Crewman Lost in Hawaii Capsize
On Wednesday, Coast Guard and Hawaii firefighters suspended their extensive search for Aaron Michael Bremner, second mate of the 75-ft sailboat Hawaii Aloha, which capsized twice last Saturday and was driven ashore on the Kona Coast.
The vessel, owned by the Christian charity organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM) Ships Kona, is used to offer medical and dental services to remote island groups, as well as providing clean water systems and educational initiatives. Hawaii Aloha had been at her Port YWAM base on the western side of the Big Island preparing for a voyage to Christmas Island this week when reports of impending heavy weather influenced Captain Ann Ford to take the beamy ketch offshore to ride out the rough conditions. According to reports from the crew, the boat was approximately four miles offshore when a series of big swells hit her broadside, rolling her over twice.
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After firing off flares, all but one crew (presumably Bremner) reportedly evacuated into a liferaft, and were eventually assisted in getting ashore by two jet ski operators. YWAM reports that this was the first marine tragedy in its "decades of service."
Tenacatita Sailing Festival
For the last two years we at Latitude 38 had hoped to start a Tenacatita-Barra Sailing Festival, similar to the Banderas Bay Blast and Zihua Sail Fest. Last year we were thwarted by Profligate‘s being one of the 328 boats temporarily impounded by AGACE. This year we’ve been thwarted by work overload and the fact that we temporarily lost both transmissions on Profligate, then discovered that one prop had gone AWOL. As a result, what was to be the semi-organized Vallarta area sail to Chamela and then Tenacatita Bay has been cancelled. Maybe next year.
Fortunately, Robert Gleser of the Alameda-based Freeport 41 Harmony, who has long been the winter ‘Mayor of Tenacatita Bay,’ has picked up the general festival concept and is running with it.
"The Mayor will greet each boat and crew as they arrive and answer questions about the area," he writes. "Attractions of Tenacatita Bay include great snorkeling at ‘The Aquarium’ just northeast of Punta Hermanos; a panga ride to La Manzanilla for the ‘crocodile tour,’ palapa restaurants and quaint shops; world-class bocce-ball competition with great prizes; and optional day passes for the Hotel Blue Bay for those in need of a swimming pool, horseback riding, meals, Wi-Fi and massage. But the biggest attraction of all is the Tenacatita Cruising Community group, which has an unusually tight yet welcoming culture."
It’s only 15 miles farther southeast to Barra de Navidad, where cruisers can either take a berth at the first-class Grand Marina with resort hotel attached, or anchor for free in the Barra lagoon. Anchored-out boats can tie up at the Sands Hotel docks, which graciously allows dinghies to use them. Another option is the efficient panga taxi service. If enough boats are interested, there could even be a ‘nothing serious at all’ cruiser race to Barra.
For further information, simply show up at Tenacatita Bay.
The Wanderer and Doña de Mallorca will be driving south to Tenacatita and Barra, with a stop at Carries, on Monday as part of a mission to take aerial photos of all the sites of interest to cruisers. We hope to see some of you there.
Be a Hero to Cruising Friends
If you’re planning a trip to visit cruising or chartering friends in far-flung places, we know how you can earn their undying admiration (at least until you break the head): Take down a bundle or two of the most recent Latitude 38s! Just drop by our World Headquarters in Mill Valley to pick them up or give us a call at (415) 383-8200 — we’ll be happy to ship some to you.
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