Latitude 22
It all started somewhere back in 1959, on a stick pole Tuna boat Called ‘TheCounte Bianco’, out of San Pedro, California. The boat was on her death bed and soon to be retired,or turned into a bait boat. She was being replaced in the fleet by a brand new 250 foot Seiner type fisher, so this was to be her last run.
The skipper was a cousin to Mikes Dad, and snuck Him aboard, not exactly snuck him aboard, but berths on a tuna boat, were tighter than a ducks ass, So as a favor , He put him on for the last run. The boat ended up down at the ‘Cape’ as the old timers called it, and although there was nothing there but an old Tuna cannery and some small Palapa homes, Mike new he was going to return.
It took un till 1974, Mike returned on a Sport fisher named ‘The Avante’, she was a 68 foot Sport fisher built Redondo Beach by a rascal named Bobby Cornelius, He and Mike were good friends and seeing Mike just got divorced and his wife ended up with his little beach bar in Manhattan Beach, He had no money, nor apparent future, Here was his chance to return to ‘The Cape’ , Which by now was called Cabo.
The Cape still wasn’t what you could call a town, but it was showing possibilities. Time share hadn’t raised her consuming head, but there were some good hotels, and the place was showing possibilities. Mike spent 3 years there on the Avante, Shuffling people from ‘The Cabo San Lucas Hotel , to the Islands of ‘Sicorro, Partida, and Clarionun, till the new Port Captain, asked Cornelius to leave, for operating without proper papers. Once again Mike knew He would return! But it would not be un till, 1988
Mike was recovering from old war wounds from a bad operation in Santa Monica . When once again found Himself broke from giving another of his ex-wives through another misguided marriage, another Manhattan Beach bar.
Whilst on the mend, two old friends, Don Deford and Ted Van Huisen bought a 41 foot Pacifica named ‘THE DEALERSHIP’ and not being sea going type guys asked Mike to take the boat to Cabo and they would fly down. Actually they were great guys and knew Mike was on the verge of shattering and it was their way of helping , they knew from many conversations how much He wanted to get back. One night in ‘88’ Mike kicked the dock lines in Redondo Beach and I guess the rest is as they say History.
Enter Latitude 22, The Cannery, and Latitude 22 Road House. You know the rest!
