Boats Around the Marina

The marina is full boats again, thanks to the advent of the Baja Haha fleet (http://www.baja-haha.com/) in the Sea of Cortez.  Yesterday I took a stroll to take photos of some of the boats on this jetty (there are two others).

The first photos (ignore the toy plastic boat in the background) are of Kialoa III, a legendary aluminum hull Sparkman & Stephens 80 with an extensive and very successful racing history, including winning the 1975 Sydney-Hobart race with a record that stood for 21 years.  (http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/NR/rdonlyres/B4B9ECFF-57A7-4EB9-A843-FF6F3C91EB60/0/Page3fromOCC_AnRpt053.pdf)  Kialoa III is in private hands again with David, who is doing some interior renovations.

Though she is luxurious inside, she must be a handfull to manage as a private recreational yacht.  John the rigger was moaning that the mainsail weighs 1000 lb and required 3 men to remove it from the boat for repairs.

David promised to take us for a sail when the boat is ready for sea again, and I hope that happens.

I've nicknamed the next boat "Chainplates".  Its high freeboard and large coachroof are a bit much for me.

Toward the other end of the scale is the long and thin boat which reminds me of Chris's McGregor.

Here are a pair of center cockpit boats.   Enlarge them and you'll note a lack of shelter for the steering stations.  Hopefully some sort of framework can be put up to prevent the helmsman from roasting in the sun.







And finally the sad Footprints, hard aground at the Magote bar.  Footprints is one of those neglected boats scattered around the La Paz bay: ferrocement hull, no rudder, engine not working, probably stripped by vandals, absent owners.  Arnold and I twice reported the boat as dragging anchor a few days after we arrived in La Paz.  The reply that I got to my second call was nonsense about long anchor scope and the "La Paz Waltz".  The responder's last comment was "call back if it drags another 100 yards", which would have been moot because it would by then struck other boats.

For the net few months the boat dragged up and down the channel at the whim of the tide.

You may recall that Footprints became such a threat to Pachuca, which was riding at anchor without a working engine, that David on Puddytat kindly towed us from danger.

Well, Footprints is no threat for the moment because she is hard aground at the Mogote sand bar.  During the next hurricane she will pushed over the bar and wreak havoc on any downwind boats trying to ride out the storm at anchor.  Then if the script runs as expected, she will end her days on the beach adding color and romance to the Mogote peninsula.