By Neil Farrell ~
With painstakingly delicate effort, the Central Coast Maritime Museum Association successfully lifted, cradled and transported the tugboat, Alma, from its dry storage in the Harbor Department’s yard by Morro Creek to its new home on display on The Embarcadero.
There she became part of the new arrangement of boats for the CCMMA’s future museum complex that includes the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle, Avalon, a Coast Guard Surf Rescue Rollover Boat, and sometime in the future, the Monterey-style fishing boat, Spindrift.
CCMMA president, Larry Newland, said Bragg Crane Co., of Santa Maria and Dwight Peterson of D. Peterson Heavy Hauling, accomplished the Alma’s move. Peterson several years ago also hauled the Avalon to town from San Diego, Newland said.
“The day was a success all-in-all,” Newland said, “It’s pretty difficult moving a big, heavy, [43,400 lbs], delicate boat built the year Lindberg flew the Atlantic [1927]. Big kudos to the Morro Bay Harbor Department, they have been really helpful throughout the planning of this.”
An open house June 4-5 was also a great success with people flocking to the site for a chance to climb inside the Avalon.
“A big shout out to Mark Tognazinni [of Tognazinni’s Dockside restaurants] for his donation to get the ball rolling,” Newland added. “Excellent smoked chicken-barbecue.”
The CCMMA is now turning its focus to the pending October visit of the new tallship San Salvador, slated to be in port Oct. 19-24, as part of her maiden voyage up and down the California Coast.
Still left is raising some $40,000-$50,000 for a small 20-foot by 20-foot exhibit building that will be added to the museum site. “We’d like to do that some time in 2017,” said Newland.
For information about the maritime museum and to make a donation, see: www.morrobaymaritime.org.
