What I Saw – by Jackie Philpott

 

New Engine For Dura Mater

Dura Mater finally got her new engine. It’s a rebuilt Volvo MD2010, with two cylinders and 10 horsepower. It’s green instead of gold, which is okay by me. I turn the key and it starts right up! It is also quieter than DM’s old Universal. More importantly, it doesn’t spray water from the crack in the water pump and oil doesn’t seep out of her oil pan and leak into the bilge. It’s an improvement. DM went into the yard for a new engine, came out with everything mechanical mo betta. While the boat was on the hard, Cree Partridge decided that she also needed a new cutlass bearing and propeller shaft, along with all new hoses because the old engine’s hoses were different sizes. And oh yes, he sent her propeller off to be polished. Looks brand new.

Then Nina, DM’s new and very much appreciated mechanic, realized that the strut was crooked. How’d that happen? Probably the kelp in Coho Anchorage in 2020. Went to sleep in water, woke up in a kelp bed. Funny how that happens.

When I went over to collect DM it had been a long time since I’d had an engine. I raised the mainsail at the dock and sailed out of the slip and into that big wind outside Berkeley Marina. When we arrived at Richmond Yacht Club Harbor DM and I sailed in without turning on the engine. We had sailed for eight months without an engine and I sorta forgot about having one until we bumped gently into her slip. Note to self: We don’t have to do that anymore.

Spidsgatter At BMC

Before I left the Berkeley Marine Center I looked over to where my own boat had been up on stands. There was a pretty little sailboat there, and a fella was painting her hull. It was a fiberglass Spidsgatter, the S/V Judi in Dura Mater’s previous space. I introduced myself to Hal, who stopped painting and immediately informed me that he doesn’t do interviews.

“What interview? I’m just admiring your boat,” I protested. “Can I quote you? Where did you get it?” I started scribbling away before he made me go away.

Hal apparently has two Spidsgatters. His line was “I have a problem with boats following me home.” He is one of the many people in the Bay Area who can’t bear to see old boats go to waste. So, he bought two of these Spidsgatters from somewhere in the Alameda Estuary and is restoring them both.

Hal’s daughter gets to name the family’s boats, and she named the other boat Phoebe after the character in the television series Friends. Yes, really. So much for boat names having metaphysical meanings.

We talked about people practically giving away wooden boats so they would not get cut up and thrown into landfills. Hal talked about how Danish families all pile into their boats and go cruising. He would like to do that with his two boats, and I wish him well. Certainly, if your daughter gets to name the boat you could expect her to bring all her friends to sail with her, right?

I asked him to smile and snapped his photograph. Just before I left, he asked, “How long will this interview take? I have to paint this boat before it gets dark.”

To The Estuary And Beyond

The first What I Saw trip with Dura Mater’s new engine was a sail from Richmond over to the Oakland Estuary in early August. That wind in the slot in the summer afternoon? Sporty! However, once we were in the lee of the Bay Bridge and all the way down the Estuary? It was copacetic. On the way up the Estuary, I was reminded of the industrial nature of this crucial area of the San Francisco Bay as I sailed past the port. Containers being loaded onto a ship looked like so many Lego blocks stacked on top of each other. They towered above us as we floated past in the flood.

The first order of business was to check out the Hotel California, a newish charter boat located at the Marina Village Marina in Alameda. It is a 92-foot Ocean Alexander yacht. I called ahead and was told to park in the slip next to her. Boy did she make my little 27-footsailboat look small. First thing I did upon tying up was walk up to the marina office where I checked in with Sandra Coong. Sandra is the manager of the yacht harbor. Then I walked back to Dura Mater, washed the zinc oxide from my face and changed into less shabby clothes. It was a concession before stepping aboard a luxury yacht.

The purpose of my visit was to attend Hotel California’s open house. Ty Mellott had been invited, but he was serving food at the Taste of the Delta. He passed the invitation on to me, instead. Visiting swanky yachts, eating plates of nice cheese and crackers, olives and chocolate bits: It is a dangerous job, but I agreed to take one for the team.

Welcome To The Hotel California

There was wine, too, and lots of people were really enjoying themselves. It seemed as though the people sitting around were all friends; it was that kind of atmosphere. Over several hours I introduced myself to the members of the Hotel California team: John Curry, who is the Captain, Craig Sinclair, the marketing officer and Natalie and Griselda. Everybody seemed to be a local from Alameda, interested in making this venture work. It seems to be more than just a job to everyone. I got the impression that they are all invested in making this more than just another charter business, more of an experience. Alameda is such a local’s town. The people I spoke with are very proud of living in Alameda, which – as everyone knows – has a long heritage as a working marine community. Natalie McKee is head of Marketing and Operations. I asked her what prepared her to do this kind of work. Being part of the Hotel California team is partly hospitality, but much more than that. Natalie has a degree in Marketing from Loyola Marymount University. She also continues to work part time as a server and bartender at the 1400 Bar and Grill, located at 1400 Webster Street in Alameda. She introduced me to the owner of the 1400, Yanni Placourakis. I waitressed all through college myself, and we talked about how the skills gained waitressing prepared us well for lots of different positions later on: To be a good waitress is to develop chameleon-like and multi-tasking skills that are useful in so many areas of life in general, and in the hospitality field especially.

Another member of the Hotel California is Griselda Varela. Griselda has worked with the yacht broker Richard Boland for more than 23 years. She is also on the Stem to Stern team, owned by John Curry. Today she was greeting people at the open house for the Hotel California. Later in the evening even Natalie’s boss from the Alameda restaurant 1400 Bar & Grill came by. They have all known each other a long time.

The first people I met aboard were Art and Mary Maki. In 1992 Art was commodore of the Caliente Isle Yacht Club which was located on Bethel Island. Art and Mary used to keep their own Ocean Alexander in the Delta. Their yacht, the 52-foot M/V Splash, now lives at Marina Village. Mary described Splash, “Just like this one, but 40 feet smaller.” There’s that word again: Relativity.

In 2005 Mary and Art decided to go cruising up the coast to spend time in the San Juan Islands in July. Weather got “difficult” off Fort Bragg and Art called up the Coast Guard station there. The Coast Guardsman at the other end of the radio asked them to keep in touch every 15 minutes until they came closer and told Art that a Coast Guard cutter would come out and meet them at the mouth of the Noyo River, which it did at 10 p.m.

Art said the guardsman’s demeanor at the other end of the radio was calm and professional, which gave him the confidence to continue into the harbor. The guardsman also advised them regarding dockage, which was very helpful in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar harbor. In the morning some fishermen who were also taking refuge, encouraged Art and Mary to stay put for two more days. So, they did, before continuing their cruise up the coast to the San Juans.

The day Splash left to continue north a coast guard helicopter circled above them as they motored offshore. The pilot radioed them and encouraged them to call if they needed further assistance. Our tax dollars at work. Thank you, USCG.

Art and Mary said they spent at least ten Fourth of July celebrations at Mandeville Island before moving Splash to Alameda. When I told them how much I myself love the Delta, Art reminded me of the saying “What happens in the Delta stays in the Delta.” Huh. I didn’t realize that, but will keep it in mind for the next time I visit. That sentiment opens up so many possibilities.

I also introduced myself to Monica and Anita, two women who were sitting just inside the saloon drinking wine. They had seen a flyer for the event at the Island Savoy Market, and decided to come visit.

Michael Sullivan Owner Of Hotel California

Lest you readers think that I spend all my time eating bon bons on 92-foot yachts with my feet up on the dashboard? Well, you may be correct. But during the course of sitting there I was also hard at work interviewing Michael Sullivan, the owner of not one but two Hotel Californias (HC). The 70-foot HC is located in Southern California and the 92-foot version is right here in Marina Bay Village. Here’s what we talked about:

Jackie: You wanted these two boats. Why the Ocean Alexander? Why not another boat? Why not a smaller boat? Why not a sailboat? Why not a tugboat-type of boat?

Michael: There was no plan. That was all just accidental. I had sold my company and I had retired. I was looking for something else to do. Having a yacht and becoming a captain seemed like the next thing to do. [big grin spread across his face, the kind of look that says “Ain’t this a lark”]

I owned smaller boats all my life. Powerboats. I think my first boat was a 19-foot Boston whaler. Then I got a 27-foot boat. The whole time I owned boats before this. I was a professional person. I didn’t have time to fool around with boats. I didn’t fool around with ‘em at all. I went fishing a lot on my boats. I was on them all the time, but I didn’t have time to hang out.

My wife started looking at boats. She’s a boat girl. She owned her own boats. She had little Bertrams. And her family had boats. She started looking for boats. She’s relentless. I was busy, still trying to unwind my company. The first yachts I looked at? They were little old Grand Banks things, they were in the 40s, so 40, 45 feet. They seemed like little trailers to me. I didn’t like them. I didn’t like the design. But then Nick Deuyour, one of the yacht brokers I was talking to looked at me and said, “I think I know what you want. I think I know what you want.”

I was just describing what I didn’t like about the boats that he was showing me. They were little, they had relatively small sleeping quarters, itty bitty bathrooms, it was altogether… it was like living in a trailer. I lived in a trailer when I was in the army. I hated being in a trailer. These were like trailers. I thought, I don’t want a trailer. So, Nick took me to this Ocean Alexander that was up in Marin County. It was this big, beautiful 70-foot boat, completely different from all the other boats I was looking at. I fell in love with it. I walked on it and said, “I’ve gotta buy this.” I said, “I need to have this boat.” It’s the boat I keep in Marina del Rey.

So, I called my accountant up and we talked about what would be the smart way to buy this boat. So, I bought that boat. It was in a slip in the Marin Yacht Club harbor.

I bought it, but I had no idea how to drive such a big boat or anything like that. I said, Okay I’m gonna buy this gigantic boat and I’m gonna learn how to operate this boat. But first I needed to find a captain because I did not know how to run a boat this size down to San Diego.

I called up Nick Deuyour, and said, “I’ve gotta find a captain. I need a captain, somebody who can help me move this boat down to San Diego.” He introduced me to John Curry, who has owned Stem to Stern here in Alameda for twenty years. I interviewed John and we got along pretty good. We took the boat down to San Diego. That was my first trip down the coast.

It was in the late spring. It was sporty. I didn’t know enough to be scared of it, right? I didn’t know enough to say, “Watch out! You’re gonna have to go around Point Conception!” And it was great! It was scary, but it was great! It was probably the worst rounding of Point Conception that I’ve ever had. I’ve had seven or eight of them since then, but it was probably the worst one I ever had. We had big following seas. As we were going around, I asked, “John, how far over can this boat heel before she capsizes?”

The boat’s stabilizers were essentially fighting the following seas. Every once in a while they would try to kick the boat over so hard that we did feel like we were going to capsize. The bottom line of all that was that I totally got the bug then. I got really seriously addicted to going up and down the coast on the ocean and decided, “I’m gonna do this forever.”

The next year I took that boat up to Seattle and spent the summer in the San Juan Islands. I said to myself, “Oh my God! This is so great! Then I decided I was gonna become a captain.”

I was totally absorbed by it. I did an online thing. It was a five-book catalog thing. In order to get your captain’s license, you have to study all the rules. It doesn’t mean you know how to drive a boat; it just means that you know all the rules. [we laughed about that]

John and I have travelled together a lot. There’s always one other deck hand or somebody that’s with us. This boat, when we moved it up here from Los Angeles, we had six on board.

By this time it was dark. Sitting in the cabin, looking out at the lights of Oakland across the water of the estuary, it was like being in a skyscraper. I looked way down at my own boat tied up at the slip below. Being in a boat this size is a totally different experience from the one I have sailing my small sailboat. There are boats and then there are BOATS.

Michael said, “I tell people that this is my space ship. When I get in this boat, in the night-time in particular, especially when we’re out in the ocean in the middle of the night, it’s like being in outer space. [laughs a big joyful laugh]. Cuz you’ve got this big electronic panel the size of a large flat screen television that’s showing you everything including where you are on the water. It’s just like being on a space ship!”

I told Michael that I usually write about sailors and sailboats. I don’t usually write about space ships. Then I asked about the charter business. How did Michael happen to get into the charter boat business?

M: “I wanted to be able to afford this yacht and the other yacht that I own. You have to have revenue to make that work. Otherwise, it’s a complete giant loss. We’ve settled her in Marina Village because Alameda is a great business community.

I personally have dealt with a lot of different marinas around here. The reason we are at Marina Village is that we can pick up passengers here. I can do dockside events on the boat. We can’t do that in any other marinas. So, this is ideal from that point of view. This is a 92-foot boat. There are very few locations where a 92-foot boat can locate.

Our team is like family and I think we are all invested in making this business work. I met everyone before the business was even born. I met them and the idea wasn’t formed until after I knew John. John and I sailed up the north coast of California several times on the other Hotel California, between Seattle and San Diego. In the course of those trips the concept of Live It Up charters came into being. We tried to find a way to create something that we would all enjoy and where we could work together. We have a pretty good synergy among ourselves in terms of what we are trying to do.”

Tomorrow morning Mike and John are flying to Anchorage to fish for halibut and salmon. Three out of five days they will be on a boat fishing, and they hope to bring back 50# of fish each.

It occurred to me and I said, “This business? This is not work. You’re just coming up with excuses to do the things you like to do.” Mike laughed.

As I left Hotel California for the Hotel Dura Mater I thanked Mike for the interview. I shook my head and said, “Here I am, on a power boat talking about fishing. That’s a new one for me.”

And Mike’s parting line?

“Fishing is what I live for. Fishing is what we do on power boats.”

I think this is something that readers of Bay & Delta Yachtsman Magazine understand. If you are also interested in a luxury experience, the Hotel California is available to you. Look it up here: liveitupcharter.com or call 415-747-4733.

Waterfront Deli Market

When I woke up the next morning I walked up to the Waterfront Deli and ordered a vegetable omelet cooked soft where Marcela took my order. For your information, you cannot add a tip when you pay with a credit card, so remember to take cash for that. I spoke with Mateo who was busy setting up sandwich bags for the coming week.

The Waterfront Deli does a big sandwich business and is open only Monday through Friday. However, Mateo assured me that, if a racing yacht wanted sandwiches for its crew, those sandwiches would be ready for pickup on a Saturday morning. Here’s their information: https://waterfrontdeli.com/lunch.html

Then Carlos came by to pick up a sandwich in his United States Postal uniform shirt.

Marina Village Yacht Harbor

Before I motored out of the Estuary and sailed back to Richmond the next morning, I walked up to the Marina Village office again to thank Sandra Coong for the guest dock. While I was up there, I spoke with Sabrina Mathis who organizes the annual ice cream social. This year the ice cream will be from Loard’s in the South Shore Mall. Last year it was from The Cookie Bar, also an Alameda business. I asked for a copy of the poster advertising the ice cream social and posted it at RYC. I wish we could have an ice cream social in Richmond.

While I was in the office I had a terrific chat with Steve Meckfessel, the current manager of Marina Village Yacht Harbor. Now THAT was an interesting conversation! I audiotaped our conversation and will write more about the harbor next month. Steve is the most polite opinionated person I have ever interviewed. And yes, the issue of that Bridge over the Estuary did come up.

I also had a really interesting conversation with Richard Boland of Richard Boland Yachts. Suffice to say that, if you buy a boat from Richard’s business you will enjoy lots of discounted support from a number of Alameda marine services. So, stay tuned there, too. Recall John F. Kennedy’s phrase “A rising tide lifts all boats.” From my conversations with all these business owners, it is clear that Alameda maritime businesses are determined to support each other for the long haul.

After chatting with folks up at the Harbor Office, I walked back down where Dura Mater was ready to go. I found a gaggle of young coasties immediately behind her on a big inflatable boat. They were practicing docking. Somehow, they had managed to negotiate their way into the tight space between my own boat and another one, and to tie up. I was impressed and told them so. They said something like “Aw shucks, ma’am” and then they were off again, maintaining law and order on the Estuary waters.

In the meantime, enjoy your time on the water and please write to me at jackie@yachtsmanmagazine.com to tell me about your own boating experiences. Thank you for reading, and let’s all be careful out there.