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PAUL OLIVA is best known for writing the San Francisco Chronicle's "On the Water
Front" column appearing every other Friday in the Datebook Section. He is also
chairman of South Beach Yacht Club, a public affairs consultant to government and
business, and has been an ASA-certified sailing instructor in the San Francisco Bay
Area since 1999.
Paul is an avid watersports enthusiast and enjoys sharing his passion with anyone
who wants to experience life on the water. He owns, actively cruises and races a
Catalina 310 sloop, which has taken him up and down the California coast and 100
miles inland to Sacramento. He has skippered a variety of sail and power vessels up
to 50 feet in Northern and Southern California, the Bahamas, and the Sea of Cortez.
Although a Sacramento native, Paul learned to sail in 1992 while living in Washington,
DC. The lessons aboard Flying Scots on the Potomac River in Arlington were a
birthday present, and launched him toward learning keelboats when he moved to San
Francisco in 1994.
Paul is a proud member of the American Sailing Association (ASA), Boat US, and the
South Beach Yacht Club—where he has served in various roles including currently as
chairman. He donated time to promote various water events, has represented ASA at
the massive Pacific Sail Expo and sits on the advisory committee for Summer Sailstice.
In addition to the Chronicle, Paul’s waterfront writing has appeared in Sail Magazine,
Latitude 38 and Catalina Mainsheet, always working to share sailing stories and
photos about West Coast sailing with other enthusiasts.
Ashore, Paul runs a public affairs and economic development consultancy based on
his successful career in corporate, government and community positions. He holds an
MA in International Affairs from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(Johns Hopkins University), and a BA in International Studies from the University of
the Pacific. He was appointed by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to chair the
Northern California District Export Council, and serves on a variety of boards and
advisory committees dealing with international trade, education and economic
development. He speaks German and Italian.
March 2010