KISSINGER CANVAS Marine Canvas & Interiors STEVEN KISSINGER
(925) 825-6734
Covering the Entire Bay Area • Biminis • Enclosures
• Cushions • Sail Covers • Awnings
DODGERS
20 Years in Business
Side handrails and window covers included. OPTIONS Aft handrail, dodger cover, sailing bimini. Free Estimates and Delivery
www.petersonpower.com/onthewater Page 42 •
Latitude 38
• February, 2015
your November 2014 issue, neither of which was your fault. You have a photo in which the caption says that Aspara is on top of Dorikam, but it's actually the opposite. My lovely Aspara is the one on the bottom and Dorikam on top. This took place on the Magote in La Paz during Hurricane Odile. It breaks my heart. After the purchase of another boat, Aspara was reluctantly placed for sale. A person, who shall remain unnamed, was paid to look after Aspara while I crewed on another boat on a trip to 'Dorikam' was actually atop 'Aspara' in Alaska. A late departure this image of Hurricane Odile's aftermath. from Alaska left me fighting southerlies, and I was unable to return to La Paz in time to deal with the issue. We finally made San Francisco, and I plan to fly to La Paz from here. I want to thank Jordan of Sea Witch, a great guy, for stripping Aspara of her valuables and saving them for me. Jordan helped many others in their time of need, too. Anyone in need of parts for a Roughwater 33, or similar boat, is welcome to contact me. Russ Morgan svmariposa@hotmail.com
COURTESY VIVACIA
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LETTERS
Russ — We're sorry to hear about your loss, but think it's important that everybody understand that leaving one's boat in somebody else's charge doesn't always work out. About 25 years ago a young Brit in Antigua told us he absolutely, positively wanted to spend the off-season in Antigua, and very much wanted the job of staying on and watching over our Ocean 71 Big O. We warned him that English Harbor became all but a ghost town after Antigua Sailing Week, and that he could look forward to six months of humidity and rain. We were told not to worry, as he dearly wanted the opportunity to get some big-boat experience on his resume. He had some decent references, too. About three weeks later, we got a call from him. He casually mentioned that he was 150 miles east of Antigua, at which point he seemed to forget why he called us. He remembered when we reminded him of his promise to watch over our boat. He insisted that he was sorry, but "everybody" had left, it had gotten hot, and he kind of missed his ex-girlfriend back in Old Blighty. When we asked if he thought he perhaps should have informed us of his abrupt change in plans before leaving, he told us not to worry because the good news was that he'd found another brilliant young Brit to watch over our boat. Chills ran down our spine when he told us, "You have nothing to worry about." Sure enough, the "brilliant and reliable" friend lasted only a couple a weeks before he, too, left without bothering to inform us. This happened at the same time we had a disc problem that required surgery. The result was that Big O spent most of the hurricane season floating unattended and as vulnerable as could be in Falmouth Harbor. We were later told that nobody would go near her, fearing she was full of drugs or that there was some other reason to stay well clear of her. Even in the cases where we've paid people to watch over Profligate in a marina we've had mixed results. For example, assurances that her engines would be run for at least 15 minutes each week were routinely ignored, and promises that our