October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

Artistic
Forgeries
Forged Shackles
When it comes to shackles, you shouldn’t just accept a forgery,
you should insist on it! Shackles have a tough job to do (usually
holding expensive bits of your boat together), so it makes sense
to buy the toughest, strongest, most reliable shackles made.
Those would be the brilliant forgeries by Wichard.
These extraordinary shackles are created by drop forging 17.4
PH stainless steel, then painstakingly polishing them to a brilliant
finish that defies the crevice corrosion which can cause lesser
shackles to fail with catastrophic consequences.
If you want to skimp on something, go buy a forged painting. But
don’t skimp on something as important as a shackle. Insist on
forged shackles by Wichard.
Find Wichard Forged Shackles at our
Alameda Sailing Superstore!
730 Buena Vista Ave. • 510-521-4865
We have 17 stores in Northern California.
Log onto westmarine.com to find the store nearest you.
Page 28 • Latitude 38 • October, 2009
LATITUDE / LADONNA
LETTERS
saw at St. Peter Port. But get this: Jeanne is planning to start
a second circumnavigation
— this
one non-stop — at
the beginning of
this month. (We're
giving her credit
for the first one.)
Read more about
it in Sightings.
And a tip of the
Latitude hat to
you, too. You folks
have covered a lot
Jeanne Socrates has a new 'Nereida' — two feet
longer than the old one, seen here in Hanalei.
of ground since
the '07 Ha-Ha.
⇑⇓THE BAY BELONGS TO EVERYONE
Regarding Don Perillat's letter in the September issue,
the boat on the cover of August's Latitude is a TP 52, not a
Farr 40. It makes a difference to those of us who crew on the
two Farr 40s on the Bay. It probably also makes a difference
to the crews of the TP 52s as well, because we're all pretty
decent people, and racers who pride ourselves on being good
citizens.
While the Bay does indeed belong to all, it would be really
good for non-racers to note that these boats are moving a lot
faster than they might seem. So while it might appear that
there is enough time to cross in front of a racing boat, there
might not be, and therefore the crews of the two boats might
be put in jeopardy. In addition, what are actually multiple
boat lengths of clearance may seem to be mere feet to someone
on a slower boat who is watching a fleet of 40- to 50-ft boats
coming down at them at 15-20 knots.
It bears noting that what we're doing is pushing already
fast boats as much as we possibly can. And sometimes things
can go a little pear-shaped, either through a mechanical
malfunction or boat handling error. While we do appreciate
the attention, keeping a safe distance from an obvious race
course is probably a good idea.
Nick Salvador
Richmond
Nick — We enjoy racing and love shaving transoms as much
as the next sailor. And we agree — for folks not used to racing,
a boat coming at them at 15 knots may seem a lot closer
than it actually is. Nonetheless, we think you've got everything
backwards. Racing on the Bay is an exception to the normal
use, which is why race organizers are required to get permits
for races. People doing regular old sailing don't need a permit.
So on some level, racers should always think of themselves as
being the burdened vessel.
As for the notion that folks on non-racing boats should
"keep a safe distance from an obvious race course," we find
it ridiculous on two counts. First, race courses on the Bay are
rarely obvious. For instance, sometimes Little Harding will be
a rounding mark, and sometimes it won't. So how is anybody
without a course sheet to know whether the fleet is going to
sail right by, make a 90-degree rounding toward the Cityfront,
or make an 180-degree turn and head back down the Bay?
Second, there are many situations when racing boats sail
upwind in the middle of the Bay to take advantage of an ebb
and then hug the shore to sail downwind in the flood with their
chutes up. Do you really think that folks on a six-knot boat
headed from Mile Rock to South Beach Marina should have to