In August 2024 I started a new job as a Yacht Broker/Salesperson for Cruising Yachts, in the Alameda office. The company is based in San Diego, and represents Bavaria and Bali. In this new role, I have two primary goals: to help sailors in the San Francisco Bay Area find the right boat for their sailing aspirations, and to help boat owners sell their boats. Send me an email with any questions to: Tom.Abbott @ CruisingYachts.NET.

Since retiring as VP of a small database software company in 2015, I have sailed at least 20,000 miles. I have sailed to Hawaii three time. Big trips included doing the 2014 and 2016 Pacific Cup, from SF to Hawaii on my boat, Avion twice, and crewed on the Puddle Jump, from Panama to Tahiti in 2015. THis year I am doing the YRA “Offshore” series.

After the returning to the San Francisco Bay Area, I got a USCG 100-ton Master’s License. I also have Certificates from the American Sailing Association to teach ASA101 (Basic Keel Boat Sailing), ASA103 (Coastal Cruising), ASA104 (Bareboat Cruising) and ASA105 (Coastal Navigation) courses. I teach these courses at Sailtime San Francisco, and the Afterguard Sailing Academy, in Oakland

I started experimenting with shooting video of Encinal Yacht Club and Oakland Yacht Club racing events on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary, from the roof deck of the building where I live. I am interested in the starts of the races, as there are a lot of boats jockeying around to get a favorable position, for several minutes before each start, so the footage is dynamic. I then edit them into a 15 to 20 minute videos, and then go over the the yacht club to show them to the races during the Awards Ceremony. I also post them to my YouTube channel. I have a page on this website with links to the most recent videos.