New Home for Pachuca

Yesterday we moved Pachuca from Dick's dock to Slip 264 of the Marina Bay Yacht Harbor in Richmond.

Our plan was to depart at about 12.30 PM on a rising tide. Brenda and I had seen very little of our host Dick Spight since he had helped take our lines on that first day. I had been busy with the insurance procurement effort and Dick had been laid low with a cold. Fortunately Dick was well enough to have a cup of coffee with us and Brenda and I spent a enjoyable hour with him talking about all sorts of things. Dick has been a very successful business man and he has given a lot back to society through his conservation work.

After coffee we went for a short bird watching walk then returned to the boat to prepare for departure. Nancy said goodbye from her veranda, we cast off at about 12.30 PM in a gentle breeze and light drizzle, and I gave two short bursts of the fog horn before we cleared Brickyard Cove.

The drizzle was turning into a light fog but we were not apprehensive because thanks to Nancy we knew exactly what to expect. The trip by water was only about 2 miles and we entered the MBYH in about 30 minutes. Our slip was an outer one, 6th from the left, and entry was a simple straight shot. The lowest depth I encountered was 3.2 meters, thanks to our passage at near high tide.

In the afternoon Brenda and I went for a walkabout and started out by checking the shower facilities (no quarters required, YAY!) Then we found the little cafe/store that provides free WiFi. We also looked over a pub with an elegant Italian restaurant. Then we scouted the laundry facilities.

The Marina Bay Yacht Harbor is a public one built about 10 years ago to a grand scale. It appears to have about 500 slips and has enormous expansion capacity. However, at present it appears to be under utilized possibly because of the economic down turn and possibly because long-term projects like this can take years to bear fruit. ("Build it and they will come.")

Anyway, for Brenda and myself this marina is ideal: quiet, reasonably priced at $438.75 for 1 month, has a shopping center within walking distance, is serviced by bus which can take us to the Richmond BART station. (Bay Area Rapid Transit, which gives us access to the entire Bay area, from which we can get bus, cable car, and ferry access to anywhere we are likely to want to go. See http://www.bart.gov/stations/index.aspx)

At 5.30 PM Nancy picked us up for dinner with some of her friends at the Richmond Yacht Club. This is a true everybody-pitch-in-and-help yacht club that reminded Brenda and myself of the yacht clubs in Opua, Adelaide, and Western Australia. We felt very much at home there. The food was great: Brenda and Nancy had lamb shank and I had a superb grilled trout with rice and green beans. This all went with access to a comprehensive salad bar and a superb bottle of red that Nancy suggested.

We met some terrific sailors. Greg and Donna of Magic Carpet gave me a lot of valuable information, particularly about the Sea of Cortez where they have their boat. The Sea of Cortez sounds like such a paradise that I am truly worried that I'll like it too much and will not want to move on. This is not an unfounded fear. They know several people who started of on circumnavigations and have gotten no farther than the Sea of Cortez, where they've been for up to 10 years. Their description of the society, climate, terrain, clear water, abundant aquatic life, and great spear fishing exceeded any expectations that I had. Greg and Donna will be returning to their boat soon and I am confident that I'll make contact when I'm in the area.

We also met Peter, a well known and respected sailing identity. Peter started to sail at the Royal Perth Yacht Club when he was 8 years of age. Jon Sanders mentored him and in his late teens he was in big-time ocean racing, skippering his first ocean racer at the age of 19. He's raced around the world and has participated in all sorts of races in Europe and the Atlantic. Now he has a rigging business and does a lot of boat deliveries.

The top photos are of Pachuca in her slip. If you enlarge the top photo (left click of mouse) you'll see San Francisco in the background. Note that the slips are individual with a walkway on each side. The third photo is of Dick's house and dock which we took as we departed. Next is a photo of Dick, holding a photograph of his now-sold boat Blitzen that he had for many years, with Brenda in the middle and Tom, one of Dick's employees on the right. Tom was extremely helpful to us, giving us vital support with printing and faxing information and providing access to the bathroom and shower. Unfortunately Evan, another member of the team, was not present when I took the photo.

The city in the next photo is Oakland. The lower photo shows Pachuca on her first day at Dick's dock, with gear drying on deck.