A Bad End to a Good Weekend
One of the best parts of cruising is meeting new people — or, as is often the case, reconnecting with old friends. Anchored in uncharacteristically warm and placid Half Moon Bay last Friday, this writer and her husband watched as several boats anchored nearby. All were flying an unusual burgee — a white triangular pennant with a wavy blue stripe across the middle. It looked familiar but we couldn’t quite place it. So, on our afternoon paddle around the bay, we stopped by the closest boat and asked.
It turns out the group of five boats were all members of the Cruising Club of America, a rather elite group of well-traveled sailors, that they’d sailed down from the Bay for the weekend. We were graciously invited to join them at the Half Moon Bay YC’s Friday night dinner, where we were regaled with wonderful sea tales. In attendance were Bruce and Lynne Munro of the Sabre 402 Princess, Robby and Dolores Robinson with their converted commercial fishing boat Dolores E, Zia Ahari and his crew Don on the Hallberg Rassy 31 Athesa, Mark, Jean and Kathryn Lindlow on their Nonsuch 36 Kulu, and Bob Vespa, Sue Bizio and Bob Van Blaricom on the first Bob’s 52-ft 1927 schooner Scorpio.
To have such an accomplished group of sailors together in one place was not only inspiring but also humbling, especially when they invited us to join them for happy hour the following afternoon. It was a weekend we won’t soon forget, and unfortunately, neither will they.
Sunday morning, not long after the group had sailed out of the harbor, we watched as a schooner was towed in by the harbor patrol. At first we thought it had to be Scorpio, but we distinctly recalled she had a large stern-mounted wind generator, which this boat was missing. Then we received the call that Scorpio had run up on Flat Rock, part of Colorado Reef, in the fog, and that the boat we saw was indeed that vessel.
It’s our understanding that at least one crew member suffered relatively minor injuries in the incident and that Scorpio was holed while she was grounded, which seemed to be confirmed by the steady flow of water being pumped overboard when we saw her tied up at Pillar Point. Yesterday morning, a Vessel Assist boat towed Scorpio out of the harbor, headed north. We wish Bob Vespa all the best with repairs to his lovely mistress and hope she’s sailing again soon.