Legacy Sailing
 Photo Gallery 13  
Winter 2003
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
San Carlos marked the end of our cruising by sailboat for the winter of 2003-04.  We prepared the boat for dry storage at Marina Seca where we left it through the hot summer and hurricane season. 
 
Compared to other Mexican communities we have stopped in, San Carlos is quite nice.  A far greater percentage of the buildings are completed and are in use than in many places.  Most are painted and in pretty good repair too.

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The entrance to San Carlos harbor is small and reveals boats anchored within as one enters. The hillsides around the anchorage are covered with nicely finished and painted houses and hotels.
Form the marina the "Goat's Teats" are visible.  These peaks are a landmark from 40-50 miles out to sea. The marina grounds are attractive and planted with flowering shrubs.
While on a walk with the dogs we caught this heron standing by the water's edge waiting for lunch to swim by. The entire San Carlos marina is a bi inches out of t shallow.  Each day at low tide we would ground and rise 6-10 inches out of the water.
Preparing for storage required removing all the sails and canvas from the outside to avoid wind or sun damage during the long summer layup. Once the sails are dropped then they have to be folded onto the dock and bagged for storage belowdecks.
Because of the intense sun in San Carlos most cruisers remove their running rigging. The lines are replaced with messenger lines that will allow the lines to be pulled back into place in the fall.
We filled the dinghy with water on the dock and used it as a giant washtub to clean the salt and dirt off all the lines we took off the boat. The damp lines were laid out on the dock to dry in the wind and sun before being stowed.
We hired Manuel to help wash, polish, and wax the boat.  Here he hangs on with one hand, while polishing with the other in strong afternoon winds. Most cruisers in San Carlos are working on launching or hauling.  Here, on Quoddy's Run, Marissa has raised Karen up the forestay to free a jammed furler.
Haulout day.  The tractor backs the hydraulic trailer down the ramp under the boat. The hydraulic arms rise up and secure the boat and the trailer is pulled from the water and the tractor hitched up.
Chris rode along on the boat.  Here is his reflection in a second story window as we pulled out of the marina onto the highway. The tractor backs the trailer up over a hill and down the road about a half mile.  It is the first time Chris ever rode a boat down the highway through traffic.
The view from the cockpit of the street signs and the highway. The tractor makes the turn on the side road to Marina Seca (also known as 'the barking dog marina').
The boat is backed expertly into its storage slot with only inches to spare on either side. One of the tractor workers places jack stands under the boat prior to pulling the trailer out.
 
Updated 11/14/2006