June 3, 2019 (Tiburon, CA) Latitude 38, a Northern California-based sailing magazine with a worldwide reach, recently published the first part of an interview with Mary Gidley and her son, Memo Gidley. The article, titled “The Gidley’s of Sausalito”, is featured in the June 2019 issue of the publication. Latitude 38 writer, Christine Weaver, starts at the beginning when Mary and her late-
husband, Cass Gidley, first met in the 1950’s, including how they established themselves in the Sausalito boating community and what they did to promote boating. “I was very excited to read the first part of the Latitude 38 interview”, said Memo. “Both my dad and mom did so many great things for the Sausalito bay area that involved the water and the great people of the community. They did this because of their passion for sailing and the friends they made as a result of it … and they had many friends!”
This first part of the interview covers the opening of Cass’ Marina, which was the first public sailboat rental and sailing lessons facility in the San Francisco Bay. Cass and Mary started Cass’ Marina in 1962 in Sausalito, CA, because Cass wanted the public to be able to access the water and enjoy it. At the time, he believed, this was not possible unless you were wealthy and belonged to an expensive yacht club. Over the next 40 years, Cass’ Marina taught tens of thousands of “ordinary” people how to sail. “There’s barely any time that goes by before I talk to a person who took lessons at Cass’ Marina or knew people that did!” said Memo. “It’s just one of the many things that makes me proud of my mom and dad and makes me proud to be a Gidley.”
To read the interview, pick up the June 2019 issue of Latitude 38 and flip to page 60 or click on this link!