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Skidding in Sideways?

Sam’s Anchor Cafe in Tiburon is always a popular pit stop for boaters on summer weekends. But for obvious reasons, ‘front row’ parking is currently not advised for keelboats.

© Art Hartinger

When we first saw this snapshot from the July Fourth weekend, we were reminded of a quote by flamboyant author Hunter S. Thompson: "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a Ride!’"

We suspect, however, that the backstory to this photo has little to do with making a bold arrival, but a lot to do with the skipper’s not paying enough attention to the tide tables. We’d bet that he or she won’t make the same mistake again any time soon. During our own checkered sailing history, we’ve found that truly embarrassing and/or life-threatening errors etch deepest into our mental catalog of lessons learned. This nicely careened centerpiece, we’re told, belongs to a local sailing school.

Several things are ironic about this shot. First, when the sloop went aground, the crew could not have helped noticing the banner directly in front of them advertising water taxis. And second, the name of the poweryacht parked just across the dock: La Vie Est Belle (Life Is Beautiful) — easy for them to say. Note that the sailboat just aft of the beached sloop is floating nicely, so there’s no reason to avoid Sam’s. Just do so with your depthsounder on and your tide tables in hand. 

latitude/John
©2015Latitude 38 Media, LLC

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This shot, which was uploaded from Dorade this morning, proves that at least part of her Atlantic crossing thus far has been wet and wild.