Flicka Towing Advice

We tow our Flicka with a 1-ton Chevy, dual back wheel truck, with a huge engine (7.4 liters)---and, needless to say, we feel well-powered and stable. We used to tow it with a half-ton Chevy pickup, and that was a problem. We have known people to tow Flickas with less power and stability than that, and I guess you can say they muddle through. In Baja, the grades are in all but a couple of places gentle and therefore not too challenging for a lighter vehicle--in pulling power. Stability is another consideration. The grade just north of Santa Rosalia, and again the grades south of Loreto on the way to La Paz, are much more challenging. The Santa Rosalia grade almost defeated our half-ton, and it did the truck no good, leading eventually to problems with the transmission. (We had problems as well in Southern California, going up the Grapevine grade on I-5 from the San Joaquin Valley into the San Fernando Valley.) With the one-ton, no problem. Stability is the other factor to consider. Baja main roads, such as Highway 1, contrary to rumor and myth, are not unsafe, but they are two-lane, sometimes with limited shoulders, and by virtue of the terrain can sometimes meander up, then down, then up and down again, and sometimes in fairly sharp turns. We simply plan for this, and you must plan for it, too, if you would drive safely and comfortably in Baja. This means, first and foremost, taking your time and figuring that with your rig, with stops for gas, and stops to look around you will average maybe 40 miles an hour during a long day. The way to cope with this substantial reduction in speed on Baja roads is to

Pacific Seacraft Flicka s/y SAIL AWAY ready for another road trip. prepare for it, expect it and, above all, accept it as part of the charm of the place. Baja is a truly beautiful landscape, stark and much of the time empty. We divide our trips down there into "the truck part" and "the boat part," and we enjoy each for its virtues. We take plenty of "Books on Tape" offerings and have whiled away many an hour going down the road listening to Detective Maigret or some such. Another rule: when you find gas, fill up. It is getting rarer to find gas stations closed in Baja, but it happens, especially around holidays. The station at Highway 1 at the junction of the side road to Bay of Los Angeles is one that seems to be out of gas, or at least unable to pump it, more than most. Gas stations in Mexico are governmentowned and spaced about 80 miles apart. With a trailer and a big engine, fill up, every time. You never know when a station will be down when you are low on fuel. We carry 10 gallons extra fuel in a couple of jerry cans, and even that is probably not enough. Likewise, if you take your Flicka to Baja, find a good means to carry extra diesel aboard, at least another 10 gallons. Diesel is not universally available at or near the marinas, launch ramps, or beaches of Baja. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't there, and you need to prepare. The reason? If you launch

in the north, as we usually do---at San Felipe, Bay of LA, or even Muleje--and you plan to bring the boat back to the trailer, as opposed to moving the trailer south, you may have in the wintertime heavy north winds and tough going to make the passage back to the north. We carry a Nauta collapsible tank on deck, with as much as 12 gallons of diesel in it, and have used it every time, it seems. The collapsible tank is preferable to a solid tank in our opinion, and with a fitting and hose to direct the fuel into the Flicka's bow filler point, we simply put pressure on the tank and force fuel into the Flicka's main tank. One more point about “the truck part.” The Mexican mechanics are marvels. They remind me of Steinbeck's description of the mechanic in "Cannery Row"---"the little mechanic of God, the master of all things that turn and twist and explode. . . ." They can make parts when they don't have them, and they never admit defeat, even in the remotest places. Do yourself a favor. Take plenty of spares, especially for the trailer. Springs, bushings, lights, wiring, take whatever seems to you might break or wear out. We have had to leave our trailer in Baja on one breakdown. That cured me of leaving spares home. Better the spare than the time to get one!