Catching Up With Sailors Cruising the Latitudes
Where Are They Now? Lots of folks come and go in the Changes in Latitudes column every year, telling their past and present stories and writing future plans in the sand at low tide. We feel as if they’re all part of the extended Latitude family, so it’s always great to catch up when we can. Here’s a look at what a few of our 2024 Changes contributors are up to these days.
— A lot has happened since we last heard from Keith Rasmussen of the Port Townsend-based Fraser 41 Nikko. Departing San Francisco on Easter morning (March 31), Keith and crew — son Jason and buddy Adin — did a straight 25-day shot to Hiva Oa. In Tahiti, Jason and Adin headed home and Keith’s daughter and her boyfriend took their place aboard. Since then, says Keith, “Nikko sailed on through the Societies, waited out weather in Aitutaki, partied with Ali Baba at Beveridge Reef, lost our dinghy in Niue, pieced together a new one in Tonga, saw the kids engaged in Savusavu, got myself engaged in Vanuatu, and got Nikko sold in Newport, Australia. It’s been a busy season.
“Much gratitude for all our crew, our friends on Sea Soul, Ali Baba, Andante, Hooligan, and the many others that made this voyage a lifetime treasure.”
— Seaquester completed her second winter in Mexico in April.
“If we can ever get fully retired, I think I could get used to being a snowbird,” writes Bill Leone of his and wife Cheryl’s San Diego-based Beneteau 423. “Banderas Bay remains a wonder: wildlife, restaurants, a vibrant cruiser community, beer can races, and of course the Banderas Bay Regatta at the end of the winter cruising season.”
In early April, Seaquester headed out to sea. “We sailed directly to the NASA-supplied coordinates for the total eclipse path on April 8,” says Bill. “With sextants, eclipse glasses, box viewers and cameras ready, we had an otherworldly adventure navigating to the centerline of the path of totality and experiencing a total eclipse without obstructions, traffic, hotels or a crowd.” Continue.
— Scott and Jeno Brigham of the Valiant 40 Pendragon are back in Montana after a great trip on the 2024 Ha-Ha.
“After exploring the Sea of Cortez close to La Paz, Jeno and I sailed down to Banderas Bay for the BB Regatta. We had our good friend Tom Verburgt come down to help us race our Valiant 40 around the cans. We had one good race, but as expected, and as a true cruiser, we finished last in every race. Who cares? We were there for the fun, and the yacht club did not disappoint. They put on a well-organized, fun regatta. We loved La Cruz and stayed there diving and eating tacos for another two weeks before sailing north to San Jose del Cabo.”
After a wonderful winter, it was time to bash back home. Unlike many owners, Bill says he’s come to enjoy the trip back, as there’s always a surprise or two. “The bash was a little trickier this year. We had stopped in Bahia Santa Maria (which we normally skip) due to weather. But that meant we needed to refuel between there and Turtle Bay.” Continue.
Catch up with more cruisers in this month’s Changes in Latitudes.