From: Sigmund Baardsen
Sent: June 30, 2014
To: John Curry
Subject: Heading East

Dear John,

It was lovely to see Will and Sarah’s excellent (informative) piece in Latitude 38. They are inspirational. Please convey that to them.

MARY T is now on the hard. We have scraped off hundreds of 10-12mm barnacles and wet sanded the bottom. We do not consider that a paint failure, as La Paz Bay has 85F. water temp and is rich in nutrients. After three weeks, our anchor chain is the size of your arm, with marine growth. Unlike the Chesapeake, where marine life is dying of eutrefaction, due to industrial and agricultural pollution and mostlythe pig farms, here the oyster, clam and crab fisheries are prospering.

Carol is sewing covers for all the new varnish. The first 6 coats applied three months ago, at Catalina are already breaking down and have been re-coated, with another three. God I am hating varnish. It’s a mug’s game, south of 40 Deg.

Everything is removed from deck and/or double lashed, on account of hurricanes. The jack stands are well chained and the boats are jammed in so tightly that it is unlikely that any individual boat could go down. The yard is a far cry from the Cherubini Yachts yard. Here it is dirt aprons, flea-bitten dogs and dog shit everywhere, abandon boats, broken and abandon boat parts everywhere. It is a place of broken dreams, yet it is familiar, comfortable and we somehow find hope here. There is happily no travel lift, but instead a there is a cement launch-ramp, into the water and a big submersible trailer with hydraulic arms that support the boat.

We have found an inverse relationship, between appearance of the yard and care given the vessels. In the yards with flash new equipment, smart uniforms, travel lifts and fancy offices and restrooms, they care more about insurance, waivers, disclaimers, documentation and paperwork than they do about the boat. That is a sentiment not widely shared, particularly in the U.S..

Tomorrow we are off the boat, into a B&B operated by cruising friends, from 25 years back, at Moorings Pto. Escondido. That should be fun.

After a few days rest we are flying East, to sail on a sistership in the Chesapeake Bay/Long Island Sound area. The Annapolis boat show is on our itinerary.

Will you be there?

We have seen as least six new HYDROVANES here in this yard alone. Your improvements are subtle. Congratulations. You seem to be not only holding your own but gaining against the electric auto pilots. The HYDROVANE/tiller pilot combination must be much more economical as well as versatile than an equivalent under- deck autopilot.

Coming down the coast we had a few 168/mile days, with three reefs in the main and a scrap of jib. that’s not bad for an old boat with a 27 foot waterline.

On the 6th night, a threaded stem-ball, unscrewed from the control rod. (My fault, not yours). We had to had steer. It was exhausting. With fatigue we started to make slow decisions and bad decisions. Rather continue, deeper into folly, we hove-to (a forgotten virtue) and rested. At daylight we put into the salt works at Cedros Island, where there is a machine shop. I was able to make the repair, with parts on board in fifteen minutes. Then we slept for fifteen hours straight.

Avoiding fatigue is important to “Survive your dream”. Fatigue is insidious in its effect on our faculties. We don’t even think of drinking and driving, yet people brag, “I was steering for18 hours, couldn’t leave the helm, because of the storm”. That’s stupid. That is a message that cruisers need to hear.

Congratulations on helping so many to achieve and survive their dreams.

Sigmund

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