and I get to live vicariously through them. And at the same respect, I’m creating my own stories.

05:23

especially the ones where things go wrong on Bingo, my 1977 Cal 34, and some of the most epic adventures are the ones where everything goes wrong. And then  I’m  excited enough to share those online and document that story. Speaking of stories, Instagram stories, you likely learn a lot about  me and my boat because it’s fun to document and just share them.  whether or not anyone sees them is another side of the fence, but

05:53

This idea of stories,  storytelling, and documenting and archiving, I think is something that we don’t always think about. We might see it and then the story on Instagram disappears.  Or  you might  buy a boat and be disappointed that there’s missing history in the boat. Or you might buy a boat because of the history of the boat. Or you might buy a brand new boat and you are the first owner that is now responsible for documenting the history of the boat.

06:23

So tell us a little bit more about why your company is named 70 degrees and why you like to have clients that are near the coast.  Thank you for asking me because it’s science the way that we operate our business and our brand. It comes from National Archives practice of 70 degrees is preferred temperature for exhibition spaces  and it’s also optimum for archives. And so if you have a personal collection of photos please like condition them by

06:50

taking them out of the garage, we put them inside, 70 degrees, temp, and relative humidity is pretty stable in that environment.  It’s preferred to take it to a  planned archive, but at least for the sake of preservation, get it in a stable environment where it’s not going through major changes in temperature and humidity. Those are the two  major impacts on an object, because everything is mostly  natural fiber. You think about photographs and  film and …

07:18

35 millimeter slides that sort of like after time they fall apart. All things are  natural especially. So stabilizing is our step one in the archive process. Then we preserve it, we put it in acid-free containers, we get really  nerdy and  make sure there’s long-term care and the plastics are preferred because there’s acid in those. You may not even realize some of your scrapbooks from the 80s, they’re transferring into the actual.

07:45

photograph, like  it might even get stuck to it, which is terrifying. And then you think about, okay, now that it’s digital, where does it go? We put it in exhibition spaces through our museum partnerships. I love a community history. I think that the launch of storytelling started at Balboa Island for Cindy and I because we’re like, how did this island happen? It’s dredged. It wasn’t here, it’s manmade, which is the craziest part. When people go to Newport, they’re like,

08:13

I love all the little harbors and the little histories. people who have never been to Balboa, maybe explain the scene. Because it’s kind of an electric little area. is. It’s like a blast from the past. It’s a time portal and the island culture itself on Marine Avenue, which is the main street of the whole, like you can actually drive onto this island. The other ones, not so much.

08:36

So it was a plan community in the sense of there was a gentleman named William step Collins who arrived in turn of century 1900 bought the whole Swath of land really there was no island So they had to dredge it out at the time was there a marina or was that used it was Newport was Newport established at that point were there people very light and like McFadden’s wharf

09:01

was established in the 1880s.  So the two brothers arrived with the, they started thinking about train and transport of goods. So it always started with the big commerce  aspect  and they built out a pier  and there was a train that arrived. His trains were a big thing in Orange County in 1880s. That like  literally brought everybody from LA. That was like the thing  at these stations. And so those guys, McFadden brothers, which is  aptly named with a street, we drive around town and see that. They set up a,

09:31

McFadden’s landing and they had Captain Dunnells who had done the voyage in Newport literally it was a new port for him. eyeballed it, he’s like oh it’s a new port. Is that why Newport is called Newport? Because it’s a new port? was truly a new port. Wow. And he’s like well you know it was a nice you know plot of land and he just kept journeying through Captain Dunnells is you know more of an explorer than he is a settler pioneer. So that information helped

09:59

others arrive. So now that he’s literally run a little press piece, people are starting to actually find it. Because of course, like I live in Dana Point. We already knew about its existence in the  1840s, two years before the mass. Boston guy comes  out west, Harvard boy,  who’s like, I need adventure in my life,  finds it in the beautiful coastline of California. And he’s an advocate for sailors rights for the rest of his life. That man was like,

10:26

Incredible in terms of storytelling keeping transferred all of his information into a personal diary He was and who is this gentleman? Richard Henry Dana as in Dana point like literally our namesake there. I love all these people who start things I love the serial entrepreneur. Hey, like, you know, they’re definite inspiration to me all the time because I’m thinking about the challenges of getting on a vessel and like literally working it and sailors had zero rights at that point the they could be flogged

10:55

They were denied port of entry as they were traveling. They could not leave this vessel. were pretty much prisoners of their captain in the state if they were kind or not. so Dana was all about it. So it’s always a story. Interesting. If you want to learn more about Balboa Island, I have to mention Newport Beach Historical Society has a March 24th dinner at the Pavilion, which is our iconic 1906 built Victorian and

11:23

She stands tall, strong on the National Registry and that’s where they have all their events and then the museum’s just around the corner at the fun zone. have a little bit of taste of history. They’ll have dinner, learn about  from this guy who does podcasting out there, Bill Lubdell is just  telling story after story. You can look at his Instagram and see all these new port stories. But yes, it was a literal new port and I love that.  So  can’t beat that.  So how did you stumble on to

11:52

of business around archiving things.  I realized museums, especially the small nonprofit, had not the support or the professionals around them to maintain archives and do change outs for exhibitions. They sort of become permanent displays versus a professional curator coming in getting loan agreements from like the John Wayne Foundation. I asked the family, hey, you guys have anything cool?  Our neighbors,  his birthday’s coming up, he’s gonna be 110.

12:20

care to share and so I love cultivating relationships with families in the area, making sure those stories are shared in a way that are  impactful. The city has a John Wayne Day now so people can like remember him and his legacy more than just the airport. He was a resident, he was a captain more than a cowboy. He was on the Wild Goose. He had some sailor stories and his captain is still around on the Wild Goose when they chartered to share these stories. So Bert Minschall showed up to this exhibition.

12:50

shared his great moments with the incredible John Wayne, how he’s one of those men who, when he entered, is the voice carries, right? So I heard so many Bebel Island stories, yes. Indeed. It’s a good thing to know people who were in tune with this neighbor, to them, it’s just a neighbor and a hero.

13:17

for so many in the cowboy culture. So yeah, I love bringing… The cowboy sailor. Cowboy captain. Cowboy captain is really his truest heart.  I didn’t really think of him as a captain, but… and he’s sort of like lost in this mystery of Western. Ethan Wayne, who runs the foundation, they have fun runs all around the states. There’s one in Crystal Cove, which is great because it’s like our Western frontier of last preserved parcel, thanks to the Irvines who kept it that way.

13:45

And it’s like this story of the long lost Western of where the bison once run through here. There were avocado trees. Like California was rugged. We had bears. We sort of get lost in this lore of  modernity. Like it looks so beautiful. It’s so commercial, but it was like back country. And you can still see that in the Saddleback, you know, hillsides. They’re, it’s pretty rough out there. Like if you take your bike out there, it’s not easy. It’s pretty like dirt.

14:13

oriented  hardly any concrete.

14:18

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14:47

just happy days of sailing. If you have a boat or want to crew, add your name to the Latitude 38 crew list at latitude38.com. You don’t know where such a simple act will take you. Well, it sounds like you’re doing some great work at documenting the stories that are there. And I want to spin this into understanding how this plays into the West Coast sailing community, because

15:13

somebody might be listening and going, what does this have to do with me? What does this have to do with my sailboat? And the reason we’re talking is because I think it has everything to do with your sailboat and the history of you sailing, the history in the making. So I know that you’re big on oral history and maybe you can share a little bit more about that. And  I’m not sure how many sailors are documenting their oral histories  and especially the older school ones. I know at Blue Water Cruising Club, we have some old salty dogs.

15:42

somebody like Fred Huffman, who you get him and he will just tell you stories upon stories upon stories for stories. I was talking with a good family friend, Jim Dipmar, who  told me a story about my mom that I had never heard before. And she was sort of hiding it from me. And so there’s  stories everywhere and they’re super exciting. But tell us about the oral history and especially when it comes to sailing. It’s a great

16:10

part of the culture already. know that like sea shanty songs and just the tradition of lore and folklore, it is part of the pastime of passing the time on the sailboat. Like literally those are the activities among many like scrimshaw, all that fun stuff that we see in nautical museums, but the natural story oriented, hey, did I tell you the time when? I the non-specific timeframe too, that one time.

16:40

Which is like, when I do have the formal oral history documentation, we do the research, we do a pre-interview, we scope out the narrator, like when did you buy the boat? Like it’s a lot of the  provenance of like when did you buy? How was the state of the boat? Like  what records do you have? What sort of maintenance was performed on it? Like in the sense of the heritage of the vessel itself. She has a history, there’s a captain’s log. Hopefully documenting all these voyages.  Other than that, it’s an…

17:09

it’s all oral history in the sense of the sailor. You know,  having this boat, like  what type of ventures and Catalina coastline, like how every trip is unique  and in an oral history sense, you want to capture that moment, the most important moments because usually it’s like this format, like podcast style where it’s an audio recording could be visual as well. But you’re presenting the sweeping story  of a family.

17:36

of a community, of a  boat, if it’s for maritime heritage, with photographs  and you’re reviewing those and dating them because most photos, when you flip them, there’s hardly any data on the backside. So you’re helping the narrator, literally charting their memory journey. And it’s a whole field of practice. I ran an organization for years, Southwest Oral History Association.  They are a defined historical practice within the field. But it’s really like, because it’s audio and visual,

18:06

in that sense, like when you curate it, it’s something you call into existence. It’s a primary source. It becomes legitimate in the historical world of we didn’t know that, now we do. And so when I meet a community, a residential  group, like for instance, that Babel Island going back there, how 70 Degrees was born was like, so so-and-so comes by the museum and tells all of us this great story, but until it’s actually recorded, no one in the future will hear it. And that’s what it…

18:36

activated this idea of I have to build this community collection. It’s more than just the visits, not just  the sense of time and place. It was a single moment, but it has to go beyond that. Just that moment of, thank you for that entertaining story, but it’s worth documenting. And so I was hearing these great things about Shirley Temple, Buddy Epson, all these Hollywood types that lived on the island or near the island, the Desilu for  Lucy and  the whole

19:06

I Love Lucy community who, you know, there’s a fan base there. She had her boat, the Desi Lu that came through the harbor.  You hear all these names that Hollywood history, you know, it’s now becoming the golden years of that. that thankfully there’s a Academy Museum who documents all of that. That’s not even my bread and butter, so to speak. It’s cool.  They take care of us. But  I’m more about the community, like the impact. Going to the grocery store, bumping into John Wayne. How was he? Who was he? The real guy.

19:35

more than the Western presentation,  highly polished production that is obviously the true grit that we love him for. But who was he as a man? Individually, where did he go? What did he eat? The social history, and that’s what oral history is. It’s the day to day. And that’s with boat owning, it’s that. It’s the day to day log, the care, the maintenance, the routine stuff that has to be done or the keel will  collapse. My name, pun intended. Things happen. Yeah, we actually had a guest who

20:05

got his boat for free because the prior owner had run it aground and the keel had fallen off.  And this boat actually was built in Japan by hand  by the original owner who then sailed it over here  and just all of these crazy history historical elements of it. But then when he told me that he sold his boat that this boat with this crazy cool history to  someone else and just

20:34

He made some sort of comment about how it just was the perfect owner to take it over. And I was like, can you connect me with her? And then I had a podcast with her and I learned about her and her new journey and learned about the history of that boat. And she was in close contact with the original person who built it and was able to ask specific questions about the boat. And it’s just so cool to see all of that come together. Now, a quick question when you’re talking about oral history and

21:03

It made me think of fishing stories  because I know that we don’t really remember things super accurately,  especially without documentation.  And when I’m talking with an old salty dog,  how do I know  the accuracy? Right. How big was that fish that you caught? how big it was? It was this big.  Right. And so  understanding that accuracy of oral history, is that just part of it that it doesn’t have to be totally accurate? Is the memory?

21:33

of it sufficient enough to document going forward of concept? Well, that’s a fair argument that every conference I attend that is the question of authenticity and accuracy because obviously memory changes. You can tell a story once and certain details change over time. And that’s why like repeat interviewing over time with your relatives, especially.

21:59

So you can see if there’s a new detail or a change,  a discrepancy. Memory  studies are at the base of the heart of this collection and the photograph serves as an evidence. like for instance, my grandfather loved to go sailing and fishing in that way, like go  angler and I found this  wonderful photo of him, rediscovery  as we do  in my family’s collection.

22:26

of his personal papers and it was this amazing picture in Baja California in Mexico and like his travels from California down to Mexico to get this amazing fish, this swordfish and I’m just like this is stunning like this is a great photo he has a captain’s hat and I see you with the captain’s I was like it’s in my gene base like to be a keel like it must be you have to love the water so

22:49

Rediscovering this photo for me, like knowing he was on vessels going along the same coastline, kind of a John Steinbeck type in the way that that rugged, get out there,  get it done. He was in the military and deep respect for  his service and just that was one of his favorite pastimes was fishing and just being on the water.  And I feel that in strength, I think family wise, and that’s why I do like to document the oral history.

23:15

when your relatives are around. I always had this inkling my grandfather was an interesting man.  Never.  At eight, and I would sit there with his brother-in-law and they would discuss the Great Depression and I’m like, it sounds horrible.  But they would go back and forth and I’d sit there in the living room on the couch and sink into it. I was only eight years old. Didn’t have a formal training, but I was a listener. And I learned then, I think, what I’d end up doing for the rest of my life  to be a good listener and know when there’s a good story.

23:44

to record it if possible. So I asked my grandfather right down his story, I knew, get a memoir. Grabbed a Kleenex box, flipped it over on the backside, sketched out his story of going from Minnesota to California, how hard the weather was, his job out there, his career out here in California, in the post-war boom that he contributed to with his sister Esther. So I just love that. feel like now I feel, you know, I’m glad I did that instinctually at an eight-year-old.

24:11

Write it down, grandpa. Like grandpa, you’ve got a good story here. It’s a good thing I may want to hear this again. So this is where I always tell people, grab your photos, get a pencil, make sure you have somebody, an elder in your family document who’s who and do the family tree. Have someone write out their story. If they’re like a little bit less prone to doing the audio interview, have them share it and write it out and document and transcribe it. There’s AI with these audio, you know,

24:40

transcripts so if you just on your own phone you could get a written record pretty fast and I’m all about innovation because I had to do all the transcription myself when I was in grad school learning oral history methodology at Cal State Fullerton they have a whole center on this you can do a workshop if you want to actually get into it but I I had to do it with a foot pedal like old-school rewind forward play and literally word-by-word the vernacular of

25:06

Day to Day Life was captured about World War II women on the home front. And I love that collection because it has my blood, sweat, and tears in it of listening,  learning, and being introduced to this time and culture of survival. And I deeply respect these women who survived tyranny and come to California and they have like the best time. They said, is heaven. That was hell. Thank God. Thank God I survived. And so there’s so much gratitude and I just have appreciation for them.

25:32

Yeah, just say get it literally grab a pencil. Yeah, well, let’s break  this down for a minute because I am guessing that most people listening to this have not really thought about documenting the oral history of the sailing in their family and I will say that it’s never too soon to do this because when an old salty captain passes You don’t have that option anymore. My dad passed this last December. It makes me think how I wish I would have sat down and just

26:01

had more these stories. So for those people who have these sailors in their lives, what is an approach? Like this step-by-step approach, because this is new for people, if you wanted to, I mean, there are some core families in yacht clubs that just, you know, they have generations that are sailors. How would you even  approach that? What would you do to facilitate it? And then what do you do afterwards with the stuff? Like, okay, I’ve got it,  now what? Is it just,

26:31

documenting it, having it, passing it on to your kids. So I really wanna know how somebody can approach documenting the oral picture-based history of like, because I would love to do this with my mom. And  what would the structure, if you step me through that? Well, I’m sorry for your loss. First of all, that never goes away. Their memory is what  makes you. So, Ryan, you

26:54

Thank you, thank you. Your dad was a remarkable guy. I read your book. It’s incredible. know he he being an educator shaped so many young minds of how to live. And you’re a byproduct of all of that. And it’s an honor to know you. You know, it’s generational. We take on  those  legacies. Right. And  what I know from what I know is now in my hands to be able to either document or pass on or no. Otherwise it just kind of vaporizes, right? does. It’s generational. And it’s that bridge. It takes someone like you who’s so interested.

27:24

and documenting it and sitting down with your mom, literally pull out all the family albums, ask her particulars,  her favorites, put a post-it over if it has like some- So taking old photos and just looking at photos and kind of documenting, categorizing? Start writing  on the backside specifically  with pencil. Pencil does not fade. Like literally in Titanic, they have things written in pencil they’ve been able to recover and things that last unread-

27:51

Ink doesn’t, for some reason it fades. So Cindy is like all about preservation and the science behind it. She said, if you want something less, grab a pencil, ironically. And make sure- one, get all the old photos out. them out inside. Make sure they’re inside. Get them on the dining room table. Making an activity. And then just basically just say like either time sort or who was this or- organize. Like what was the name of the boat? Exactly. And we’ll get into this a little bit, but- That’s a point. We’ll talk about this box of stuff that’s in the garage. Yes. I’m not gonna-

28:21

We’ll tease that. you literally shared a photo with me this morning  of a picture of my grandpa and what looks like his brand new kick-ass Chris Craft boat  and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen as clean of a picture of it. I’ve heard about it  and since you sent it to me I’m like zooming in trying to find like I don’t even know the name of my grandpa’s boat and so it’s just kind of weird but the first step is taking the photos  and writing them down. It’s literally going digital  and

28:50

When you say going digital, we’re talking about physical photos, right?  So go from the  physical sense, capture them with a digital format so that you can start sorting. So taking the photos and writing on the background first and then digitizing  and putting them in what, into a document or a? I always like putting them, sorting them.  like memory, like we will stuff things, interleafing is what they call that from  one cute photo into another album.

29:19

try to figure out if you can put timeframes, like literally,  usually chapters of life, like childhood, adolescence, adulthood, if it’s an individual record. And I’ve been doing this personally, so I’m literally thinking through how I sort my boxes.  And if it’s a family record where there’s  generational, try to get the first image  at the front of it, and then start going  in chronology, organize it.

29:45

so that there’s some sense of order. So you’re doing arrangement. In the library science world, that’s what the arrangement is. And as an archivist, you’re trying to create a theme. You’re trying to create  a organized approach to it. So it’s not just when you’re digital, you’re gonna go through these albums. It’ll make sense too, because you’ll be sorting through it. Like, oh, here’s this year. This is this period of history. This is that section. And you can literally put those in folders and  pre-sort it. But that’s the pre-sorting time that takes the most work is to like…

30:14

assess inventory. What do I have? Like discover. So you’re taking inventory to see the physical evidence that’s there. So you like. Once you have that documented then maybe come back and I talk with my mom or another couple weeks. I’d be like all right. I kind of have an idea of the layout now. Lay of the land. Chart it out. Here’s even the even the boat history. Like I was confused. I thought they had a yellow boat before they had this boat. And then you know in my own mind in my own memory. So it’s almost like laying those things out with the facts.

30:42

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg because there’s all these stories of,  like I know that my grandfather, I wanna say he was either into math and or archeology and he taught at USC.  And my mom,  my mom’s mom, and see again, I need to clarify this and this is, but I know that she started to, and they were all sailing,  she got into  selling boats.

31:08

And then she started to make more money than him as a USC professor and then they actually started their own yacht brokerage  and then they ended up having hardware stores up and down the coast and then there’s some sort of dramatic moment where whether it’s competition or something like that somebody  sank all of their boats and burnt down their their hardware stores their marine hardware stores and it’s always been a weird touchy subject because I feel like there’s so much

31:37

I just don’t know. And so I haven’t really asked about it,  but I want to ask about it. I want to have a true and accurate reflection.  It’s just kind of like foggy. And I don’t think it’s on purpose, but it’s just not stuff that they really want to talk about or rehashed. History hurts.  And you have to be ready to like deal with the past in a way, like mentally when I’m processing other memories or my own, I have to get into a framework where I’m ready to absorb and really think about

32:06

the legacy of this individual because this is what lasts in the sense of the tangible evidence someone was here. Like people always say,  in a court case, we’re right by UCI law, show us the evidence.  Well, we have their stories.  Now we have the photographic evidence of a life lived and then we have the memories that based off these images that often we don’t always photograph a moment, but we’re living it. Again, why oral history is so cool is it’s like fills in the gap.

32:33

because you have all these pictures and then what else happened? And also I would imagine that there’s the photos of the boat above water, not photos of the boat that sunk or photos not  of things that are bad, right? It’s almost like we tend to document the things that are working well  and so you have to fill in those gaps with the stories that don’t exist. Yeah, there’s probably a very limited access, like cameras and underwater are limited, like how often are you actually going…

32:59

Submersing and capturing that part of it. It’s right Well the idea of like the boat above water versus it’s sunk right you’re not taking pictures and storing memories of the negative things No, you don’t and like we have a fascination with Titanic because of that rediscovery of her like I think that James Cameron had such an incredible technology aspect of showing us like what we Thought we’d never see in so many ways like that voyage was so unique that time frame was so I think the height of

33:28

those lines and so curiosity in that way. So if we have the ability to do that and capture it, it’s amazing. But most of time you don’t. Like the pilgrims sank in the harbor, which was awful. We lost a vessel and it was a teaching vessel for a third- was on it in sixth grade. See? That was your, probably one of those moments. It a pivotal moment. got me into it. You’re like, this is how they live. used to…

33:51

eat these kinds of foods and live in these environments. I had to take a bite of an onion because our crew didn’t raise the barrel and touch the apple appropriately and so I had to  eat a bite of an onion. It stuck with me even till today. Those things, like food memories especially, like  those things you can ask about with relatives too. What do you eat  while sailing? Things that seem small. What’s your certain like…

34:15

songs that you sing. I wanna sing it, sing it out. Yeah, what did you take to Catalina when you went there for a week or two? Provisions, tell us about your provisions. What did that look like? How did you actually cook this, right?  All those recipes and how to prepare, things like that are lost in generational knowledge. And I love native cultures.  Catalina obviously represents this idea of the island of the blue dolphin and the whole coastline where we had these little islands sprawling along her.

34:43

and Santa Maria where they have this lovely story at the mission in Santa Barbara where you have these strong ties.  You’ve learned all… let’s go.  The story of this mystery woman whose language was lost because she lived alone and then when she came to land, they had a culture, like linguistic person who’s like, that’s unknown to us. We lost it. Like they all left and it’s undocumented in the sense of heritage. And I love oral history because…

35:10

It also helps indigenous populations recover their heritage because they’re not all about writing it down. It’s not that Western perception of history in that sense. It’s all generational. It’s all shared. And so I feel empowered by knowing this practice and try to help others  find it. your story. So I’m going to ask my mom to gather all the old photos. Then I’m going to ask her about specific stories and a timeline, I guess, in between. And then.

35:37

I’ve got pictures and I’ve taken photos of them and I’ve categorized them and I have audio recordings and or transcriptions using modern technology. Then what? What do I do with it? I create a carousel Instagram post that nobody cares about because it’s my hand. We take it to the Yacht Club.  We say, you have a centennial? BYC just had one. The Yacht Club is all about their Commodores.

36:01

And they have an archive, they have a sitting historian who sits there and kind of sifts through the minutes and all these things that, all the newsletters that seem like day to day, just banal. Someone in the future will think this is less boring than I. And most time I’m looking through some of these minutes, man, sorry. But there are those photos with opening day, there are things that the transition of leadership, the vice-Commonor is now Commodore.

36:28

They have a photo of that and you want to showcase that photo because they led that organization for X amount of years and continue to be a legacy member. So it seems like that at the moment, but we’re all about it. think community collections are based on the day to day. And so the club is a place to deposit. They literally are supposed to be managing the records and if not, have them call me. We’ll just consult and help them get started. interesting. It makes me remember that

36:54

This  year is the Blue Water Cruising Club’s  80th year. That’s significant. is our 80th year and it’s so fun. have these these there used to be a historian  position on the board. Right. And we have these big picture books that are literally from  the 1960s and then 70s and 80s and  90s. And we bring them to our onshore functions. We just had one  the other week and you crack open these photos and it’s like

37:23

Black and white. All the sailboats are small and wooden. They’re crammed in the same spot. And then I look at a photo that I took last summer and it’s literally the same thing, but just brand new and fresh and crisp and in color. But it’s like that cove legacy, that history that is so interesting and it’s such a small community and each club has their own history, but it’s almost kind of overwhelming.  It makes me think of the  social media challenge to where

37:52

an algorithm has to pick and choose  what you see because they’re just simply too much. And with each passing year, there’s just more history and it’s  easier to forget because we’re just focused on what we have now. So like, yeah, the clubs can  use it and share it and document it. But I don’t know, this kind of goes to a larger question. Generationally,  how do we keep people interested in history? You have to like create content. And I like your idea of like

38:22

Sailor influencers going back and showing the progression of then and now, before and after.  All our assets are considered born digital on social media. You ask an archivist, how did you take that form? It’s all digital, now what is the question? So I think you create culminating experiences, like a film that kind of shows everything happening over time because otherwise it’s too much data. Too much  You have to become an algorithm to take

38:51

So I get all these photos and then I get all the information from my mom and then maybe the project is, you know, the relevancy for Blue Water Cruising Club because they’ve been such a legacy member. That could be one. But it could be  putting together something to share with my sister and brother and my nephew and  family members almost to show that relevance. Because you do want like a highlight reel. And I love like getting all the moments from a collection.

39:18

for social media purposes specifically, to highlight what’s inside the boxes, so to speak. What’s inside the containers that there’s so much, and we have finding aids, and you can sort through all this in a library sense, but it’s just too much information. And the bottom line is like, how does this relate to me? How is this interesting? How do I become part of this story? Do I connect over it? And so I do believe in a high level reel that showcases the most incredible moments,  the best of the best,  and

39:48

highly curated in that way, just like an exhibit is. Everything’s trimmed down to a certain amount. So you go super wide  and then you come back in. in, yep. You have to go out to the community and gather as much as you can and help them collect, help them digitize, and then you start taking submissions, a theme, and that’s the curatorial practice it means. Like, okay, great, now we have all these hundreds of stories. What is the best version of an angler moment? Of a…

40:14

know, capsizing moment of, you know, all these situational things that happen out on the water. Let’s just show that.  And, you know, they can show that there are others  in that sense of other stories to go explore, but best of the best. And what also makes me think is, so if we go to Big Geiger Cove, which is on Catalina Island, it’s on the west side of the island, and it is just east of Howlands. So people know usually what Emerald Bay is. And then if you’re going more towards the Isthmus,

40:43

The next cove is Howlands and then there’s Big Geiger and then Little Geiger and then you go down to where you have Lion’s Head and then Cherry Cove and Fourth and then two harbors. But in Big Geiger Cove, it is one of the only remaining anchorages that a yacht club has a lease on the land. And  as you were just saying about these particular moments, there is a rock called Eight Ball Rock  and it has a story behind it. And there is  Tennis Shoe Rock and it has a story behind it.

41:13

And there is a an  old  ring, two rings on the beach that have stories behind it because there used to be a copper mine. And then there’s a story behind that. And then there’s the actual mask that we have that we have the flag on. That was actually from the Ning Po, which was salvaged when it was  when it sank into harbors. And it makes me think of these physical things like the picture that you don’t see because it’s in somebody’s box or it’s in this really cool scrapbook.

41:41

but that just nobody sees unless you happen to see that page. There’s almost like these physical elements and the boat, there’s nothing more physical than like I see it. That is the boat. We even have a new member who somehow ended up purchasing a Cal 34 that was a member’s boat prior. And we were looking through all these old yearbooks just the other day at our meeting and the flagship was the Commodore of the Regina Prospect.

42:10

from like 1990 and I brought it over to  Amy who now owns the boat. I’m like, look, there’s your boat on the front cover of this from 25 years ago. And there’s just this like, she showed it to her daughter and they’re like, wow.  It’s almost like the physical is that gateway into the history.  it’s making me think  what elements of my mom and my dad’s history ties into the physical elements of the cove, the physical boats and that.

42:39

that lineage and then that being a way to help with the highlight because when I’m at the cove and I can say you see that rock you know why it’s called 8ball now you’re able to tap into the story of that one night when that one boat hit it and so this is super helpful. You may be asking how can I find my own copy of Latitude 38 magazine.  Well it can be as simple as walking into your marina, marine store,  club or any California waterfront business.

43:09

You’ll likely connect with sailors when you walk in the door, and you’ll also find many more sailors as you read through the pages of Latitude 38. Bringing home a copy of Latitude 38 is also a great way to redecorate your coffee table, and reading one will help you unwind from the distractions of the day. It’s almost as good as a day of sailing itself. To find a copy of Latitude 38 near you, go to latitude38.com and click on Find the Magazine at the top of the page. Then go out.

43:38

and meet some sailors. How do I  maximize documenting the boat history from a prior owner? Because PJ, shout out to PJ who’s in Sonata and we need to, we actually, we need to do another podcast soon. I was emailing with him. I’m going to do a podcast with PJ and I’m going to need your help to structure the podcast so that I can learn as much as possible about my boat’s history. And I’ve met him, he’s come down to the boat.

44:07

but still it’s kind of unorganized and like there are still questions that I have. Why is this there? What is the story behind that? Is this original?  Can you apply that same type of structure  to the boat history? Absolutely. It’s like a walkthrough. Like I did this with a historic house. the  guy who grew up in it, walked through. Rolly Pelesky from Babel Island. He’s an architect. Good friend. Like you can walk through your vessel with a camera and like video it. Like tell me about this. And that’s…

44:37

in oral history and you’re showing and then telling the story and documenting it that way. And I’m telling you, insurance people love me, because I’m all about documenting all the that  I go through,  an exhibit, and I do a Matterport, a virtual visit. So if anything happens, A Matterport? Which is digital AI, a  visual story of  experience. for instance, Newport Beach has this now. It’s a Matterport. It’s going on their website here soon.

45:05

where can walk through the Fun Zone Museum and see object-based things, labels,  and it’s more than just a photo, it’s immersive. You’re in it, you can jump through it. So like in the metaverse sort of? It’s like a metaverse type of tool, because you can do this on a boat. I want to build this for the Ocean Institute. They have the spirit of Dana Point,  and we just had a meeting with them last Monday about documenting the spirit, because it’s not ADA accessible. Not everybody can just hop on and go check it out. So it’s expanding the entire

45:34

base of education tools. Like we’re going to walk through with this tool, document all the features on it. And so I’m about to do this for the Ocean Institute because they have like a historic barn and they do their education programs there. They do overnight.  They learn about rigging and all the hard life of sailing. So a Matterport would be the best way, but you can just start with a video, like just literally walk through. I know that like technology is taking leaps and bounds with the historical

46:03

Like that’s why I think 70 Degrees is born. sort of like, we’ve been waiting for this moment where history can be super digital and like innovative and bridge over a generational divide where it’s not just a scrapbook. You know, it’s immersive now. So what I’m gonna try to do, and I’ll see if I can do this, I will try to create a boat cast. Yes. Where I am on my boat and there’s a video element component to where PJ can see and will literally start at the back.

46:33

and ask about things and then ask about stories.  And then it’ll probably be  a long conversation.  Then I’ll take it and  edit it down to the highlight reel so that somebody who listens to it  can have an example of the history of that boat. Exactly. And this makes me think of, you know, they say the best  two days of a boat owner’s life is when they buy it, when they sell it, right? Exactly. But it’s hard to sell a boat and the market’s tough right now. But  certain boats, especially older ones,

47:02

I think the value is directly related to  not only whether the keel is attached appropriately and whether it passes a survey,  but the history of it.  And some of these older boats are so cool. this sounds like an opportunity of learning about your boat that only helps to add value to it when you sell it. And instead of being like, look at this shiny wench, look at this. It’s like, do you realize that this wench, the story behind it?  if you can document that and put it with it.

47:31

By the way, if you are selling your boat, Latitude 38 has the classy classifieds. And so imagine if you’re in the classy classifieds and somebody clicks on the ad and talks to you and you’re able to tell them a high level history of the boat, past owners of the boat. Even one thing that Kiki, who is the person I just interviewed recently who is in contact with the original owner.  One of the reasons why she bought this boat sight unseen. She was in New York. She bought a sight unseen.

48:01

is because the current owner basically said, when you buy this boat, you buy me. And I am going to tell you everything that I have shared, that I’ve done with it.  I’m not just gonna disappear on you.  And that went further because he had built a good relationship with the original owner of the boat. So she didn’t just buy a boat, she bought the history of it. Literally the sitting historian of this vessel  is part of the package. And that was a value that made her feel comfortable  because

48:30

When people sell a boat, they’re probably just  doing their best to sell it and then it’s somebody else’s problem versus it being part of someone’s legacy.  I think that’s fantastic. I think it helps not only tell a story but often sell the vessel in the future.  going to the Wooden Boat Festival, these guys are like hardcore. Yes. Right? You know this place.  Balboa Yacht Club has the best thing. It’s coming up in June. those listening, June.

48:58

13th  through the 14th. Do you know anybody who puts it on? Yeah, the Commodores are part of the kind of pre-organization style. So I’ve known a few of them through the years, like  David Beak.  So I’m asking because what we should do, we should coordinate  and let’s get me a media pass. Yes. And then let’s go around, we’ll get a mobile setup. OK. And we will go and talk to these boat owners and get some of the coolest stories about their boat.

49:27

and then we can edit it together as like a behind the scenes of the boat show, but not your normal like, oh, boat, boat, boat, but like stories  and the oral history behind these boats, because whether you buy the boat or not, that still gets you that value. Right. It’s just insider access. And they, it’s just the idea of knowing, I think, and whether you buy it or not, that happens to us.

49:48

But now you know,  you’re empowered. And I think the rediscovery  at the end of the day and impossible hidden treasure, literally, I met somebody who bought a $2 catamaran, talked to him on this podcast, and when they were cleaning it out, they actually found a bag of silver.  And he actually was wearing one of the silver coins on his neck when I was interviewing him. And it’s just crazy. It’s like treasure. That’s truly an adventure. So as we bring the boat back into the dock, I want to leave people with

50:17

the inspiring part of the stories that you don’t know. Also, like recognizing the stories that you are making right now  are a huge part of what the next boat owner might be interested in. And this idea of like rediscovery, and there’s probably treasure hidden within your boat just based on the stories that you don’t know.  Just, you your kind of thoughts on  how somebody can, before this podcast, not by any means associate themselves as an archivist.

50:48

And now thinking about the importance of  documenting, learning,  rediscovering, finding treasure that’s right under the mask. They might just not even know. And if you’re looking for more, that’s the other thing. I would say go to these bazaars. Archivists are friendly, helpful people. There’s one at the Great Park this Sunday and…

51:09

Go meet them, have them help you curate your own family’s history. And eventually you’ll get accessioned into, I think, a local museum. Like this sailor story, this boat history is part of the California coastline’s heritage. It’s part of a maritime history of the state. Like we were once thought of as an island and then we’re like, oh, we’re a peninsula and then we’re this and that by all these explorers, Castillo to like every Balboa, actually if I ask you about Balboa, why Balboa Island is named that.

51:38

These guys were like, where are we? They’re orienting themselves around this lore of where are we and how do we tell our story to the future in their logs and writings that now I read and I’m like, this is so fascinating. This is what they thought, now we know. But eventually all that gets transferred to hopefully a museum and exhibited. That’s the last part of that. So hopefully now that we’ve looked through your family’s history.

52:01

It could go to the Catalina Island Museum. It could go to Newport Beach Historical. could go to, you know, anywhere. It could just help me to tell more accurate stories  of where I came from and what part of legacy that I have been part of and that I continue to do. Another thought just came to my mind. We talk about these boat pictures. And again, the photo you sent me this morning of my grandpa on a boat that I don’t think I’ve ever seen as clean of a photo of. And they used to own Bravo One, which is the most prime spot.

52:30

in Two Harbors that was like their spot. And I always look when I go by and I’m like, wow, my grandpa used to sit right here all summer, but I don’t think I’ve really had a clear picture of his boat just until now. And so it makes me think of instead of a photograph, it’s like a photograph. And I can see how, you know, you look at social and you look at the stuff that I’m drawn to. It’s it’s not necessarily boats. It’s like a photograph because it’s not just an image. Like there’s a story behind it. There’s

53:00

records broken behind it. There’s all these things more than just a photograph, a photograph. It’s amazing. It’s your story and you’re able to share that over and over again now, however you want. Now that it’s digital, it can go anywhere. You know, it doesn’t even have to leave the box. The cool part about it is you can send it to a museum. They can show it if they’d like to about Chris Craft and again, a Newport. Like they’re all about that culture and it’s so celebrated there.

53:27

Or just keep it for yourself. That’s the other part. Family history is a family history. You don’t have to share it. right. A lot of people don’t even care about it. But it’s not about sharing. It’s about knowing. It’s knowledge. And that’s, again, why I think UCI matters. It’s all about self-discovery in your studies and learning about your past. So you can make a feature is really what it is. It’s brilliant in that. Yeah. Well, this is awesome. So if somebody wants to connect with you and understand more about what you’re doing or if they’re

53:54

in the Southern California region or if they want you to, what was the word that you did with the boat when you documented it? Start with M. Matterport. If  people want to Matterport their boats or things like that, how do they get in touch with you? How do they learn more about the good work you’re doing? Thank you for asking. It’s 70degrees.org  and I’m Jennifer at 70degrees if you want to shoot me an email.  We have, I call it our museum hotline at this point because people are like, I had 20 years of this culture collected. what?  Laura Davick was a Crystal Cove.

54:23

collector of 100 years of history and UCI just put this whole collection back to the library and went digital because of seven degrees. So it’s history along the coastline, it’s cottages that have been saved because Laura founded this organization and she’s like, I just need to save this. And my family’s history, I lived here, I’m third gen, I have to save it for the future. So now it’s all there in the library. But we wanna make ourselves accessible, we have a resource page, and it’s literally step one, how do I start? Kind of like we did verbally today.

54:53

There are toolkits, are resources beyond just this conversation that I hope helps, because it’s too much information all at once. That’s what I think. It’s like a lesson plan, a syllabi of how to, but break it down. You can do this over time. It’s great on a rainy day. It’s great in the winter, as I hear.  When I really process a lot, during the summer months, it’s harder. You want to be on the water.  It’s not as productive. Well, this is awesome, and it really makes me think about how

55:23

The interviews on this podcast are really documenting an oral history of sailing at the end of the day. And Latitude 38 has been documenting sailing stories since 1977. And on the website, you can actually search with keywords to find keywords in any article that has been written all the way back to 1977. And so if you are on a rainy day or in the winter and you’re longing for some sailing stories or some photographs,

55:52

You can go and search and find and it’s inspiring to see the timeless elements. It’s exciting to see the stuff that you had never seen before. And it’s exciting to see the new contributions with the new sailors who are taking on these adventures and sharing them with a lot of us who are stuck behind a desk or  are not able to be out there living that crazy adventurous life. Well, Jennifer, this has been so much fun.  We both have a bunch of chicken scratch notes in front of us.  I’m inspired for.

56:22

continuing to do my part  in helping with the oral history of the sailing community and the West Coast sailors. And if this is your first time listening to the Good Jives podcast, welcome. It great to have you aboard.  If you are not subscribed, you can. You can get this podcast. It’s a weekly podcast every Tuesday to get notified when it comes out and share this with your other sailing friends.

56:46

Maybe share this with the person that you want to interview so that they have a foundation and they get excited about gathering photos and talking about your boat’s history. Maybe reach out to prior owners and see if you can connect with them just to learn a little bit more about your boat. And when you’re going to buy a boat through Classy Classifieds, ask about the stories behind  the boat you’re going to buy because it’s important. It’s knowledge at the end of the day.

57:10

And if you want to connect with me, if you want to go sailing with me, if you want to find out more about me, you can find me at Ryan.Online. That is my website that has it all. My website  will even give you a chance to connect and sail with me. I’ve also got a series of books coming out called Getting Your Ship Together. And the first one, Speaker Ship, is coming out soon.  Also followed by Leadership and Entrepreneurship. And I just can’t help but see ships everywhere. And I love to help people get their ship together.

57:38

So if you need some help with your business, your brand, you can also hit me up, let me know.  But we will see you online. Make sure to follow Latitude 38. Get involved with the conversations online.  And if you have a history of your boat that you want to share  and you thought, well, I never,  I never could be on a podcast. You’re wrong. You can and you should be. And we want to hear it.  So reach out to us and let us know. We’re always looking for exciting  and adventurous guests.  And we will hear from you soon.  And with that.

58:07

Let’s bring it back into the dock. Let’s coil up the dock lines because a clean boat is a fast boat. Thank you for being on board and  fair winds and following seas, Jennifer.  Be well. Thank you. Sail safely. Have fun.  All right. We’ll see ya, everybody. Adios!