Good Day, Bad Day

Saturday, January 29th, 2011


Sunshine and blue sky and 70 degrees! Who could ask for anything more! A walk to the new golf course club house provides exercise and views of the area “too die for”! The La Paz red rock of the area is so beautiful that Carol and I decide to collect some for souvenirs. We’ve never seen rock of this color and it is everywhere… used for walls and landscaping throughout the area.

We are off to the islands soon and will be out of touch until we reach Cabo… so we bid you adios from Caprice and look forward to relating more adventures soon!

Cheers!

Later the same day! BANG!!!! We are on our way to Isla Espiritu Santos. We are not in gear as Carol is talking to a sick friend, when BOOM! A monohull rams us… the captain of the monohull Hale Moana, is down below and the boat is on autohelm. What a horror… and how fast accidents happen! We are all shocked as we look at beautiful Caprice with her starboard quarter smashed. The trampoline is gone for all practical purposes and the mast is at risk… we look at each other in total disbelief. We are really not able to talk about it right now… we hope the local boatyard can fix her… we will need parts shipped from Australia and trucked to Baja… we are back at gorgeous CostaBaja Marina waiting for the boatyard to open on Monday. Stay tuned.

Sunday is a grieving day aboard Caprice as the reality of what has happened sinks in. We all try to put a positive spin on it, stating the fact that we have the boat and we have each other, but it is difficult. Dan marshals his forces and starts making phone calls to the insurance company, the boatyard, and the Seawind rep in San Diego. But, very bad news… Carol appears to have hurt her ribs… and on Monday, x-rays prove she has two cracked ribs… however, on the bright side… the x-rays show her pneumonia is cleared up! Unbelievable as this may sound, two doctor consultations and x-rays cost $78 in La Paz. Just for fun, think about what those medical services would have cost in the U.S.!

On Tuesday, February 1st, Caprice is pulled out of the water on an old fashioned rail system at the Abel Berkovich boatyard right here at CostaBaja. The owner says he can begin the fiberglass repair right away and that it may take 7 to 10 days for that part of the repair. But, we still need contact with the factory regarding replacement parts and matching gel coat.

Carol and I plan to return home on Wednesday, February 2nd and Dan and Tom will stay with Caprice to oversee her repairs… On Saturday, Dan and Tom decide that Caprice is in good hands at the Abel Berkovich boatyard and book flights home. The fiberglass repair is proceeding well and Seawind Catamarans in Australia is preparing to ship the required replacement parts.

We are all very hopeful that Caprice will once again be beautiful on both sides and the four of us will resume our adventures in Mexico and up the Pacific Coast to Point Richmond in the early spring.