Kino Bay Chronicle

Now, Club Deportivo

In the 1960's, the appearance of other trailer courts, restaurants, motels and condominiums, as well as many permanent homes, was an indication that people many from Mexico as well as from the USA and Canada had discovered Kino Bay and were coming here in rapidly growing numbers. The Americans came mostly in winter seeking a change from cold weather at home. The Mexicans tended to come in summer since ocean breezes gave a welcome relief from the higher temperatures inland.

Most of the Americans had heard of the fabulous fishing in Kino Bay. So some brought boats but little or no knowledge of salt water fishing and less about these waters where sudden storms can create perilous conditions.

There were no government facilities here to assist fishermen. A few experienced Mexican fishermen were available as guides but some newcomers tempted fate by setting out alone. They had no means of communicating with each other or with families ashore except for citizen-band radios with limited, line-of-sight transmission. It was easy to get into trouble and helping boats in trouble was often a difficult and dangerous job.

But somebody had to do it.

It was inevitable that a few Americans who were early visitors or residents here acquired valuable experience in these waters. Eldon Heaston, Tom Turner, Tom Crutchfield, and Bob Jarratt, and their wives, to name just a few, bore the brunt of rescue work in the first years.

They did it willingly but began to voice the need for some sort of support organization which would make available more effective rescue facilities and lighten the load for the few search- and-rescue volunteers.

They soon had generated enough interest in the community to call a meeting. On October 22, 1977, at the home of Roy and Mary Francis Morwood, 23 people got together to talk about it. They discussed the growing needs at Kino Bay and shared information about organizations they knew about elsewhere which had operated effectively to provide help to sportsmen in general and in particular to foster boating safety.

Bob Jarratt was appointed to draw up by-laws. Tom Turner was named chairman of the rescue program soon to be named "Rescue One". Eldon Heaston agreed to meet with lawyers in Hermosillo for help in getting the Club chartered.

One of the founders, who was extremely helpful in implementing the Club's organization, was Santiago Garcia de la Garza, then a member of the Department of Tourism and the owner of the Posada del Mar. He was enthusiastic about the concept of a sporting club and, being bilingual and familiar with Mexican laws and governmental agencies, helped greatly to expedite the steps necessary to obtaining a charter. Santiago was at one time president of the Patronato which supervised municipal activities in Kino Bay.

On February 14, 1978, Scott Llewelyn, Tom Turner, Fausto Garcia, Roy Anderson, Oliver Keelor, Bob Jarratt, Eldon Heaston, Tom Crutchfield and Polly Boyles appeared before a public notary in Hermosillo and filed a charter and by-laws to form a corporation named "Club de Deportistas Bahia Kino". Its purpose was "to promote sporting activities, encourage sea and land safety, teach conservation and ecology, develop recreation areas, aid tourists, and participate actively in non-political community affairs."

It took a few months to get all the paperwork done but the fledgling Club was far from idle. During that time, the monitoring procedures for Rescue One were set up and working, steps were taken to make fishing licenses more easily available for members, a Club-sponsored fishing tournament was organized, a New Year's party was held, the now-familiar logo (designed by Raul Gutierrez, a young man employed at La Posada hotel) was adopted and decals ordered for sale to members (Not many spot the fish cleverly hidden in the logo design). The Club entered the first of many floats in the annual Kino Bay Mardi Gras parade, enough events were in the offing that a calendar of events was drawn up, the first of many chili suppers was held, and the treasurer was able to report a membership of 355.