Goodies for La Paz

I arrived in Kingston with sketches and measurements of the trimming required for Pachuca's HF radio and Pactor modem.  About a week ago I found some strips of wood at the local Home Depot that had suitable thickness and width with for the job.  The wood is poplar which I would not describe as having either strength or character, but with staining and varnishing it should look OK in its light duty role.

Arnold set me up in the garage with his work bench and electric tools so, I was able to make reasonable longitudinal cuts with the jig saw and excellent miter cuts with the radial arm saw.  I smoothed the jig saw cuts with the belt sander.  The photos show the HF/modem area to be trimmed and the poplar pieces.  I have deliberately left the pieces a bit long on the right side for some fine tuning later.


Last week Sandra, Elisa, Andrew and I visited REI in Seattle to exchange some garments.  Sandra and Arnold had given me a very nice outdoor jacket for Christmas - breathable, water resistant, and windproof to 30 mph.  It will make a great sailing jacket for moderate conditions.  The "large" size that we exchanged for the "medium" fits me perfectly and allows space for several layers of wool undergarments.

I took the opportunity to look for a jacket suitable for heavy weather sailing, primarily with the Horn in mind.  With plenty of help from the staff and the family I selected the gray "Mountain Hardwear" "Exposure II" parka. It has high waterproofness and breathability ratings, strong zippers, a good set of pockets, and the best fitting hood that I've tried out. 

Speaking of the Horn, Jeanne is now less than 800 miles from her waypoint south of the Horn.  She's closing in on the coast a bit more than I would at this point. (http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=KC2IOV)  In her latest entry she states the following about the Patagonia Archipelago: "But, like Alaska, the cruising season is short due to the latitude and one problem is that in many places, it's minimally charted - one hears of many uncharted rocks, in a very rocky area.... which, together with nasty 'williwaws' off hillsides and mountains, can easily lead to disaster - not a good place for a single-hander, unfamiliar with the area, to be sailing in, close to shore!"  (Not to mention the deep anchorages)