Bob Bitchin is an adventurer and story-teller. Over the years he has created a number of lifestyle publications based on his lifestyle. In the 70’s he created Biker News, a tabloid covering the lifestyle of the Outlaw Biker. In the late 70’s he turned it into a national magazine that became one of the largest of the genre. In the early 80’s he created Tattoo Magazine, which went on to become “the” publication for the industry. He also worked as editor of many of the publication of that era, including Big Bike, Choppers, Chopper Guide and Easyriders, as well as contributing editor to such diverse publications as Forbes, Penthouse, Hustler and New Look. His latest title he and wife Jody created after returning from a world cruise in 1996, Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine (also known for awhile as Cruising Outpost Magazine. He divides his time between Publishing, writing, world cruising, doing seminars on sailing, riding his Harley and writing books. He has written a number of books including Biker to Sailor, Letters From The Lost Soul, The Sailing Life, Brotherhood of Outlaws, BIKER, Emerald Bay, King Harbor, Starboard Attitude, DORF and Grand Bay.
In those years he rode his motorcycles across the country over 30 times, and around Europe as well. He helped found, and was elected the first President of the Motorcycle Press Association in 1978 and he co-founded A.B.A.T.E., a national organization of motorcyclists. In 1980 he was asked by the European Motorcycle community to help create something similar for Europe,
He and riding partner LACO Bob Lawrence, President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Hells Angels co-created the very first Toy run in December of 1973, which now takes place in thousands of cities world-wide.
He taught himself to sail on a Cal 28 sloop and found the sailing lifestyle fit him to a “T”. He met Alan Olson, Captain of Stone Witch, which was a 74′ square rigged topsail schooner that sailed out of San Francisco. He signed on for a 3 month sail to Guatemala to see if the sailing life was for him. Stone Witch was the flag-ship for GreenPeace, and had no engine, ran kerosene running lights, and had four 21′ oars for propulsion. His life was changed forever, and soon, while riding all over the world on Harley’s, he lived aboard various sailboats that he would buy, fix up, and sell. For over thirty five years he lived aboard sailboats and cruised most of the Pacific and Central America.
He sold BIKER and TATTOO magazines to Easyriders in 1986 and started sailing full time. For many years he sailed the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America on his Formosa 51, the first Lost Soul, and then on another 51′ ketch, named Predator, with numerous trips to the Hawaiian Islands and back. Then, in 1990 After fixing and selling seven boats he bought the 68′ staysail ketch Lost Soul and this would be his home for the next 17 years.
He kidnapped Jody, the bartender at the Portofino Marina Yacht Club, and they took off to explore the South Pacific. As it turns out, they cruised all over the South Pacific, and then sailed through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic, sailed the Med, the Caribbean and everywhere they ever dreamed of going. They were married on board Lost Soul at the Portofino Marina on their return from their world voyage.
In 1996 he created the magazine Latitudes & Attitudes. In the 26 years L&A was published by Bob & Jody it became one of the largest and most authoritative publications on sailing and world cruising.
In 2005, along with Darren O’Brien, he created the television show Latitudes & Attitudes, which, at the time, was the only nationally televised show about the sailing lifestyle. The show aired 5 seasons nationally with 65 episodes and is still in syndication world-wide.
In 2007 he started Latitudes @ Attitudes Radio Network, featuring waterfront entertainers from all over their world! Later that would merge and become Pyrate Radio, where Bob still does a weekly show on Sundays at 12 noon Eastern.
In 2012 he and Jody decided to sell Latitudes & Attitudes & retire, to go cruise the world again.
Unfortunately the buyers turned out to be a bit less than honest, and in just six months Bob & Jody lost everything, and were forced into bankruptcy.
But all was not lost. Almost 750 of their L&A Readers sent in $250 each, to become founders of a new publication for Bob. Cruising Outpost, which is now back to the original title, “Latitudes & Attitudes” and is the #1 selling maritime lifestyle publication in the USA.
Bob & Jody sold Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine in 2022 and are have finished rebuilding their home and offices after the Bear fire burnt down their home on Sept 9th, 2020.
Bob has two children, 8 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren and still rides and sails all over the world whenever he gets the chance. He and his wife Jody live in the Sierra Nevada mountains, between the middle and north forks of the Feather River, overlooking Lake Oroville, in Berry Creek, California.