Latitudes & Attitudes stops publication

Posted on 03 July 2012

Latitudes & Attitudes, the popular magazine that celebrated the sailing lifestyle, recently ceased publishing.

See Related Articles

The magazine launched by Bob Bitchin — whose birth name is Robert Lipkin — and his wife, Jody, in 1996 was sold to Sextant Publishing Inc., run by CEO Dennis “DJ” Doran, in January, according to an email Bitchin sent to Soundings Trade Only.

Most of the crew at Latitudes & Attitudes are prohibited from talking about specifics of the situation because of legal issues and non-compete clauses.

Capt. Woody Henderson, who was on the original staff of Latitudes & Attitudes, wrote June 20 in his Capt. Woody’s Blog: “Today, we find ourselves locked out of the office.”

Attempts to contact Sextant Publishing and Doran were unsuccessful. Sextant Publishing’s Web pages and bios have been taken down.

Despite the situation, Bitchin plans to launch a new publication.

“The original staff of Latitudes & Attitudes, including Capt. Woody Henderson, Tania Aebi, Sue Morgan, Zuzana Prochazka and I - as a columnist due to legal crap - have formed a new company, The Bitchin Group, and will be launching a new entity, a combination Web-based magazine, print magazine and interactive mobile app for cruisers, within a month,” Bitchin said.

— Reagan Haynes

Comments

I never renewed after my subscription ended and kinda got the feeling it was going to change for the worse with new owners so I held back. I was just logging on to see what's been going on and found out it went under. I really enjoyed the magazine over almost it's entire run from the beginning. I subscribe to cruising world because of fatty goodlander and the likes but found the magazine too stuffy and technical in other respects. Latts and Atts was a breath of fresh air and Bob and the gang talked about the real fun side of what it's like to be a sailor or a cruiser and why we sail rather than how to sail. It's smells like a competitor decided it was cheaper to buyout than to compete! There is alot of shady characters and crooks out there and Bob is definately a character but shady and a crook he is not. Good luck with the new mag i'll be signing up for it regardless of the naysayers. Regards, Rob Freeman
S/V The Smooch...wood is good and glass is fast but steel is real.

Its a shame. I was looking forward to another great party at the Maimi show. good people will come back. fingers crossed.

Will not put myself in that position again. Buy another subscription from Bob? I've already lost money and not willing to loose more.

A smile onlyh goes so far.

Yes, the company was stolen from him. All the assets were transferred to the new owners. Not only was he not paid, he was left with the companies debt and is now in bankruptcy.

Why would you NOT blame the former owner? Was the company stolen from him? He was paid for a product and then turned around and sold his company. So if I form a company, sell a billion widgets I fon't have, then sell the company, I'm a good guy?

My husband just informed me that he hadn't received an issue since June 2012. I investigated and learned of the sell-out/shut-out. I thought I was out our money, until I called my credit card company. They promptly refunded my entire subscription amount (as we have been a good, long-time customer). Pays to pay by credit card. Thought you all would like to know.

I simply cannot believe some of the comments here. Bob did not screw you guys over causing you to lose you precious money... He lost out too. You should be blaming those that took over Latts & Atts! It was a great magazine while Bob was there. I think Mr. Doran is the one with your money!

Spent 70 $ on a subscription and didn't even get one complete year. Class action lawsuit needed

Bob, Jody, Woody and everyone at L&A seemed like family. I lost a year of L&A and Living Aboard.(i have every copy of both with Living Aboard going back to the early seventies) I lost a few bucks and maybe the new mag will pick it up, but Bob and Jody lost so much more-15 years af BS&T. good luck on the new venture.

just need to know when and where to see the NEW mag, E-mag or what ever. dude i was a fan dureing the Easyrider days and then the L & A days will be there for the next generation. thanx man, and keep it up

I payed 76 bucks for a new subscription ! Never received one magazine ! Sorry Bob but fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!

thank you for giving us a alternative from all the yachty mags, sorry about the loss of your company, I know you are pissed. Lets get things up and running again. Remember - Alot of small businesses relied on you for their success. Press on.

Ethically speaking our prior subscriptions to L&A should be honoured with the same period previously paid for the new magazine.
If Bob had a strong and loyal following before this gestrue would surely support that even further.
Personally I still have bad taste from the last one. I paid for my subscription I am sure a few weeks before it went down and even spoke to someone personnaly to give them my CC info.

At any rate maybe if we all speak up someone will do the right thing here.

The $ amount is not the end of the world, it is the principal of how it went sideways with no warning or accountability.

B

you know what else is bad? I get this e-mail today to subscribe to a new magazine for 25.00 a year when I had 1 year left on my other 2, L&A and living aboard....what the heck? Shouldn't I GET this new mag at no cost?

wow, I kept wondering why my issue wasn't coming! What the heck? I was subscribing to Living Aboard and Latts & Ats and lost them both! What a crock

Well, this explains what happened to my subscription. Please send info & a link to the new magazine!

Not sure why some who responded to this artical feel that it is appropriate to blame the former owner and his team. I know that it is awful to be out $70 for a 3 year subscription, but Bob and his team had nothing to do with that. To Jess Barofsky, who said that she will never subscibe to a small publication again, will you abandon your neighborhood market and instead shop only at Walmart? They are sure to be in it for the long haul, too. I say, "Good luck on your new ventures!" I will gladly subscibe and enjoy your new publication!

Well, now I know why I haven't been receiving my magazine that doesn't expire until May of 2014. And here I have been trying to figure out how to get it online. So much for that. So what happens to the refund......That's plenty of margaritas I can cry into..........

Anyone interested in putting together a class action against these pirates?

I took out a new subscirption months ago - they seem to have taken my money and run........I have reported them to Paypal but it seems there is very little else I can do. No magazine and No refund. Thanks L&A!

Ancient technique of stopping a competitor. Buy him out, shut it down. Just wondering who's behind the money...

I was going online to suscribe when I found out the news. I have always bought over the counter and paid cover price. In hindsight I am glad I did. Looking forward to your next publication. I am ready to suscribe!

Hey Bob,
Just carry over my 2year subscription to the new mag. It was a great magazine

Bob...WTF? You sell the magazine, I would think got paid...then the new owners promptly shut down, leaving thousands of subscribers (myself included) stranded after buying multi-year subscriptions, and you're going to start yet-another magazine to start the rip-off all over again? Count me out...

What a bummer. So looked forward to the magazine. Whom ever bought
you out owes me for a three year subscription. Looking forward to a
new magazine..

I have greatly missed Lats & Atts. I loked forward to it every month. I wish Bob and Jodi the very best in their new endevor. A real class magizine.

This is definitlt not KEWL. This is the only mag I read front to back and leave at work where it dissappears for a few days. If its bee a while since ive brought a copy by I definitely hear about it. Krap and that's my last word on the matter.

look forward to a new publication. and hope its soon i miss reading about all your adventures, i will be retiring soon and because of you bob i will be living my dream thanks for the many years of being there, miss you all,,, pete copeland

I had just finished accusing my wife of hiding the latest magazine when I stumbled across the news of Latts & Atts demise.
I am sorry to hear that the publication has ended, but count me in on the new entity!

I hope Bob and crew have the address list of all former subscribers. I wish I would get some sort of news directly from them.
What about the parties at the boat shows??????

I wonder if i'll get a refund. We paid our money and never even received the first issue. I'm not going to subscribe to smaller publications anymore.

Bob, Jody, Editor Sue etc.

As a subscriber and contributor to Lats and Atts I look forward to your new venture. Please keep me on your list. I could care less about lost subscription money; ready to subscribe again. Hope you can keep the Lost Soul.

Awesome! I did it again! Put another magazine out of business. I admit, it took me longer than I expected. Normally I can kill a magazine in 3 years. But it's a testimony to Bob and Robin the rest of staff that they stayed afloat as long as they did with me as ballast.

Seriously, sorry to hear the magazines ran aground. It happens.

Hard Aground... Again, Eddie Jones

The best revenge now is come back bigger and better than ever. The Scheibelhuts will support the Bitchin crew in whatever comes next.

Let me know if you need a printer for your new endeavor, I may be able to help in a quick fashion. Probably a lot of people offering though.

What about the living aboard mag I got taken on ywo mags. Bob please come back with a new mag. Even though I lost my money it wasn't you that took it. I'll buy your new mag

Count me in for new publication. I agree we are due a refund of our subscriptions. Would gladly donate mine to keep Lost Soul in Bitchin' family.

I have been wondering why I haven't seen my Lats and Atts in the mail. It's a shame. I wondered what was going to happen once the mag was sold. Guess now we know. Bob, I can only imagine how you and Jody must feel, after all the years of hard work. I hope that somehow you can end up with posession of the Lost Soul. I'll be looking for the new Mag. Lucky for me that my subscription was nearing it's end. It's just plane wrong how so many people got taken.

For Bob & Jody, would it be an act of piracy if you got out there and seized the "Lost Soul" for lack of payment ? They take your mag and your boat and our subscription money under false colors and run like scurvy dogs. Not Kewl.!!! I only sail a 23' Precision on the Chesapeake, but Lats&Atts gave my dreams of being out there in the big blue a window to what may be one day.

I was lucky, Heidie call me just before I was going to send in our $500.00 for advertising saved keel.

If so many people were fleeced out of their subscriptions, can't you file a complaint to the attn general for fraud, or take some similar action? You are a tight community and should be able to pull together to force the new owner to refund your money.

How many people received a renewal form after they stopped publication. I did respond.

I will gladly subscribe to Bob's new venture, Bob and the rest of us got screwed, and D.J. Will get his someday. I hope Bob and Jody are able to regain Lost Soul.

I agree with Jim Arnold, I had also just renewed my subscription and believe we will be out of luck this one.

Bob may do just fine but what about those of us that just renewed for three years and have not received a copy since renewing and no refund. It was not til now that I realized they have shut their doors and conveniently kept my money. I certainly won't subscribe to anything else he puts his name on for fear of losing again. I wonder how many other subscribers are out almost $70.00. Only need 1000 and you have $70,000.00 in your pocket. Thanks Bob. Now it is me that is "Bitchin". How 'Kewl".

I was hooked right after reading issue #1 of L&A. What a great magazine. I look forward to the pleasure of reading whatever Bob and the crew come up with.

I don't even own a sail boat [I have a stink pot] and I was hooked on the magazine. It was about boating & cruising and they were not trying to sell me a new boat. How can you buy a magazine and blow it up in less then half a year?

We need Bob, Tania and Captain Woody...I love the magazine and looked forward to it every month. CW, Sail and Yachting had moved past the "Real Cruiser" we must have a real magazine aimed at real world situations...Please count me in for the new Magazine.

BK

I was wondering how this periodical would change after Bob sold it. Who knew?? Ceased publication!!? Glad he will be coming back with his old crew. There's nothing like L & A. Great guy is true!

Hopefully the new publication will use spell and grammar check.

I would be happy never to read the word "kewl" again

Tough luck Bob: You may recall that something similar happened to Coastal Cruising a decade and a half ago, when we sold it for family reasons to our distributor. Good luck. Let me know if there is something I can do.

What a disappointment, I love my Lats & Atts and everything Seafarer. I have read Bob's books, and met Bob, you are bitchin' pal! Looking forward to the next chapter, FAIR WINDS FRIENDS!!!!!

I've been involved with a bunch of boating magazines over the past 10 years, either as a writer, editor or advertiser, and I can say that Lats and Atts did one thing better than any of them. It was the best at conveying the fact that boating was fun, sometimes fabulously so. The rest of us can be a little out of balance, always talking about the risks, the perils of doing this or not doing that. It's no wonder that a lot of non-boaters I meet assume that boating is a dangerous passtime, and that assumption spells danger for our industry. A magazine like Lats and Atts is the antidote.

Sorry to see what the new company did. Bob, Jodi and the crew have done a fine job with the magazine. I look forward to seeing what they are planning for the future publication.
As for the group who bought them out, I hope they are planning to refund us the money for our subscriptions.... It was paid in good faith and they are not delivering it so we should get a refund!

Bob will do just fine. Sorry to hear about the problem. he is a great guy!!!

Add your comment

Your name:	Required, screen names acceptable
Your email:	Required, will not be published
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments Policy.:

Word verification:

yvComment v.1.21.1

Facebook	RSS
Twitter	LinkedIn
Daily E-newsletter