And it feels good. We left Puerto Don Juan last week, making several stops before getting here. The first time we came to Santa Rosalia the consensus was that is is a dump. Now we realize it has good things going for it. Ice Cream. Internet. Showers. Pizza. You get the idea. And yes, it may be a bit dumpy, but the people are very nice and the shopping is good.
We are tied up in Fonatur Marina, a Mexican government operation. There are five marinas in the Sea; Mazatlan, La Paz, Puerto Escondido, Guaymas and Santa Rosalia. It is nice to have a place to tie up, take a break, and get some beer and fuel. There are only seventeen boats here today. Revenue for today is probably about $500, which is typical. This pays the salaries of seven or eight full time and a couple part time employees plus supports the cost of maintenance. This is not a good business model. I hope the Mexicans don't close them.
The facilities are identical in every marina. The steel beams have numbers welded on them. Assembly by the numbers. Its a nice way to save money.
They saved a bunch on the docks, too. They are also identical from marina to marina, and barely sufficient to do the job, being made from plastic and aluminum, with a few pilings scattered about to keep them from floating away. People say this type of dock was designed for use in lakes, where the weather is more benign and the boats are not heavy ocean capable cruisers.
This afternoon were a having 25 to 35 knot winds blowing across the piers, putting them under high stress. Our 36,000 pound boat is tied to this cheesy pier that is just wide enough to walk on, floating on styrofoam blocks, lacking support from a piling, connected to the main body of the dock by a few clamps tightened around an aluminium rail. I don't feel real secure right now with this wind, and have run a line from the end of our finger pier, under the bowsprit of a boat, and tied it to a piling a couple slips away. Hopefully this will take some of the side loads off the pier.
We were the last cruising boat to leave the BLA area this year. We always seem to be behind the pack, and kind of like it. The anchorages are usually empty, and it feels good to be alone, except for our buddies on Windsong.
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| Leaving an empty Puerto Don Juan |
We felt a bit nostalgic leaving. We won't be back this way again, and we will miss the place and the people we have met here.
