Guests Aboard!

Guest Log SVPERSPECTIVE by Bob Harley and edited by Karen Treat

I will start this log with a little background. While I have been a stinkpot boater on a houseboat in the San Francisco Delta for 40 years, I was amazed when my son, Brad, said that he was buying a cruising sailboat and taking off with Sarah. But, after over three years, I wanted to join the two of them along with Karen. She was the gutsy one, having never really “roughed it” on the water, and had to avoid golf for the time period, most of the time with no internet! But, in addition to the swimming and snorkeling, she found the Kindle along with Danielle Steele, and now we can’t get her away from that reading!

But I digress. The beauty of the Sea of Cortez is amazing. We moved several times into different bays and they all had special things to offer. But Sarah and Brad talk about that in their blog, so I am not going to repeat it.

What I saw was a full life on a sailboat, and the significant skills and teamwork that it takes to live and breathe in this gorgeous environment. I always thought that the real experience was in being able to “sail”. But I quickly learned from Brad and Sarah that it takes navigation expertise, electrical engineering, software and hardware capability, seamstress effort, teamwork, and constant chores in fixing and cleaning the boat. But most importantly, the choreography that Brad and Sarah have in all aspects of the voyage. It looks like a dance as they haul the dingy on board, raise and lower the anchor, and tend to the sails. And, of course, the boat is completely self-sufficient with salt to fresh water making, pumps, and what seemed like an endless supply of food!

We saw the generosity of the sailing community. Brad provided fresh water to another boat whose water maker malfunctioned, and even loaned a tank of air so they could dive. And when a small Bayliner was having difficulty anchoring in one of the bays, he even loaned the Fortress anchor to them for the day. They not only returned it, but invited us all to dinner in Loreto!

The life and love Brad and Sarah share on the boat will always be wonderful memories. And the time with Karen amazing. She took to the water like a fish and we both wanted to be part of the crew. It was the best Father’s Day vacation and present that I can imagine. BOB

I echo all that Bob has shared. I want to thank Brad and Sarah for hosting us and flat out spoiling us with love and homecooked meals. Brad speared us fresh fish almost daily and prepared it so many ways on the grill. We met some of their friends and went to dinner at a beautiful hotel and also had them for dinner too on the boat. We all slept a lot too with naps here and there. We all loved the water daily many times in and out. With water temp over 80 degrees it was easy. I would be remiss not to give honorable mention to Sarah and Brad’s brown labradoodle, Sydney. She is a love and a great boat mate too. The beauty of this region was a surprise and living the life of a boat cruiser was definitely a top 10 of all my trips. We would do it again. Loreto Bay and the surrounding areas that we experienced were unforgettable. The water and scenery is very healing. Our time together was special to say the very least. I am grateful. KAREN