As the Yard Turns

I never knew that boat yards could be such hot beds of drama.  The Singular/Fonator marina here in Guaymas is an amazing place of intrigue and gossip -- given the few number of boats here and the slow pace that anything happens.

The whole chain of about 8 marinas was built originally by the central government in Mexico City:  high end hotels, marinas, event spaces, and shops.  The marinas and associated boat yards are all "cookie cutter" with the same layout and features.  The chain was to be built and then sold to private investors with the profits going back to the government.  Great idea.....but then someone had to actually build and manage the properties.

Initially the rates were very high; no one used the marinas so the rates were dropped.  Imagine what happened -- the yards were full and there were waiting lists for staying "on the hard" over the summer.   But then things began to change again -- about 6 months ago it seems.  The government has been unable to find a buyer for the complexes.  Many features of the complexes were never built so the money doesn't match projections.  So to make the marinas look more profitable -- they raised the rates, by 60%.  Everyone who can has left.  So it looks grim.  The staff has been forced to take a pay cut.

The morale is in the pits.  The office doesn't talk to the yard manager.  The security guards act as spies.  And on top of the rate increase there is a renewed emphasis on enforcing all the rules.  Like, not having your car in the yard; not using any space other than directly under your boat (projects tend to spread out); not sitting at the fuel dock for free.  Some of it is quite reasonable but other rules are foolish.  Made by bean counters.

My favorite catch 22 of the moment:  the marina does not have money to pay for gas for dryers in the laundry room.  But there is a rule about not hanging your laundry out to dry.  Ummmm.  I just take it to the local lavendaria and get it done.

But folks are fuming -- blaming the staff here for changes to their lifestyle.  The staff are blaming Mexico City and worried that no boats will show up for the summer storage season.

In the meantime, Magic is ready for a real maiden voyage.  We are going out to a nearby anchorage for the weekend.  It gets pretty noisy downtown and we want a quiet time to relax and regroup.  We will be back to Guaymas on Sunday.