We are pleased to announce that there WILL be fireworks over Bodega Bay this 4th of July weekend. Availability is limited, so call us today at 800-888-3565 to secure a vacation home for this great event.
If you didn’t get a chance to stay with us this Winter, or can’t wait to come back, we are now extending our 3-for-2 Winter Special to include the month of April!
Call us today at 800-888-3565 to secure a home for your Sonoma Coast getaway.
Join us for the 36th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival, April 4 & 5, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Event includes Live Music, Wine Tasting, Seafood, Food Booths, Beverages, Crafts Fair, Exhibits, Children’s Events, Kit Flying, and Raffle Prizes. SPECIAL EVENTS: Golf Tournament, Boat Challenge, Parade of Pets, Llamas on Parade, Boat Parade, and Blessing of the Fleet. View the official event website at http://www.bbfishfest.com.
photo by Mark Aronoff Associated Press
“Sinking but See-Worthy?”
By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 3:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 3:29 a.m.
At low tide, the sailboat Happy lists heavily to starboard in the Bodega Bay mud flats, where it has been mired for six months.
“It’s a curiosity. People want to know if they can go out to it, does it have a long history, what’s the skinny on it, tell me the dirt,” said Julie-Ann Hill, a tourist adviser at the Sonoma Coast Visitor Center. “They want to go back home and to say ‘I saw the ghost boat out there.’ ”
The 57-foot boat is easily seen from the road and bayside businesses, and it’s become something of an attraction.
“It adds character to the bay,” said Matt Hoplamazian of Santa Rosa.
“They should leave it, although I just hate answering all the questions about it,” said Chris Jimenez, a bartender at Tides Wharf, which overlooks the wreck. “It’s a sinking boat, something to look at.”
The boat was abandoned last fall by its owner, Dan McGillicuddy, who fell behind in mooring fees at Spud Point Marina in the bay and was evicted.
“At the moment he owes $8,300,” said Mary Burns, director of Sonoma County Regional Parks. “He apparently tried to move the boat, but the Coast Guard intercepted him and said the boat was not seaworthy. He anchored it in the channel, and a storm moved it onto the tidelands.”
Attempts to contact McGillicuddy were unsuccessful.
Sonoma County thinks abandoned boats are neither quaint tourist attractions nor harmless, said Mike Wagner, the county’s manager of real estate.
“In somebody’s mind it may become charming, but in reality they blow around, they can be come potential hazards to navigation, they leak toxics into the water, kids go out and play on them, they can get hurt,” Wagner said. “They on no level are charming; they create hazards.”
The county has jurisdiction over the tidelands, and the Sheriff’s Department is dealing with the owner to have the boat removed, Wagner said.
People at Spud Point who know McGillicuddy said he got himself into financial bind.
They also say the boat now is too badly damaged to save.
“The best thing they could do is take the oil and diesel fuel out of it, cut off the mast and scuttle it,” said Steve Ayers of Bodega Bay, caretaker of the fishing boat Mandy. “Take it out 10 or 12 miles and make a fish habitat out of it.”
McGillicuddy bought the boat in 2003, when it was moored at the marina, and kept it there until he was evicted in January 2007 for non-payment of berth fees, according to Spud Point Marina records.
It was anchored in the harbor outside the marina, but was dislodged by a storm last fall and pushed up on to the mud flats, out of the federally controlled channel, Spud Point manager Noah Wagner said.
“We have boarded it twice or maybe three times and it is not seaworthy,” said Petty Officer Steve Kennedy, who is at the U.S. Coast Guard station at Doran Park. “As long as it’s not within the channel, we won’t really mess with it. I know it’s an eyesore, and I am not sure the progress of what is happening with it at this point.”
The keel of the boat, which has a ferroconcrete hull, is firmly lodged in the mud; the sail is shredded and flapping in the wind.
Mike Wagner said removing the boat may cost the county thousands of dollars and take several months to go through the legal process.
“I don’t think we will let it sit there and rot. We will try to get this guy to clean up his mess. And if he doesn’t do it, there are remedies under the law,” Wagner said. “He needs to do what’s right.”
The Visitor Center’s Hill said she can see the sailboat from her home above Porto Bodega Marina, and uses it to judge the wind and tide.
“When the tide come in, it raises itself up like a lady ready to go to sea, and then like an old lady it lays on its side when the tide goes out,” Hill said. “Happy is not happy.”
We are proud to announce the newest members of our family of vacation home rentals:
COASTAL SUNSET
Cozy 2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom home overlooking the Ocean. Fireplace, DVD, VCR, CD, Wireless High Speed Internet, Propane BBQ, Unobstructed panoramic water views, backyard, Pet OK. Sleeps 5.
To view this home on the web, click HERE.
SEA GLASS
Spacious 2 Bedroom with Loft, 2 Bathroom home in Bodega Harbour. Outdoor Spa, Deck, Propane BBQ, Ocean Views, Indoor Jacuzzi Tub, Woodstove, DVD, VCR. Sleeps 6-8. To view this home on the web, click HERE.
We are proud to welcome the newest member of our family of vacation home rentals, Coastal Elegance!
This large, sunny 3 bedroom 2.5 bathroom home is located on the 2nd Fairway of the Bodega Harbour Golf Links. It boasts a gourmet kitchen, outdoor spa, and beautiful Ocean Views.
Call us TOLL FREE at 800-888-3565 for more information or view this home on the web HERE.
We invite you to enjoy this beautiful time of year here on the Sonoma Coast by taking advantage of our Fall and Winter Specials. Secure two nights at a Bodega Bay & Beyond Vacation Home, and you can stay a third night FREE! This special is valid through March 31, 2009, and excludes Holidays.
Please call us at 800-888-3565 today!
We visit the beautiful Sonoma Coast often and are so happy to have found Bodega Bay & Beyond! We’ve stayed in a few of the BBB homes and all are clean, comfortable, well stocked, and a welcome retreat from Sacramento. One of our favorites is Sandsation in Salmon Creek. Sandsation is the perfect getaway for my husband and myself or to share with another couple. Plus, we can bring our dog Stella and she LOVES it there too!
The staff at BBB are always friendly, courteous and very knowledgeable about the homes they manage. We are truly looking forward to our next visit!”
“To view our last visit to Bodega Bay log on to www.k2insacramento.blogspot.com”
Here at Bodega Bay & Beyond, we employ a full time licensed contractor whose services are also available to local Sonoma Coast residents. We are delighted to offer our services to the community.
Bodega Bay & Beyond is proud to be an active member of the Vacation Rental Managers Association. Our President, Don Buttaro, and General Manager, Marissa Dyer, are frequent speakers at VRMA conferences, and Marissa is part of the 2008 Conference Planning Committee. Marissa is also featured in this promotional video produced by VRMA.
Attend the VRMA 2008 Annual Conference