BajaNomad - Nautica Ladder

Nautica Ladder

tommyc - 8-1-2010 at 09:25 AM

Whatever happened to the Nautica Ladder thing the Mexican government was doing some years ago? BOLA was slated as one of the spots I believe...the last time I was in town in 2005 they were promoting it. Hopefully, it’s dead in the water like the port in Colonet.
I’ve been out of the Baja loop for a while now and need to catch up!

Tom

David K - 8-1-2010 at 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tommyc
Whatever happened to the Nautica Ladder thing the Mexican government was doing some years ago? BOLA was slated as one of the spots I believe...the last time I was in town in 2005 they were promoting it. Hopefully, it’s dead in the water like the port in Colonet.
I’ve been out of the Baja loop for a while now and need to catch up!

Tom

Most of the effort was done at Santa Rosalillita, wide paved road from Mex. 1, small harbor, boat picking crane... paved pullouts along the road to L.A. Bay so cars could pass the boats being trailered across the peninsula... :lol:

They counted on a rich yachtie cliental to pay for the service... :lol:

U.S. Economy crashed, people live on yahts as a cheap method of survival, and few would even dream of allowing some truck driver to take their yacht across the peninsula is my guess!

Photo at Santa Rosalillita Harbor July 2007:

707 106r.JPG - 47kB

David K - 8-1-2010 at 09:35 AM

Another...

707 104r.JPG - 48kB

bajamedic - 8-1-2010 at 09:44 AM

"U.S. Economy crashed, people live on yahts as a cheap method of survival"

That is funny, I never thought about surviving the economy on my yacht, maybe my dingy, but never my yacht :lol:

rhintransit - 8-1-2010 at 09:45 AM

project dead in the water. the existing Singlar marinas are functional but for sale.

David K - 8-1-2010 at 09:48 AM

No rent or house payment on the ocean... If in a marina, then they have found that cheaper... The few who I know with yachts are very thrifty and not rich. Regardless, there is NO customers for the Escalera Nautica.

Osprey - 8-1-2010 at 09:55 AM

Good question Tommy. The project (what's left of it) is now called The Sea of Cortez Project. The proposal moved away from the Baja Pacific steps to enhance marinas on the mainland. Not a bad idea because they all need more help to expand but I think the whole thing has bogged down. Maybe that's best for everybody. The first long boat trip for gas from SoCal is now Turtle bay but that's almost 400 miles so the plan was to make a floating fueling station somewhere around Colonet. Nature still bats last and I doubt that Mexico (or others) could make that work in the raging Pacific so the very first step was daunting to say the least.

Marc - 8-1-2010 at 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajamedic
"U.S. Economy crashed, people live on yahts as a cheap method of survival"

That is funny, I never thought about surviving the economy on my yacht, maybe my dingy, but never my yacht :lol:

Or my kayak. :lol:

bajajazz - 8-1-2010 at 10:19 AM

I have been told that the "new, wide highway" between Santa Rosalillita and Highway 1 is plenty adequate for the landing of very large airplanes, which may've been part of the game plan from the start.

The Nautica Escalara project by Fonatur also funded the beginning of the Costa Baja marina development in La Paz, which is now dominated by private money, having just received a 20 million dollar construction loan from HSBC, on top of the already enormous loans supplied by other sources, public and private. Presumably, HSBC knows what it's doing. I hear it's theoretically possible to shoot cannons anywhere around Costa Baja's satellite businesses and not hit anything, the place is dead as a doornail with much of it "closed for renovations." Funny, how brand new developments need to be "renovated" so soon after opening. I also hear that potential customers for Costa Baja have no place to park because the employees take up all the parking spaces, just like downtown, which is also dying on the vine. Lots of room for a golf course, but no room for parking. Something about this just doesn't compute.

woody with a view - 8-1-2010 at 10:31 AM

Quote:

I have been told that the "new, wide highway" between Santa Rosalillita and Highway 1 is plenty adequate for the landing of very large airplanes, which may've been part of the game plan from the start.

since they have strung electrical lines along poles down the side of the road i wouldn't recommend trying to land a large plane.

smugglers, that's something else....

capt. mike - 8-1-2010 at 10:32 AM

a total waste of time and money. that deal would never have met the approval of serious global investors. only chumps on the gov't dime with out a clue on how to make real money in development thru valid private enterprize could dream up such a loser deal.

"The few who I know with yachts are very thrifty and not rich."

then thay are not on yachts...big boats maybe. but not true yachts.
pick up a copy of yachting mag. you'll see the diff. :lol:

rhintransit - 8-1-2010 at 10:42 AM

in my area near Loreto, I'm seeing plenty of yachts NOT on the budget plan in the Sea of Cortez, more so and larger every year. Singlar Escondido, with gas and diesel available at the dock in an area formerly without such service, is responsible for a lot of the increase.

mtgoat666 - 8-1-2010 at 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
No rent or house payment on the ocean... If in a marina, then they have found that cheaper... The few who I know with yachts are very thrifty and not rich.

they are thrifty because their boats are black holes that suck all of the money out of their wallets :lol:

flyfishinPam - 8-1-2010 at 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by capt. mike
a total waste of time and money. that deal would never have met the approval of serious global investors. only chumps on the gov't dime with out a clue on how to make real money in development thru valid private enterprize could dream up such a loser deal.

hilarious and true.... LOVE IT!

Bajahowodd - 8-1-2010 at 04:25 PM

Not so sure about that. Perhaps the costs have or will eventually kill the idea. But, the initial concept made some real sense. The idea was to entice boaters to come down the Pacific side, and travel way up into the Sea of Cortez. The thought being that having to retrace your route all the way back was a disincentive. Thus, if you could get your boat hauled across the peninsula for a reasonable fee, you would have the opportunity to experience more of Baja in the same amount of time. Since I have no idea as to the costs of building this project, I don't know if it's financially doable. But I still think the concept made sense.

capt. mike - 8-1-2010 at 04:40 PM

"Since I have no idea as to the costs of building this project, I don't know if it's financially doable. But I still think the concept made sense."

Howodd - you are speaking oxymarooonically.....
i think PT Barnum is looking for you. :spingrin:

hahahahaha.
sorry - can't resist

can i maybe interest you in some sea side property east of Yuma by chance? whoops - did it again. sorry....
don't worry - this smoke will wear off in a few hours... :biggrin:

durrelllrobert - 8-1-2010 at 05:11 PM

How do all those "big" boats get to lake Mead and lake Powell? Must be trucked there somehow :?:

bonanza bucko - 8-1-2010 at 07:54 PM

....and on top of all that you should consider how long yer basic Gringo in a Cal 25 from Newport Beach would last in the Sea of Cortez where:

1.)30 knot winds come up without warning and from different directions in the space of an hour.
2.)Midriff tides run at 6 knots between the islands and have been known to produce whirl pools that will drown a shark.
3.)22 foot tides in the Northern Sea of Cortez that would rock said Gringo and his wife and kids to sleep only to tip his boat in its side and high a dry when he wakes up at 0200.
4.)No gasoline is EVER available as advertised and for sure NEVER on holiday weekends just when said Gringo zopilote mojado needs it most.

If that Gringo makes it home he will never be back with his boat.....his relatives might, however, show up for the memorial service held at the site of a marina that didn't get built.

Dewey - 8-1-2010 at 08:48 PM

Before Santa Rosalillita Harbor there was a point just south of where the harbor is now that produced great tubes that you could not always make. On the right swell the jetty on the south side of the current harbor also gets really good. The new harbor silts in easily. The harbor does not work well for boats but does produce some pretty good surf.

Gaucho - 8-1-2010 at 09:00 PM

Quote:

I would have to say ONE of the main reasons this project failed was the perceived cartel danger.

Russ - 8-2-2010 at 06:44 AM

This I believe was to be their poster child for the project. There is one little snag though. No water! You couldn't launch a tin boat at high tide. What was suppose to be a tourist draw has made the local fishermen very happy. They now have a great road to get their product to market :?:

Edit: I think this shot was taken at high tide because I've seen pics of a surfer walking between the jetties to go play in the new waves.

[Edited on 8-2-2010 by Russ]

Harbor No Water.jpg - 47kB

capt. mike - 8-2-2010 at 06:51 AM

Bruce nailed it.

Mexicorn - 8-2-2010 at 07:27 AM

Maybe the ramp is there so that you can back up your boat in order to launch it onto the sand without getting sand on your tires! :light:

Al Gore says the ice bergs are melting and the plight of the polar bear has reduced this great beast to sucking on popsicles to keep cooled.
I'm thinking that perhaps the engineer's that built this ramp took that into consideration!

Ni-co Another Bloody Mary it's Monday!!!

[Edited on 8-2-2010 by Mexicorn]

Jack Swords - 8-2-2010 at 07:46 AM

Many years ago the Mexican Gov't had representatives at most boating events in CA asking boaters to fill out an extensive survey about a proposed Nautical Ladder. Questions were to determine the potential users and feasibility. Apparently there was sufficient response that the plan was initiated, construction started, etc. The key was the "Baja Cama" computer driven boat trailer developed by the Grossmans over in San Carlos. Its pads were state of the art as were the trucks to haul them. The Grossmans have been hauling boats up to 55 ft for years from the US to San Carlos and back with complete safety. It was these trucks/trailers that were to be used for the across peninsula trip from BOLA to Santa Rosalillita, saving the ugly pounding upwind toward CA. Going down the Pacific side is not the problem, returning is. Well, something happened and Grossman pulled out. Then, everything seemed to fall apart. The intent was to get US folks down in the Sea spending money, buying real estate, etc. Vestiges remain with the Singular Marinas, but nothing of the "ladder" of safe stops, fuel, etc. Each marina stop in the ladder was envisioned to then have the resultant development, shops, homes, etc. Harbors were to be dredged regularly like Morro Bay, Santa Barbara etc. The Grossmans have recently stopped carrying boats from the US, but some US carriers are doing it. Alternatives now are a giant boat/barge that sinks to drive your boat in, rises up, and carries your vessel to points north along with many other boats. Unfortunately the US won't let it dock so that means Ensenada or Canada for returning boats. This service is available twice a year in La Paz mas or menos.

As to cruising the Sea, having done it the past 12 years, including crossings, screaming blue northers, etc. it is not that bad. A well equipped boat and skipper, regardless of size can have a great time in the Sea. Prudence is always needed whether in the Sea or off So. CA. Sailors from the Bay area are particularly well equipped due to their Wx and preparation. As an example, Latitude 38, a sailing rag, sponsors the Baja HaHa each October where over a hundred boats (mainly sail) cruise down from San Diego to Cabo/La Paz/Mazatlan etc. They have been doing this for years and many boats and cruisers remain in Mexico. They have a web page and are currently gearing up with crew parties, seminars, etc. for this year's Baja HaHa. For the timid or very social it is an alternative to getting down to warm waters and a great sailing area (but anchorages that used to be isolated are not so much anymore). Like on land, the Sea is changing too.

As a note on costs, I pay the same in Marina de la Paz for our slip as I paid or would pay now in Ventura and Channel Islands harbor. Even anchor-outs in La Paz pay the gov't for each day at anchor. However, much less than a marina, but no amenities.

wilderone - 8-2-2010 at 09:46 AM

Some speculate that the entire concept, which was to be funded by private money, was simply a boondoggle intended to incite a land grab in Baja, regardless of whether or not it went any further. I believe that happened to an extent as land, development, building sites were promoted with the pie in the sky promises Escalera Nautica would bring. After all, that has been FONATUR's modus operendi.

Alan - 8-2-2010 at 09:48 AM

Personally I think it is like most projects in Baja. So many seem to go on for years with barely perceptible progress until one day they are just done. Through the many years since the concept inception I have seen fuel come to Puerto Escondido, an Escalera marina in La Paz (though it is so far back in the bay no one uses it), power come to BoLA, and a huge paved highway to Santa Rosalitta.

My guess it that the project is still moving forward on your typical Baja timetable.

Martyman - 8-2-2010 at 10:23 AM

We have finally named our 16 foot bayrunner boat...The Escalera Nautica.

Russ - 8-2-2010 at 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Martyman
We have finally named our 16 foot bayrunner boat...The Escalera Nautica.

So it's a really nice boat without a trailer or motor?

[Edited on 8-2-2010 by Russ]

ArvadaGeorge - 8-3-2010 at 09:46 AM

What I heard (Bar room tail in LA Bay) was after they did Santa Rosalillita they were to start on LA Bay. Up by La Gringa.
Then they found out they couldn’t dredge La Gringa out –it was solid rock.

Bajatripper - 8-3-2010 at 01:28 PM

Quote:

Actually, the formula the Mexican government employed in the Escalera Nautica was the same tried-and-true method used in the establishment of the initial five tourist poles (Cancun, Ixtapa, Huatulco, Los Cabos, and Loreto). The idea was that the Mexican government would fund the initial part of these projects (land acquisition--often through violence--and building the infrastructure necessary to get the ball rolling (electrics, water treatment at both ends, airports, highways, etc.) and then expected the international "name brands" in tourism to pick up and run with it.

When representatives of the Hiltons, Holliday Inns, etc, visited the sites and said "thanks, but no thanks," the government suddenly found itself in the hotel-building-and-ownership business. Once it became obvious that there was a profit to be made, transnational corporations were more than happy to step in--as managers. In other words, once the stuff that doesn't generate a profit was paid for by the Mexican people, "savy investors" were willing to step in and skim off the profits.

In the case of the Escalera Nautica, the idea is not new. In the early 1970s, a consortium of multinational U.S.-based companies led by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and supported by U.S. senator Jacob Javits of New York sponsored studies that identified sites suitable for marinas and such--the same sites proposed for the most recent encarnation of this project. Once the proposal was completed, they scheduled a presentation of the project for the approval of then Mexican President Echeverria, who seemed to support the idea (he was the president responsible for the completion of the Transpeninsular Highway). On the day of the big presentation--at Los Pinos (the Mexican White House), no less--Echeverria abrubtly got up from the table, said "Mexico is not for sale" and left the room. End of the sales pitch.

In the most recent effort to get this project going, the Mexican government placed into action the same development strategy they had used in the past for their billion-dollar tourist projects: build the infrastructure and hope that international investors jump in sooner rather than later.

The government was to spend $222 million dollars during the first six years, anticipating that international investors would pony up the several billion dollars needed to finish it.

Originally, it was envisioned that there would be 22 full-service marinas (10 new ones and remodeled others) along the coasts of Baja, Sonora and Sinaloa. Each marina was also to have airport facilties, golf courses, upper-scale hotels and condos, etc. And we all know about that 84 mile-long highway linking BOLA with Santa Rosalillita to move boats back and forth--smack down the middle of a protected environmental zone.

The goal was to attract 76,400 boats to the region by 2010 and that by 2014 there would be 5.4 million "nautical tourists" making the journey. At the time, the editor of a popular sailing magazine estimated that such an ambitious plan would require emptying every marina along the California coast from the border up to Sausalito.

By most measurements, the project has been a big bust. A few of the marinas have happened, most haven't.

But--assuming that this is the typical "public works project" of Mexico (or anywhere else, for that matter)--then I would say that the project served its initial purpose, which was to give a chance for public officials (and private individuals with "palanca") to get their hands on some of the loot as it made its way through the system. And untold millions have likely changed hands as land speculation took off once the project was announced

Furthermore, since something HAD to be built to justify the expenditures of public funds, there is now electricity not only in BOLA, but all along the way from Guerrero Negro to the Punta Prieta turnoff. Before this project, power ended at El Rosario and was available once again upon crossing into Baja Sur. And, as someone pointed out, the fishermen at Santa Rosalillita now have excellent access to the Transpeninsular.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this project continue along as subsequent administrations use it to funnel funds their way. And maybe eventually it will get done, as someone said above. Cancun and Los Cabos took many years before they attracted international tourists in appreciable numbers.

[Edited on 8-4-2010 by Bajatripper]

[Edited on 8-4-2010 by Bajatripper]

David K - 8-3-2010 at 06:23 PM

Great info Steve!

Baja&Back - 8-3-2010 at 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajatripper

The goal was to attract 76,400 boats to the region by 2010 and that by 2014 there would be 5.4 million "nautical tourists" making the journey. At the time, the editor of a popular sailing magazine estimated that such an ambitious plan would require emptying every marina along the California coast from the border up to Sausalito.

There are no where near 76,000 boats in CA capable of travelling to Cabo. Must have pulled that number out of a VERY big sombrero.

wilderone - 8-3-2010 at 09:40 PM

I understand the number of boats that fit into the project hype statistics was the number of registered boats in California, Arizona and Nevada. Anyway, here's a fairly recent article on the status of the regionin some respects:

http://www.miller-mccune.com/environment/the-ghost-harbor-at...