My, you seem to have quite a few very unlucky friends. My condolences to
them.

I agree that the Channel Islands are great sailing and I've enjoyed my
numerous trips to them over the years.

Many thanks again for your description of the anchorage at Todos Santos.
I found this bit of info most helpful and do appreciate your taking the
time to write it.

Cheers,
Alan

wrote:
Well Alan, I'm glad you got all the info you need. However, laws and
deals south of the border aren't quite the same.

You have every right to pay your money and take your chances. We saw a
guy in NZ a few years ago when we were there - he spent 18 months
trying to get his boat fixed after the yard put it in the water before
he was ready - it sunk.

I'm sorry you were possibly annoyed by the neophyte reference - most
people with Catalina 30's in So Cal tend to be.

My advice is to not take your boat down there - you have 1 day of work
to do. Haul it locally or in Ventura, etc and spend the time extra
sailing out to San Miguel and down to San Nicholas and back. They're
very different from your 40 years at Catalina.

How many Baja stories will it take to convince you? Years ago the
yard was owned by Senor X - I forget his name. He was very rich (muy
rico) and had a very good reputation of treating cruisers and US boat
owners very well. 3 years ago he left the yard to his 2 sons - don't
remember their names either. They aren't rich but figured they could
be by gouging yachtees - and they do. Go ahead - let us know how it
works out.




On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:16:51 -0700, Alan Gomes wrote:

Comments interspersed. --AG

wrote:
Answers -
1. we kept our boat in Cruiseport in Ensenada for several years as we
could't stand LA/OC anymore - left there in 2005. Todos Santos is not
prime cruising territory for neophytes.
I'm not a neophyte. Was just asking for some first-hand knowledge, in
addition to what the cruising guides say.

Go play at Catalina.
I have for 40 yrs. But thanks for the helpful tip.

There are
2 poor anchorages in the lee of the higher island - 1 is full of
mariculture cages, (unlike 1977), the other is small and bad holding.
There's a steel ring for bow tying and drop a stern anchor in the
rocks and hope it holds. Stay away from the low island (the one with
the light) - it's a well known surfer site - not a good anchorage. The
"boat passage" is for dingies - keep your boat in deep water.
Thanks for the above info. This is what I wanted to know, and does
correlate with some other stuff I've read. I am inclined to skip these
islands, and your description is helpful in making that decision.

2. I don't know what "some bottom work" is
Sand the bottom, mask the waterline, and paint it with bottom paint. If
I like the work I may come back in a few years and have them renew my
barrier coat.

- but Bajal Naval is well
known to underquote, over-do and overcharge. Do not leave your boat
and go away for a few days.
Don't plan to.

You to will get screwed.
Not the reported experience of others who have had work done at this
yard, but I appreciate your cautions and will take them under advisement.

You have to be
there every day and double check the worker's names and their hours
that are charged to you. Eg. a friend had his bottom painted and a new
boot stripe - they charged his for the paper and tape to mask the
bootstripe by the ft - charged him for 5,000 ft - not the 50.00 ft
that they used - Oh - oops - a small decimal point issue.
I have a written quote for the exact work I want done, including
materials (including paint, masking, etc.). I'll be standing there the
whole time to make sure they don't do anything beyond this.

Go down a
few days early and check out the situation on the morning cruiser's
VHF net - I forget the channel and time - ask around.
One other point
- don't break down south of the border and get towed. A friend got
towed 40 miles back to SD and it cost US$1800 - in 2004. yeh - 1800.

Too bad for your friend. I'm insured for this.


Another comment - think again about what you're doing in Mexico. If
you have a problem with the yard - there is no easy solution - no
lawyer letters - no Better Business Bureau - you pay the yard bill in
full BEFORE it splashes - then you get to ask for explanations and
money back.
None of the yards out here will splash you boat unless you pay the bill
in full.

They have basically no liability insurance
I'll be carrying my own.

- they drop
your boat - you discuss it. They overspray your boat - you discuss it.
They **** you on the bill - you pay it.
If they damage my boat my own insurance covers this (provided I don't go
south of Punta Banda). I'll have separate Mexican liability coverage for
personal liability.
Now - don't get me wrong - I love Mexico
Sounds like it.

Thanks for pointing out these issues of concern. I appreciate it.

--Alan Gomes



On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:16:49 -0700, Alan Gomes wrote:

I'm planning a trip to Ensenada, mostly to have some bottom work done on
my Catalina 30 at Baja Naval, but also to get in a little bit of sailing
with a few of my buddies. I'm wondering if any of you can comment as to
whether the Islas de Todos Santos might be worth seeing. (These islands
are roughly 8 miles west of Ensenada Harbor.) I'm toying with the idea
of stopping by there on the return trip.

I've looked up some stuff on the web and would read even more on it if
it looks viable, but I'd like to hear from someone who has actually been
there. Anything much to see? Any decent anchorage there?

Thanks,
Alan Gomes