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La Manzanillo Memo - March 28, 2014

The semi-annual La Manzanilla Regatta was held Friday, March 21.

The sun shone brightly and a brisk breeze promised a lively race.  Six stalwart men set sail across the bay of Tenacatita in a wide range of watercraft, a couple of Hobie Cats, a 14-foot Capri, and two that seemed to be no more than surfboards with sails.   The captains met at noon at Restaurant Don Raul to set the course.

There was some lively discussion about a mathematical handicap to be given to the Hobi Cats but in the end the faster vessels were assigned an extra leg and everyone seemed satisfied. The captains and their first-mates jogged off toward their boats while the crowd settled in for the show.  There was some early excitement as the Capri and her two man crew fought the break while entering the water.  The small craft flipped on its side, dumped the crew in the water and had to be righted by several spectators.  Once past the break the crew recovered nicely and made a few warm-up spins around the inner bay and waylaid the crowd’s apprehensions.

At 1 p.m. sharp the red checkered tablecloth was waved and the boats took off toward the first goal, a rock between La Vena and Boca de Iguanas.  The haughty Hobie Cats hung back and danced around the shore giving the other crafts a good head start.  Playtime and showing-off now over, they both raced out the gate and quickly overtook the rest of the pack.  With the initial excitement and photo opportunities over, the crowd, armed with binoculars, settled in and enjoyed the competition.  

Just over an hour after the start the first competitor completed the triangular course between La Manzanilla, La Vena and Tamarindo and crossed the finish line, a Hobi Cat to no one’s surprise.   Even with the extra leg from Tamarindo and back to the La Vena rock the Hobi Cat still came in a good five minutes before the second place craft.

The crowd cheered, beers were raised and the trophy was passed.  All in all it was a successful event and a great way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Baseball Wind-up Day

Saturday, March 22 was the La Manzanilla Baseball’s Wind-up Day, the last game and event of the season. Kids and parents enjoyed relay races together, prizes were given out for longest fly ball and medallions were handed out to the kids for good sportsmanship.

Thanks to the tireless commitment and tenacity of Patti Wagner, La Manzanilla youth have a fantastic baseball program.  This season marks the third year the league has been active and Wagner laughs as she states, “We’ve come a long way from three kids, one bat, three gloves and bricks for bases.” 

She’s not kidding.  This year nearly 30 kids came out to the twice weekly practices and games.  So many that Wagner had to divide the groups up between juniors and seniors and recruit more volunteer coaches.  Every player has a glove, hat, and jersey.  Balls, bats, and bases have all been donated and each season more supplies make their way down as people hear of the program.   Kids learn the basics of the game, run drills and play games every week.   

Local music man and baseball lover, Scottie Turner, received the coach of the year award and after a three inning game of parents and kids the day ended with hot dogs and cupcakes.  If you’d like to support the program with donations of equipment contact Patti at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.