CHANGES ics app for the iPad," says Jim. "It's the greatest — although sometimes it's hard to read the screen in bright daylight." Jim then showed us the iPad track that Morpheus made into Baie St. Jean in St. Barth, and our jaw dropped. No sailboats, let alone ones drawing nine feet, go inside the northwest reef near the Eden Rock Hotel. "We went in a little too far and hit bottom," Jim admits. "Normally I want five feet or more beneath my keel." Jim and Debbie also thought the French/Dutch island of St. Mar'Morpheus' hit bot- tin was fantastic. tom to the west of the "The Budget MaEden Rock Hotel. rine chandlery was like walking into a toy store," says Jim. "In addition to stocking everything you can imagine, and having a very knowledgeable staff, they have one guy who knows every part number off the top of his head." — latitude 02/18/12 Wendaway — Norseman 447 Mark Schneider Cruiser Revolt, Then Peace At The Nayarit Riviera Marina (La Cruz, Mexico) The normally staid VHF cruisers' net for Banderas Bay came alive at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 21 when it was announced that Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle would start to charge a fee of $5/day for the use of their dinghy dock by the crews of the many anchored out boats. Bloggers started to type furiously while the VHF crackled with anger.
JAY AILWORTH
At Marina Riviera Nayarit the official dinghy dock is now by the main office area — farther from town, but more secure.
A cruiser aboard Ocean Echo, who gave his name as "JJ", reported that he'd tried to kayak in to visit friends on Bravo in the marina, and the security folks told him that he'd have to pay the $5 fee. "This policy is going to make a lot of people angry," he predicted. The situation was reminiscent of that four years ago when Latitude reported that extremely high dinghy dock fees had become "a substantial source of friction" between the then new Marina Riviera Nayarit and the anchored-out cruisers. The uproar settled down only when the fee was recinded, and the dinghy dock has remained free since then. So it was something of a surprise that the marina seemed to be heading 'back to the future'. Later in the day, a group of 20 cruisers and local business representatives met with Pedro Fernandez, founder of the marina, and Rafael Alcantara, the dockmaster. Cruisers came armed with examples of fees at other Mexican marinas along the Pacific Coast, most notably at Marina de La Paz. That popular marina charges $1.50/day for dinghy docking, and this includes free water and garbage disposal. Emotions ran high, but rather quickly cooled when the marina explained its side of the story. Fernandez explained that some of the anchor-outs were leaving garbage and used oil on the marina's docks, and that some marina property had been stolen. The odiferous issue of sewage being dumped by cruisers at anchor came to the surface once again. The owners of the marina explained that what they felt had been their generosity in the free use of the dinghy dock was not being reciprocated. They said they felt that they deserved not just some financial return for the facility, but also respect for the marina environment. It was a message that resonated with the cruisers. Geoff Anderson, who had organized the meeting, later reported that nearly everybody attending agreed that a modest fee was warranted. A number of other issues were discussed. What about people who were coming in to the marina to buy supplies at the marina's tienda tienda? And was it fair to charge cruisers who were using the dock only to check in with the port captain? Local businesses fretted
about the potentially negative impact high fees would have on their businesses, since it was clear that it would discourage anchor-outs from making trips to town. Several new businesses catering to cruisers have opened in the last few years. The tone the next morning was radically different, as Geoff announced a resolution on the cruisers' net. The $5 fee had been reduced to a more palatable 20 pesos (approximately $1.60 US) a day, or 400 pesos or ($31 US) a month, with boats with kids getting a 25% discount. Shopping trips to the marina store will be free. Cruisers also got the welcome news that the dinghy dock will be moved to a more central location in the marina, and that there will be better security at the dinghy dock. As Geoff reported the outline of the agreement, things started to get interesting. Philo Hayward, of the popular cruiser hangout Philo's Bar, came on the net and announced that he would