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Captain Patrick Hughes & Crew |
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a pirate for an afternoon? On a real pirate ship? On the Spanish Main but without all the dangerous, down-side hassle? Only the fun part? Well, here's your chance mates.
The beautiful classic working schooner Patricia Belle is now berthed at La Isla in Marina Mazatlan, Mexico and taking on adventure-bound passengers for a few treasured hours of sailing out beyond Mazatlán's offshore islands. Imagine a day spent on the sun-splashed, breeze-swept decks of a rugged, traditional wood vessel that seems hewn out of the pages of Herman Melville or Jack London.
Imagine experiencing what it might have felt like to sight another sail on the horizon in hopes of its being a lone and hapless, Panama-bound, bullion-laden Spanish galleon. Or simply thrill to the spouting, splashing antics of a pod of grey whales only a few boat lengths away. Time aboard the Patricia Belle is a constantly changing, moving visual experience.
This incredibly stout 82-ft two-masted, black-hulled schooner was built in Puget Sound in 1997 and has since voyaged to Central America, South America, Caribbean, Bahamas and beyond, including a side trip to Hawaii. She even carried a 10,000 lb cargo of coffee beans from Nicaragua back up to San Diego...and sold it all off at the dock to crowds of highly appreciative local coffee freaks. She gets around.
And it's all due to the passion and vision of her owner/builder/captain Pat Hughes. Pat Hughes has been a professional mariner for over 38 years. He has worked and run everything from tug boats to tankers, ferry boats to tall ships, and most everything else in between. However, his love has always been for the beautiful lines of a traditional sailing vessel and to that end he slowly acquired the massive amount of Douglas fir needed (the masts were cut down from his own back yard) until he was ready to build his dream. And with the help of his kids and their friends, Patricia Belle was built and launched in three years.
Watching the crew work is a pleasure, as each quietly turns to his task. Captain Pat's bare feet seem to grow out of the deck as he stands at the wheel or moves deftly to tend a line. There's no shouting. Everyone knows just what to do and goes about it in a quiet, sure manner. It's an on-going lesson in proper seamanship.
The crew has, for the most part, been sailing with Pat for years. No matter what their primary job is, from 1st mate to cook, all turn out to tack the boat or shorten sail. And each seems to take pleasure in answering questions, pointing out sights and explaining the arcane workings of a traditional schooner to a wide-eyed, wannabe-pirate passenger.
This adventure is the crew's too. Their sun-tanned faces and knowing smiles say it all. Patricia Belles' massive hull has a sweet motion at sea. Almost stately. No sharp moves. No lurches. She lulls one into a sleepy, lazy, carefree attitude
An afternoon aboard the Patricia Belle is a delightful experience even if you've never dreamed of a swashbuckling life on the bounding main.
-By Mike Lata |
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