May 24, 2004

Photos of the Day

May 24 – The Tropics

There are two Photos of the Day today;
one of the the anchorage at Gustavia, St. Barth in the Caribbean,
and one of a lovely lady enjoying a sail off Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
If you’ve sailed in both places, we have a question for you –
if you could only cruise in one place, which would it be? We
put that question to Renee Blaul and Barritt Neal of the San
Diego-based Peterson 44 Serendipity, seen below relaxing
in the cockpit of their boat.

Photos Latitude/Richard

The couple have spent more than three years
cruising in Mexico, and more recently more than three years in
the Caribbean. To find out which they liked better, see the June
Latitude 38
that comes out this Friday – just in time for the Memorial Day
Weekend.

Trying to Salvage the Salvager

May 24 – Puerto Escondido, Baja California

When we received the
report the other day that Cat’s Meow had gone on the
rocks and partially sunk in the Sea of Cortez, the name rang
a bell, but we couldn’t place it. Now we remember – she’s Martin
and Robin’s motor vessel that rescued something like a dozen
boats that had been thrown ashore by Hurricane Marty last summer.
Here’s the latest from Terry Kennedy on the salvage attempt:

“When the Mexican Navy pulled the
boat from the rocks the other day, they unfortunately didn’t
pull her along the path I had made for the stabilizer to clear.
So it hit a large rock, which opened up a two-foot hole in the
hull. That’s why she went down so fast. I’ve now made a patch
of plywood and caulking, canvas, and battens, and finally got
it nailed to the hull – thanks to the help of some cruiser/divers
– where the starboard stabilizer used to be. I intend to put
one more plywood patch over the existing one for more strength.
I’ve already repaired the patch in the bow area, and we’ve put
bung plugs in the thru-hulls, so a little more work with the
many drums on site should hopefully result in her refloating.
Then I guess we’ll tow her to Puerto Escondido to clear her out
in preparation for a trip to La Paz. The hull damage is too great
to be fixed in Escondido, as large frames have been broken and
a lot of replanking will have to be done.”

Sausage, Cervezas, Zincs and Flor

May 24 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

“We’d like to tell you about a new
service we have for our cruiser customers here at Desperado Marine
in Puerto Vallarta,” write Kyle, Irma, Flor, and Dave. “We
prepare and sell all kinds of meats – for example brisket, pastrami,
roast beef, sausages, etc – then vacuum pack it all and have
it portioned and hard-frozen. Naturally, it’s of excellent quality
and everything is done in sanitary conditions. It fact, folks
can visit our ‘meat lab’ in Bucerias and taste the goodies themselves.

“Also, when Doña de Mallorca stopped by with Profligate a couple of days ago, she mentioned that the Wanderer would like
to know if Flor – whom he first met 10 years ago when she was
pumping diesel in the disco outfit she’d worn the night before
– was still here. We’ve attached a photo to prove three things:
1) That Flor is still here; 2) That Flor is still looking great;
and 3) That Flor makes sure Desperado Marine always has enough
cold beer for our customers.”

Photo Courtesy Desperado Marine

Ha-Ha Requests

May 24 – Tiburon

“As of today,” reports Lauren
Spindler, Honcho of the Ha-Ha, “we have received 90 requests
for entry packs for this fall Baja
Ha-Ha.”

If you’d like an entry pack, send a check
for $15 to Baja Ha-Ha, Inc., 21 Apollo Road, Tiburon CA, 94920.
Please include a 9 x 12 return-addressed envelope with $3 postage.

Classy Classified Ad

May 24 – Southern California

BREWER 43 PILOTHOUSE CUTTER. 1983/1996/2001.
Proven bluewater cruiser, refit 2001, custom interior, full cruising
inventory. All the right stuff from AGMs, watermaker, Sailomat,
solar, genset.
$149,000/obo.
Call Ruck (310) 804-6002 or email.