Big Change Coming to Paradise Marina
The year 2009 is supposed to be the Year of Change, and Harbormaster Dick Markie at Paradise Marina in Nuevo Vallarta says they are experiencing it down there. The change is in the form of an increasing number of megayachts that have either called on or taken up residence in the 198-boat marina.
"Among the mega-motoryachts that have been here," Markie reports, "are the 157-ft Piano Bar, the 154-ft Mr. Terrible, the 208-ft Turmoil and the 168-ft Pegaso. Mr. Terrible is an unbelievably beautiful Delta-built yacht that won Yacht of the Year Honors in Venice, Italy, last year."
We’ve always thought that Mr. Terrible is one of the all-time great boat names, and the 154-footer is just the latest floating incarnation for the same owner. If we’re not mistaken, Mr. Terrible started with a chain of gas stations, including many in the Las Vegas area, but has since opened a Terrible Casino in Vegas as well as several others in places around the country. Just for kicks, we looked up visitor reviews for the Vegas casino. The consensus was that while inexpensive, the Terrible Casino, including the service and security, "lived up to its name." Ouch!
Markie reports that Paradise Marina has also welcomed several large sailboats. Among them is the 110-ft wood yacht Seljm, which was built by Sangermani in Turkey more than 20 years ago. In the last 13 years, Seljm has done three circumnavigations under her current captain, and is starting on a fourth. The other big sailboat to have called recently is Beagle V, a 114-footer designed by Dubois and built by Pendennis in England in ’01.
It will be interesting to see how the increasing number of megayachts will affect the culture at Paradise Marina, which in recent times has become home to a rising number of motoryachts in the 85-ft and above range. Because large yachts need lots of crew, and because yacht crews tend to be young and fun-loving, sometimes the arrival of megayachts livens up a place. Only time will tell.