Marina Guaymas or Gabriel's

Boat yards are dirty...
dusty...
expensive...
they can be dangerous...
and living aboard in a boat yard is just plainly - a pain.
(Our 16 year old, Tim, remarked that living on a boat in a boat yard was as close as he had ever been to feeling like he was living a in Third World country.)

Dan and Jim: we enjoyed Dan's last evening in Guaymas aboard Rocinante. Dan knows
better than to try and leave at low tide - based on experience.

You can't use the head because you can't pump it out. That means multiple trips to the bathroom - up and down a tall aluminum ladder. And in the middle of the night? Well,let's just say that I have a new title - Chamber Maid.

The shower heads in the public bathrooms usually 'drizzle' - and sometimes even hot water.

Dishes can be done in a sink behind the bathroom. That's why most people on the hard eat out. But not for a family of 4 on a budget. We got so sick and tired of hauling dishes back and forth that we rigged up a bucket and spout in the through-hull, so now we just empty the dirty dish water daily and wash our dishes on board with city water.

Low tide in Guaymas at dusk. The travel lift has lowered Rocinante ,but Dan will wait
until the morning before he tries to leave - when he can see and when the tide is higher.

Thankfully, Jim and I got our tetanus shots last year. Yesterday, I stepped on a rusty screw on my way to the bathroom and it went through my shoe and into my foot. My reflexes are pretty good, so I was only pierced partially.

For all my complaining, however, Marina Guaymas is the cheapest boat yard we've run across in Mexico. The staff is super. You can do your own work, which is a huge plus and not many boat yards allow that anymore. They own their travel lift. And although Marina Guaymas isn't in the middle of town like Marina Singlar, the buses run regularly and cost only 5.5 pesos per person.

The tides here in Guaymas are extreme. It is important to know when they are low and when they are high. Luckily, the bottom is muckily - so if you do happen to run aground, no biggie. Just wait for the high tide to float you off.

Rocinante with her rail in the water. Oops!

As of 2012, the cost to haul is $150 each way, so $300 for in and out. That is for any size boat. For our 41' Tartan, it costs $120 per month to store here. If you are living aboard, there is a $5 per day charge. It is $50 to have your hull pressure washed.