Good Old Mexican Know-How

[TaoJones]

Today's edition of 'Lectronic Latitude contains a lengthy article about a local Bay Area sailor currently cruising Banderas Bay, but I found one part of the piece very amusing:

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"Helping the U.S. Real Estate Market from Mexico

"December 7, 2007 – Banderas Bay, Mexico

(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
"With colorful sunrises such as this one almost every morning, and 7 a.m. temperatures of 80 degrees, it's hard for cruisers like Jim Taylor and Jim Bewley not to awake with a smile.
Photo Latitude / Richard
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.

<snip>

" . . . at the still-not-officially-open Riviera Nayarit Marina at La Cruz, there is no end to the entertainment value in watching how the Mexicans make do with what tools and equipment they have. For example, they use an old and often submerged barge, with a backhoe at each end, to do what's left of the dredging. . . . "

"When not actually doing dredging work, this backhoe on the front of the barge serves as the means of propulsion, grabbing the bottom and pulling forward.
Photo Latitude / Richard
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.

"The backhoe operator at the back of the barge, although he's probably not a licensed captain, is nonetheless in charge of steering when it's being moved.
Photo Latitude / Richard
© 2007 Latitude 38 Publishing Co., Inc.

"With no tug, how do they move the barge? Well, the guy with the backhoe at the bow, which is usually two or three feet underwater, grabs the bottom in front of the barge, and pulls the barge forward. Meanwhile — and you have to see this — the guy in the backhoe at the stern uses his bucket like a rudder. The amazing thing is that there is no communication between the two, and they move in and out of the harbor at about five knots with complete control. . . . "

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To read the entire article, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

I figured this belongs in the Powered Boats Forum for obvious reasons.

TaoJones