A Racy Red Bottom

Here is a photo of Indigo with her newly painted bottom. Red paint, expertly applied by the workers at the Berkovich boatyard in La Paz.
This was the first time we had the boat hauled out of the water using an old-fashioned marine railway. You can see in this photo that the boat is supported on the steel crossbeams that make up the "car" of the railway. What you can't see is the amazing, classic old "donkey engine" nearby, which drives the winch cable that pulls up the car to bring the boat out of the water, or let it back down.

What you must imagine is that we are on the boat as it is pulled uphill out of the water, and lowered back down.  That means we are about fifteen feet up in the air, with the boat at a pronounced slant as we transit the slope.

Imagine also metal wheels on metal rails, and the creaking and jerking as the winch strains with the weight of boat and metal car. 

Like so many things in Mexico, this marine railroad looks a bit dated and rustic, but it works well and gets the job done.  Bit by bit, we learn not to expect things here to look like they do further north.